The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-12-01 00:00:00

A PARCELS POST PROSECUTION.

THE DISASTER IN THE SOUDAN.

The Cairo Correspondent of the Daily News writes :

Sir Evelyn Wood has received a telegram from
Colonel de Coetlogan at Khartoum. He confirms the
accounts of the disaster already made 'public, and says
the bearer of the news is moss trustworthy. All the
country has risen. Baker Pacha had been asked by
the Government to send one thousand men of the
gendarmerie to Sonakim to clear the desert. He had
consented, but he now recommends thst they should be
kept for Upper Egypt, owing to the last news.
The plan ofaiis Egyptian, Governinent*l
Khartoum, try.tO open the Berber and-kSu4im rout,
and abandon tlre- eqdatorial pinvinces.' It Irquestiot
able whether they Will succeed in holding Khartoum.
The troops are insufficient. Colonel de Coetlogan
will probably retire to Berber. The troops, at present
4,000 men, are not enough to hold Khartoum. It is a
straggling place, with a large black population which
would turn on the Europeans. It would require an
enormous nurafer-to bold the ramparts.
I fear there is little doubt that Mr. O'Donovan was
killed. It is reported that Mr. Vizetelly was sketeh-
ing at a distance, and was taken prisoner, There is no
certainty. It is mere conjecture.
-

..,; i

Egypt is not safe above the Second Cataract. Great
excitement prevails everywhere. It is thought that
the Ilfihdi Will take Khartoum and Berber' and march
on Upper Egypt. Tne natives begin to: believe him
the true forerunner.

-
Another Correspondent, writing from Alexandria,
says -
-
There appear o ! to no n doubt that Hicks Pasha was
closed in by titeriebetirat4Obeid, and that his army of
10,000 men has been completely destOyed. It is
feared that he himself and all the Europeans were
killed, as from the-previitis accounts it as a CMS' of
death or victory. Although many did not share the
confidence of the Egyptian officials' and the @ad result
was not altogether unexpected, the disaster has created
a painful impression, and England's future action in
the Soudan question is awaited here with great anxiety.

•
The Daily News says :—A private letter from
O'Donovan has been pnt into our handi. The fore-
bodings contained in the following passages will be
read at the present moment with pectif.arly painful
interest :

Camp of El Dnem, on the White Dale,
&pt. , .
'Dear —,—Your letter was a long time in reach-
ing me, meandering as I was out here among forests
and deserts, far, far away from civilisation. If you
look at the map you will see how far off I am, south of
the point where the Blue and White Niles unite at
Khartoum. We arrived here three days ago after al2
days' march,and are preparing to start again towards a
place 230 miles in the interior to attack the Mandi,
Mahomet Achmet. We are eleven thousand strong,
with no end of artillery and cavalry, but the enemy is
double that strength and holds very strong positions.
After to-morrow we march, and in six or seven days
after expect to have a sanguinary enga6ment. All
the expeditions which preceded us during the past two
years have been defeated with disaster. Let us hope
ours won't share the mama fate." [After referring
to the death of an intimate friend OA letter con-
tinues :]
"I shall sadly miss him when I return to London,
if I ever do. I am writing this Under circumstances
which bring me almost as near death as it is possible
to be without being under absolute sentence of execu-
tion or in the throes of some deadly malady, and yet I
speak of poor as if I was going to live for ever.
It would be odd if the next intelligence from this
part of the world told that I, too, had gone the
way of all flesh. However, to die even out here,
with a lancehead as big as a shovel through me,
will meet my views better than the slow, gradual
sinking into the grave which is the lot of so
many. You must know that here we are fifteen
hundred miles away south of Cairo, in the midst of a
wild, almost unexplored country. The Egyptian
army with which I am here camped on the banks of
the Nile will have but one chance given them—one
tremendous pitched battle. The enemy we have to
meet are as courageous and fierce as the Zulus, and
much better armed; and our army is that which
ran away before a handful of British troops at
Tel-el-Kebir. We are obliged to march in square,
with our baggage and water camels, five thou-
sand in number, in our midst, lest the enemy's
cavalry surprise us. In this guise we can march only
ten miles a day, for after twelve the heat becomes
frightful, as we are not far from the equator. Thus it
takes us four days to get from one set of wells to
another. Then perhaps when we get to where water
ought to be we find the wells filled up with stones and
earth, or mayhap rotting bodies of men and camels.
Then we have to go rig htabout face back again to where
we came from, with the enemy's cavalry hanging on our
flank all the time, and watching an opportunity to make
a dash at us, You know I am by this time, after
an experience of many years, pretty well accustomed
to dangers of most kinds, even some extra, Yet I
assure you I feel it terrible to face deadly peril far
away from civilized ideas and where no mercy is to be
met with, in company with cravens that you expect to
see run at every moment, and who will leave you
behind to face the worst. I send you a flower plucked
from a shrub growing at my tent door. To tell you the
truth, there isn't a large selection just in this spot, where
so many thousands are camped. I wish I could
monkeys tiere come uown to uritiK Ub Lae Liar my
thousands. Gazelles wander about by hundreds, and
all kinds of beautiful birds are to be had for a couple
of pence. I myself have three camels, two drome-
daries, and a horse, but these are every-day
domest;c aminals here. Hippopotamuses, giraffes,
and leopards are our neighbours in the adjoia-
ing woods and river, and we see more crocodiles
than are pleasant. Some are twenty-nine feet
long, and look hideous as they lies basking on the
sand with gaping jaws and winking eyes. I am
going out in a couple of hours to stalk some of
them a quarter of a mile off, and perhaps I may be
able to bring you back a souvenir in the shape of a
pouch or belt of crocodile skin (warranted genuine).
Give my address, Khartoum, Soudan, Upper Egypt,
to all friends inquiring for me, and say how glad I
shall be to hear from them or to receive an occasional
newspaper. Power is here in the tent as I write.
He is utterly broken down with fever and dysentery,"
In another letter, written a little earlier than the
above, Mr. O'Donovan says : "The Mandi is muster-
ing all his men to meet us, for we march out shortly
to fight a decisive battle. I am greatly afraid we
shall get the worst of it, and then not a man will
escape."

The Daily News publishes the following translation
of a letter ot Major-General Seckendorff, Hicks Pacha's
adjutant, dated Duem, on the White Nile, the 25th
September :
"We left Khartoum on the 9th September, and
arrived at Duem, a fortified town on the White Nile,
after twelve days' march. Duem is to be the central
point of our operaticns in Kordofan. The march
showed us what we shall have to endure, although as
yet we have not lacked water. Pleasant times are cer-
tainly not in store for us. The False Prophet
will give endless trouble. He musters a great force,
and disposes of over 15,000 good breechloaders and
fourteen cannons, besides holding two fortified
cities, Barri and Obei3. The latter is the capital of
Kordofan. The most important thing is that he com-
mends well mounted cavalry, and fanaticism makes
heroes of all his people—a description which certainly
does not apply to our troops. I have seen Egyptians
in three battles, and should be at a loss to find one
hero among them. The lack of water is terrible. All
the wells on the road are destroyed. When we march
from here we leave the Nile, and other rivers there are
none. We cannot carry more water than we need
for twenty-four hours, and how much that is, you
know when you remember that we are 11,000 men
with 6,000 camels, horses, and mules. The
march to Duem was hard work, We marched daily
from half-past five to one or two o'clock. It was
pleasant until nine; warm until ten; beyond descrip-
tion after that. Continual marching through deserts,
in which nothing grows but small briar, is doubly
tiring. Only once did we pass through an oasis, with
trees, grass, and even hills, and these refreshed not
only the eyes, but the mind and body. During
the first days I was very unwell, and feared
that the exertion would be beyond me. But I accus-
tomed myself to the heat. To show that we had
plenty of work, I will describe one day's march. It
commenced at half•past five, and lasted until half
past one. My duty was to ride from one side to the
other. At a quarter to four I left the camp to place the
sentinels, which occupied me until after seven. Then
I dined with the General, and afterwards returned to
the sentinels, where I spent the night, of course, with-
out sleeping. Next morning we marched again, and
happily reached Deum at twelve. I felt so tired that I
could scarcely accept the invitation of the Governor,
Alaidin Pacha, to lunch on board the ship which had
conveyed him hither. We are informed that the
victuals are ebbing at Kordofan already. Wtat will
it be when our numbers are added to the inhabitants?
If our cavalry gives timely notice of attack from the
Arabs then all will go well, but if they succeed in
taking us by surprise then we must be prepared for
the worst. If they defeat us once, not one of us
will return home, for then the entire Soudan will
rise as one man. Khartoum and all will be
host. The people will then place unbounded faith
in the False Prophet. This shows you that cur posi-
tio.n is by no means enviable. Yet I have not paintei
things darker than they are. The Egyptian Govern-
ment has no money, and no wonder. 11 we triumph
then we shall not want means. General Hicks, who
is no longer Chief of the Staff but Commander of the
entire Soudan Army, will ask for grants for the Staff
Officers. Besides we shall distribute our booty so
that every soldier has his share. The fellow has
stolen over three-quartFrs of a million, besides cattle
and horses, so that a majors share will be worth having.
Prices are ridiculously high in Khartoum since the
rebels have made the road from Souakim dangerous.
To-morrow (the 26th) vs's march from here, My per-
sonal property is three horses, Eros camels, and one
cow, which one of my soldiers rides. We hope to be
in Obeid in five weeks, if we do not die of thirst an the
road."

Iu London, on Tuesday, at the Bow-street Police-
court, Samuel Warden Wood, a temporary porter
employed in the Parcels Pest depot, King's-cross, was
charged with stealing a parcel containing a pair of
boots.—Mr. Edwin Winter prosecuted on behalf of
the Post Office authori,ies, and said that this was the
first prosecution under the Parcels Post Act. On
Saturday last the prisoner was employed in the above.
named depot, and between five and six hift his duties
= itbout authority to do so, or explanation. A
ihd in the office noticed that the prisoner was carrying
A parcel, and gave information, in consequence of
which Mr. Chapman, the overseer, followed the pri-
/loner, and asked him what the parcel contained. He
I.dmitted having stolen it, but said that he had done so
.rnimpulse.—He was committed for trial.

A Reuter' s telegram dated Cairo, November 24,
says :

Sir Evelyn Barinz, after ascertaining the views of the
Khedive and the Egyptian Government, advised the
British Government to postpone the evacuation of
Cairo by the British troops pending the development
of events. Ordera to this effect were received here
this morning.

The Khddive has expressed his thanka to the British
Government for the orders sent to Rear-Admiral Sir
William Hewett, commander-in-chief on the E et
India Station, to support Egyptian interests in the
Red Sea.

THE FESTIVE SEASON.—Mistreee : "And you may
all of you ask a friend to dinner, you know.
, and,
Smitherg, you can ask your wife."—Butler; " Thank
you, ma'am, I think not, if you please, ma'am I"
Punch,

Mr. Edwin Baldwin Evans, who was on the Intelli.
gence Department under Hicks Pasha, and who, it is
feared, is among the slain, was a native ot Rhuddlan,
near Rhyl, North Wales. His late father, John
Evans, was very well known in the Principality as a
Welsh scholar and antiquarian. About 16 years ago
Mr, E. B. Evans went out to Alexandria to an Eng.

lish merchant. After passing several years in Cairo THE CROWN PRINCE OF GERMAN Y
he went to Jeddah, where he traded with the natives.
He became a good linguist, especially in Arabic, and, IN SPAIN.
what was still better for the East, became thoroughly Writing on Friday in last week the Madrid Cone-
acquainted with the customs and manners of Mahom- spondent of the Daily News says :
med ans. When the war broke out last year in Egypt The Crown Prince of Germany, after a brilliant
he joined the Intelligence Department attached to Sir
banquet and a short visit to the theatre last right in
Garnet Wolseley'srarmy, and subsequently, when that Valencia, .vas accompanied to We- station by the
*0 was: Cler andithe present expeditoon sent to the
authoritiefri_-and the leading inhabitants, who cheered
4mian, le.' was
_ selected out of many candidates as him :to-
as he 'left. The train started affout eleven o'clock
chef of the 'lifftgence Department. --s n'. dhe travelled at night. At many of the stations
Mr. Frank Power is, it is stated, a native of Cork, *the authorities and the principal inhabitants appeared
but had been for_Lears i,_ resident in Dublir. eqe inclined tessilisturjk-the luarrialt4r3ller by-I:heady:l
ribt oniria dacilptiejournalist, but also ' artkita ...iyelcome. ,
atili t ,
ge is tlie on dt...tky :late manager of the atio±#‘l •• A R,oy - islnfliesif 21 mesas amitin d....t0
Blink ini3ubHn, =The has always been of an iaven'---this me g the approach of the 'Royal train, but it
tnrous turn of character. From private telegrams te- was before its time, and had to be detained to allow
ceived in Dublin within the last fortnight it would the King and the authorities to arrive. The station
appear that Mr. Power was not at the front at the was very tastefully decorated with flowers, festoons of
time of the , disaster, but _had -.liiken - leift beltißd ats.- evergreens, apri threr.7 ftnct-,,Sniskt flags. Un-
Khartoum owing to-ill-health.,;,- i‘. t Y ,"' foitunately Ilse sigs on to e °Peat &psi_ „tiglieet in the
- t cffy A ttnlita -lo nd an a guard Of honour occupied
.
' part of the platform, which was crowdedwith officers and
officials. Only a few ladies were present. There was a
gathering of German subjects, 120 in number, bearing
two of their flags surmounted by the Imperial
eagle: Several Gerroanlitdies were also present, who
joined in the cheers which greeted the Prince from the
reserved space in the courtyard of the station. The
King, in full uniform, was accompanied by a large
psilitary etaff,
,the Palace functionaries, all the
"Madrid authorities, and the Ministers. When the
train appeared it was saluted with Royal honours,
as the Prince comes to represent the Emperor. ,
The carriage stopped opposite a saloon, elegantly
fitted up, into which the King led the Prince
after embracing him and welcoming him to
Spain, and expressing regret that the Emperor could
not come. After the usual greetip,gs and intrcducs,
thins his Majesty started in the fi'rst carriage, drawn' '
by fine prancing animals, caparisoned after the Castilian
fashion, with outriders, postilions d la Daumont.
Right and left of the road were the Captain-General
and a staff of officers with drawn swords, and a strong
escort of 120 horse guards in front. Seven other car-
riages followed,' carrying the military 'aides de-camp.
The Spanish and German uniforms were in fine cm-
trait.
The route of the Royal cortege lay by the Botanical
Gardens, the - Museum, the Prado, and the Calle
Alcala. The best and first part of the route was lined
by troops, but was not crowded as on previous occa-
sions of a similar kind. When the cortege reached
Alcala-street the crowd increased. Many houses were
decorated with the customary flags. The people
in the balconies and at the windows cheered the
Prince, who seemed struck by the liveliness of
the scene under the blue sky of a bright sunny
morning. The greatest curiosity was displayed
in the Pnerta del Sol and the Calle Ma} or, with
its old.fashioned' houses decked with bunting,
tapestries, bed coverings, and other adornments ;
but on the whole the crowd, as is usually the case in
Spain, was strikingly orderly and undemonstrative,
The whole route was guarded by troops and police,
with bands playing. The cclours were dipped as the
King and his guest passed. The crowds were most
eager to discover if the German officers wore Uhlan
uniforms. When the cortege reached the Palace a
guard of honour was drawn up and the stately
etiquette of the Spanish Court was observed. There
was a magnificent array of nobles of the guard,
halberdiers, and ladiis in the ante-chambers, where
the Queen and the Princesses awaited the Prince.
King Alfonso led the Prince to splendid apartments,
the same as the Prince of Wales and the King of
Portugal used.

THE STEAMBOAT DISASTER ON THE
LAKE OF GENEVA.
A terrible accident occurred on-Nov. 22 on the
Lake of Geneva between Evian and Onchy. The
steamboat Cygne ran into the steamer Rhone and
sank her.

' A telegram dated Geneva, Sunday night, says :
It is believed that at least fifteen lives were lost by
the collision betwe en the steamers Cygne and Rhone,
on the Lake of Geneva, on Friday night. A violent
ftlrm, with a heavy fog, prevailed at the time. The
Cygne ran into the Rhone with such force that the
latter went down within two minutes. Only five per-
sons who were on board the Rhone were saved, and
among these were th - zaptain and fireman, who were
able to get on board the Cygne, and a young bride-
groom, who went mad on discovering that he had saved
another woman in mistake for his wife.

THE SMITHFIELD CLUB CATTLE I
SHOW.
The Smithfield, Club Show this year bids fair to be
the show of the year. It will open as usual at the
Agricultural Hall, in London, on the 10th Dec., and
from the statement issued by the secretary it appears
that with respect to cattle there is a considerable in-
crease, tbe same being the case with regard to imple-
ments. Sheep and pigs also are quite up to the average
of former years. - The show will be divided into 86
classes, 35 being for cattle, 35 for sheep, and 16 for pigs.
The money prizes for cattle amount to 1,445; for sheep,
£765; and pigs, 2196 —together, £2,406. Besides this there
are six silver breed cups of the aggregate value of
£2OO, the two £5O silver cups for the best heifer' or
cow, or steer, or oar in any of the classes, and the
IGO.s. champion prize and gold medal for best beast
in the show. For sheep the breed cups value £2OO,
the £5O champion cup, and gold medal for best pen in
the show. For pigs, six silver cups and champion cup,
value £7O in aggregate. These together with the
various silver medals to breeders in every class, bring
the entire value of the prize list up to close upon
£3,500. This year the Prince of Wales is president.,
and is doing all he can to make the meeting a note-
worthy one.