THE WAR IN EGYPT.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1182, 23 October 1882, Page 2

THE WAR IN EGYPT.

2D27C1T117G- IITCIDEITTS. The charge of the British Cavalry at Kassassin Lock is described as magnificent. The correspondent of the “Standard” says:— At the word of command the Dragoons with wonderful precision wheeled outward to the right and left, to let the big troops through, and then led by the gallant soldier Sir Baker Russell, crying with characteristic impetuosity “ Now we have them ! Charge The Life Guards and Blues swept forward at a gallop, followed by the Dragoons, to capture the enemy's guns. It was Balaklava over again, but happily with a very different result. The impetus of the charge was irresistible. The gunners were cut down at their guns, and the infantry, utterly demoralised, fled for their lives. The correspondent of the “ Times ” says:—Just before the charge, the artillery advanced at a gallop, with the cavalry in their rear, to within four hundred yards; then, quick i as thought, they unlimbered their guns, and i poured in a deadly fire of shrapnel [ and shell, which mowed the enemy down. I Then came the cavalry charge, and 200, at I least, were cut down among the guns. Their J infantry nearly all fell on their faces to avoid the slashing of the Life Guards' swords, and 1 many escaped who w’ould othorwise have been struck down. The dead left on the field of battle were found next morning to have been mutilated. This was the first time such a thing had occurred during the war. According to some accounts, the bodies of some of our men were fearfully mutilated. They were quite unrecognisable. Their faces were horribly gashed about. One body had one of the hands completely severed from the arm, while the other was nearly so. One of the eyes had been scooped out of tho socket. The hands of another body were just hanging to the wrist by pieces of flesh and some sinews. A wounded Guardsman relates how, in the charge, his horse was shot under him. and in falling broke his rider’s thigh. While lying on the battle field he saw a soldier in Egyptian uniform ride by. | Seeing that the man belonged to the regular [ army, he called to him for help, when the ; brute rode up and, with a cut of his sabre, ’ laid the trooper’s cheek open from the temple to the chin. The man, nevertheless, is doing well under the doctor’s care. He adds it would do no good to suggest the horrible appearance of the unfortunate Egyptuin soldiers—hacked, slashed, and mutilated al most out of semblance of humanity by the long broadswords of the Guards. | Every round fired during the recent bom- , bardmeut of Alexandria from the four 80-ton j guns of the Inflexible cost £25 10s per gun. | The 25-ton guns, of which the Alexandrii carries two, the Monarch four, and Terneraire four, cost £7 per round per gun. The 18-ton guns, of which the Alexandria carries ten, Sultan eight, Superb 16, and Temeraire four, cost five guineas per round per gun carries ten, Monarch two and Sultan four, cost £3 12s per round per gun. The Penelope, which alone carries 9-ton guns, has eight of them, wfii h were discharged at s cost of £2 15b per round per gun. A fine incident is told of the first bearei ■ company of the Army Hospital Corps. Thej , were, by some movement of the troops, isolated. Tho medical officer in charge re fused to allow any interruption in his dutj of dressing wounds, which a change of post tlon would have caused, and his forty mcr filled their haversacks with sand so as t< make a rough shelter, took the rifles of tlri wounded, and defended their charge untf the arrival of the cavalry put an end io thf enemy’s attack. I The Rothschilds have presented tho Britisl. i army in Egypt with twelve tons of tobaccc I and 5,000 pipes, which the Khedive has per I mitted to enter duty free. i A prominent financier estimates Egypt wil lose nearly £70,000,000 by the war. Th< cotton crop, which is entirely lost, wouk have been worth nearly £40,000,000. Then is little hope of saving any of the sugar crop If the country is not in a settled conditioi within two months, it will be too late foi sowing the next year’s cereals. Several larg< failures are anticipated shortly.