THE CITY OF KHARTOUM.

Kumara Times, Issue 2658, 16 March 1885, Page 2

THE CITY OF KHARTOUM.

The following is a description of Khartoum, the chief city as well as the capital, of the Soudan country, claimed by Egypt, and where Gordon is supposed to have been killed. It is located in the Peninsula formed by the junction of the Blue and White Nile. The dockyards and principal landings are on the Blue Nile. The water in the river is about 1400 feet above the level of the sea. There is an extensive quay on the banks of the river, where the principal commerce of the country as large as all India naturally centres. The provinces of the Soudan are not commercial to any great extent, but these great rivers bring to this point a great number of ships, and you see along the margin of the beautiful river long lines of vessels and masts, which give life and the appearance of civilisation. The principal productions are ivory, hides, senna, gum arabic, and beeswax. It will be seen that these productions are natural, and not the result of industry or cultivation. The inhabitants of that vast country are notoriously indolent, and someone has said that bees are the only industrious creatures in the whole country. A great portion of the city lies low, so that at high water it is flooded, which renders it unhealthy, but it is believed that some day a remedy for that evil will be provided. The gardens around the city are extensive, and contain long rows of date palms, many of which are half a century old, and have become very valuable. The view of the city from the opposite side of the river is very fine. The groves of palm trees shading the numerous buildings, make a view that is very captivating to behold; but a nearer view of the city destroys the romance, for it is dirty and vile. This is not one of the ancient cities of those great valleys. It was founded by Mohammed Ali in 1823, and the slave trade gathered here, and the city increased in population rapidly and in in 1859 had 40,000 people. The inhabitants are a strange mixture of all colours, consisting of Egyptians, Berbers, Arabs, Turks, Jews, Europeans, and blacks. The principal part of the town consists of mud-built huts, but quite recently a large number of modern buildings have been erected, which look substantial and imposing, especially the new palace of the Governor, which is of fine faced stone. The city is the centre of the caravan trade from the interior of Africa, which is a reliable trade and a great source of wealth to the city, but the slave trade has been u source of great profit and many thousands of poor slaves have been brought to this market, and from here sent to all the slave markets of the world. The city is 1500 miles from Cairo, and the voyage down the river is long y,ud tedious.