The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-25
Bitter Criticism of the Delay of the Home
Government in Sending an Expedition
for Relief Of Khartoum.
He Could Have Escaped at Any Time,
but Honor Forced Him to Remain.
A High-Spirited Soldier Surrounded by
Countless Perils, and Worried by Many
Cares and Never-Ending Anxieties.

Gordon at Khartoum, extracts from which fol-
low, win make a crown octave volume of over
500 pages, and will be published by Houghton.
/ Miflin & Co., Of this city. on Tuesday next
June 80. The book will contain an etched por-
trait of General Gordon, two maps. and thirty
illustrations, reproduced in fac SMILES from
sketches by General Gordon himself General
Gordon's diaries are in six parts. The first is
from the 10th of September to the 23d of Sep
tember, and contains seventy eight pages; the
second is from the 23d of September to the 30th
of September, and contains forty-one pages; the
third is from the 1st to the 18th of
October, and contains eghty-fve pages;
the fourth is from the 18th to the
10th of October, and contains thirty-twc pages;
the fifth is from the Goth of October to the 5th
of November, and contains ninety-three pages;
the sixth is from the 5th of November to the
14th of December, and contains 1O4 pages. The
first, second, third and fourth diaries are ad-
dressed to Lieutenant colonel Stewart G. M. g..
or the chief of the staff The fifth is addressed
to the chief of the staff Of the expeditionary
force for the relief of the garrison, and the
sixth is addressed in the same way. The first
and second diaries were sent on the Both of
September, by steamer, to Berber, via
Shendy; the third was sent by the steamer
Towfkia, on the 18th of October, to
Metemneh, and the sixth also left in
the steamer Borden, on the 10Th of December.
Each diary has the same remarks-sometimes
repeated three times-on the outside Of the
Journal to the effect that ''it should be pruned
down prior to publication" The journals, or
diaries, were handed over to Sir Charles Wilson
on the 22d of January, at Metemneh. by the
officer commanding General Gordon's steamers.
The following are extracts from General Cor
dons diary:
IF it is right to send up an expedition now,
why was it not right to send it up before! 1t is
all very well to say one ought to consider the is
ing that "a hope existed of no
expedition being necessary, owing to our having
fallen AS for myself, personally, feel no par
tcular rancor on the subject; but own do not
care to show that like men, whoever they may
be- who act in such calculating way, and l do
not think one is bound to act the hypocrites part
and pretend to be friendly towards them l do
not Judge the question of abandoning the garri
sons or not; what Judge is the indecision of
the government They did not dare to say
abandon the garrison so they prevent me
leaving for the equator with the determination
not to relieve me, and the hope-well, will not
say what their hope was. March, April,
August-why, he ought to have surrendered, he
said, six months There is my point of COM
plant.
IA heavy, numbering column, however strong.
is nowhere in this land. Parties of forty or
sixty men, moving swiftly about, will do more
than any column. If you lose two or three,
what of IT'D 1t is the chance Of war Native
allies, above all things, at whatever cost 1t is
the country of the irregular, not OF the regular.
+ <ba Iafa otc in ic ntryf IN
having artillery with me, which delayed me
much and it was the artillery with Hicks which,
in my opinion, did for him.
81 altogether decline the imputation that the
projected expedition has come to relieve me. 1t
has come to save our national honor in extrl-
eating the garrisons, etc, from position IN
which our action in Egypt has placed these gar
rsons was relief expedition No. l, they are
relief expedition No. 2. AS for myself, l could
make good my retreatat any moment if l wish.
Now. realize what would happen if this first
lief expedition was to bolt and the steamers fell
into the hands of the Mahdi; this second relief
expedition-for the honor OF England, engaged IN
extricating garrisons-would be somewhat ham
pered We, the first andesecond expeditions.
are equally engaged for the honor OF England.
This is fair logic. / came up to extricate the
garrisons and failed. Earle comes up to extri-
cate the garrisOns, and, hope, succeeds. Earle
does not come to extricate me. The extrlcatlon
of the garrisons was supposed to affect our
national honor If Earle succeeds, the national
honor thanks him and rewards him; but it is
altogether independent of me, who, for failing,
incurs the blame. / am not the rescued lamb, and
| will not be.
WHAT TO DO WITH THE soUDAN.
'sAs for her Majestys government occupying
the Soudan itself, it is out of the question, for
YOU could not get men to serve here, except
under great salaries, and supported with
large forces, and as for giving it back
to Egypt in couple OF years,
we would have another Mahdi; there
fore. our choice lies between Zanzibar and
the Turks Therefore, give the country to the
Turks when once you have come to khartoum
with one or two millions sterling. which You
will spend in three monthss occupatlon up mere Il
YOU delay. Make arrangements at once with
the Porte for its Soudan cession Let 6.Oo0
Turks land at Suakim and march up to Beroer,
thence to Khartoum. You can then retire at
once before the hot weather comes on
.sAs for evacuation it is one thing; as Tor rat
ting out it is another / approve OF No !. as we
have not the decision to keep the
country; but | will be no party to
No. 2-this rat busness-frst, because it is dis
honorable: second, because it is not possib le,
which will have more weight Therefore if it is
going to be No. 2, the troops had better not come
beyond Berber till the question of what will be
done is settled My idea is to induce her MaJes-
tvs government to undertake the extrlcation OF
all the people of the garrisons now hemmed in
or captive, and if this is not their programme,
then to resign my commission. and do what
can to attain the object. AS long as a man re-
mains in her Majestys service, he is bound to
obey the orders Of his superiors. but if he re-
signs he cannot be held as insubordinate if he
does not.
NATIONAL MORALS AND FREE WILL.
eve are an honest Nation, but our diplomates
are chronics, and are not officially honest /
declare, solemnly that if it were not for the
honor's sake of our Nation would let these
people 60 They are of the very feeblest nature
and the Arabs are ten times better; but because
tbav ara weak there is so much the more reason