Gordon's Memorial.

Manawatu Herald, 6 December 1898, Page 2

Gordon's Memorial.

r T is well that Englishmen should do something to perpetuate the name and services of the man who was deserted by their government in the hour of hia need, though employed in the duty supposed to dp dear to the hearts of Britishers, that of keeping the slave trade of the Sondan in check, prior to the appointment of Colonel Gordon as Governor of the Soudan, Sir Samuel B«ker wac, in 1869, appointed commander of a military expedition to suppress the slave-trade on the Nile He left Khartoum in 1870 and proceeded up the White Nile which he officially annexed to Egypt, and after much fighting he suppressed an insurrection of the slave dealers and returned to Gondokoro in 1873. Slave-dealing wan supposed to have been reduced and peace and prosperity restored to the country.

Colonel Gordon was appointed aa hip successor, and afcer some years "f "f dury r lurned to England in 1877 *nd he resigned his appoint mpnt it 1879. IT jweVer in the year 1881 an in-urrec i_.n broke out, headed by the 8b lie Mahomed Ahmed of Diingolie. who declared himself to b<a propb \ Mahdi, as foretold by Moslem rrophets, but being defeated retired r? the Blue Nile and shortly affcprwai 1 », with increased forces", d f->ated he Egyptian force*, and by 1888 he had broken up the Egyptian power by the battle of El-Obeid where an army of 11,000 men where anihilafctd, and the Mahdi secured cannon and much ammunition. It was at this crisis that Gordon, now general, was appointed GovernorGeneral of the Soudan and he arrived at Berber on the 11th February 1884, and was enthusiastically received at Khartoum. Though he made many concessions to the Mahdi and acknowledged him as sultan of Kordo fan, the trouble was kept up by Oiraan Digna, a ruined slave dealer. We find that Gordon contended with the enemy with varying success until Khartoum was closely invested in April 1884. We now come to that part of the history which must bring the blneh of shame to every true Briton. In Khartoum was an Englishman fighting for his country and we shall show how he waa treated. The whole country was iv rebellion, owing to the weakness of the Egyptian army, as even Egyptian troops joinpd the Mahdi. The English gov«i nrmnt having declined to send b?!p Gordon wrote to Sir Evelyn Baring "I shall h»ld on h«-re a? long as I can, and if I can puppre6s the rebellion, I will do so. If I cannot, I . shall retire to the Equator " In May the shame waa felt in England so that it was proposed to raise subscription -4 tn find help for Girdou, win, is was alleged, had been opposed by government in all hi* propositions In July Khartoum was still ?afely held, and in August ho repulsed a severe attack. In September Gordon sent telegrams for assistance, but in November he was able to report " all wall." The last message received from Gordon on 19oh January 1885 was very hopeful, but very inaccurate, as it read " Khartoum is all right ; could hold out for a year," yet Khartoum was surrendered and Gordon and his faithful followers killed on 26tb January 1886, seven days after a communication by the relieving force had been opened up. This relieving force was however useless, as having got within 800 yards of Khartoum in February, had to retire and the remainder of the history of the Soudan is a wretched abandonment of the Egyptians to the Mahdi, which has now, at last, only been been put right. There can be no doubt but that motives of economy caused Gordon to be sacrificed and now £100, XX) is asked for toerecb a college for the improvement of the natives, he served so well, which seems a fitting climax to a miserable story.