New-York tribune., 1885-02-01

Lord WOlscley wcru statement Of tho real object Of
tho expedition. this Of the fate of ono Of the
two officers 1t was sent to save would have been
spur to rapid advance moro especially as that news
was quickly followed by information that Gordon
was closely besieged In Khartoum but the forces of
the Mahdi were weakening The ease with which
Dongola. 300 miles up the river, could be reached
by land was proved by Lord Wolseley himself
making the distance twice on camelback in
eight and half days. Yet the serious advance OF
troops and supplies was made to await the arrival
of the small boats not one of which had arrived mt
Dongola on the Goth of November. At that date
there were 10000 British troops in Egypt. of which
number only 5000 had got beyond Wady Halfa and
only about one-third Of these far south as DON
gola This third had reached that point without the
aid Of the small boats
November 90 the Egyptian telegraph up the Nile
was leased by the British military authorities and
since that time the kilograms forwarded have
properly been under military surveillance, that
all information has the conservative value of semi
official approval while it is naturally more meagre
in details.
On the 26th November there were 10000 British
troops south of Assouan First Cataract). On the
Sd of December there 1000 s0nth of KOrOskO.
1t was not until the 9th of December, two months
after the arrival of the General In Chief ut Wady
IIalfa, that an advance was made from DOngola for
the occupation of Ambukol as an outpost. This
advance was made under the command of Colonel
Herbert Stewart, whose force consisted OF portion
Of the 10th Hussars and 400 infantry of the
Guards, tho latter mounted on cames.
December 13 Lord Wolseley and staff reached
Debbeh. and on the 10th joined the advance under
Sir Herbert Stewart at Kort On the 2lst General
Stewards brigade was reinforced by q detachment
~, A.. Ill. IL. A,,l.r L..
continued at Korti, and on the 2sth December
Colonel Brackenbnry advanced mp the river in a
pcqiiet boat to select now camping ground beyond
Meraweb.
On the 30th December, while a large portion of
Lord Wolseleys force still below DOngOla,
Brgadier-';cneral Sir H. Stewart was pushed for
ward from kort on the ROAD to Shcndy. with abont
1000 men. and on the Sd Of January ho occupied
Gadknl after march of nnety-seven IN los. There
he found abundance of water, and forming en-
trenchncnts he left the Guards there and returned
to Kortl for more men and supplies. with which he
marched again toward Metem1ieh lOpposifs Shendyl
on the sth January. His force consisted of detach
mcnts OF the following corps. aud marched IN the
following order First. detachment lvth Hussars (;
second. detachment of the Camel Corps; third.
the Royal Sussex Regiment; fourth. a half battery
ROYAL Artillery fifth. half Of tho Naval Brigade.
with Gardner machine gun, all mountcd on
camcs sixth, detachment ot the Essex Regi-
ment; then the Field Hospital, and last deiacli.
mcnt Of mounted infantry rs rear-guari General
graphed that he hoped General stewart would
occupy Mctemnch without difficulty on tho 18th
Of January AMI that II a steamer should bs found
there communications would be opened with
General Gordon without DELAY
While General Stewart was Thus dispatched
toward tho Nile at Metcmineh by the desert ronte.
General Earle was sent up the river 10 llaindnl
thcrc Ia concentrate force for operating toward