five different places adjoining the house. One of the wounded died a few hours later; the other three are being cared for in the native hospital. I found that the agent of the Mudir of Behera, in which province Dessounes lies, had begun an inquiry, but that shortly before my arrival a police officer from Atfeh (at the Nile end of the Mahmoudieh Canal)) had, in accordance with recent arrangements, taken charge of the case and of the investigation. So important, however, did the Mudir consider the case, that in the course of the day his own immediate deputy arrived, and assisted the police by his presence and authority. The inclosed translation of the Report of our bailiff, Ali Bey, shows that the inquiry was without result so far as detection goes, and the assailants are still at large. Plunder is supposed to have been the object of the attack; the bailiff, who is an Egyptian Mussulman, assures me he has no personal enemies. The assailants were fellaheen. The house attacked stands on the border of the Mahmoudieh Canal, and between a village, 400 yards to the west of it, and a hamlet ("esbel") 300 yards to the eastward. The cries of the watchmen roused the inhabitants of the hamlet, and the thieves made off without having got into the house. I am, &c. (Signed) FRANCIS W. ROWSELL, Inclosure 2 in No. 45. Report by Ali Bey Hassan. SUR l'ordre du Ministère de l'Intérieur, le Moudir était venu Lundi passé faire l'enquête au sujet des voleurs qui ont assailli la maison du Soussigné; il y est resté deux jours, et quand il est parti on n'avait pas encore découvert aucune trace des voleurs l'enquête n'a absolument rien démontrée. Un des victimes, le gardien de l'usine, est mort cinq heures après son entrée à l'hôpital. Les soldats qui avaient été désignés pour monter la garde à la maison du Soussigné sont partis; alors, voyant que la maison se trouvait sans aucune sécurité, le Soussigné a dû y désigner les dix gafirs qu'il a demandés par ses lettres, et il ajoute que si la Commission ne veut pas les approuver il se trouvera obligé de transporter sa famille ailleurs, pour la préserver de tout incident, et il paiera lui-même le salaire des dits gardiens jusqu'au jour du départ de sa famille. (Translation.) BY the order of the Minister of the Interior, the Mudir came last Monday to make an inquiry on the subject of the robbers who attacked the house of the Undersigned. He remained there two days, and when he left no traces of the robbers had been discovered, the inquiry brought to light absolutely nothing. One of the victims, the watchman of the factory, died five hours after his admission into the hospital. The soldiers who had been appointed to mount guard over the house of the Undersigned left; then, seeing that the house was without security, the Undersigned was obliged to appoint the ten gafirs whom he has asked for in his letters, and he adds that if the Commission will not approve of them he will be obliged to transport his family to some other place to protect it from anything that might happen, and he will himself pay the salary of the above-mentioned guard till the day of his family's departure. My Lord, No. 46. Mr. Egerton to Earl Granville.-(Received May 13.) Cairo, May 5, 1884. I HAVE the honour to inclose herewith copy of a telegram from Mr. Consul Baker, informing me that Sir Cromer Ashburnham is releasing eight of Osman Digna's scouts, captured raiding by friendly league. I have, &c. (Telegraphic.) Suakin, May 2, 1884. SIR CROMER ASHBURNHAM wishes you to know that he is releasing eight of Osman Digna's scouts, captured raiding by friendly league, after carefully explaining to them the intentions of Her Majesty's Government, and sending them back with written Proclamations. No. 47. My Lord, Mr. Egerton to Earl Granville.-(Received May 13.) Cairo, May 5, 1884. WITH reference to your Lordship's telegram of the 30th ultimo, and to my telegram of the 1st instant, I have the honour to inclose herewith copy of a telegram from Sir Cromer Ashburnham, informing me that messengers have left for Filik with copies of cypher telegram to General Gordon on the 2nd instant. (Telegraphic.) I have, &c. (Signed) Inclosure in No. 47. EDWIN HII. EGERTON. Sir C. Ashburnham to Mr. Egerton. Suakin, May 5, 1884. WITH reference to your telegram of 1st, messengers left for Filik on the 2nd with copies telegram to Gordon. No. 48. My Lord, Mr. Egerton to Earl Granville.-(Received May 13.) Cairo, May 6, 1884. IT having been decided to engage 500 Bedouins of the Jevassi tribe on the west of the Nile to guard the south-western desert approaches to Egypt, Major C. StuartWortley starts this week to join the Sheikh Djelani. These Bedouins will be stationed at Kharjeh, Meks, and even as far as Selimah in the south. (Telegraphic.) Mr. Egerton to Earl Granville.-(Received May 13, 9 a.m.) Cairo, May 13, 1884. I AM informed from Suakin that first messenger of 27th April was captured by Bishareens at Obak. Concealed parchment message in quill discovered; messenger ordered to be killed, but he escaped in irons. Second messenger of 2nd May is also reported captured, under sentence death. Two more gone. Hope to be able to dispatch third by Kassala. I have given unlimited credit for a reward to messenger if successful. (Telegraphic.) No. 50. Consul Baker to Earl Granville.-(Received May 13, 3:15 P.M.) MY telegram yesterday. Suakin, May 13, 1884, noon. Near Handub yesterday parley between friendly tribes and enemy ended in a skirmish; enemy victorious, and carried off forty women and some cattle; most of friendlies ran away, lost about thirty killed and wounded; Digna's people have returned towards him at Tamai, though Diboret Wells are occupied by enemy's pickets. Sir, No. 51. Earl Granville to Mr. Egerton. Foreign Office, May 13, 1884. I HAVE received your telegrams of yesterday, inquiring, on behalf of the Egyptian Government, whether, in the opinion of that of Her Majesty, the population and garrison of Dongola should be instructed to hold out, with the view of their being relieved later on; or whether the Mudir should fall back towards the north, or else make the best terms he can for his safety and that of his people. Her Majesty's Government can give no pledge with reference to their future action, and they are of opinion that the Mudir should be instructed to adopt the last alternative, and to arrange the best terms he can. No. 52. I am, &c. (Signed) GRANVILLE. My Lord, Mr. Egerton to Earl Granville.—(Received by telegraph, May 14.) Cairo, May 14, 1884. I HAVE the honour to report to your Lordship that I have discussed the question of sending another English regiment up the Nile with Lieutenant-General Stephenson and Sir Evelyn Wood, but they do not think that such a measure is necessary for the present. Sir Evelyn Wood may, however, send up the Nile two Egyptian batteries as well as two or three squadrons of cavalry and one battalion, which are under orders to leave for Upper Egypt, as reported in my despatch No. 507 of the 10th instant. Telegram communicated to the Foreign Office by the War Office, May 14. Lieutenant-General Stephenson to the Marquis of Hartington.-(Received at the Cairo, May 13, 1884, 3.50 P.M. SHALL probably send a battalion up Nile to Keneh or Luxor. My Lord, No. 54. Earl Granville to the Earl of Dufferin. Foreign Office, May 14, 1884: ON the 1st of the present month I addressed a note to Musurus Pasha, placing on record the assurance which I had already given to his Excellency verbally, that Her Majesty's Government have endeavoured since the issue of my Circular of the 3rd January, 1883, to act in accordance with its declarations, and that they intend to continue to do so. That assurance your Excellency is authorized to repeat to the Turkish Government. The Sultan is aware of the difficulties which have arisen in the Soudan. Her Majesty's Government thought it right to advise the Government of the Khedive no longer to occupy with their forces territory the retention of which had caused a constant drain of money and men, and which Egypt had neither the financial nor the physical power to hold. Her Until the present state of affairs in the Soudan becomes more settled, Her Majesty's Government caunot enter into any separate communications with the Sultan as to Egypt proper; but it is now their desire to propose to His Majesty, as Sovereign of Egypt, that he should resume direct jurisdiction over the ports on the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea, and should occupy them with his troops. Majesty's Government make this proposal, in the confidence that the Sultan will be ready to apply and observe with regard to the territory so resumed by His Majesty the provisions of the agreements existing between England and Turkey as to freedom of commerce and navigation, as to the amount of the Customs dues to be received by the Sultan, and as to the repression of the Slave Trade. It is right that I should state that negotiations are now being carried on with King John of Abyssinia, with a view of securing the frontier districts between his territory and Egypt from the frequently recurring disturbances which have resulted from the absence of any agreement as to the respective rights of the two countries. One of the most fruitful causes of quarrel has been the difficulty met with by Abyssinia in finding for her trade unrestricted access to and from the sea-coast, and Her Majesty's Government rely upon the readiness of the Sultan to confirm and carry out whatever concessions it may be found necessary to make for the purpose of ensuring freedom of trade at the port of Massowah or elsewhere, as Her Majesty's Government may recommend. Your Excellency is requested to read this despatch to the Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs, and to give him a copy of it, and to request an early answer to it. Earl Granville to Mr. Egerton. Foreign Office, May 15, 1884. Sir, You should reply to this question as soon as possible, and at the same time state whether you consider that it would be possible to communicate with General Gordon by promising a fixed reward to Zebehr, Hussein Khalifa, or some other influential person, on the production of an answer from General Gordon. I am, &c. Signed) GRANVILLE. (Telegraphic.) No. 56. Earl Granville to Mr. Egerton: Foreign Office, May 15, 1884, 4.50 P.M. WHEN may we expect answer to my telegram of the 10th May, asking for full statement of Nubar's plans as to Ministry of Interior? No. 57. (Telegraphic.) Earl Granville to Mr. Egerton. Foreign Office, May 15, 1884, 4.55 P.M. WE do not, of course, mean that Zebehr should himself leave Cairo for the purpose indicated in my telegram of to-day. No. 58. My Lord, Mr. Egerton to Earl Granville.—(Received by telegraph, May 16.) Cairo, May 16, 1884. IN reply to your Lordship's telegram of yesterday's date, I have the honour to submit to your Lordship my opinion that beyond a certain point-an offer, for instance, up to 2001. or 3007.-high expenditure and rewards will not insure getting a message to and from General Gordon. In accordance with your Lordship's suggestion, I will endeavour to work through Hussein Pasha Khalifa and Zebehr Pasha. I have also entered into negotiations for the conveyance of a message on the outer desert route, on the west side of the Nile; but it would take a longer time for a message to arrive by this road. The main difficulty of communication seems to be in the immediate vicinity of Khartoum itself. (Telegraphic.) Mr. Egerton to Earl Granville.-(Received May 16, 2.15 P.M.) Cairo, May 16, 1884. A PARTY of refugees arrived yesterday at Assouan from Berber and Korosko. They had no trouble; they heard that Gordon had made successful sorties, and was well. They say that the road between these places was quiet. No. 60. (Telegraphic.) Mr. Egerton to Earl Granville.-(Received May 16, 2.50 P.M.) Cairo, May 16, 1884. ZEBEHR will find a man to go to Khartoum for 501. down and 4001. for bringing answer within fifty days. Shall I agree? |