THE SOUDAN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 143, 22 May 1885, Page 2

THE SOUDAN.

(Per s.s. Wairarapa at Auckland); ; • (united press association.) : ■'-' ; Sydney, May 15. It has been decided that the Colonial Contingent shall return at once. A noessage wap receive l..iroin. Lord Hartington snggest|no^ihiVfc tfnj; troops shdulH'not re-' main longer fc^i l i~ necessary iff such a cliijnate as Suak'.a, and the. Government replied that, if, , \y\% their intention, that men should be reuirried' withdut further delay. The osli, June was given as the i date of their departure. They -Will return direct, and not visit- England, as at I onJB tuna suggested.. ■ ? # -* li-ij-u*?' '.? ?.t(by ecbotrio TEiaoßiP.^— -co^yitioaav)' ! (REUTE*'» TELEO'IAMS.) X ' London, May 12. .' ,It is understood that the New South t ,Wales Contingent will not proceed direct to Australia, but that the. transport will *call 'at Aden, "to' receive ' any further • orders that may be necessary. TfiE .CLOSING SCENE OF GOB, ■; DON'S LIFE. -•-■■■■■

s The. special correspondent of an > English*' • papar sends, the followingaocount of General Gordon's death : — g| 4 'Korti, Monday, 9.10 p.m.— The native from w.hqmj received the information which I telegraphed to you on Saturday, respecting the circumstances at-^ tending "the captitre of Khartoum aridj the death of Gordon is now at Meraww He has been subject to the most searching examination and cross-examination by the authorities, their full reports of which J understand, have been sent Home. He has stood the. ordeal fairly •well, so that, on the yrhola, I think .we may accept, his statements as!,.* trust* . worthy!' '' ; •• - . •...;.•'- '.' In continuation of his first statement, he now avers that he actually saw Gordon's body as it lay upon the very threshold of the palace. Apparently the corpse had not been subjected to any exceptional indignities, but fche savage Soudanese* as is their * custom, had thrust the. body .through and through with their spears?. The actual cause of* death was a gunshot wound which must necessarily gbaye, deprived him, of life swittly tfhct Every one M the many spear stabs must have been inflicted after death. ".., Sly' informant, : - unfortunately, cannot say what became of the body, but m all probability it was thrown into the Nile. The native has given a good "deal of additional information respecting the closing; scenes of the; siege of Khartoum. On the i7th January he states fhai \-reheral Gordon organised and carried out a successful sortie.. The garrison sallied forth unexpectedly and attacked the enemy. A most desperate fight ensued, but the enemy ;w ; ere ; : put to flight, losiru? many hundreds of men. The garrison, however, suffered m proportion, as they.leitl2QP!|djßad iipo)i4he field*' beside^ their wounded, whom they carried back into the city with them. iOiir latest. information; fully confirms r the previous advices to the effect that the- betrayal .of Gordon was ; a long- - planned infamy, and that the fact, that treachery, was being planned was within Gordon's own knowledge^ One of' his soldiers, to whom overtures had been made by the traitors, informed Gordon of what was going on, but he replied, 'Nevermind, if the English army? are; close at hind. 1 All here are delighted- to find that there can be no doubt that tha chief traitor Farag Pasha was really, as already reported, killed by the Mahdi's orders, immediately ' after Khartoum" had fallen. Unfortunately, the Cadi of Khartoum, almost as black a scoundrel as J£arag, jvas taken. -into ; the.M ahdi's favor, and promoted .to the. rank of pasha, which position he still holds.