Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-05-24

and kad1rii
In fdgIand we arc ta flly occupied vitt
thcaduuof everyday iite. and DIR food supply
is drlsrfei with u5hnbmkerug regularity, lhst
re rarem consider lhs danger ofa s1d fsn
interruption that would be- caused during
tImr NJ val IN which W. might be ourselves
engaged We are hungry nation. dependent
upon foreign shore, M udf supply Of wheat
aud nur salr5men should 1e,u'r particular
attention To insure that supply under my
circumstances otherwise the democratic power
which they ul about to uiso viii br eEcred
IN a manner that may sltpt,c NE minister, Of
the day when The high puae If wbesi shall
have doubled the essr 81 .he qua'su ioaf
There j, no portion oftac world That will
be better guarded 10 time of vaf than the route
from Egypt To- Great ldfoin With Cyprus.
Malta and Gibraltar ia out possession, tie
Mediterranean sill be secured from Al,zaudda
10 the Straits
It accordingly important to provide q food
supply that would be- transported through nc
veil protccic1foute. Thcsouduwolld upp'y
England with The two great commodities tequf.
ed cotton and wheat
The Development Of the soudan should be
encouraged, and positively undertaken by
England now that events are driving us to
assume responsible control
There is no possibility Of internal improve
mcnt without the employment Of foreign
capitals and their viii be no Investment 81
such capital until confidence in the stability of
tho administration shall be established. OF
this, there can be no hope, until Egypt shall be
in the Acknowledged position as the protected
ally Of England.
/ n that should be accomplished we should
/ quickly sec reforms in the Soudan that would,
within two or three years, exhibit an extra.
ordinary change both in the people and in the
resources Of the country. At present il is in a
state Of nature. Nothing has been done by the
government to encourage the industry Of the
people, onihc country, they bavedecn il.teated
and oppressed. Before the rainy season, the
surface Of the earth, parchcd and denuded Of
all scmblanee Of vegetation by the burning sun,
is simply scratched by samll tool similar 10
an inferior Dutch hoe, and few grains oi
dhura are dropped into hole, hardly one inch
in depth This is repeated al distances o.
about two feet
The rain commences toward the end Of May,
and in a few days the dhurra shoots appear
above the ground The extreme richness oil
the soil, aided by plcnicous rains and i warm
sun, induces a magical growth, which starts Tho
hitherto barren wilderness into life The sur
face Of the country which, in the rainles'
months, appeared a desert, incapable Of pro
ducing vegetation, bursts suddenly into
brilliant green, and the formerly sun-burnt are'
assumes the appearance Of rich velvet, as j
becomes carpeted throughout with the fines
grass Dhura, that first threw up delicate
shoots above the hardened and ilitillcd soil
Crews with e's,-e''e reP;sii'y 40 the hifih Of nan
{ or ten feet; and the produce can be imaginet
from the fact that once counted 1880 grain
in only one head Of this prolific sorghum
Cotton and all other vegetation grows viii
similar vigor Immediately after the commence
ment of the rains.
This picture Of abundance is confined 3,
those districts which are beneath the inRuenc
e Of the rainy zone; but there are other LANDS
equally rich and capable Of production, whic
S must be cultivated by artificial irrigation. II
4 the absence Of any organized method, such a
exists in Lever Egypt by the extension Of
cannal system, the banks Of rivers, including
Z the Rahad, Blue Nile, and Main Nile, ar
e alone watered by the ordinary caitle-wheel
(sakeeyahsl; the cultivation is accordingl
restricted to comparatively small area that
e within the power ofirriga,ion by the simpl
machinery Of the inhabitants,
I, II any person will study the map ofthe SCUBA
T he will at once observ the natural facilitic
$ for general plan of irrigation that woul
e combine the supply Of water with the means {
Q transport by canals.
As the uniform drainage is from southeast t
, northwest, the Rivers Rahad, binder, Blu
+ Nile, and Atbara, traverse the rich lands
= the Soudan exactly in the same direction
} These rivers are impetuous torrents which, b
u their exteme velocity, quickly exhaust then
g selves after the termination ofthe rains
= Ahyssinia. a series OF weirs upon the Rahn,
> Older. and Atbara would througly control II
> waters that would thus be kept at high,
Il levels, and would enable them to be concducte
y by canals throughout the fertile lands which
70 present are neglected in the absence Of suficie
u moisture. As those rivers are unnavigable, Il
weirs might be constructed in the most simp
le manner, as there is no traffic to require speci
A. adaptation.
&c Arailwayhas been suggested from Suakim
&c Bebrer This would be half.measuTe and
y mistake, as Berber is below the last catarac
n OF the Nile, and common sense would dicta
" that the river terminus should be above Il
5 most southern obstruction. Although wi
As good pilo,age steamer can ascend the Shen,
Al cataract without much danger, there are mar
NJ reasons that would be in favor OF termin
10 where the river is navigable throughout Il
Blue and White Niles, which would enable 4
81 produce OF the interior to be transported
u vessels from the equatorial regions, without Il
&c slightest hinderanre.
The South wind blows regularly for 5
!, months every year; thus il would be impossih
for sailing vessels, after having delivered the
: eargoes At Berber, 10 re-aseend the river
! Khanouni, unless by the difficult and ,edio
process Of towing against the rapid curIer
= a railway from Suakim nigh, reconstruct,
with no great difficulty excepting the ,ol
absence Of limestone (or preparing the NOR,
~ necessary for bridges The lime could eth
be brought from Egypt, or it mus, be busnt
OF saakim from the coral reefs. Il might
ny cheaper and better II sent direc, from MarseilI'
ue There is psrplsxing necessity in bddsi
At countless ,ouen. beds throughout the des'
eS route ia the absence Of one drop OF ~as
be Nevertheless, this pfe0anlion Is absolute
necessary as occasional storms q eyus'
n. violence would tear down and destroy a