New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-11-26

both channels arc closed by sud- OF vegetauon We
must thus wait until the boats arrive.
Feb ct is quite impossible to where we are, as
tho protested guides seem 10 know nothing OF this
horrible chaos which changes It's appearance constantly
1t is most harassIng.
Feb s-All hands as usual Juggling, hauling and deep
eniug the with spades and hoes but the more we
dig the faster the water out OF the bed, "hich
threatens to leave us high and dry.
Feb 10 gave orders 10 discharge all cargoes SO thhV
no vessel should draw more than three feet.
Feb I1.-Twenty-seven vessels passed the dahoecan'
having hghened their cargoes; these vessels must
discharge everything at the khor, one and hall miles
ahead and return to the remaining baggage Inc
work is tremendous and the risk great.
March 9--FrOm Feb II to this date we had toheu
through every species of difficulty The men had cut
one straight line Of canal trough stiff clay Tor
distance of GO yards. Many were sick some had ueu
there appeared to DC no hope. Ihey hau WoiAeu
like slaves in these feted marshes until their spirits were
entirely broken-the Egyptians had ceased 10 care
whether they lived or died.
The enormous quantity OF machinery, iron sections OF
steamers supplies, &C., had actually been discharseu
from 81 vessels The river had fallen still lower ana
upon the quickly sun.baked surface made road anu
having set up my wagons conveyed the great mass Vi
cargo across the land by short cut, ana mus re"
my long line OF vessels. and reloaded them aVer Sre"
labor The wagons then taken TO pieces anu io
shipped
And tie worst was yet to comet Dragging at
Loot a small bhat over the marsh the open water
of the Wbite Nile he returned to the fleet only 10
announce that between them and the river was
mile of solid mud penetrated only by small streaiis'
the largest of which was three feet broad ana SIN
inches deep. Through this q canal must be cut ana
"as we had made free exit for the water penlhu
MS while it only slowly oOzed through before U.S. we
stood fair chance of being left helplessIy agrouho
Ont of this dilemma Baker escaped by building Il
dam behind his fleet, and 50 raising tue water Ill
front to depth that finally permitted the vessels to
pass. Ten DAYS later they entered the White Nile,
and on the 10Th of April, 1871. at Gondokoro, winch
WAS TO be the military base of the expedition.
He had but two years left him for hls work.
Daring that time he found himself intrigued
AGAINST and at last confronted III open war by the
slave-traders whom he came to abolish, but VINO
held a contract from the Egyptian Government IL
self under which they claimed to remain in the ter
ritorv. The chief of them was one Abou Saood.
He was repeatedly in Bakers power, but Baker does
not seem to have felt himself strong enough to arrest
him. or even to prevent him from aSsociating with
his own officers, especially his colonel commanding
Raouf Bey, of whom AbOu SaOod is the most init
mate friend Baker liberates slave cargOes on
the river. but toerates baTracoOns on Shore
and allows his own officers to buy slaves
His dealings with the natives equally ineXpllca
be At times he figures as their protector, then as
their conOueror and most frequently holds to them
4 relation which neither lie nor they seem clearly to
understand. lie wins battles only to be forced by
want of provisions and transport to make disas-
trous retreat He allows Col. RaOuf Bey to ship Oil
some twO-thlrds of his force to Khartoum, leaving
him but 800 men for the conquest of half
continent. This was done, as he says, against
his express orders, but why he trusted such
mower in the hands of Abou SaOods
friend we are left to conjecture. The most that can
be claimed for him is that he made beginning Of
the work which Col. Gordon is commissioned
70 complete. Yet he so involved himself with the
tribes inhabiting the countries he sought TO pacfy
that it may be doubted whether the authority of
the Khedive will seem to them altogether beDeti-
cent. Sir Samuel is at pains to clear himself from
the charge Of wanton cruelty, claiming that
If he s erred it was in showing undue
lenity. Here l should be inclined to agree
with hun, but on condition that he accept
his true character; that of Il general commisso ned
to conquer rather than that of phllanthropst on
an GRAND of mercy. The two scarcely recon
cilable As general, he forgets his dignity in the
perpetual assaults he makes throughout the book on
Abou Saood whose recent appointment as assistant
to Col Gordon he cannot forgive, though Sir Samuel
himself took not less hardened slave hunter
Wat-el-Mek into his own service This almost gives
Won the notion-certanly not the true One-that
the great object Of the expedition was to suppress
Abou Saood and that 1t failed But whatever
opinion may be formed on these and other cOntro-
yertcd points, there can be but one as to the Won
deriul interest Of the book. O. W. s.