Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-10-25
THE TROUBLE IN THE souDAn.

At last the new False Prophet is heard
of, and the news concerning his proceed
iDgs is decidedly Sensational. He is said
to have won over to his side all the tribes
of the Soudan, to have attacked and de-
feated the Egyptian troops under Abd-el-
Ksder, to have destroyed several thousand
of them, and to have invested Khartoum,
in which place the remnant of the Egypt
ian forces had taken shelter. Fngbtful
| stories are told Of the cruelties practiced
upon prisoners by the savage followers of
the Prophet, and it is finally asserted that
he is preparing to march upon Cairo, fol-
lowed by all the able-bodied men of the
Soudan. The population of the Egyptian
Soudan has been roughly estimated at
200, coo. According to the usual aver.
ages this would give fighting strength of
| 100, 900 on the outside. But it is not at
all likely that Ell Mehdi has any such army
behind him. No such army could subsist
itself in that wild country. 1t is possible
that so, 900 men may be in arms, however,
and it is certain that the whole of them
are savages, whose mode of fighting,
weapons, and general condition, would rem
| der them an easy prey to 5000 European
troops. What the Egyptian soldiery
amounts to has just been seen, and it is
not at all surprising that the fanatics of
the Soudan should have overcome such
troops. The Egyptian Governor, however,
Abd.el. Kader, is unquestionably gallant
and able man. He is the officer who, as
Lieutenant Colonel, was in command of
Baker Pasha's "Forty Thieves few
years ago, and whose exploits are narrated
in ''Ismailis. The "Forty Thieves con-
stituted little band which, by strict dis
cipline, skill in the use of its weapons, and
good management, repeatedly defeated ten
and twenty times its own number of saw.
ages, and in fact on several occasions saved
Sir Samuel Biker's expedition from de-
struction.
Abd-el- Kader therefore has seen a good
deal of service, and he is familiar with the
Central African tribes and peoples. If he
has been defeated the fault must rest on
his troops, and it may be questioned
whether Chinese Gordon could have done
much better with such material. In 1877
Gordon Pasha was appointed Governor OF
the Soudan, and by his wonderful energy,
ubiquity and firmness, succeeded in bring.
ing some sort of order out of the chaos of
that region. His main object was to sup.
press the slave trade, but he does not ap.
pear to have been more than temporarily
successful, the principal obstacle being the
opposition Of the Egyptian officials to the
policy sought to be enforced. 1t has been
estimated that until quite recently not less
than fifty thousand slaves were annually
taken from the Soudan, and the main in
stigators Of Instantaneous traffic have always
been Mohammedans. At present, however,
a wave of Mohammedan fanaticism is ev-
identity travelling from Central Africa
norshwards, and though it appears to pre-
oSAh nv save pUsSlUly
in numbers, It is conceivable that it might
prove too strcng for the pithlesa Govern.
ment of Egypt. From Khartoum to Cairo
is long march, and such disorganized rab.
bic as that which accompanies the False
Prophet must occupy SEINE weeks a. least
in making the journey, even if no attempt
is made to stop their advance.
The most important consideration is the
effect of this intelligence upon the Egyp-
tian situation. The English are now viz.
tually masters OF Egypt. They certainly
cannot evacuate the country at the me-
ment that horde OF sayages is known TO
be descending upon it. To do so would be
to invite far more serious difficulty than
Arab Pasha's rebellion involved. And yet
there are very serious embarrassments in
the situation. This is Mohammedan re-
vival. Hitherto its progress has been
covered up and obscured by the remote.
ness OF the scene of action. Bat should
the False Prophet succeed in entering
Egypt proper, the whole drama will at
once be placed before the eyes of the
world and the question is, what effect
would the spectacle of England in arms
against Islam have upon her own Moham-
medan possessions in India This is a
consideration which has frequently been
raised of late years. 1t is no doubt true
that all discussion of it is based upon con-
lecture, but the probability OF a simulta-
neous uprising of the Moslem peoples every.
where IS far too grave TO be lightly dis.
missed, even though there be no SUBJ
stantial evidence to support it.
Fanisticism is very apt to be contagious,
and ESPECIALLY among Oriental races. The
False Prophet possesses in his pretensions,
and in the wild rumors and traditions
which have been 80 industriously dissent.
mated concerning him, real strength
which cannot be ignored. 1t is not SO much
the followingof African cannibals and other
savages which he has at this moment, that
is to bo feared, as the probable influence of
lis Citams upon tue MOslein VINO are
more civilized. 1t has been apparent for
some time that the Sultan is seriously I'M
easy about FL Mehdi's progress. He is
aware hat large element of his own sub.
Jects regards him as usurper of the Cali
phate, as indeed he is. by descent. Nor is
it poss bile at any time to say with conf
dence that the moment is not suspicious for
a Mol,ammedan revival. When such a
movement acquires momentum no man can
tell where 1t will stop unless is is forcibiy
checked. Assuredly there is no power in
the Egyptian Government to handle such
an uprising. If it is to be put down, it
must he put down by England, and as the
case stands we do not see how England
can decline or avoid the task.
It is possible that Baker Pasha or
Gordon Pashs might have been able to
stem the torrent better than Abd-el. Kader,
but with none but Egyptian troops the