APPENDICES TO BOOK V.
From Saleh Bey, Governor at Galabat.
To his Excellency the Governor-General of all the Provinces of the Soudan.
Sir,
The two envelopes enclosed were sent to your servant from his Majesty the King of Kings of Abyssinia, with a special messenger from him, and a request that we would receive and forward them to your Excellency where-ever you may be found. Therefore we now send these messengers with them. And we trust that after you have honoured them with your attention that your Excellency will quickly send back the answer to us, that we may send it to the King of Kings of Abyssinia by the two messengers who have come from his Majesty, and who are at present date with us at Kalabât (Galabat). Awaiting the said reply.
(Signed) Salehh Ibrahim,
District Inspector and Officer of Kalabât (Galabât).
Postscript.—Sir, The name of the bearer is Ali Othman.
In order not to increase expense (this) is written on ruled paper.
(Signed) Salehh Ibrahim.
1 Zu’l Hejjeh, 1301.
Sept. 22, 1884.
From Saleh Bey, Governor of Galabat.
To his Excellency the Honourable the Governor-General of the Soudan.
Sir,
Your servant, who stands in the attitude of service (to you), prays God with a sincere heart to grant his request and to extend His goodness towards me, in strengthening and preserving your Excellency under His shadow for the sake of the servants and subjects (of Government), and to change the condition of affairs from what they are, and to grant me the honour of seeing your Excellency, to kiss your bountiful hands, by which we have been covered with good and with blessings;—(even you who are) the destroyer of the enemies of the Government, the wicked rebels who have lost their souls and their religion, and are deprived of the benefits of the Government, from which they had obtained glory and honour; and turned, in spite of (all) that, from truth to error. May God preserve the glory of Government (so that) by presence of your Excellency you may destroy and utterly ruin the wretched Mohammed Ahhmed and his followers.
We have also to-day heard from the neighbourhood of Dukah of Abou Sitti and of Abou Haraz about what the energy of your Excellency has accomplished in beating the rebels and dispersing their people and troops, assembled for purposes of sedition.
And I beseech God most High, to whom be praise, to stretch out the sword of your Government more (and more)—(in order) to annihilate the false pretences of Mohammed Ahhmed, and to disperse his wicked hordes.
If your thoughts be directed towards your servant and the humble subject of the Government—(I have to say that) at present date I am well, under your protection, and am still continuing in the attitude of service to the Government. And oh! what a Government! (it is). How much compassion and benefit and kindness have you bestowed on us in goodness and bounty, which no man can deny? I pray in the name of God and of His prophet that your servant may never depart from this path of duty (fidelity—being) obedient to the Government openly, without hindrance—under your protection.
With regard to the subjects of the Government under the care of your servant—they do not cease to remain as they were in respect of submission and obedience (loyalty), and will never follow the ways of rebellion—by the mercy of God most High and as a result of the advantage of being under your Government.
But, Excellency, we are surrounded by the enemy on all sides; from the side of the Dukah, by the Shukryeh, by the Dhāniyeh, and by the Ja’alibiyeh: as on the side of the river, by the Rahbar; also by the Bukādi, and those rebels who follow them.
But by the influence of your Excellency no harm will come to us from them. Nor do we take account of him (the Mahdi); our Lord will make us victorious over him through the strength of the Government and the reputation of its power and majesty, from which we derive glory and honour, through your Excellency and the favour of the Khedive.
As to what we have enclosed about ——, we trust and pray for the answer. Including this time we have now written to you four times.
The messenger takes them (the letters) from here, and when he gets to Katarif, or Dukah, he finds liers in wait, and the rebels torment him on meeting him in the road.
This prevented us from writing lately, but we are in constant communication with the Mudiriyeh; and in that road we have lost two persons by (hands of) the rebels of Dhāniyeh and of Bukkād, on the road of Tumruk.
This for the information of your Excellency.
(Signed) Salehh Ibrahim,
Ma’amooor and Nāzir, of Kalabât (Galabât)
(District Inspector and Officer).
1 Zu’l Hejjeh, 1301.
Sept. 22, 1884.
From Saleh Bey, Governor of Salahah.
To His Excellency the Honourable the Governor-General of the Soudan.
Sir,
I have the honour to lay before your Excellency that at the beginning of the month of Rajeb, from the time of the desertion and change of conduct of the Shukriyeh and the Dhāniyeh, and the Jaalāni, and the Bukkādi, in forsaking loyalty to Government and corrupting their ways when they joined the wretch (the Mahdi) and his followers: as soon as we received news of their having thrown off their allegiance we communicated with the Mudiriyeh in the month aforesaid. And these four tribes combined together against us and besieged us on the side of Dukah, having with them one called Hussein Abd el Wāhhad, and they wrote to us as to their intention that we should follow them into error, or they would fight and hem us in. When we perceived this, and that it was then the season of autumn and the time for sowing our seed for necessary provisions—and that their wicked intention was to prevent the inhabitants from sowing their grain, and that the soldiery we had were very few; we tried by means of diplomacy and artifice with their chief Hussein, to get them to leave us during the autumn (seed time).
All that passed between us and them we have communicated in detail to the Mudiriyeh from time to time—so that there should be no misunderstanding from our silence—about what we wrote to them for putting them off by diplomacy, as it seemed best to us for bringing them to reason. And please God, after tranquillity is established, we will hasten to make copies of all the communications which have passed with them, as well as of what we wrote to the Mudiriyeh. On your seeing them you will know the zeal of your servant in upholding his office; and his exertions for honour of the Government, whose bounties overwhelm him, will appear.
And, Sir, now that autumn is over and these four tribes above mentioned are now in Katarif, and as there is great energy displayed in assembling them for the certain purpose of besieging Kalabât (Galabât), it became necessary to inform your Excellency, trusting and praying for issue of your Excellency’s order, sanctioning all that we do for the purpose of impeding and destroying those wretches before named. And with the help of the most High God your servant will do nothing but what will lead to victory, and will increase the supremacy of the Government and the destruction of its enemies. It is not to be hidden from your Excellency about Mohammed Bey Zain, that when the Mudiriyeh sent orders to the Ma’amoor (district officer) of Katarif for payment of 6000 dollars for payment of the salaries of the officials of Galabât, an officer and thirty-five soldiers were appointed to receive that amount from the officials of Katarif. And when they were coming to Galabât, Mahmood Bey, the above-named, took the money from them and left the officer to go his way. We wrote at the time to the Mudiriyeh about it, telling what Mahmood had done, and also to his Excellency, Mahmood Bey, and received his reply (denying) that the sum had been given to him at all, and refusing to have any more communication on the subject. And we made copy of what we received from him, and we wrote about him to the Mudiriyeh, and his answer is preserved by us in case of necessity.
(Signed) Salehh Ibrahim.
Nazir and Ma’amoor of Kalabat (District
Inspector and Officer).
Date, 1 of Zu’l Hejjeh, 1301.
Sept. 22, 1884.
Postscript.—Sir, We learn from the Mudiriyeh of Saka (by letter) of this date of what the energy of your Excellency has done there to impede and repulse the rebels. They are joyful to-day at not being besieged as hitherto, and the neighbourhood is pretty clear at present. At this date there is perfect safety on account of the water from their being surrounded. After this month the crossing of the rivers will become possible, and (then) without doubt the rebels will be able to get at them. Your servant is constantly writing to the General of his troops to be always wide awake, and to look out for the preservation and the safety of the honour of the Government.
Always, Sir, at your order,
Salehh Ibrahim.
From the Greek Consul at Adowa to General Gordon.
Adowa (Abyssinia), 5/17 August, 1884.
My dear General,
I arrived in Abyssinia on the 12/24 May, sent by my Government to aid the mission of Admiral Hewett at the Court of His Majesty the Emperor John.
Thanks to the intelligence and the good feeling of His Majesty, aided by my counsels, the mission of the Admiral has completely succeeded.
In Egypt and in England we have been for four months without news from you, in spite of all the attempts which have been made to obtain news from you.
In England they have prepared an expedition of 15,000 men for the Nile, commanded by Lord Wolseley, besides which the Emperor John will put himself in the field after the Haref with a great army. Take courage, then. Give me news of you that I may send them to England.
The messenger is sent by the Emperor John, whom I have caused to understand the urgent need of news from you. You must not detain the messenger more than two days.
I wish you all honour and glory in your mission, and
I am your devoted friend,
Mitzakis.
From Greek Consul Mitzakis, dated 24th August, to Greek Consul, Kartoum, received 20th October, 1884.
Adowa (Abyssinia), 5/17 August, 1884.
Sir,
His Majesty’s Government is much affected at the misfortunes of the Greeks in the Soudan, and has ordered me to come here, in order that by my relations with His Majesty the Emperor John, I may help the Greeks in the Soudan, and give them news.
His Majesty’s Government is much distressed about its subjects, because there has been no news for four months of His Excellency Gordon Pasha, in spite of all the efforts of the Governments of England and of Egypt.
The Most Christian Emperor John, to whom I have spoken of the great interest of England and Greece in the Soudan, has promised me to send this letter by Metemma[340] (Galabat) by a trusty messenger, who will return, bringing your answer and a letter from His Excellency Gordon Pasha, to whom I also write. Therefore I beg you to be so good as to write to me all your news, that is to say, if the siege is very strict; if the Mahdi himself is at the head of the besiegers; if you have provisions and munitions, and for how many months; how many Greeks and Europeans there are in Kartoum, together with their names; how many soldiers have you, and what is the spirit of the soldiers and the inhabitants of the town, and all other important news.
It must be thoroughly understood that you are to send back the messenger at the earliest possible moment, and give him a letter, in very small form, in order that he may conceal it in safety.
I am surprised that you have not sent any letter by Metemma or by Walkeit.
If you can send me letters by Metemma, you must address them to the Governour-General Gondar Axum-Gabroun; or by Walkeit, to the Governour Degias-Tessema.
Hoping that your siege will soon be raised,
I am, &c.,
The Consul.
[Notice.]
The English Admiral Hewett has come here, and has signed the Convention of the Emperor John with the Egyptian Government, by which Abyssinia takes Bogos,[341] Kassala, Katarif, and the right of importing and exporting merchandize and arms by the port of Massowa.
Even while I am writing, the Egyptians are giving up Bogos to Ras-Aloula (the Abyssinian Commander-in-Chief).
In England 15,000 soldiers are preparing to come to relieve Kartoum, and I trust that an expedition of from 100,000 to 200,000 brave men will start to save you.
If there is a messenger who can bring your letter to Metemma (or Galabat) or to Walkeit you can promise him whatever you wish, and we will pay him, because the English Government has a great interest in General Gordon.
I am yours, &c.
APPENDIX R (249).
From Slatin Bey.
His Excellency Gordon Pasha, Governor-General of the Soudan.
Your Excellency,
I have sent two letters, one by George Calamatino and the other by my servant, without having received an answer from your Excellency, neither has Consul Hansall answered me.
Your Excellency, I have fought twenty-seven times for the Government against the enemy, and they have beaten me twice, and I have done nothing dishonourable, nothing which should hinder your Excellency from writing me an answer, that I may know what to do.
They have taken the little steamer at Dar-Djumna, after it passed the Sehelal of the Robatat, and they have brought the whole of the letters from Kartoum for Cairo here. In order to assure you that they have taken the steamer they have sent your Excellency some letters, and I have done all that I could to send your Military Journal,[342] because it may be, perhaps, of some value for your Excellency.
I hope that Consul Hansall has made a translation of my letter, in which I place all my feeble services to your Excellency’s disposal, and I have been obliged to write in German, because they have burnt my French dictionary, believing that it was a prayer book.
His Excellency Stewart Pasha, with nine men, is dead. They have taken the others to Berber.
When you have a letter for Dongola I beg you to send it me, and I will find means of sending it on.
Your scribe has written a dispatch in cipher, half Arabic and half cipher, so badly, that they have been able to decipher it, and so they have found a key to your despatches, and have also deciphered your Excellency’s despatch to his Excellency Towfik Pasha. If there are letters from Europe for me at the post I beg you to send them me, because it is almost three years since I have had any news of my family. I entreat your Excellency to honour me with an answer.
Your devoted and obedient servant,
Slatin.
I and Seid Gjoma, Mudir of Fascher, are seeking occasion to enter Omdurman to remain with you. Pray, Excellency, do your best to give us permission, because we are always in fear of spies. I pray God that He may give you success in the siege.
P.S.—If your Excellency has perhaps understood that I have done anything contrary to the honour of an officer, and if that hinders you from writing to me, I pray you give me a chance of defending myself, and judge according to truth.