IS GORDON LIVING?

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 122, 3 October 1885, Page 4

IS GORDON LIVING?

New York, Aug. 25.— The "Times" p v ints a conversation with Colonel Long, the African explorer, now here. He said : •'Captain Richard Burton, an intimate friend of Gordon, declares publicly that he does not believe Gordon is dead. I fully coincide with Burton's views. You will have noticed that no two of the many reports of his death agree. From my knowledge of Arab methods, Gordon's head or some unmistakable evidence of his death would have been sent to the nearest English post. I believe Gordon escaped with as many of his followers as he could save, when he saw further resistance was useless. The idea of his being repcued by English officers or by Wolsley would have been a terrible blow to his vanity. He had eight steamers at his disposal. Four he had previously sent down to Metemneh. I firmly believe that he took the other four boats, and with the men and as much provisions and ammunition as he could gather, made his was to Gondocoro. Once out of reach of Khartoum, he could escape with perfect safety. Having arrived at Gondocoro, which is 1,500 miles south of Khartoum, he may have turned towards the Congo, and passed through the country of a friendly King, whom he converted to Christianity. A year may elapse before we hear of him."

Mr Harding, G.W.C.T. of New Zealand, pr©§ided on Sept. 24 over the Temperance Congress at Wellington. In the evening a reunion was held at the Exhibition building, when speeches on temperance were delivered by the Hon. Mr Stout and Mr Fulton, of Dunedin, The, perjury charge in conneotion with the Hutt tarring scandal has been dis? miised, !