The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1885 The War in Soudan

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 107, 24 February 1885, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1885 The War in Soudan

Tiie news "which is to hand on the subject of the Soudan war is not of a very re-assuring character. We are informed that the advance of the Mahdi on El Metoinnoh is causinggreat anxiety, and the retreat of tho British forces now stationed there under Major-General Bttllek on Korti or Merawe, has been decided on and may therefore by this time be au accomplished fact. As our readers are no doubt aware, the head quarters of the army is at Korti, and a strong contingent was being despatched across the desert to Anibuko, and one regiment kad already reached Grubat. A large force under Major-General Newdioate was to be despatched to join them by way of Suakin, on the Red Sea. If it be true that the forces are to abandon Metomneh, then the force under General Nf/wdigate will only effect a junction with General Wolseley at Berber, which must be the future centre of military operations. At present the forces are so divided that they cannot assist each other. The position is a most critical ono and which will demand all the skill and generalship of the Commander in Chief to avoid disaster. That this will be exercised wo have every confidence, and if Lord Wolseley is permitted to live through the campaign, he will no doubt give a good account of the enemy. Tho reinforcements which will now be rapidly forwarded to him from Great Britain and the Colonies, will aid him in giving, we doubt not, a crushing defeat to the Mahdi and his followers. The question is now to avenge the death of General Gordon, the accredited agent of England, and to extricate our troops with honor from a country where they have very littleright to be. This war was begun to bolster up the loans made by English capitalists to the tyranical Khedive to assist in his vicious and senseless extravagance. The ostensible reason was to keep open tho road to India. Win.-:; the no-confidence debate is brought uu in the House of Commons we may expect a full exposure of the whole procedure from the beginning. We expect the Gladstone Government will find it a difficult matter to withstand tho torrent of adverse public opinion which will then burst upon them. Even that giant among men, the "Moloch of Midlothian" as Lord Randolph: Churchill aptly named Mr Gladstone, may find it difficult to give reasons for the delays and shortcomings which have had such disastrous results to life and capital during the unfortunate campaign in the Soudan.