The New York herald., 1879-10-09

most treacherousiy dealt with by the Egyptians.
The condition of Darfour hve years since one OF the
is but type OF the general ruin produced by these
projects OF annexation Owing TO the revolt OF Zobir
Pseha. a native chief who first conquered
his sovereign and then handed over the prov
ince to the Khedive in 1874, Darfour then
passed under Egyptian rule making Zobir
q State prisoner at Cairo AS a recompense, whore
he still is detained. The Khedive handed this
province to Gordon Pacha among Others and he now
is about to render it back in the state an eyewitness
describes it. as foOws-'Large districts. formerly
cultivated and productive now reduced TO waste.
villages have been to the ground and the greater
part of the inhabitants killed driven away, and
the rest in state OF armed rebellion" The same
authority states the fnancia condition OF the
be almost rs bad as that OF Egypt. with no puonc
works or public improvements to show for the pro-
digioas outlay. Last years dehcit was about q
million and quarter OF dollars. The present years
dehcit. estimated at one and half millions. sum
equal to years entire receipts from the Soudan
under the most favorable circumstances How this
deficit is to be the expenses to be
vided for. constitutes the problem which Gordon
Pachs has avoided solving by his resignation and
proposed retirement.
rHk KHxDIvR's POSITION
How much OF the Soudan the Khedive will
retain, or attempt to hold seems yet uncertain.
1t is than probable that in consequence of the
abandonment by Gordon of this enterprise and the
the support they would have been bou nd to give
had he remained. that the new Khedive will feel
himself poweress to continue a struggle with the
native poesessors OF the soil which has already cost
30 much blood and treasure and led to such emf
nently unsatisfactory results. Hence he will prob.
ably contract instead of extending the limits Of
Egyptian territory and give up all the portions OF
the acquired territory difficult expensive to hold.
limiting himself to the ssaboard and river territories
from Khartoum north. Yet of these.
such as the Province embracing Masso wah on tho
Red Sea- and Darfour. are now seriously menaced by
the Abyssinians and native residents.
soUDAN rERRIToRY.
The older and sem-civilized portion of the Soudan
Kurdoran, Takkah sennarr, Bogos. sualim Masso.
wah Its about 60 600 900 acres, most OF
which is susceptible Of cultivation in cotton sugar
and cereals. Much of this land il very FERTILE but
yet uncutivated owing to the sparsty and habits OF
the population. Its spopulation-roughly conjectured
at 900, ,0O0-was under Egyptian rule before Gordon
assumed the Governorshp at least the settled por-
tion OF the inhabitants paid taxes. The wandering
tribes of Arabs which were numerous submitted
cheerf0lly to their Mussulman master ut Cairo. Sir
Samuel Baker first disturbed these relations. and of
late Gordon has initiated his little wars. which
have irritated and alienated these barbarians and
made the Soudan hotbed Of revolt and dis
affection. Bakers conflicts however, were farther
don's latest theatre Of war. The climate is GOOD
most OF the year, except in the summer, though in
many portions 1t Is deadly to the white man. though
not to the natives. who live in rank jurGes and
fntten malaria. Colonel Long, good authority.
doubts the possibility of Europeans making perma-
nent settlements in the Soudan that account.
The lands in Dongofa and Khartoum. which together
four times large as Egypt, are very rertile-
fitted for cotton and sugar On the right bank OF the
lie uncultivated Kordofour and Fochada have also
immense tracts fitted for cultivation. Could these
railway and river communication and colonized and
cultivated it would make Egypt the richest country
in the world. Tho communication would be closer
than ours with California. Mineral wealth is not
wanting there Copper and iron are found in abund-
in this region. and the Atlua River and its
branches gold also. But its mineral resources are
entirely undeveloped
Such is the vast and fertile country which has
been made the theatre Of Khedivia and English
pertinent thus far unsuccessfully. Whether 1t
will be- what Horace in his day declared
it, "arda natrt1 cofl,tDs"-the sterile of lions
and Of men fell and untamablo they, remains
still an unsolved problem.
The equatorial empire OF Gordon has ceased to be
even 80 geographical expression"
EDWIN DE LEON.