The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-04-21
THE OLD WORLD.
Egypt's War.

| LONDON, April 20.-rhe reply OF NJ. de Gier5
| to Earl Granville'S demand for an explana-
| tion of Gen. Komaroff's attack upon the Al
! ehans on the Kuskh river was considered in
| the Cabinet Council today. The reply says
| that Gen. Komaroff's dispatches, copies of
which have been forwarded to the British
government, sufficiently explain the PeDjdeh
| incident. and that it Is therefore needless to
| supplement- them. M. de Giers, IN his turn,
| complains strongly of what he calls the exC5s'
| sive numbers of Gen. Lumsden's escort. He
| says this display of British armed force on At
| CHAN territory together with the military DEM
| opstrstions at RaWal Pindi, aad Earl Dntfer-
| in's defiant lans uage, encouraged the Afgbans
| to provoke the Russian attack by leading
| them to believe they could rely upon British
| support. NJ. do Giers does not express the
slightest regret for Gen. Komaroff's action,
| and he even suggests that Gen. Komaroh
would have neglected his duty ii he had failed
to attack the -lfghans.
The Ameer, owing TO the opposition OF his
subjects, is reluctant to allow the British
troops to enter Afghanistan, which it is feared,
would cause a rebellion, the Amesr being un-
popular. The Ameer is willing to cede Psni-
dsh to Russia in return for her evacuation of
the Zulncar passes which command the road
to Herat. A difficulty arises from the refusal
OF the Russian war party to consent to the
withdrawal from Zalfcar. lit 10 believed that
M. de GieTs' party are inclined to support this
policy, believing the English Cabinet is inclin-
cd to give way.
LONDON, April 1S.-1here are persistent
rumors that the British troops on the Nile are
already suffering tortures from the heat, and
that the facts have been deliberately sup
pressed. The special correspondents who went
to the Soudan with Gen. Wolseley's expsdi-
tion have now all returned to England for 3
summer holiday, and the newspapers ara de-
pendent for news solely upon the officers.
They naturally dread the military censors,
whose right aud duty il is to inspect every
despatch sent to the press, and the officers, TO
prevent the total suppression OF their reports,
tinge them with the color of the rose. The
censorship, however, does not extend to the
private letters written by the soldiers to their
relatives and friends at home, and the real
facts are beginning to come to light through
these letters. One OF the non-commissioned
officers, in letter received at London to day,
draws very gloomy picture OF the condition
OF the troops. He says that the huts which
were to have afforded them endurable summer
quarters have not yet been built, and thatsthe
heat in the tents is simply unbearable in the
day time, with the thermometer, as it fire.
quently is, at 112e in the shade. The men
have nothing to do from reveiile 10 taps but
swelter under the scorching sun, and from
taps to reVeille they are kept busy fighting the
vermin and reptiles with which the country
swarms. They cannot even get anything to
read, the government having interdicted the
mailing OF newspapers to soldiers, for fear they
will become demoralized by the wholesale
condemnation by the press Of the whole Sou
dan business. The men are unclothed, with
the exception Of ragged remnants Of the uni
forms 10 which they left home. The writer
says it is absurd as well as cruel to keep the
troops in such 8 fearful country during the
summer, as even those who survive the trOpi-
cal heat will be fit for nothing in the autumn
Many are already dying from typhus and en-
terie diseases, although the sick are sent in
daily patches down the river to Cairo. The
writer concludes with the despairing Cry:
apparently the country don't care d-n for
u.s."
DoNGoLA, April 20.-Natives who have ar
rived here say the Italians have advanced
| from Massowah in the direction of Kassala.
| are deserting El Mahdi, and the latter is plum
deriDg all villages aud towns worth robbing.
The Esoyal Visitors in Ireland.
DUBLIN, April 2O.-The royal party arrived
| here from Killarney today. On their way they
| stopped at Limerick and were welcomed with
| most brilliant reception. During the jour
| Prince and Princess met with some hostile
| demonstrations
The World 10 be Surprised.
| LONDON, April 20.-A despatch from Berlin
| to the Standard states that Germany is pre-
| pairing series OF enormous colonial enter
| prses, the magnitude Of which will surprise
the world. The acquisition Of the kingdom
| Of Zanzibar by Germany, the despatch says, is
certain to be accomplished sooner or later.
Valuable Autographs Sold.
Autograph copies of Burns ''Tam O'Shan-
ter" and the Lament of Mary, Qaeen of
Scots" have been sold at auction here. They
were bought for Glasgow library for e152.