New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-05-08

ofaces Of Government. For Soudan, it is a build
ing OF some pretension, and the Pasha takes great
PRIDE IN exhibiting it. He told me that the Arab
shekhs who visited him would not believe that it
was the work OF man alone Allah must have
helped him to raise such wonderful structure
1t has an inclosed arched corridor in front, in the
Abdallah Efiend is at present building very hand
some two-story house of burnt brick and the Cath
Ole Priests intend erecting another, as soon
they have established themselves here. Within
few months, large additions have been made to the
bazaar, while the houses of the slaves, the out
skirts of the city, constantly sprnging up like
nt-hills.
There Is no plan whatever in the disposition Of
the buildings. Each man surrounds his property
with mud wall, regardless of its location with
respect to others, and in going from one point to
another, one is obliged to make the most perpex-
ing zigzags. rarely venture far on foot, soon
become bewidered in the labyrinth Of blank walls.
When mounted on the Consurs tallest dromedary
look down on the roofs of the native houses, and
can take my bearings without difficulty. All the
mysteries Of the lower life Of Khartoum are re-
vealed to me, from such lofty post. On each
side look into pent yards where the miserable
Arab and Negro families lazily bask in the sun du
ring the day, or into the filthy nests where they
crawl at night. The swarms Of children Which
they breed in these dens sit naked in the dust,
playing with vile yellow dogs, and sometimes
lean burden-camel stands in the corner. The only
furniture to be seen is water-skin,a few pots and
.a.~ Ia l,afn txvn nd nm m on rel
or coarse wooden frame covered with netting o
ropes, and serving as seat and bed. Nearly hall
the population Of the place are slaves, brought
from the mountains above Fazagl, or from the land
of the Dinkas, on the White Nile. Ones COM
miseration of these degraded races is almost over
come by his disgust with their appearance and
habits, and | found even the waste plain that
stretches towards SEMINAR relief after thread
ing the lanes of the quarters where they hive.
Notwithstanding the nature Of its population,
Khartoum is kept commercially neat and clean.
1t will be lucky daN for Rome and Florence
when their streets exhibit no more filth than those
of this African city. The bazaars only, are swept
every morning, but the wind performs this Office
for the remainder of the streets. The soag, or
market, is held in free space, opening upon the
inland plain where the country people bring their
sheep fowls, camels, dourra, vegetables and other
common products. The slaughtering OF animals
takes place every morning on the banks of the
Blue Nile east Of the city, which is thus entirely
free from the eiiluvia arising therefrom. Here
the sheep, cows, goats and camels are killed, skin
ned and quartered in the open air. and it is no
unusual thing to see thirty or forty butchers at
work on as many different animals, each surrounded
by an attendant group of vultures, hawks, cranes,
crows and other carnivOrous birds. They are
never moested by the people, and we sometimes
ride through thousands Of them, which have
gorged themselves that they scarcely take the
trouble to move out OF our way.
The place labors under the disadvantage Of being
the most unhealthy part Of one Of the m)ss un-
healthy regions in the world. From the southern
frontier of Nubia where the tropical rains begin to
fall, to the tuble-land of Abyssnia on the south,
and as far up the White Nile as has yet been ex-
plored Soudan is devastated by fevers Of the most
malignant character. The summers fatal to
at least one-half of the Turks, Egyptians and Eu-
ropeans who make their residence here, and the
natives themselves, though the mortality is not
so great among them, rarely pass through the year
without an attack Of fever. We have now the
most healthy part Of the year, and yet of all the
persons see three-fourths are complaining ofsome
arrangement of the system. The military hos
pita which visited is filled with cases Of fever,
dysentery and small pox. am in such good bod
lily condition from my journey through the Deser
that can scarcely conceive the sensation of SICK
ness, and the generous diet and invigoratng exer-
else enjoy secures me from all fear of an attack.
Travellers are not agreed as to the cause Of this
mortality in Soudan. Some attribute it to the
presence of infhsoria in the water; yet here we
drink the pure, mountain-bOm flood of the Blue
Nile, and filter it beforehand. | am disposed to
side with Russegger, who accounts for it entirely
by the miasma arising from decayed vegetation,
during the intense heats. The country around
khartoum is dead level the only mountain to
be seen is the long ridge of Djebel Gcran, twelve
miles to the north. Behind the town. the White
Nile curves to the east, and during the inundation
his waters extend even to the suburbs, almost in
sulating the place. The unusual sickness Of this
winter may be accounted for by last years mum
dation which was so much higher than ordinary
that the people were obliged to erect dykes to
keep the water out Of the streets. The opposite
bank of the river is considered more healthy; and
in the town of Halfay, only ten miles distant the
average mortality is much less.
All the principal shekhs of the different tribes
between the Niles and the Red Sea are here at
present During the summer there was trouble in
the neighborhood Of SEMINAR, and general move
ment against the Egyptian rule was feared. In
October and November, however, Moussa Bey
made campaign in the regions about and beyond
the Atbara, and returned with the chief malcon-
tents in chains. They have since been liberated,
but are retained here until some disputed ques-
tons are settled. On the night Of my arrival, the
Consul received a visit of ceremony from the two
nrnciDal ones; Hammd. the chief shekh Of the