THE WAR IN EGYPT.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1152, 20 September 1882, Page 2

THE WAR IN EGYPT.

The Massacres at Tantah. Two inspectors of the cadastre, who witnessed the massacres at Tantah and Mihalla, were taken on 24th July before the Intelli-

gence Department. The inspector at Tantah deposed : —“ I was at the railway-station on the 11th July, when it was announced officially that seven English war vessels had j been sunk by the fire of the Alexandria forts. On the next day large crowds arrived from Alexandria laden with loot. They passed the word for the massacre, which began on the 13th July. By midday I counted no less than 85 corpses carried past in groups of three or four. Each procession was headed by two women, carrying each a bludgeon, to which dismembered legs and arms were tied. Then ' followed other women, uttering cries of joy, ' as at a wedding ; they surrounded the bodies I which were dragged along by ropes tied to ; the legs until they became dismembered ; ' then the rope was shifted to the other limbs, | and the mob, with bludgeons, beat the bodies i until they were flattened, and afterwards i caught up the viscera with sticks, and threw i them against the windows of the houses in--1 habited by Europeans, the bodies having ; previously been robbed. A police inspector ' appropriated the money and valuables. For ] the other loot, there was a fight between the | Egyptian soldiers and the rabble. At 5 p.m. Ahmet Bey Minshovi, with twenty Bedouins entered Tantah, and proceeding to the Jews’ | quarter, saved the inhabitants, and took them ;to his village. We were saved by the Shiek ■ from the village of Shobra, who came to our ' house and disguised us as native watchmen, ■ with bludgeons in hand, and took us to his village. He placed us under the protection of Minshovi Bey, who put us in a train, where we joined the fugitives who were leaving Miballa and El Kabir.” The inspector of the cadastre at the latter place relates that the afternoon train on the 13th July, brought voiciferating crowds from Alexandria, who proceeded to the building where seven employees of the cadastre and their families wers living. Four of them were absent, but the other three bravely killed many of their assailants, until the mob entered the backs of the houses, and murdered them. Their bodies were burnt with petroleum. Those who were absent were saved by some native women. The dis* trict governor arrived shortly afterwards, and released the families of the murdered employees, and conducted them, amidst the i curses of the infuriated mob, to his harem. Subsequently, the mob killed twelve Greeks, j the viscera of one was tied to the tail of a i dog and covered with petroleum, which was ‘ ignited amidst cries of jov of women and 1 children. The attacks of the mob were re i pulsed eightftimes, until the village Sheik arrived, and with the aid of his mon the mob was dispersed.

MASSACRES AT ALEXANDRIA. The “Central News” correspondent at Alexandria sends the following statement: — ‘ ‘ A lady who miraculously escaped the fearful massacres which followed the bombardment, Bays when the mob took possession of the town any luckless European found in hiding was either murdered on the spot or hunted to death. From her hiding place she saw two men flying before the rubble. They rushed into the doorway opposite, but failed to get into the house, and their murderers were upon them. The victims sank in their respective corners, while the mob crowded round and jeered them, and commenced stabbing them. Then, when the poor men had become unconscious and offered no further sport to their butchers by their piteous appeals for mercy, one of the gang stepped forward and cut their throats, amid yells of joy. The mob went off in pursuit of others endeavoring to escape. An Arab man and woman passing the spot shortly after went up to the murdered men. The man wetted the cigarette he was making up with the blood of the victims and then smoked it, while the woman daubed her face with the red stream. This is only one of many similar incidents,” BRIPS V. PORTS.

With reference to the bombardment of Alexandria, the “Tinies ” correspondent has had an opportunity of communicating with many officers of foreign fleets, who may be considered unprejudiced judges : —“ They are,” he says, “nearly unanimous in the opinion that the English fleet fired with greater precision than they had believed to be possible in marine warfare. The Americans in particular, are most enthusiastic on this head. They took very careful observations of each shot, and they state that the result is to establish that in a quiet sea a large ship is at no disadvantage against a •fort, but even in small ships they say that the recent action proves that the disadvant age is much less than was supposed. The Germans express a ' t similar| opinion. The Austrians are much less complimentary. The French sailed out to sea, and feel too much disgust at their own inaction to express any opinion. As regards the Egyptian fire opinion is equally unanimous. Their perseverance in resisting was contrary to all received opinion. The Egyptian fire was, they say, so severe that no explanation as to Italian or French gunners will account for it. The resistance made, as a mere matter of endurance, would do credit to any gunners in the world; but as regards their science much was wanting. The direction was good on the whole, but the elevation was very bad. In fact both seem to have been regulated by rule of thumb. The marvel is that they obtained even the limited success they did with so little skfll, Taking the result as a whole, in reference to the comparative strength of the batteries ashore and batteries afloat in this, the first naval action in which the question has been put to the test, the advantage as regards the loss in life would seem to be with the ahips—that is to say, that the ships can inflict more loss of life on land batteries than the land batteries can inflict on the ships ; hut that, “ ciotcris paribus,” the forts can Inflict more damage on a ihin than a ship will ever be able to inflict on a fort,”