A DOLEFUL DESCRIPTION OF SUAKIN.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1205, 3 April 1885, Page 3

A DOLEFUL DESCRIPTION OF SUAKIN.

The Sydney Horning Herald, after a long account of the movements of the volunteers for the Soudan campaign, who will have to land and possibly stay for some time at Suakin, cruelly publishes this doleful description of the place i—“ From a letter kindly shown us by Mr Herbert Raymond, written by that gentleman’s biother Percy, who was lately serving as an officer on board one of tho British-lndia steamers conveying troops and boats to Suakin ‘ This place - Suakin—-is about one of the most miserable places I was ever in; >t is nothing hut sand; not a bit of green, and it is tearfully hot. The hathor (11 you can call it Such) is composed of nothing but ooral reefs, and the ships have to be moored at the head and, stern to prevent them swinging when the wind shifts, because if they did they would strike on the opposite coral reef, so you can imagine what space there is, and you can fancy how nice it was when we discovered that we had to be moored here for six or eight months, and all the sick soldiers on board. There was nothing to do except boat, sail, and fish all day. At night time we had a pretty lively time of it because the rebels used *o come down and pepper away, with there rifles. They never do any damage,only waste their ammunition' and as soon as the men-of-war which are down there start firing at them they clear out. They could never understand the electric light. When the men-of-war put it on them they said it was a second sun. They are a fine set of fellows, and chiefly fight -with—rifles and spears. We have killed a lot of their men, but on one side' up to the' time I left no one had been killed. What damages our fellows is the; awfully unhealthy climate. I managed to hang out for three weeks, then I was seized with the simeAhing that is killing all our troops, and that is dysentery. I was laid up on board of the snip for three weeks, and by that time 1 can assure you I was not worth much, so the doctors ordered me home, which I was not sorrry to hear.” The date of this letter is December 4, 1881.