Evening star., 1898-11-09
FAsHODA.
Its Importance I'm the War Against
the SIaNe-Huaters.
From the New York Tribune.

Prom the New York Tribune.
The name OF Fashoda. that African vii
lage so well known now since IL has be-
come a bone OF contention between France
and England. had not been heard OF for
the last fourteen years. since Gordon had
been killed and Egyptian rule had been
wiped out in the Upper Nile region. The
village will now undoubtedly recover the
great Importance it had at that time, which
Is the natural consequence OF its strategic
and geographical situation. From Fasho-
da it is possible, in fact. to watch all that
is going on in the Soudanese region and in
the basins Of the rivers which come down
to mingle their waters with those OF the
Upper Nile. Ii was the capital of a terri
tory conquered in 1864 by the Egyptiaus
from the Chillook negroes. The new pos
SCISSORS built fort at Fashoda and
tablished there a penitentiary colony the
unhealthy climate Of which was Just tho
thing needed for the political prisoners
who were destined never to return from
exile. After the successes which marked
the Mahdist rebellion in 1884. and after
the capture of khartoum, the Egyptians
abandoned Fashoda. where they have Just
returned, under the leadership of Gen raj
Kitchener. which they and their British
protectors were much surprised to fiud &C
cupied by the handful OF French explorers
led 10y Commandant Marchand.
The Soudancse village was depicted for
the first time by an Italian ties~i. NEo
served under Gordon. with the rank Of
Nacha. SiEnor Gessi was sent by the An
glo-Egyptian commander to Fashoda with
orders to make Of that place las" tor
expeditions directed against the ave-
hunters of that portion of Africa. That
contest against the Arab slave traders pto-
duced good results. hut il would have given
better yet if the Cairo government had
not been under the necessity Of shutting
he doiupS of IDhphr tho
greatest dealer in negroes. whose political
influence was great In the Soudanese i'ror-
inccs. The journal Of his travels in 1876
and 1878. published by Signor GeSsi. Who
lived for seven years in Equatorial Afr'ca,
contains several pages about Fasho3a,
from which the following Is translated:
On our arrival we presented our letters
of introduction To Lieutenant Colonel Jes-
suf Bey comma nding the places, He was
very courteous and willing TO please us In
| everything. He gave us two ten1s two
donkeys. ropes. medicines and especially
ouinine. The city of Fashoda is n place
of deportation for Hfe-sentenced common
law criminals and for dissatisfied 'recalci-
trant' politicians. 1t is said that an indi-
vidual sent to Fashoda never returns. |he
climate is unhealthy and the air poison
Gus. There are few shops, and all arti lies
sell at very high prices. Jessut eNerts all
his efforts to improve the place. but Without
great success. The district OF Fasho-
da has no other commerce but that In skins
of hippopotami. and that is of small inn
portar ce. and the Egyptian officials. as
we'll as some of the Inhabitants. are re-
duced to finding their living In the trade
of slaves. Gordon Pacha had already
taken some measures to prevent that trade
at Fashoda. To that end he had appointed
Bev the descendant of the Chiliook sui
tan, to whom was granted subsidy, under
the condition that he would forbid slave
hunting i'm his dOminlons. But the sultan
was secretly receiving money from the
Arab traders and the nefarious commerce
was kept on at Fashoda. or rather all
| through the Chilook country. of which the
now famous place the capital
There were about two hundred convic-s
at Fashoda at the time of Signor GesSi's
visit in 1873 He said that the slave trade
was mainly carried on 10y Greeks, Istab-
lshed for long while i'm the region, Who
were the only ones rich enough to be able
to subsidize the Egyptian officials charged
with the duty of preventing any traasac-
Ions in ebony wood''-Slaves.