The first object of the Nile expedition has been attained.
Dongola was occupied by our forces on Wednesday about noon, and the gunboats at once started in pursuit of the flying enemy, as did the cavalry and Camel Corps, with the result that nearly a thousand prisoners were captured. Six guns and vast stores of grain, including three miniature mountains of dates, have fallen into our hands, and all the chief people have come in,—among these being the brother of the famous Emir Wad-el-Negumi, the Dervish fanatic who was defeated and killed at Toski. The black troops in the Dervish army are also said to be most anxious to desert to us, and altogether it is clear that in the province of Dongola Mahdism has entirely collapsed. As we have said elsewhere, we presume that for the .time, at any rate, the Sirdar will remain at Dongola, and solidify the position he has acquired.. It should be stated that all the correspondents dwell upon the fertility and richness of the reconquered provinces, on the splendid groves of date-palms, and on the heavy crops standing in the fields. They also all agree in describing the inhabitants as overwhelmed with delight at their deliverance from the tyranny of the Mandist& But in reality they are even better off than they think. They imagine that they are going back to Egyptian rule of the Ismail epoch. Instead of that, they are going back to the Anglo-Egyptian rule of the epoch of Lord Cromer, Sir John Scott, and Mr. Gored.
Previous page
