The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1884-04-02
England, Gordon and tho soudan.

The Pal MoH Budget under the above gives a
sketch of the connection of Egypt and the Soudan
from which We gather the following summary:
The great difficulty Of a feeble state like Egypt
holding the Soudan Is readily apparent when il is
remembered that It Is an extensive tract of coun-
try, LOCO miles north and south by 200 east and
west, without railways, canals navigable rivers
except the Nile at certain periods of the year its
only roads beidg camel tracks. 1t is inaccessible
BY the sea and can only be reached by crossing
arid deserts, and is inhabited by warlike tribes
The attempt to hold II, has cost fully 5000 lives
during the siXty-hye years of Egyptian possession
Its conquest was begun in 1873, when Ismail
Pasha, the son of Mehemet Ali, occupied Khar-
toum, the most considerable town of the c .uutry
and succeeded, for a time, in maintaining his
authority. He and his followers were. however
burnt alive by native chief at banquet to
which they had been invited. Egypt visited terri
BILE vengence for this act, and her control was e1-
tended 10 the provinces of Senaar and kordofan
lying south and southwest of that of Khartoum
In 1895 khurshid Pasha was appointed governor
of the Soudan, which position he held for eleven
years He succeeded in establishing Egyptian
sovereignty over the province of Eashoda living
next to and southeast of kordOfan, and taught the
natives of Khartoum to substitute houses of sun.
dried brick for their tents of skin and thatch.
From his time on the country has been presided
over by successive goyernor-generals, who were
engaged IN suppressing recurring instruction. In
1870 Sir Samuel Baker, under commission from
the Khedive, set out to conquer the equatorial
province lying 10 the south of kordOfan and
Fashoda, of which he was governor-general until
1873. He was succeeded by Colonel Gordon, who
continued the work of the suppression of the slave
trade begun by Sir Samuel Baker, and by 1877 had
succeeded in establishing throughout the Soudan
an equitable government, which protected the
tyranny and rapacity of Egyptian officials. After
his departure, says the Gazette, whole horde of
Turks and Circassiaus and Bashi- BazOuks were
once more let loose to harry the unfortunate
Soudanese. His policy reversed. and out of
the widespread discomfort occasioned by this mis-
government the present instruction grew, which,
under the MahdIs leadership, has assumed such
serious proportions.
The rising of the Mahdi began in the summer of
1881 He was Dongola faki, who proclaimed
himself the Mahdi,' or Messiah foretold by
Mahomet, with divine mission to reform Islam
Regarding the uprising religious one, many
exaggerated anticipatiOns of the extent of the
movement and the power of Mohamedan fanati-
cism have been INDUCED IN the English press but
II is nov generally conceded that the AIahdi's
chief strength lies in his skill leader in hold.
ing toaether tina heterogeneous tribes of the
Soudan. The varying fortunes of the Mahdi
through the years lSS2 and 1855 up TO the catas-
trophe of last November are sufficiently familiar
ON the 9th of this month the battle of Kashpate
Was foupht IN which Colonel Hicks and his army
rerished and the instruction assumed the present
formidable proportions. In the same month the
iusurrection of the tribes in the eastern Soudan
also assumed Importance by the complete victories
gained over the forces sent 20 relieve the garisons
of Toksr and Sinkat, which had been surrounded
by the rebels