The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-11-02
The Jealousy Of Egyptian Chiefs and In
SubOrdinatien Of Convict Soldiers.
BAKERS RETURN EXPECTED
His Food and Other Supplies for
Exploring the Nile Basin.
WILL HE MEET LIVINGSTONE /?
Success in Combating the Slave Trade
and the Enemies 1t Has Made for
the English Traveller.

the English Traveller.
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, August 90 1872.
About Baker again. When l arrived here the
other day from the White Nile found that my
letters had been tapped" kilograms stopped,
manuscripts stolen, and that variety Of innocent
amusements OF a similar sort had taken place at
my cost. was not indignant; who could have
been 80 2 l long since gave up all hopes OF retain
ing anything but my tooth brush and passport
while in Egypt, SO shall try to tell you once again
about Baker.
| The last reliable news received from Baker was
| on the 9th OF October last. He was then twenty
miles beyond Gondokoro working toward the Lake
| Albert Nyanza, with force OF several hundred
men. He had corn, he thought, for year, II the
men would work. and had just discovered plain
covered with grain. The next month (November)
about fifteen barks (nuggers left Khartoum for the
relief OF Sir Samuel Baker. They took up various
| supplies, and durrah (corn) In great quantities
The 10Th OF June, OF this year. at six O'Clock in the
| evening" these same boats came back to the rude
wharfat Khartoum as was standing on the banks OF
| the Blue Nile, They had been unable to get through
the Nile distractions, t'the Sudd.n Baker is thus
| cut of from his base OF supplies One week before
! this last intelligence reached KhartOum Mahomet
| Agate told me that he had news by "nugger,"
| which had come down the river loaded with ivory
| that Baker had reached the lake. The news was
! passed down by the negro tribes living on the
banks of the river. l not only credit this state
ment but thoroughly believe that toward the end
OF February lass Baker had his small steamer an0at
on the Albert Nyanza, In the 'great basin OF the
| Nile"
| Let us see what points are clearly established.
First-Octobcr 27, 1871, Baker was twenty miles
GOndOkOrO
SecOnd-He writes II have plenty OF corn for
one year II the men will work."
1nlfrd-That he had seventy miles over which to
transport his steamer, either by the river or over
land, according to circumstances. This accom-
pshed, he could steamin to the lake ne himself had
Fourtn-Baker Is neither a sluggard nor dolt,
but man who covers every inch OF ground with
as much rapidity as possible.
Is it then impossible, nay, is 1t not morally GER
tain tn at, leaving his main force behind him-as
he always intended to do and declared that he SO
deslgned-Sir Samuel Baker made the distance Of
200 miles in five months, nearly 0ne-half OF which
is navi4able by his small steamer | therefore &C
cept the report and believe that he is this moment
cOasting those lofty mountains on the western
shore Of Nyanza and moving southwark to find an
hans 70 with s the r vsgstone
BAKERS DIscoURAGEMBNTs.
But there are other phases OF the question.
Baker was in high chagrin under several mslor.
First-Raouf Bey the commander OF the troops,
had been guilty OF insub0rdinat0n.
SecOnd-The natives 1.-THE Bari) were intractable,
would furnish no porters, and he unwisely resorted
Tnird-Raouf Boy and the leading Egyptians
memoriaized him, saying that 1t was their indi-
should turn back or ali would perish Of starvation.
Fou'th-A great number OF his troops were con-
FTjtn-The Egyptian onicers declined to permit
Sir Samuel to exercise the power OF life and death
without the judgment OF q court-martial.
Sirth-The Vceroy sent another Offcer, replacing
ROOnf before
the termination Of the expedition.
Seuentn.He Baker has lost the confidence and
Egypt are against him on account of the immense
cost Of the expedition te4oo,ooW and the ruin OF
Efgntls-His other enemies are envy, malice,
Islander, his being an honest man and haYing
Il Is therefore Certain sRat his position IS not
pleasant one But Is 1t his own fault No! What
men are there 80 idiotc as to believe that strong
armed, ngprincipled man like Sir Samuel
Baker could plough through the thick woven web
OF the African slavery trade and not inure its col
commerce many kindred trades must needs col
lapse with 1t. Baker knew this. The viceroy
chant chant in the soudan who did not believe it. It It's Is,
therefore, unjust to denounce Baker, while to-day
he stands surrounded by an unwilling and mutt
OF Africa and the humanity OF the world. In his
very camp at Gondokoro his troops applied and
almost insisted upon seizing 1000 women as slaves
for their own usel
/ do not remember ever to have read attacks
upon the character OF q brave and earnest man SO
foul, SO loathesome as those made upon Sir Samuel
Baker, now distant from the field of controversy,
where he cannot meet and answer, In more than one
he has 100000 year for mis- services. lie went into
q country where the chances os.lifc are not more
ran sn and 70 ny %aS a5 pRS Is
compensation. His work was to do what no other
man haa eyer o dared the
tltuted press, should attempt to traduce p and
and @aara vegetation Already the heaviest slave lave
trader In Africa, Mahomet Agate. has given
up MS stations and ms 1000 DS soldiers
and children. Baker but needs to remain In Equa-
torial Africa and the whole business will be
traders Egyptian officials, Americans English
men and Germans. Why the slave.traders do it
do it have explained Americans do il because
he Is an Englishman who does not like
Americans, and l am sure he has the
Engshmen do 1t because Baker is not hall fellow
with "all hands," which is his own business and
they ike to deprecate all travellers who are not
Teutons and particularly those English who have
great repntatons have heard the most Illus,
ridiculed and unfairly criticised BY Germans, who,
in other things, were remarkably sensible. This
subject alone would an0rd an amazing book.
Room Bey has been perpetual drag. single
illustration shows the man. Queen Victoria sent
by all Engishmen In the tropics. He was offended
at the paltry gift Instead OF accepting 1t as
mark Of distinguished favor from great and gra-
cious sovereign he thought 1t might be replaced by
costly present. This Is the man Baker denOunces
as conspirator and spy, and my own opinion,
formed from what people said about him on the
White Nile, Is that he would do even drticr work.
During six months OF life in the Soudan, on the
Blue and White Niles, learned to understand
this expedition pretty well. Baker was theme OF
discussion night and day; but never heard man
there who criticised anything else except the ex-
pense OF the enterprise, for which Baker Is not re-
sponsible. Baker was commissioned to do GER
tain work al the request or the Queen OF England.
The Viccroy ordered its execution as usual-c0ute
0ufi Tnfo wor Ia IA m wit 40 toe tn