THE SOUDAN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 108, 11 April 1885, Page 3

THE SOUDAN.

DEATH OF GENERAL GORDON

FULL DETAILS,

The following telegram has been received from Lord WoUeley : — *' Koiti, Fi-b. 15. A canvass of 'I brain Bey Ruchdi who left Khartoum fourteen days ago, seated that the rebels entered Khartoum at, daylight on Jan. 26, through the treachery of l?eras{ Pashu who opened two. grates m the south wall. On the first alarm the canvass went whh his master to Government House, and thei'e met. General Gordon, who was armed, coming out with Mahomed Buy Mustupha and twenty canvasses. While proceeding towards the A.uatriun Consulate they met a party of rebels, who fired a volley, and Gene » ial Gordon tell ut once. The two Beys were also killed. Herr Hausal, the Austrian Coi.su l, was killed m his own bouse. M. Nicola, the Greek Cousul, and a doctor are prisoners. The canvass saw the two steamers carrying Sir C. Wilson and hi 3 party come up tn Oiridurrimn. He gives a circumstantial account of what he saw at Khartoum when it was taken by iho roiicN." Further details have been forwarded from Korti of the story told by the Arab who arrived there from Khartoum, giving an account of the fall of that city aud the death of General Gordon, of which he ways he was an eye-witness. He gives the name of A bul Kcrim, and states that he was servant to General Gordon, and is a native of .Wad y Haifa. He had reached Dehbeh, whence he was convened to Korti by Lieutenant lieid m the pinnace of Her Majesty's ship Monarch. He given the following account of events at Khartoum :

— "At early morning on Jan. 27 Ferug Pasha treacherously opened the gate ia the southern wall. The hulk of the Mahdi's lighting men were close at hand, and these at once rushed into the town. General Gordon, hearing the confusion m the town, went ont, armed with a sword and axe. He was accompanied by Ibrahim Bey, the - chief clerk and twenty men. He went towards the house of the Austrian Consul. Ou his way he met a party of the Maluli's men who fired a volley. General Gordon was shot dead. The Aralw then rushed on with their spears, and killed the chief clerk and nine of the men ; the rest escaped. The Consul Nicola ia alive, aud a prisoner; all the rest of the Europeans were killed, also most of the notables. The res<t of the inhabitants fraternised with the, iVlahdi's men. With the exception of the firing upon General Gordon's party, there was no fis*htiu« whatever. No women or children were killed, and all who surrendered and gave up their valuables were allowed to go away without harm. The Mahdi is teported to have hanged the traitor Ferag. His troops wore, when the man left Khartoum, still too much occupied by the plunder of the town to think of moving forward against (xiibat. Tndeed, a great tnanv of the Mahdi's best troops were killed at Metemneh. The people employed m the arsenal, for the most part Greek.-*, were killed by the Mahdi's men. The only person beside Consul Nicola spared and kept as prisoner was the doctor. All the rest were kept prisoners for three days and then allowed to go free. The Mahdi did not enter the town until three days after its capture, and then only remained there for a short time. Ferag Pasha was a black slave. He was given his freedom and advanced by General Gordon, who trusted him implicitly. The Mahdi has with him at Khartoum 4000 good fighting men, imWihese hamJbeen-iniiab .-seared by~ the disaster which befel their comrades who went to Metemneh, and hy the reports of the terrible destruction dealt by the white soldiers there and at Abu Klea. After being detained for seven days tho man paid 'nut of his savings a bribe of forty pounds to escape, bought a camel, and came across the tle«ert fco Debbeh, performing the journey m twelve day.s. He adds that all the Eumpean.s m Khartoum who refused to become Mussulmans were killed. Hi* story is regarded at Korti as being circumstantial enough to be true, and it fully confirms Sir Charles Wilson's report, which was at first so much doubted m influential quarters here.

Mr D. Clarfeson, of 28, St Paul's Buildings, Paternoster-row, E.C., addressed the following spirited letter to the London Times, which appe ired m that journal on the 19th February: — •* Sir, — Will you allow me, as one among many 'Old Australians' residing m England, to suggest that as our fellow colonists have come forward 8p willingly, and unasked, to assist with men and material, it is only natural that we, who have lent our endeavours m past days to the building up of these colonies should wish to share with thoso who have come afier its m this patriotic work ; My proposal is that we should raise amongst us a fund to assist m defraying some portion of the expenses of the expedition that will shortly be on their way to Suakim. Being a very old colonist myself, I feel convinced that, if need wore, the Australasian Colonies could put 30,000 men m the field. I am sure there «ro ninny wealthy Australians living m this country who would come forward willingly and liberally to assist, and I shall be pleased myself to contribute 100 guineas for such a good purpose."

A correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette, writing under the signature of " Habitnns m Sicco," supplies the following facts, which will interest many colonists : — " Now that our colony, New South Wales, has made us so noblo an offer of assistance m the Soudan, it may lie of interest to your readers and only justice to this little colony, if I call your attention to fhe fact that one of the most distinguished officers now serving m Egypt (Baker Russell) is a native of New South Wales. It ig unnecessary to s:iy anything about this brave oflver'a career, but let tne also say that tho gallant Colonel of the Black Watch, B. Co von y, who ' foremost fighting fell' at Kirbekan, was also a native ot New South Wales. Of such men we and our colonies are justly proud."

More than a million extra copies of the London dailies wore sold during the week that Gordon's death became known.

It is proposed to eivct a statue of Gordon on Trafalgar Square, opposite that of Uavelock.

The Glasgow Mail relates the following anocd-tte of General Gordon : In the last fortnight of his stay m England, before his departure for Khartoum, he met a beggar m the lanes of Hampshire, near Southampton ; and that beggar more suo, pitched to him a wonderful pitiful tale. Gordon had but one coin m his pocket and that coin was a sovereiyu, which ho readily subscribed for the benefit of the. beggar. An hour later ho discovered from a police constable that the beggar was a hoary impostor. Gordon immediately proceeded to select the thickest ash cudgel his house could supply. He walked lifteeu miles, and- succeeded m laying hands upon the delinquent, whom lie trounced within a few inches of his life. He forgot to ask for the sovereign back again, and three days later he went to Khartoum.

(ELECTRIC TSLEGRA.PH.— COPYRIGHT.) (REUTERS' TELEGRAMS.) Sydney, April 10. To-day a private telegram is to hand to announce the arrival of the new South Wales contingent at Handoub all well.