Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-12-08
FAsHODA.
11Se Bone Of Contention Between the Eng,

11Se Bone of Contention Between the Eng.
lish and the French.
Fashoda, formerly called Denab,
was passed by Sir Samuel Baker in
the course of his first expedition up
the White Nile in 1861, but he does
not mention it by name in ''The Albert
Nyanza." The country of the Shil.
looks was then, and indeed for some
time afterwards, hotbed OF slavery,
and Baker made strong rS~-.9senta-
tions on the'state of this re,-.-.. in his
general report on slave dealing in the
Soudan. On his return, in 1865, he
found that the Khedive Ismail had
taken action in the matter and that q
government station had now been es-
tablished at Fashoda, the town being
fortified by wall with fanking tow
ers completely dominating the river
and garrisoned by an Egyptian regi.
ment.
In January, 1869, Fashoda was Wis
tied by DR.. Schweinfurth, who speaks
of it in '"The Heart of Africa as the
limit in those days of the Egyptian
Empire" The town was the seat of
mudir, and the sublugation of the
Shillooks was then in active progress.
All passing boats were at the time com.
PEELED to stop for several days at
Fash hoda, partly to complete their corn
stores and partly on account of the
poll tax, which necessitated examina.
tion of the lists carried by boats ol
their crews and passengers.
In 1870 Baker subdued the Dinka
tribes inhabiting the villages beyond
the eastern bank of the Nile at this
point, and little later the country
of the Shillooks was regarded as finally
incorporated in the Egyptian domin-
ions.
In 1873 Yussef Effendi, afterwards
pasha, was made governor of Fashods
and in October OF the following year
distinguished himself by intercepting
a convoy of 1900 slaves from the Bahl
Zeraf. In 1876 the Shillook tribes
revolted, but the disturbance was
quelled by Gessi, who happened to be
making tour of inspection of the
Bahr-e -el- Ghazel, of which he subse
quently Became governor.
In January, 1880, Fashoda was Wis.
tied by DR.. Wilhelm Junker in COM
pany with Gessi Pasha. At that time
the place was maintained chiefly as
penal settlement DR.. Junker makes
special allusion to the subsection OF
the Shillook country to Egyptian au-
thority and mentions that long Jour-
neys into the interior could be under
taken with an escort of few Egyptian
soldiers only.
In May, 1882, the Mahdist rising
having gained ground, Yussuf Pasha,
governor of Fashoda, was ordered to
advance against the Mahdi. This he
did, but on June he was suddenly
attacked by the rebels and utterly de-
feated near Sebel Gadir An indica-
tion of the Importance attached by the
Egyptian government to Fashoda is
afforded by the fact that within a few
days very considerable reinforcements
were hurried up from Khartoum and
placed under the command of Rashid
Pasha, afterwards governor OF the Red
sea provinces.
On the 23rd of November, 1883, Sir
Evelyn Barring telegraphed to Lord
Granville that certain measures of
withdrawal were suggested. ''Boats
will also be sent to Fashoda on the
White Nile to bring down the garrison
to Khartoum." But months elapsed
before the final evacuation of Fashoda
took place, and by that time Khartoum
itself was seriously menaced. Lon
don Times.