Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-11-01
rE1RLHG EuR GORD0N.
Tue grmor abcu, che FAN OF hhar''"m-
Wa,scIeyis Porc-.

A Cairo speclil Of Thursday says The
rumois that Khrrtoun has ia'leh mo ,ne
bands OF III Mahdi's forces are increasing,
ihorgh no news 81 definite nature ht'
b,cn received. Tue greatest excitement
piCyails among the English oflciaS lni
cfliceIs, and the authorizes are energetic
,lly bc,tirring Themselves IN hlting oIt
iroops 20 he dispatched ~ soon rs orders
are received The Officials, though greatly
alarmed, still refuse TO give the runorS en-
tire crcdcncc. Some Of them appear ~
think. indeed, that the stories OF the dist
Ter have bccu set a1olt by the friends OF
Zehehr Pacla, who was General GordOl's
cboice as Governor OF the SOudln. but
whose assistance was refused by England.
There are others who seem 10 think tllt
tho rumors have been allowed To reach
ENGLAND by General Lord Wolsr!cy him
sef. 80 As 10 compel the Ministry - allow
him 10 carry out his plans in Their entirety.
II is impossible to say whether or no, the
r,mors from KhartOum are true. similar
ieportS of General GOrdon's capture were
current in Alexandra on February awhile
lc vs.. o.. his great ride across the desert.
But he arrived at Khartonm in safety ton
DAYS later. That his troops may nave
failed him Is within the probabilities. ON
March lG. when he was driven 10 Use force
against the rebels surrounding him. some
OF his Egyptian troops boiled, and two
pachas were tried by cOurt-martlal and
shot. Since then General GOrdOn's time
has been occupied in almost daily sorlies
with his garrison. During the last month.
however. FL Mahd has Deen sending re-
Inducements 10 the rebels. and II we may
believe Zehchr P1cha there are now l09,-
COO Of them around Khartoum. Though
II Is well TO await confirmation Of the ugly
rurors from Cairo and DOngOlI we cannot
resist entertaining the fear that some dis
aster has ovcraken the gallan; English
man.
TIE RELIEF EXPEDITION.
The plan fer General Wolselcy's cXpedi-
ton 10 Khartoum. ~ finally settled. fur
ni,bcs him total force OF $500 English
troops. He takes 5000 OF these troops to
Doneola. leaving reserve corps Of $500
ut Wndy IIalfa. The Mudir OF Dongola
has promised TO furnish contingent Of
1900 men. to he armed with Remington
rifles. The Canadian b0almon have sue
cecdcd IN getting 100 boats over the second
cataract-at Wary lIalf1. The third cata.
ract l. at Hannck. about forty miles below
New DongOla: the fourth i on that part
Of the Nile which runs southwest, nearly
half way between Abu llamed aud Deb
heh; the 9th il thriy-iivc miles north OF
Bcrbcr. and the sixth cataract j. near
village called FL lIajar. about fifty miles
north Of KbartOum. The smaller cataracts
are all between Wady llllfa and DOngola
They ore - follows Samneh, Wady Al
t.reh. Ambikol. TangoOr Uckma. Akasheh.
nd Dahl. or hmbikOl. The Samnch and
Wady Atiireh cltaracts are not difficult.
but the AmbikOl cataract. which extends
four or five miles. is impaS sable at low Nile
and a severe trial az high Nile. \ short
distance further the cataract OF Taneoor
also bars the way, and il u difficult OF
passage as that Of AmbikOl. From Tan
goor To Dongoia, and for some distance be-
yOnd. there are few cataractS Offering Sc
IOus impedimentS. From Ilannck.
the third cataract. to the fourth
cataract the river j. naylgablc by
sailing. boats diStlnce Of 22i miles;
thence TO Abu Ilamed. for 40 miles, 1t Is
only passlble for small boats at high Nile.
and there are seven distinct cataract> en-
route. From Abu IIamcd to Berber
for 1873 miles the river j. nayigi-
lie by sailng-bOatS. and from Bcr-
Der 10 KhartOum, which l. a distance
Of 200 miles, navigation Is possible. though
difficult, by boats and steamers al low Nile
II il should he decided that the expedition
shall leave the Nile at AmbikOI and cross
The dcs,rt to Shcndy. there will be di'-
lance Of 100 miles 10 traverse by land.
Looking at t.c difficulties to be overcome,
it must be several weeks vet before the re-
lief expedition rcache, Khartoum, and /e.
behr Pscha believes that the English troops
Will themselves encounter serious trouble
aud much fUi,fiup befora fhov arrive fhprg