The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-25 00:00:00

IHE SLAVE T.

Wlll7 E NILE

James W. Biker, in a letter silted Kh irtoum,
Sept. 20, says:—E.zypt and the Soudan are sup-
plied with slaves kid-napped from the tribes of the
White Nile in the amount of many thousands per
annum.

The head-quarters from which the expeditions
annually start is Khartoum, the capital of the Sou-
dan, situated at the junction of the Blue with the

While Nile. At Khartoum is a Governor-General,

the European Powers being represented by Eng-
lish, French, and Austrian Consuls, The black
population of this town is composed of the dregs of
the human race ; they are principally employed
in the White Nile trade by the merchants—the
latter being Europeans, Turks, Syrians, and Arabs.
The produce of the White Nile is confined to slaves
and ivory. In former years ivory was generally
obtained in exchange for glass beads, copper rings,
and lance heads ; but competition has so inundated
the tribes with these articles and raised the value
of ivory that it is now impossible to procure it by
such exchange. Cattle are now the only medium
of barter. It being impossible to convey cattle from
Khartoum for this purpose, the trade of the White
Nile has resolved itself into piratical expeditions,
and is thus simply conducted :—The merchant in
Khartoum sends a party from 80 to 200 armed
men in large sailing vessels well supplied with am-
munition and with a certain amount of copper rings
and glass beads for payment to natives who act as
porters in conveying ivory to the boats. Upon
arrival among a tribe rich in cattle, they attack a
village by surrounding it and firing upon the inha-
bitants, killing or putting to flight the men and
capturing the women and children and cattle. The
latter now form the merchant's stock in trade; the
women and children are fastened together and di iven
off to the boats as slaves. Some thousand head of
cattle being thus secured, they are driven by the
armed force into the interior, among tribes rich in
ivory, who—if too powerful to be openly attacked
—are bartered with, and the ivory is conveyed to
the boats. By this barter the trader's supply of
cattle being exhausted, he leagues himself with a
neighbouring tribe hostile to the last, and with
them he invades his recent customers, and steals
back all the cattle, giving one-half to his new
allies, and bartering the other half for ivory. This
affair being concluded, he is again without cattle;
thus, he makes a fresh alliance, and, if possible, he
robs his old allies ; thus the same cattle are fre-
quently stolen and exchanged several times, their
produce in ivory being carried to the boats, together
with the captives from the various razzias. The
vessels being loaded with slaves and ivory retire to
the trader's fortified establishment, where both
cargo and slaves are deposited ; in the meanwhile
the piratical boats depart upon further expeditions.
The voyage being completed, the ivory is brought
to Khartoum. The wages of the crew are paid in
slaves, at about one-third of their actual value, thus
giving the men a zest for the trade. The slaves re-
maining at the depot are draughted into the
Egyptian possessions, and sold as opportunities
offer, their necks being secured on the march in a
long cleft pole, to which they are also handcuffed.
The frightful atrocities committed by the troops of
banditti thus employed by the traders of Khartoum
are beyond description ; but I will not at present
descend to details, it being sufficient to declare the
existing state of the White Nile trade, which can-
not be generally known in England. So infatuated
are the wretches of Khartoum for the lucrative
sport of man-hunting that I can procure no men for
escort upon my southern expedition, as they will
not engage to an Englishman known as an anti-
siavetrader. The British flag, in some instances,
covers cargoes of slaves on the waters of the White
Nile.

DEATHS OF A BEGGAR AND AN UN•

FORTUNATE.

Yesterday Dr. Lankester held two inquest at the
Crown and Anchor, King-street, Seven-dials, first
on the body of Georgina Savage, aged 71, and se-
condly on Eliza Evens, aged 40, whose deaths oc-
curred as follows :

in tuc uf Savage it appeared she was an im
portunate beggar of some 10 years standing. On
Wednesday evening last intormatlina was taken to
the police-station, in George-street, St. Giles's, to
the effect that a woman was in a dying state at the
bottom of Clarke's-buildings. The police found the
woman very ill, when she said, " My dear, I can't
walk; take me to the house." Finding she was not
drunk, she was taken to St. Giles's Workhouse,and
was instantly admitted. She was in rags, and
covered with vermin. She said she had had but
little food for days, and received arrow-root and
brandy, and the. necessary stimulants, by order of
Mr. Bennett, the surgeon, but died at four o'clock
on the foll Owing morning. The examination after
death showed her body to be inva deplorable con-
dition, and death was the result of intemperate
habits. The jury returned a verdict in accordance
with the medical testimony.
The second case was that of an unfortunate who
was found by two others of the same class sleeping
on the stairs of No. 3, Barley-court, St. Giles's, on
Sunday fortnight. She was afforded lodging by
those who found her occasionally walking the
streets at night. On Thursday morning last she
was found, after a restless night, with her lips
blue, and in a dying state. Application was made
to the workhouse for her admission, and at length
during the afternoon the pauper chair was sent to
convey her to the infirmary. She, however, was
found dead in the meantime. Mr. Bennett set forth
the internal appearance of the head and body, stat-
ing that undoubtedly her dissolute course of life
had caused her death. A similar verdict to the
above was returned.