News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-02-28
THE WAR IN EGYPT.
CAUSES OF THE DEFEAT OF BAKER
PACHA.
The Pncha's Inefficient Forces and His
Indefinite Plans-OnIy n Mob With Him.

PACHA.
The Pncha's Inefficient Forces and His
Indefinite PIans-OnIy a Mob With Him.
Probably no general ever proceeded
on an expedition with an army less trust
worthy and plans less definite than those
OF Baker Pacha, says the New York
Herald. For this the General is not
blamed. No one was more keenly aware
than he was of the folly of attempting
the reconquest of Berber and Khartoum
with the spiritless troops at his disposal.
In consenting to assume the chief COM
mand he acted solely from a sense of
duty and in the hope that in course of
time his little army of incapables might
be sufficiently recruited from the nom
Egyptian residents of the Delta or the
islands of the Levant or the European
provinces of Turkey; or, again. that the
Abyssinians might be induced by a ter
ritorial concession to assist the Egyptian
government.
Baker Pacha's troops consisted of
nearly three thousand men when he
arrived at Suakim. The majority of
them had been themselves in revolt
against the Egyptian government under
Arab last year. Many of the soldiers
We're forced at the point of the bayonet
to join the ranks or were brought IN
chains to Suakim. The black troops
which Zobehr Pacha had recruited were
all well known to be poor fighters, and
were believed to be in sympathy with
the False Prophet. However, General
Baker, with this force, joined by about
five hundred more men dragged from
different parts of Egypt, attempted to
carry out his indefinite plans of cam
paign. He left Cairo on December II
for Suakim, which he proposed to make
the basis of his operations. He was
given supreme military and civil COM
mand, with the power of life and death.
Baker Pacha was intrusted with the
protection of the Red Sea httoral, the
relief of Sinkat and the reopening of the
line from Suakim to Berber. But the
situation in the Soudan was rendered
more critical by the revolt of the Kassala
tribes and the Abyssinian demonstration
In connection with that movement. He
then proposed to negotiate with Abys-
sinia for the cession of some territory
and the port of Massowah, on the Red
Sea.
Tokar is a small town about fifty miles
below Suakim, situated on a rivulet
about eight miles from its mouth. On
the Red Sea shore is Trinkitat, its sea-
port, whittier General Baker has fed.
Telegraphing on the 18th ult., the
correspondent of the London Daily
Ne1Os gave the following account of the
situation at the British camp:-''Baker
Pacha says that the results of his nego-
tlations with the tribal chiefs far exceed
what he dared to hope for The Sheiks
who have visited the camp represent
some thirty-eight thousand men, all will
ing, the General believes, actively to
assist In the coming operations, instead
ofremaining neutral in the possible view
of siding with the victors. At the same
time Osman Digna's followers are known
TO be steadily falling off. A large body
of Arabs from the tribes actually with
the rebels, and on Osman Digna's side,
have entered the camp. They came In |
accordance with a promise made three |
days since. At this moment Baker |
Pacha has expressed to me fear lest |
the reports Just arrived from Cairo to |
the effect that the government has re-
solved to abandon the Soudan, may de- |
moralize the friendly Arabs, and arrest |
the present movement of submission. If, |
however, the tribes are treasured, Baker |
Pacha feels fairly confident that the above |
named tribes might be entrusted to raise
the siege of Sinkat, leaving the army
here to march upon Tokar. The Sheiks
always urge that single success by
Baker Pacha would procure the adhe-
sion of all the tribes still wavering and
speedily end the rebellion. This double
movement Baker Pacha hopes to execute
before the end of the month, but the
plans may be changed by unforeseen &C
cidents. Atpresent, appearances point
to march in force direct to Tokar."
The correspondent of the London
Times at Sualkirn says:-''The port of
Suakim itself is safe. Not if all the
Mahdl's forces were outside, and Gen
eral Bakers army annihilated, would
the place be in danger, so long as our
own vessels of war stand guard Two
gunboats lie anchored, one on either
side of the causeway, and an enemy at
tempting to enter the town would be
decimated by their fire. The other
night the inhabitants and the enemy
outside had striking example of what
the ships could do Information was
and the General asked the senior naval |
officer to fire a few rounds over the |
town, as some sort of intimation that |
we were ready. The request had |
hardly been made ere signals were |
flashed from ship to ship. In less time |
than it takes to write it. although the |
men were sleeping in their hammocks, |
the different crews were at their quar- |
tiers. Shell after shell was sent painting
through the moonlight over Suakim and |
far into the desert beyond, which was
illuminated as they burst as if by
flashes of lightning. Landing with |
Captain Nesham, the senior naval |
officer, we found the Greek, italian and |
Egyptian merchants of the place con-
gregated upon the wharf, where they |
shlvered with fright, and making our |
way through the silent town to the out |
side camp the different Egyptian SEN |
trles whom we passed seemed hardly |
able to hold their rifles, so panic stricken |
were they. In the camp itself, too. one |
felt as he looked around that if the |
enemy were to attempt a determined |
rush 1t would probably prove success
fui. The frequent flight of the shells |
overhead, the loud reports of the cannon |
and the distant thuds of the bursting |
charges soon restored confidence. The |
sentries, who looked so frightened |
during our walk out, were, on our |
return, grinning with restored conf |
denee, and the crowd ON the quay were |
chattering with delight as they lis |
tened to the rush of the shot"
A Surprising Confession.