The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-02-19

AFTER receiving as an honor the s'yelloy
jacket and the title of .'Ti-tu,n whicl
gave him the highest rank in the Chimes,
army, he returned home.
From 1865, when he reached England
to 1871 Gen. Gordon lived at Gravesend
employed in doing the work of improvin,
the defenses Of the Thames. Then. afte,
brief service as commissioner at Galitz
he succeeded in 1878 Sir Samuel Baker il
the employ OF the Khedive of Egypt, a!
governor OF the tribes of Upper Egypt
From the first he set himself sternly tore
press violence and wrong, to inspire con
tidence in the tribes so long accustomed tx
nothing but cruelty and deceit on the part
OF their rulers, and to make them his allies
by leading Them to regard him as theil
benefactor and friend. Through this sim
pie but effectual diplomacy he succeeded
in two years in establishing line Of
stations from .Gondokora, his first head
quarters, to Foweiro, half way between
the Albert and Nyanza Lakes, and bring
ing all this part of the Soudan'under the
complete control of the Khedive. Wher.
ever his power extended he struck heavy
blows at slavery. Conveys of slaves and
stolen cattle were intercepted, the cattle
restored, and the slaves set free or taken
into the service of the governor. His
work in the service Of the Khedive, how
ever, was sadly hindered by the governor
general of the Soudan, Ismail. Pasha
Yacoub, with whom he had neverlbeen
on good terms, and he recognized that his
great aim of graphing with the slave trade
throughout the country could not be ade-
quately pursued while his authority was
limited to the equatorial district. In Feb
ruary, 1877, however, Gordon was himself
made encouragement of the Soudan, in
place Of Ismail, and then followed two
years and half of an activity unequalled
in the whole of his career. He rode over
1900 miles of desert in the first year of his
office, and his hairbreadth escapes and ad-
ministrative difficulties only seemed to
stimulate him. A short time sufficed to
set things in order at Khartoum, and then
he was set off on the most dangerous of all
his expeditions, the suppression of the
slave trade in the widest of the Khediye's
possessions, the Province of Durfar. A
few months of restless hurrying to and
fro, and Of audacious adventure surpass-
ing anything in his previous career,
brought this savage region, including Sua-
ka, the headquarters of the great slave
dealer Suleiman, under control. The
rapidity of Gordon's movements had
by this time made him famous and terrible
from one end of the Soudan to the other.
He was no sooner away from post, how
ever. than the good effects of his presence
was lost, and in July, 1879, the western
part of his dominion was again ali in a
blaze, and it was all that Gordon could do
to put down the revolted slave dealer. his
old enemy, Suleiman, 1t was not until the
of 1879 that this revolt was thor
oughly eXtinguished. The reconquest of
the west was the last great work that Cor
don undertook as governor of the Soudan
Disguised with the support which the Khe-
dive gave him, he finally resigned his posi-
ton and returned to England.
Gen. Gordon's public services after leav-
ing the Soudan were not of very promi-
nent nature until his return to Khartoum
in the early part of 1884 as the British
plenipotentiary to arrange for the safety
of the Egyptians and Europeans threat
ened by the warlike operations of the
Mahdi, and for their retreat from the Sou
dan. When Mr.. Gladstone determined
that all military operations excepting
those for the release of outlaying garrisons
should cease in the Soudan, Gen. Gordon
was selected to represent Great Britain in
the SOudan, ito report ON the military sit
uations there, to proyide,in the best man.
ner for the safety of the European popula-
ton of Khartoum, and of the Egyptian
garrisons throughout the country, as well
as for the evacuation of the Soudan with
the exception of the seaboard.'' Gordon.
upon receiving his instructions, informed
tile government that in his opinion, the
proper way to carry them out was to re-
store the country to the different petty
Sultans who existed at the time of the con-
qnest of the Soudan by Egypt, leaving the
Mahdi altogether out of the calculation, so
far as the transfer of the country was con-
cerned, and that it should be optional
with these Sultans to accept his supremacy
Oh not. 1t was with the understanding
that he should carry out this plan that
Gen. Gordon left London on Jan. 10, 1884,
and reached Berber, on his way to Khar-
toum, on Feb. H., He wrote from here
that he was lin high spirits and very san
guine as to the success of his mission
He at once threw himself in his work
with all his old energy. Before leaving
Berber he sent forward orders to Khar-
toum removing Hussein Pasha from the
-governor-generalship and appointing
in his place Col. de Costlogen. He also
had the city placarded with proclamation
the Mahdi Sultan of Kordofan,
remitting one-half the taxes, and permit
ting the trade in slaves to be carried on.
On the morning of February Is he entered
Khartoum. His first work was to build
bond-fre in front of the palace of the gov
books, the bastinado rods, and all
the implements of Egyptian oppression.
He was hailed by the people as "Sultan,
Father" and ''Savlor Of Kordofan.' y
This jubilation, however, was confined to
Khartoum and the country Immediately
surrounding. The Mahdi was not satisfied
to have the petty Sultans reinstated, and
he at once began to mass his troops be-
tween Berber and Khartoum, Khartoum
was soon surrounded by rebels. On March
Is, Gen. Gordon sailed forth and attacked
them near Hairy. Hewas repulsed through.
the treachery of two of his Arabs and was
sent flying back into the city. With his
usual promptness he court martialed the
Arabs and had them shot. Since then the
city has been constantly besieged by the
Mahdi's troops and the news from Cor
don has been conflicting. He has been
reported killed several times, and the re-
port he had succeeded in fighting his
way out has been as often published. 1t
seems now, however to be accepted as true
that he was assasinated at Khartoum. as