THE SOUDAN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 78, 5 March 1885, Page 3

THE SOUDAN.

THE MAHDI.

Most people know who and what the Mahdi is ; fe>* probably know anything of his early history, or of that portion of his life which preceded the advent of General Gordon at Khartoum. Poor Colonel Stewart took great pains to rake up 1 the antecendents of the Prophet From his graphic account, written at tha beginning of last year, we gather that Mahomet Achmet, the Mahdi, is a Dongolawi, or native of the province of Dongola. His grandfather was called Fahil, and lived on the island of Naft Arti. This island lies east and opposite to. Qrdi, the native name for the capital of Dongola. His father was Abdullahi, by trade a carpenter. In 1852 this man left and went to - Shindi, a town on the Nile south of Berber, At that time his family consisted of three sone and one daughter, called respectively Mahomed Hamid, Mahomet Achmet (the Mahdi), and Nur-el-Bham (Light of Syria). At Shindi another son was born, called Abdullah. As a boy, Mahomet Achmet was ; apprenticed to Sherif-ed-deen, his uncle, a boatbuilder residing at Shakebeh, an" island opposite Senaar. Having one day received a beating from his uncle he ran away to Khartoum, and joined the free school or " Medressu," of a Faki (learned man, head of a sect of' Dervishes), who resided at Hpghali, ia village east of and close to Khartoum. This school is attached to the tomb of Sheik Hoghali, the patron stint of Khartoum, and who is greatly revered bjr the.ni:habitants otthat town and district. (The '. Sheik of this tomb or shrine, he, keeps a free school and feeds, the. poor, derives a- very handsome revenue, fromthe-gifts of the pious. He^elaittia to boa descendant wf the..' original 'H'dghah,.and throttgh i hirh'^ff Mahomet);. Here he^reniaihedfor sOuiy'ttuie'f stiia^- ' ing religion, .the- .tenets'.' of ;hi^ .^helkhj; &c., but'ala r ndt : mTßtfce%ufen , ''^rb i g^ss iii the :more v w^rldly .^ reading anji writjngV; . • jpjter ; fi, tune, li£ , left and \?en.t to Berber; wherejbe joined . another fWscbpbl kepi by^SheifciiGhur, bush, at -a village of thatv mine.' .situated nearly opposite to"Mekherref'(Boi'ber)v This school is also attached to a shrine greatly Venerated by'thb ;&tSf es^'Herb' 5 Mahomet Aehmetrem'aiiied'sif'jniqjith^;' completing ' hiS *'. ' reUgidm? v ' eMcWtiofi;' 5 Tb^My^ty ! fctop JfranapM Tree) viua^SQiitl? M ..j£%a ; 1870^'he begame; ) ■, fald^Shei^.r.iNur^el-Paiin .(Conth^iou^', Light). . ;Nur-el?Daini "subsequent^ i<Qr n ., darned him a. Sheikh or Faki, andf'het' then left, to .take up his home m' I th'fclds-f < laaaoV of Abba,: near- Kana,;on, the : * Whife' .' NUeV ' Here he began by diaMng'i |sub|- ; ' terranean excavation; 'jirito l wh^hr'he made a practice of :^rMring-to°fe|feM tofcj hours one of the nain-es ; of 3 the Dws£ and this accompanied by fasting, incense burning, and, nrajorsr. ' His ..fame ;,an,&: sanctity by' Aegrees^spire^^jand wide,', and MahonaetAchm^^he.came wealthy, collected andi, married; several wives,' all of whom he , was careful to select from among the daughters of the most influential Baggara Sheikhs (tribes owning. cattle and horses) and other notables. To keep- within the legalised number (four), he was m the habit of divorcing the surplus and taking them on again according to his fancy. About the end of May 1881; he began to write tb "his brother Fakis (religious chiefs), and to teach that he was the Mahdi foretold by Mahomet, and that he had a divine mission' to reform Islam, to establish a universal equality, a universal law, a universal religion, and *a community of goods (",beyt-ul-mai M ) ; also that all who did not believe m him. should be destroyed, be they Christian, Mohammedan, or pagan. Among others, he wrote to Mahomet Saleh, . a very learned and influential Faki of Dongola, directing him to collect his Dervishes (followers) and friends and to. join, him at . Abba. This Sheikh, .instead qf complying with his request, informed the Government, declaring the man must be mad. Tins information .along with that collected from other quarters, alarmed his Excellency Reouf Pasha, and the result was the expedition of the 3rd of August, 1881. In person, the Mahdi is tall, slim, with a dark beard, and light brown complexion; Like most Dongolawis, he^ reads and writes, with difficulty. He is local head of thie i Gheelan or Kadrig£ order of Dervishes, a school originated by Abdul Kade-el-Ghulamii : whose tomb is, I believe, at Bagdad. Judging from his conduct of affairs and policy, says Colonel Stewart, I should say he had considerable natural ability. The manner m which he has manoged ta merge the usually discordant tribes together denotes great tapt. He had probably been preparing, the movement for some time back. . . -' (Per City of Sydney at Auckland). (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Sydney, Feb. .26. ' The time is drawing near for the departure of, the Soudan contingent, and some changes have been made m the list of officers. Colonels Raymond and Halborou will not go, and Colonel Richardson is said to be m delicate health. All the arrangements are pretty well complete. . The patriotic fund has reached between and MO, 000, but subscriptions are not coming m so freely. There is a strong and growing feeling against the expedition, and a pet-ition-is being prepared to Government on the subject. Sir Henry Parkes has a letter m the papers nearly every day. If the Government are beaten on the question m Parliament, they will appeal to the country. It is urged that too much is being 'done without the consent of Parliament, and that the expedition is not really and urgently required. As Parliament does not meet for three or four months there is time for full conrsidetation of the question. The expedition will be well fitted out. Private contributions will give the men many ibmforts- unusual on campaign..