The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-08
THE MORNING NEWS: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER s. 1885,

had with the dervishes in the desert. at
Gakdul Wells, Abu Klea and near Met
temmeh, in one of which Gen. Stewart,
the British general in command, was
killed. FOrnfying themselves at Metem-
nah the British, after some days sent
two steamers with small force on board
up the river to communicate with Gordon
with the result already stated. On the
way back one of the steamers was wreck
ed by treachery. and a cannon shot from
dervish battery on the bank penetrat-
ed the boiler of the other. Lord Charles
Beresford, who was in command, anchored
under fire, coolly patched the damaged
boiler, and so brought the steamer back
In safety to Nehemiah. Gladstone was
urged 10 hold Nehemiah, ana sort Of
promise was made to go on with the war
and smash the Mahdi" but the radical
politicians heart was not in it. and it was
decided to withdraw Wolseley's army
Trouble with Russia about that time over
the Jenjdeh affair was alleged as suffi-
cient reason.
After the withdrawal of the English the
Mahdi resided at Omdurman. village
just across The White Nile from Khar.
toum, which village. becoming his capital
grew TO a vast city, with an area Of
eighteen square miles Here he died in
June, 1885, and over his grave Abduilahi.
his successor Q<halifa1. built handsome
by law the holy place of the new religion
and Mahdists were forbidden TO go as
pilgrims to Mecca. Mahdism is in fact a
new religion, resembling Mohammedism
but more ascetic, and differing from il as
Iuritanism does from Christianity The
Mahh was a kindly man and much liked
personally He was perhaps a sincere he.
lever in his own inspira lion and the
wonderfully rapid growth of his religion
and empire was cited as itself a miracle
Under Abdullahi, the khalifa the en-
pre- was extended from Baur-el-Ghazal.
in equatorial Africa, to Assouau, in Egypt.
ana from the western limits of the Darfur
to the Red sea and Abyssinia. It's extern
sion was accomplished by innumerab bic
battles. King John of Abyssinia was kill
ed in one OF these. The battles fought 1y
Osman Digna with the English, near Sua
KIM, on the Red sea, are memorable The
conquest of the whole world was the Khai-
ita aim, and Letters were sent to Queen
Victoria and the Sultan of Turkey calling
upon them to submit. Wad el NJumi
went from Dongola northward IN 1889. with
an army of 1900 dervishes, to invade
Egypt. His army was kept from approach
ing the river by the British Euuboats, and
on Aug. was met at Toski by Gen. Cren-
fell and annihilated. Whole tribes were
plotted out in these expeditions and in
domestic masSacreS inspired by the Khal-
ifa's suspicious. Provinces once densely
peOpled are now wildernesses. Nlisgovern-
ment gradually alienated the peoples at
fecuons. The new religion became an obi
Gus hypocrisy and the old Mahdst spirit
died.
In March, 1896, Gen. Kitchener enter
ed upon the first of his three campaigns
He advanced up the right bank of the
Nile, building a railroad as he went, 10
flank the cataracts. When the railroad
ftc 10, IN, s.
was within about fifty miles of Dongola
he advanced with his army, accompanied
by gunbOats, in September, 1896, and took
the city without material loss. In the
following year, after establishing garris-
ons at korti and other points he advanc-
ed further up the Nile and took Abu
Hamed, a town at the point where the
Nile bends its course toward the west
Finding Berber, further on, weakly held
he took that soon after. Meanwhile a
new railroad was under construction at
rapid rate from Wady- Halfa across the
desert, 10 Abu Hamed, and last June it
was completed beyond Berber to the
mouth of the River Atbara, the whole
length being $50 miles. In April a der
wish army of 1900 men. under Mahmud,
which had been sent to attack Kitchener.
was attacked by the latter in a fortified
position on the Atbara and destroyed.
only a few escaping.
The last stage from the camp on the
Atbara to Omdurman was 10 miles On
Aug. IA, as soon as the Nile was high
enough to let his ten gunboats pass over
the sixth cataract, Gen. Kitchener began
the advance, having two brigades of Brit
ish Infantry, some British Cavalry and
artillery and four brigades of Egyptians
and Soudanese, with Compliments of ar
tillery, cavalry and camelry-in all some
., 900 men. So wisely was everything
provided for the march that the troops
reached Omdurman in good condition
and fought the Khalifas $4,000 brave Bag
garas with success. The opposing force
as an organized body, was destroyed and
the Khalifa fed from his capital. Thus
ended the Mahdist dream of the conquest
of the world.