The evening times., 1896-03-21
0FIl[ s0UDlE
English Government Keeping
Close -Mouthed About h.
FIGHTING is IMMINENT
rhc Expedition Expected to Reach
Dongoia within. n Week-PrOject
Has Long Reen Decided Upon-The
strength Of the Egyptian Force.
Inquiries as To Blue Book Errors.

London, March 21.-Last nights debate
in the House OF C1n,mons added nothing to
the nieager information thatthe government
deems it prudent to reveal regarding the
expedition that is to go to Dongola. and per
.iaps further, in an attempt to reconquer the
Soudau.
The statement made by the Right Hon.
Joseph Chamberlain, secretary Of state
for the COLONIES, that the advance of the
expedition would be regulated BY the extent
of, the resistance offered by the dervishes.
seemed rather designed 70 befog the house
or to convey the idea that the government
had no definite plan OF campaign.
What the minister's refuse to disclose
can be found by collating the reports from
reliable sources. The sensational rumors
with which the British press is unusually
rife deal with the expedition as sud-
den decision OF the government, the fact
that It was to be dispatched being unknown
even to the khedive.
They describe the forward movement
Of tic troops as teing already commenced
IN bulk, and state that Akashen has been
occupied, that fighting is imminent, and
that Dongola will he reached in week,
when ten thousand dervishes will face
the Egyptian forces.
The facts arc that the expedition was
projected last autumn, when Gen. Kitchener,
the sirdar OF the Egyptian army, was In Eng
land. He then bought the material sneces-
sary to complete the railway from Wady
Halfa to Akasheh, ordered number of
light draught steamers built to carry stern
fire guns, and secured the assent Of Lord
Salisbury to the preparations. Though the
date of the campaign was not then fixed,
Gen. Kitchener made no secret of the fact
that some big scheme was being Matched.
LONG BEEN DECIDED UPON.
Speaking n bennington wednesday, Earl
Russell stated that he had personal knowl-
edge that the expedition had long been de-
cided upon, but that it had been postponed
because it was thought inexpedieDt. This
was the view taken OF the matter until the
defeat of the Italians at Adowah afforded
the government an opportune excuse for
the dispatch of the expedition.
He added that according to the 1riginnl
plan Gen. Kitchener's first objective was
to be Dongola and then Berber, with
advance from Suakim. on
the Red Sea. railway was to be built
TO link Dongoia and Berber before march
was made upon Khartoom. There was No
reason to suppose that this plan had been
altered. but 1t was probable that It would
develop more slowly than some Of the
Cairo telegrams indicated.
According to the Times Dongola may be
reached In three or four weeks. The military
authorities at Cairo, however, calculate
that that place viii not be reached be fore
June. The van of the Egyptian troops,
consisting of 200 men. Of which number
800 are cavalry, ought to occupy Akashen
by today.
They are not expected to get in touch
with the deryislfes there. They will remain
at Akashen until, by reconnoitering, they
learn the strength OF the dervish outposts at
the Akashen railway is completed.
The main Egyptian force is now put
at 10000 men of whom 1000 will be
soudanese, who are real fighters. They
will not reach the firs time OF a diva nee before
the end of April The march upon Dongola
will depend upon the strength OF the der
wishes who are concentrating there. Doubt
full reports place their numbers at 10 900
ERRORS IN THE BLUE BOOK.
Col. Calmont, who commanded the camel
corps in the Kbartoum expedition, ays that
the troops ought not, in the meantime, To
push forward beyond Akasheh, and that
it is now too late for spring campaign in
he desert, even for black troops. The Ital-
ian and Turkish military attaches will ac-
Gen. Kitchener.
Lord Salisbury has requested the lead
ing permanent officials of the foreign Of
fice to make a report explaining how the
errors occurred in the statement OF the
British case relating to the question of
between Great Britain and veue-
zueia. as embodied In the Blue Book re-
Gently presented TO Parliament. There
has been n violent discussion within the
department as to who is to blame for these
errors.
The foreign office had practically moth