The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-03-13
: THE soUDAN PROVINCES.
Their Conquest, Extent, Physical Fe
lures ana Iuhabttantn

lures ana 1nhAbitant8.
Lieut. Col. Stewart, of the nth Hus-
sars who was selected about q year ago
by the Foreign Office, to make an IN
quiry into the government and re-
source OF the Soudan, recently presented
somewhat lengthy report, based on
materials gathered during a res -dence
of about half q year al Khartoum.
From this report the following parti-
culars are gathered: The country
claimed by the Egyptians under the
name of Soudan covers an immense area.
Its length from north TO south, or from
Assouan TO the Equator is about one
thousand six hundred and fifty miles
Its width from Massowah, on the Red
Sea, to the western limits OF Darfour is
from one thousand Two hundred to one
thousand four hundred miles. This i'm
mense track of
COUNTRY Is INHABITED
by two totally distinct races. In the
nor bern half of the territory, north of
the eleventh parallel OF north latitude
the inb abitanis are almost wholly pure
Arabs, most OF them nomad tribes, pro-
tossing q more or less adulterated from
of Mohsmmedaaisn. Their religion
partakes largely of Tn emotional and
supers itlous character, hence, as Colonel
Steve It points out, tine enormous in
fiuence Of the takirs or spiritual leaders,
who are credited with supernatural
power, and are almost more VEN rated
than the Prophet." s1Soua Of the
eleventh parallal the country is peopled
by Negro uib S. who are really pagans
But besides these two main divisions
there are localities the Inhabitants OF
which cannot be classed under either.
T., he of naFfnnP the
more fertile portion of the S0udan the
intermixture of Arab and Negro blood
has produced a hybrid people, who,
however, speak Arabic. In the northern
province of Darsolo the natives are q
distinct race, said to be descended from
the ancient Nubians, and speak Ian
guage of their own. but for the most
part understand Arabic. Again between
the Nile and the Red Sea, 10 the neigh
borhood OF SuakiD, there is another dis
tinct and ancient race OF people who
speak d tongue of their own. The
Negros, 1t may be said roughly, are all
sedentary and cultivatOrs; the Arabs
are almost all nomads and do little or
noItillsge.
THE CONQUEST.
A little more than sixty years ago the
Egyptians seem first to have directed
their attention steadily to the S0udan.
Up to that time the district was divide
into a number of Kingdoms and Chief
taincies, and the pretty monarcns ap-
peared to have lived 10 state OF chronic
war. In 1918 Mehemet Ali, anxious TO
find employment for his troops, sent ms
son Ismail with large army TO invade
the country. This commander win
comparative ease succeeded In obtaining
possession of large portion OF the ter
ritoTy. and the Egyptians have gone on
up to the present time extending the
borders of their nominal sovereignty,
but they never yet, managed to gam an
undlsturbed footing in any part OF the
vast territory they claim. Year alter
year the annals of the Soudsn merely
contain the name of u fresh governor
general, and the announcement of fresn
revolt In 1856, when Mohammed Said
Pasha, the victor visited the Soudan,
he was so impressed with the helpless
ness of attempting TO rule it that he re-
solved on abandoning the country, and
was only dissuaded from doing so "Dy
the shrieks and noiables pointing out
the inevitable anarchy that would result
from such measure. lie made
vigorous effect to reform the admins
trallon. but the old abuses and the old
dlscontent broke out under succeeding
governors. In later years the Egyptians,
in their efforts to subjugate the Souoan,
have had the assistance OF seVeraI able
Europeans, among them the German
MunZinger, SIR Samuel Baker and Col
onel Gordon but the war with Aoyssl-
mia, In 1876, was q serious blow TO their
effort, and in 1888, the Soudan still re-
mains in g sense conquered, but never
subdued or pacified. A question that
naturally follows Is.
WHAT DOES EGYPT GAIN.
by her possession Of the SOudans? 1t Is
difficult to arrive at an exact answer
but the Soudan budget for 1882 publish
ed in Col. Stewards report will give a
fair approximation. The total excess
of expenditure over revenue in that
budg,t was ov.r el03,0OO. This Col.
Stewart considers to be greatly uuder
stated, and be points out that from some
OF the most important pFovince-as for
example, Kordofan and Dartour-pro-
badly no revenue at all had been COL
lected. Furthermore this year to the
expenditure side of the account Will
have to be added the cost of the present
military operations Apart altogether
from the question of the expense, the
PHYSICAL DIFFICULTIES
which bar the progress of the Egyptian
forces will be understood from the descrip
ton which Col. Stewart gives of tn very
district 10 which Hicks Pasha was en-
gagged, "Of the country west OF the
White Nile" say the report, between
the parallels of Khartoum and that OF
Kaka, about eleven degrees latitude, the
general appearance is that of vast
steppe, covered with low thorny
trees, mimOses. gum trees, and
prickly grass. Occasionally low groups
of bare hills are met with. The villages
and patches of cultivated ground are few
and far between. Water is scarce and
stored in wells aud trunks of boabab
trees This is tolerably unpleasant
situation for an army, with an enemy in
front devastating the country.