The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1885-04-07
now 9 GORDON. GO. 70 lknss,oura.

the. Mahdi first called the faithful to
arms. Raouf Pasha, Governor Of
sK;hartopm, ordered him to come to
him, and as he refused sent battalion
to, enforce his commands. These the
Prophet cut to pieces aud two other
armies besides. Then he seized IGl
Obeid, the capital OF Kordofan, while
his Lieutenant, Osma Digna, fomented
the troubles on the shores Of the Red
Sea, and Arabi Pasha did his best to
help. Finally the Muhdi's power
threatened Egypt, and the English had
to take active measures to quell the re-.
{ fbellipnWi Il 50 sehnral Gordon, known AS
Gordon Pasha, had'ruled the So,man
from 1874 to 1879, and was said to have
a project Of establishing himself there
as an independent ruler. This might
not have been absolutely distasteful to
the English, as tho Soudan took a great
deal Of manufactured goods from them.
at any rate they resolved to abandon
IL themselves as entailng Too much ex-
pense to the Egyptian treasury, and
Gordon was entrusted with the task of
withdrawing the Egyptian garrisons,
and or restoring the deposed Sultans, a
sum of 100000 being allowed him for
expenses, with 100000 more IN pros
pect. Gordon, on his arrival at ikhar-
toum, the capital of the Soudan de-
stroyed all the records of unpaid taxes.
the whips and rods which had MAIN
tanned Egyptian supremacy, but this
humane act he offset with proclama-
tion restoring domestic slavery. But
the chief thing was to conciliate the
Mahdi, and to him he offered the Emil
rate of Kordofan. The bribe was re-
fused by the willy prophet, who sent his
armies to beleaguer the city. Gordon's
means of escape were abundant. He
had several steamers by which he OBJ
tanned supplies in addition to the
already large quantities stored IN Khar-
toum; he could also use them from the
time of the rise Of the Nile, about the
first OF June till it's subsistence about
the fifteenth Of September, to withdraw
his soldiers southwark to Gondoroko,
and Uganda, then westward down the
Congo into the territory Of the Inter-
national Society. In spite of these fac
llltles Gen Gordon persisted In re-
manning in Khartoum, although he had
failed in his mission there, and the in
ference drawn has been that he prob
ably thought it possible to establish
himself as an independent sovereign.
Tue city Of Khartoum, which would
be the capital of this possible princ1-
paiity as it is Of the Soudan, is the
chief trade emporium of the whole
country, and Is built on a barren.
stoneless and wide plain, on the west
bank OF the Blue Nile, and about a
mile above it's junction with the White
Nile. A line Of earthworks forms the
tortlflcatiOns on the outside of the
town proper, with the additional pro-
lection Of ditch Is to 40 feet deep on
| the left bank of the Blue Nile, and
another, somewhat lower. Immediately
at the back of the town as protection
against the overflow of the White
Nile. Small plantations Of date palms
and plantains, and vegetable gardens,
Which pay no taxes, are scattered in the
vicinity; but, with the exception of the
river banks, the country is bare and
treeless. The hot season, from April
| till the middle of November, is severe,
| averaging 800 in the shade. The rainy
season lasts from the middle of July to
the middle of September, but is irregu-
thQCa hpinr nf 80
all. The cold weather begins about
the middle Of December and lasts till
the middle Of February, the thermome-
ter going down as low as 46o in June.
July, October and November typhoid
fevers and dysentery are very preva-
lent. The resident population is esti.
mated at about $4,000, of which two
thirds are slaves There is also float
ing population of about 1000, consist
ing OF Europeans, Syrlans, Copts,
Turks, Albanians and few Jews The
Mohammedan religion is the general
creed, and in politics they side with the
strongest, being intensely corrupt.
Except the manufacture of mats, cot
ton cloths, a rope made from palm
leaves, and some, tiligree silver work,
there is no nomanufacture worth speaking
of. The houses are mostly of sundried
brick, and to- prevent them crumbling
away during the rains, they are every
year plastered over with dung before
the rainy season commences, process
which no doubt occasions a great deal
of illness. The town being very low,
there is no drainage, and in the rainy
season the place is full of water and It
is almost impossible to move about. AS
there is no stone throughout the whole
district, the streets are full of dust dur
ing the Summer and mud during the
rains. Nearly all the Government EN-.
ployes, and native traders are secret
partisans Of the Mahdi, in the hope
that he, Will re establish the slave
trade, and this may be the key to
Gordon Pasha's restoration Of slavery
when he took possession of Khartoum.
The calm or agitation OF our temper
does not depend so much on the import
! ant lUnnfe of 1iPa q q on oo,,noo H. 80.