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

rounded by a high mud waii. lnside Oh this rtah's
the dwelling, which is about half that length, and
separated from the principal side by narrow gar
den and courtyard. Entering tho court by the
main gate, fight Of steps conducts you to the
dTan, or reception-room, in the second story.
From the open nte-chamber you lock to the
south over the gray wastes Of SEMINAR, or, If the
sun is near his setting, you see a reach in the
White Nile, flashing like the point Of an Arab
spear. The divan has cushioned seat around
three Sides and mating the floor, and is really
handsome room, although its walls are mud, COW
cred with thin coating Of lime and its roof palm
logs, overlaid with mating, on which rests
layer of mud foot thick. In the second story
are also the Consular Office and sleeping room.
The basement contains the kitchen, store-rooms,
servants rooms, &c. The remainder OF the house
is only story in hight, and has balcony look
ing on the garden and completely EMPOWERED in
Towering vines. The only rooms are the dining
hall, with cushioned divans on each side and a
drapery of the Austrian colors at the end, and my
apartment, which oyerlooks a small garden-court,
wherein two large ostrches pace up and down,
and a company of wild geese and wild swine make
continual discord. The court at the entrance
communicates with the stables, which contain the
Consul's horses-a white steed of the pure Ara
bian blood of Nedjid, and the red stallion ride,
which was sent by the King Of Dar-Fur to Lattif
Pasha and presented by him to the Consul. A
begin, or trained dromedary of unusual size, stands
in the court, and tame lioness is tied to a stake
in the corner. She is beautiful and powerful
beast, and | never pass her without taking her
head between my knees, or stroking her tawny
hide till she rubs against me like cat and ticks
my hand.
Passing through a side-door into the garden we
came upon whole menagerie of animals. Under
the long arbors, covered with luxuriant grape
vines, stands two sury hyenas, wild ass from
the mountains of the Albara and an Abyssnian
mule tall marabout, IA bird Of the spe-
cies, with pouch-bil stalks about the garden,
occasionally bending hinge in the middle of his
long legs, and doubling them backward, so that he
uses half of them for seat. Adjoining the stable
is large sheep yard, in which are gathered to-
gether gazelles, strange varieties of sheep and
goats from the countries of the White Nile, vir-
gin-crane, and large antiiopus ieucoryr, from
Kordoan, with curved horns four feet in length.
My favorite, however, is the leopard, which is a
most playful and affectionate creature, except at
meal-time. He is not more than half grown, and
has all the wiles of an intelligent kitten, climbing
his post and springng upon me, or creeping mp
syly and seizing my ANGLE in his mouth The
garden, which is watered by well and string of
buckets turned by OK has a rich variety OF
fruit trees. The grape is just over, though
| had few punches yesterday figs are ripening
from day to day, oranges and lemons are in fruit
and flower, bananas blooming for another crop, and
the pomegranate and cream-fruit IA variety of the
Mexican chirimOya) hang heavy on the branches.
There is also plantation of date-trees and sugar.
cane, and number of ornamental shrubs, few of
which are at present in blossom.
We rise at dawn, and at sunrise are in the sad
die. Sometimes on horseback, sometimes on
dromedaries, we ride through Khartoum and make
long excursions up the banks of the two Niles, or
out upon the boundless plain between them. In
this way, l have already become familiar with the
city and its vicinity, and as, our return, l ac-
company the Consul on all his visits to the VARIOUS
digntaries, have every opportunity of studying
the peculiar life of the place, and gaining some
idea of its governing principles. As the only city
of Central Africa which has regular communica-
ton with the Mediterranean, (by which it occa-
sonoly receives ray Of light from the civilized
world beyond,) it has become a capital on a small
scale, and its society is curious compound OF
Christian, Turk and Barbarian. | have already, on
the same day. had whole sheep set before me, in
the house of an Ethiopian Princess, who
ring in her nose taken coffee and sherbet with the
Pasha; and drunk tea prepared in the true Eng
lish style, in the parlOr of European. When you
add to these remarkable contrasts the motley char
acter of it's native population embracing represent
atives from almost every tribe between Dar-Fur
and the Red Sea, between Egypt and the negro
kingdoms of the White Nile it will readily be seen
how rich field of observation it offers to the trav-
eler Nevertheless, those who reside here, almost
without exception, bestOw upon the city and
country all possible maledictions. Considered as
a place of residence, other questions come into
play, and they are perhaps not far wrong.
Khartoum is the most rcmarkable-I had al
most said the only example of physical progress
in Africa in this century. Where, thirty years
ago. there was not dwelling, unless it might
be the miserable tokni or straw hut of the Negro,
now stands city of some thirty or forty thousand
inhabitants, daily increasing in size and impor-
| lance, and gradually drawing into its mart the
| commerce of the immense regions of Central AZ
rica. Its foundation, l believe, is due to lsmail
Pasha, tson of Mohammed Ali) who, during his
| conquest Of the kingdoms of Shendy and SEMINAR,
in the years 1921 and 1892, recognized the impor-
lance, in military and commercial sense, of es-
| tablishing post at the confluence OF the two
| Miles, Mohammed Bey Defterdar, who succeed
ed him, seconded the plan, and ere long it was de-
| termined to make KhartOum, on account of its
central position, the capital Of the Egyptian pash-
! alk of Soudan. Standing at the mouth of the
| Blue Nile, which flows down from the gold and
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