SUEZ MAIL NEWS.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4819, 19 June 1884, Page 2

SUEZ MAIL NEWS.

The Daily' News publishes a long letter from its correspondent in the Soudan (who is understood to be Mr O'Kelly, M.P.) It is dated Dongola, April 2, and gives further interesting particulars respecting the Mahdi and his followers. .The writer says:—" Although the dovelopntt»t of the movement led by Mahommed'A'^mecl'has been attended with very, considerable loss of life, the number of persons killed in cold blood is small considering the character of the troops who follow the rebel slandard. Except the bodies of Jigbting annihilated, or nearly so, in various disastrous baltles, there has come under my notice no case of cold»blooded slaughter.' It is quite true that vague stories are told by the Turkish officials ■ of fwholesalemassacres by the Bedouins; Jbut ■ the statements of Turkish officials shbhld be received with caution. Although a large number of Arabs—as many as 40,000 according to one estimate—.Were killed in the various assaults and combats about Obeid, the Mahdi's army bought' no vengeance when the fortune of #ar,,plaeed the garrison at their mercy. Among! the civil population were a number of Syrian,Greek, and Coptic Christians,; as'.w.ell as some priests and nuns of the Austrian Catholic Mission.» Though^u" effort jwubT made to terrorise theso people into' abandoning Christianity aadjentbracisg the new religion, none of/thorn were actually put to death;"

According to the Cairo correspondent of the Standard, Mr Egerton has receded a telegram from Berber sjtatingfchat'no, sums of money could guarantee the delivery r of any message' through, to Khartoum, all of whose inhabijtan/cs are now at the mercy of the rebeU." It is further stated that four'sabjaksl oV divisions of Shageeyah Bedouins; together with five hundred soldiers," hare, joined the rebels, leaving Khartoum 1 help)jessl The Havannah Press (a Madrid telegram says) gives horrible details of the massacres which have continued nith^. intermission since the suppression of ffll rebellion in Hayti. All who had taken pait in the insurrection are being shot in. the most cruel manner. Tied to tree*,' they form targets for the soldiery, who begin by firing at the lower parts of the legs, gradually raising, the aim to the body and breast, and, if the victim still exist, until the head has been reached, and pierced.