Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-20
ALL Ell MAHDI AND NC GUM
ARABIC.
The SOndanese Too Busy Fighting to
Send Their Camel Loads to Khar-
fOum
Ee,o York Sun.

Eetc York Sun.
At the Ju ctiOn of the White Nile and
the b ne, in Upper Nubia, east of the
lower edge of the irregular brown patch
which marks the desert of Sahara on the
map OF Africa, is the city of Khartoum,
the shipping point OF nearly all the gum
arabic with which the markets of the
world are supplied. Gum gedda. gum
suakim, gum SEMINAR are the names Of
different qualities of the gum, each named
from the district from which it cOmrs, all
being included within the SJudan district,
in which the rebellion by the followers Of
the false prophet has occurred. One of
( tire largest importers of gum in this cOun-
try is a firm in William street.
"El MahdI's rebellion" said the head of
this firm, has cut of the entire supply of
gum arabic. 1t is gathered from the
acacia trees by the SOudan natives,
brought in to KhartOum on the backs of
camels and bartered with Cairo and Sua-
kim merchants for gums, cartridges. and
trinkets. In the flood If October and
November, when the Nile is at its highest
point, and during the only time when
bargeS will pass the falls, this gum is
tlOated to Cairo and shipped to London,
Paris, Marseilles, and New York. The
other great industry of the SOudan is the
collection of ostrich feathers, but these
also come from the Cape OF Good Hope, so
there is no danger that the supply VIII be
cut off,
What is the consumption Of gum ara
bic in this cOutry 20
Between three millions and four mil
| lions OF pounds year. 1t is used by cOu-
fectioners in their candies, and especially
in gum drops; by mucIlage manufacture
ers, envelope manufacturers, and tobac-
cOnIsts, and by silk makers and carpet
and PRINT manufacturers to hold their
cOlors."
Has there been a heavy advance in the
price?"
ut has advanced in one year from u
cents pound in lots to from - to "A
cents. 1t advanced 50 per cent. in the last
week. Most of the advance has been in
the last tour months. There's no telling
/ where 1t will stop. There isn't enough
! gum arabic in sight in ali the markets OF
| the world to-day to supply America for
I one year. Still there's enough i'll the
country to meet the immediate demand.
! The natives of the SOudan are gathering
none this year, and it is only question
OF time wnen the supply will be gone.
! Here is cablegram which we received
/ on Jan. from our Cairo house, to whom
4 we autographed for prices. They say:
! There IS absolutely nothing offering. ,
1 Two years ago the estimated quantity OF
gum arabic visible in all the markets was
/ $4,000 bales; now it is 1900 bales. If
/ peace were declared tomorrow, of which
/ there is no likelihood. and the natives
should go to work gathering gum, it
4 could not he brought to Cairo until the
next high Nile in October, 1884 But ill.,
/ dustrles are 50 demorallZed that, even in
the event of peace, it would be a long
time before the natives would return to
the gathering of gum"
chow VIII the failure of the supply OF
gum arabic affect the gum-drOp trade -
was asked a leading manufacturer.
My dear Sir" he sand, dropping into a
| confidential tone, "El Mahdi might sink
all the gum arabic in Africa into the Nile
and he wouldn't affect the trade in Ameri.
! can gum-drOps. AS a matter of fact, the
candy trade would not suffer appreciably
There Is net an ounce of gum arabic in q
million pounds OF the ordinary gum drops
/ Ike those which you see sold from stands
In the streets. They are made from the
glucose of the starch factories, which is
generally used except in the manufacture
OF som OF the finer grades OF coniectiou
cry in place OF gum arabic. OF course the
candy suffers, but there is no limit &c
adulteration in the confectionery bust
ness. Now, here are two varieties o.
candy which l manufacture, either o
which contains 33A per cent. of guu
arabic. Only people who are skilled
candy eaters would know the difference
between them and a cheaper article made
from glucose. AS the price OF gum arabic
Increases, there Will be very few OF the
/ genuine gum drops sold