Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-04-22
The BEETLE Of Atbara.
From the Springfield Republican.

IRON tne SprlnRnelu hepuOnCdn.l
The final, crushing blow to the dervsh
power in the Soudan that England has been
so long preparing to strike came Friday in
the battle fought near the junction of the
Nile with its tributary, the Atbara, and
which will go into history as the battle of
Atbara. 1t was no ordinary engagement,
for the Anglo-Egyptian force under Gen.
Sir Horatio Herbert Kitchener was - 900
strong while the dervishes, allowing for
all desertions since they left Shendy, 70
miles below the battle-ground, must have
been equally as large. The dispatches
say that it was the "most brilliant battle
ever fought in the Soudan," and this claim
seems justified by the reports.
In connection with this eliminating
event, the history of Anglo Egyptian and
Soudanese affairs since the early SOS
might be proftably reviewed. In brief, we
may recall that after the fall of Khartoum
and the death of Gordon, Mr.. Gadstone's
government reluctantly decided to with
draw British forces and leave the mahdi in
undisputed possession of the Soudan and
the region of the upper Nile. In 1885
Lord Wolseley was prepared to begin
campaign against the dervishes, but the
menace of a war with Russia held him
lower Egypt with unprecedented success,
restoring order, imposing good government,
elevating industry and creating an Egyp-
tan army that would fight and not run.
But khartoum remained in hostile hands
and in the years 1850 there was bloody
lighting around Suakin, at Wady Halfa
and at Tokar, the dervishes harassing the
frontier towns at every opportunity. 1t
was only question of time when England,
If she remained in Egypt, would have to
exterminate the mahdis power.
The opportunity came in 1896 after the
disaster to the Italians in Abyssnia, when,
encouraged by the Italian rout at Adowa,
the dervishes threatened Kassala Lord
Salisbury was now in power and his gov
eminent Immediately organized the Anglo
Egyptian expedition under Gen. Kitche-
ner, whose first objective was Dongola on
the upper Nile, TO relieve Kassala Don
COLA was captured with great ease in Sep
TENDER, 1890. In speech in the House
OF Lords June II, 1896, Lord Salisbury
with considerable frankness explained the
motive OF his government in sending out
TINS expedition. Egypt, he said, could never
be safe with khartoum held BY hostile
| power, while the possible capture of kas-
| saa 10y the deryishes would so augment
| their prestige with the neutral tribes that
II was necessary for England to act al
once. The present objective was Dongo-
la, but he declared, IL consider that We
shall not have restored Egypt to the posi-
| ton in which We received her-that We
shall not have placed her in the position Of
safety in which she deserves to stand-un-
Til the Egyptian lag floats over Khar-
toum."
Nearly two years have passed since that
| speech, and the battle OF Atbara has Just
been fought about l7j miles north Of Khar-
toum. The mahdfs capital ought to fall
| Immediately after so complete defeat in
which the dervsh general was captured.
while Osman Digna escaped only by pre-
| cipitous flight. Assuming, then, that the
object Of the expedition has been practi-
| cally attained, what next? The reestab-
lishment of Anglo Egyptian authority at
khartoum and the whole Soudan will now
follow and the forces of civilization will
finally prevail in one of the darkest, most
barbaric quarters of the earth. But We
may see even farther ahead than that,
While Lord Salisbury asserted that the OBJ
ject of the campaign was ultimately TO re-
store TO Egypt her ancient empire, it need
not be supposed that England's motive
was purely unselfish, that her attitude, as
his lordship claimed, was absolutely that
of devoted trustee with an eye single to
the obligations he had assumed toward an
estate temporarily in his hands.
England undoubtedly will use her posi-
tion in the Soudan TO check French az
gressons from western Africa, which OF
late have grown menacing, and TO con,
meet, if possible her possessions on the
Nile with those in Uganda and East AZ.
RIGA. The battle of Atbara, therefore, is
an important event in the modern parti-
ton Of the dark continent, incidentally en-
largng the vast British empire by million:
OF square miles. 1t Is conquest pure and
simple, yet conquest Of the most enlight
ened and justifable sort.