THE SOUDAN ARMY ANNIHILATED.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1126, 30 November 1883, Page 3

THE SOUDAN ARMY ANNIHILATED.

I 'TEN THOUSAND KILLED, Alexandra, November 22nd. I"te ligenou has been received here that the Kgyp'ian army in the Soudan, under General Hicks Pasha, has been totally annihilated by the rebel followers of El Madhi, the False. Prophet. No details are yet to hand. Later. Some particulars have been received.from the Soudan regarding the destruction of the Egyptian army, which is now fully con firmed. The accounts to hand state that a ’■battle. lasting three days, was fought between the rebels and 'the whole fo ca under the command of General Hicks. The fighting was moat desperate on h.oth sides, but the Egyptian troops were outnumbered and completely annihilated by tl;e rebels, who gave no quarter. • ' The forces under Hioks Paaha, when the campaign against the Soudan, rebels was opened some time a»o, consisted of 8600 infantry, 1400 cavalry, and’ four batteries of artillery. It is not definitely known how many men .were directly operating against the enemy prim to the repent .defeat, but it is supposed that fijily’sooo,-were engaged .in.’hq battle which resulted in the total annihilation oi General Hicks’k force. Toe intelligence' of the'defeat tmd annihi la'ior> of the E typtian aiiny in the Soudan is now fully confirmed. Accounts received this evening show that General Hicks had Concentrated Ids entire force, consisting of 10,000 men and 10 British officers, when an attack was made by the enemy under El Madhi, the False Prophet, whose followers are said to have numbered 300.000. On the approach of the rebels Hicks Pasha formed his troops into a hollow square, and in this position withstood the attack for three days, during which time the fighting was continuous and m ist -lesparate on both sides. At the end of tho third day the square was broken, and a general rout of the Egyptians ensued. The enemy fell on the def ated ai my, and the slaughter was terrible, the whole force of 10,000 men, in eluding General Hicks and the British offi cers, being killed. The intelligence caused intense excitement in Cairo, and it is expected that tho proposed evacuation of that city by the Biitish forces now stationed there will be pos poueJ. November 23. The hews of the complete annihilation of the troops under General Hicks Paaha is now confirmed. The number of Egyptian troops is estimated at 10.000, while those under the false prophet Mahdi are stated to he 300.000. Mahdi sent forward to the enemy dervishes declaring that they wou'd vanquish them by divine aid. The small force of Egyptians fought hard tor three days,’ when their square was broken, and the whole of them, with the exception of a German artist and O’Donovan, a correspondin', were annihilated. Eleven English officers were among those killed. The British suggest that the Soudan should hj» abandoned as far as tho . White Nile or White River. , A captain of the Egyptian forces in the disguise of a dervish has arrived at Khartoum, and reports that on the battle field he saw one hundred and fifty wounded sur vi - ors of Hicks Pasha’s army, including an artist named Power. The Egyptian GoI vernment is quite paralysed at the result of th» conflict, aul is consulting with Sii ! Eve’yn Wood,.who is in command of the 1 Bnti hj troops in Egypt, as to the best means of auelling the rebellion. Cairo, November 23rd. It has transpired that Sir Evelyn Baring, the B flash Consul General, has made a I rc.com.- enilaiion to the .Egyptian Government, t iat Soudan should he abandoned. Further hostilities will not be proceeded , with. '■ ; London, November 23rd- ! It has transpired that orders. have been forwarded to Admiral Sir J- hh Hewitt, commanding the naval squadron at the East Indies, to proceed without any delay I with H.M.S. Euryalna and other vessels,in 1 bis lieet to the Rod S -a, with the view of affording British support to the. Egyptian interests in that locality. The Admiralty, moreover, have issued Orders for the gunboats now in the Mediterranean to proceed to the Red Sea as reinforcements to the Indian squ idron. November 23th. Consequent upon the recent annihilation of the Egyptian ■ army in the Soudan, the British Government have decided to postpone the evacuation of Cairo and the withdrawal of the portion of the British troops now in Egypt for the present in accordance Alexandra, November 24fh. Considerable anxiety is being f-lt for the safety of the Egyptian garrisons in the According to latest intelligence all the available Ir- ops were being concentrated at at Sennar and Khartoum, and are taking up a defensive pos tion in view of a pro bable attack by the followers of El Mahdi. London, November 23rd. Through the treachery of a guide the Egyptian army was induced to enter a rooky, wooded, and wa’erless defle, where, falling into an ambuscade, Hicks Pasha was unable to.use Bis guns. He maintained his position for three days, hut on the fourth his forces, exhausted by thirst, were entirely destroyed, with the. exception of 50 taken prisoners. The Governor of the Soudan was killed. All the arms, gun. munit'ons, and camels were captured. The rebe's lost heavily during the engagement. The town of Kordofau has been lost, and the entire Soudan district is ablaze. The various garrisons in the Smidan, numbering about 40 odo then, are retiring on Khartoum where the populace are said to he disloyal.