Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-02-07
CHINESE GeRDos.
nsIsr-c.neral ch.,,., &C.,. ...,.

Major General Q. @. Gordon v.s b.o,n
IN Ps9D. and vas e younger son Of a.
late Lieutsnant- Ge usral Henry WIIIiaro
5oroon, Il. A. he was educated a,
Taunton and at Woolwich NiIitarv
Academy. In the Criueau war bs
served with credit in the RoyaI Fnoi-
neefs, and, after the treaty of peaoe Wa
signed, vas one of the cosuruissioue,s ,o
dstermine the new Russian frontier.
MS nsss vaslt to China was IN lsS0, ana
oy hia bold and iudieious couduet In
sapgoftlnR The Chinese Emperor against
the Ial-plng rebels, be earned the thar ks
OF both English and Chinese Cove a
ments. ss well az the soubriquet Of .sChi-
nese Gordon" by which De Is now uni.
Vers2Ily knsvn. He Disciplined the
rude Chinese soIdiery, relieved fortified
towns. drove the Tai-pinRs beyond the
Great Canal, and efeotually supuressed
the great rebellion. Ia the previous war.
which ended with the occupation of Pc
KID and the destructioR of the summer
Palace, ne had also taken an active mart.
lne highest military honors were be-
slowed upoR him by the Chinese En-
perof, but the rather inadequate reward
Of hls Own Governments was only a com
mission as Colonel. After filing the
post OF Commanding Royal Engineer
a. GraveseDd 1861 and of British Vice
Consul at the Danabe Delta, his pres
encs IN Egypt Was earnestly requested
py the late khediye, Ismail Pasha.
The conditiOn of Egyptian Affairs then
was IN some points even worse than il
v today. The aim Of the Khedive was,
through Gordon, TO pat down the infan-
Gus slave trade and TO re-establish his
own waning power. With the help of
God" said General Gordon, on assum-
ing Command, will hold the Balance
level"
dis FIRST act was to reduce his own nav
from ElO.OO0 10 e2O00. Fer ave years,
at khartoum, on the White Nile, around
the lakes, and In Darfour and Cardoyan.
he worked with the most indefatioable
zeal, disrsgarding personal exposure,
fatigue and danger. The slave trade
was IN part suppressed, and the country
became far more quiet and orderly than
q has been since or was for years be-
fore The reputation for justice and
humanity sosn gained by Gordon among
the natives was the real source of his
strength, and the belief of the British
Government 10 his popularity with the
natives - the principal reason of his
present mission. The present Khedive,
Tewtk PAsha, has never been favorably
disposed to Gordon, and three years ago
the latter resigned bis Office. Since then
be has served in turn in India with Lord
Ripon, In the Maaritius, and in the Ba-
soto war at the Cape. OF late he has
been engaged in archaeological and SIM
liar studies In Jerusalem. He had to
return TO London with the view of as
sumIng leadership of the scheme for
opening the Congo river to commerce
under ths auspices of the association of
ghich the King of the Belgians IL the
head, when the gravity of she Egyptian
crisis caused the English Government
TO eagerly and insistently force upon
him his present mission. This brief
sketch OF his career indicates most
clearly that oesselass activity, deyo-
tion To duty, and q rare faculty of
organization, are his salient charaster-
istics.
Since arriving in the Sonaan General
Gordon has issued TIVE remarkable pro-
elanlations. in the first of which he ex-
horted the Souaanese TO lay down their
arms, declaring that their rights would
be maintained and intinating that slav-
cry would again be all0wed-ar intima-
tion which excited great Indignation in
EOgland. In the second be reproached
the people for their hostility, and said
shat he was forced 10 summon to his aid
the British army
Upon the issuance of the latter pro.
clamation FL Mahdi took measures 10
cut Oh the return of Gordon to Lower
Egypt. For time escape was possible
by further journey up the Nile and q
doubtful and dangerous attempt to cross
the uilds of Central Africa 10 the settle
ments ON the upper Congo. OF this,
however, General Gordon refused 10
avail himself, and, Z tthering into Khar-
tourn such troops rs be eould call about
him. be prepared 10 stand siege. For
time the British Government appeared
90 have arandoned him 10 his fate; bat
In August last the expedition under
General Wolseley was organized for his
relief. The delay, however, had been
too long; for, after year of successful
resistance, aud Just as relief WAS at
hand, Khartoum has fallen into the
hands Of the False Prophet, an! brave
Chinese Gordon is either dead OF q
prisoner ia the hands OF the Arab
fanatics.
- S~18~N