Omaha daily bee., 1885-02-10
NEWS,
GENERAL woLsELRY's REGNFoRCRMENTs COZ
SYST OLE NINE RATTALIONS

GENERAL woLsELRY's RETNFoRCRMENTs CON.
slsr OF NINE BATTALIoNs.
LONDON, February 8. Lord Wolseley tele.
graphs from Korti to the war office to-day as
follows: The Korti advance Guard, General
Earle's column, consisting of a squadron of
cavalry, under command of Col. Butler, sur
prised a large body of the Mafassir tribe un-
der Wadgam, the murderer of Col. Stewart,
while encamped at ShakoOb well. The cav.
airy charged the e~ncampment, and the enemy
fled in every direction, leaving behind thirty
men killed, a large number of camels, cattle
and men, and many Remington rifles. Col.
Butler captured six prisoners. Great activity
prevails at Chatham, Woolwich and Alder.
Shot, and the preparations for sending rein
forcements to Egypt are being rapidly pushed.
The third battalion of the rifle brigade, now
at Aldershot, a battalion of the Coldstream
Guards and a squadron of the Fifth Lancers
have been ordered to proceed at once to Sua-
kim. Three battalions of guards and
four battsllons of infantry, including
two from Malta, and two from Gibralter have
been ordered to Egypt, two batallions of in
fantry and c regiment of cavalry have been
ordered to proceed from India to Egypt, The
nine batallions Of troops ordered from En-
gland, Malta, Gibralter and India are sent at
the request of Wolsley. The guards leave
England the end of the present week, the
second battalion of the English infantry are at
present in lower Egypt, and will proceed i'm.
mediately to Soudan. 1t is stated that all
the forces comprised of the nine batallions to
be sent Wolsely will, after reaching Suakim
operate between Saukim aud Berber, with the
object of securing the route between these
points, and the e~ffecting of a complete juno
ton with the British forces, on the Nile both
above and below 3erber.
THE FRENc,. oApTURE FIVE FORTS.
PARIS, Februa y 9.-Brierre De Lisle tele-
graphs the government as follows: On Fri
day and Saturday we destroyed five forts be
longing to the Chinese, the enemy having
evacuated them without fighting. In the
forts were found immense stores of provisions
gunpowder and other ammunition, we re
connoitered twelve kilometres and found the
Chinese retreating hastily towards Tang9an'
Our losses during the engagements vert
twenty-one killed and 162 wounded.
COL. WILSON M PARTY SAFE.
LONDON, February ct is understood
that the government received word that Col,
Wilson, who after failing to reach khartoum
was stranded with hls entire party on al
island in the Nile, is safe. TIL opinion pre-
walls at the war office that Gen. Gordon i
still alive, and engaged in defending himsel
in some inaccessible part of the city o
Khartoum, where he had prepared a refug'
for use in case OF emergency.
Ell MAHDI's DEFEAT NECESSARY.
LONDON, February 9.-Lnrd Granville hat
a long interview with Mr.. Gladstone to-day
The Pail Mall Gazette this afternoon state
that the cabinet decided that the defeat Of
FL Mahdi was necessary to vindicate England
No immediate advance upon khartoum il
considered possible. The Gazette says unless
it is found that there is good reason for be
~lieving that Gordon is still holding out witt
a handful of followers in the Mission house ii
Khartoum, where, 1t is reported, he had takel
refuge when the city fell into the MahdlI
hands. In the absence of this Lord Wolse.
ley, it is said, will continue to advance by tn.
river until he reaches BeIber, where he vii
spend the hot weather Of the summer will
his army, and wait for the September rise o
the Nile before advancing. Two months viii
expire, according to the plan, before there cal
be any advance IN force from Suakim.
NEWS FROM GENERALssEARL's ARMY.
KoRTI, February 9.-News from Genera
Earl's army dated February 9TH, shows tina
on the Thursday preceding, the Camel Corr
had q skirmIsh inland with hostile Arabs, VIII
who were driven from the well where an en-
gagement occurred with a loss of six kille
and six taken prisoners. The British troop
captured a number of rifles, camels an
cattle.
EIGHT THOUSAND RRINFoRCRMESTs FOR WoI
i. sELEY.
LONDON, February Eight thousand II
Inducements, at the urgent demand of Ger
Wolseley, have been ordered to proceed
rapidly as possible to Egypt, to open the rOut
between Snakim and Berber. Naval demon
STATIONS in the Red Sea TO cooperate with til
3 land movement have been arranged. The de-
3 patch of several British men of war is nm
3 nent. The total number of enforcement a
I ready ordered to Egypt Is 5000. The war d.
partment has completed preparations for I'll
transportation of commissariat. and the ORD
nance service vessels are already loading wit
stores at Woolwich. The grenade
= guards have been ordered to hold themselv
in readiness for foreign service.