EGYPT. 



311 



messengers into the Egyptian lines to give 

 just such information as may seem fitting to 

 tbem. On the 9th of December two Arabs 

 arrived in Korosko and reported that the " der- 

 vishes had all been killed by the Shukeriah 

 and Dabayna tribes, who had laid waste the 

 country of Sennaar. Osman Digma, reported 

 slain at divers times, has been resurrected, and 

 had been sent on a special expedition to sub- 

 due revolted tribes," etc. Mohammed El- 

 Kheir arrived, it is said, on the 6th of Novem- 

 ber at Berber with his officers to collect taxes. 

 Abdallah has assumed the title of El Mahdi, 

 Mohammed- Ahmed having died several months 

 ago at Omdurmann, opposite Khartoum, of 

 small-pox, where a handsome tomb now marks 

 his resting-place, which is looked upon by the 

 Moslem Soudanieh as no less sacred than the 

 tomb of Mohammed at Mecca. On the 8th of 

 September Dongola was in the possession of 

 the rebels, who were estimated at 8,000 strong. 

 The country at that time was reported as suf- 

 fering from a famine by reason of the invasion. 

 Several skirmishes had taken place with the 

 outposts, but no serious engagement. 



Cossacks in the Soudan. From Russia comes 

 the information that a party of Cossacks are 

 actually serving in the rebel army of the 

 Soudan ; and also that another Cossack party 

 is working its way into Abyssinia with presents 

 to King John. These Cossacks are said to be 

 "free lances," who, disappointed in their in- 

 tention to settle in the western Caucasus, have 

 turned their faces toward Abyssinia, possibly 

 with encouragement from the Russian Govern- 

 ment. Following this it is announced that the 

 Negus of Abyssinia has decided to merge the 

 Abyssinian Church (Copt) with the Russian. 



Gordon Bonds. In Cairo, on the 22d of Feb- 

 ruary, it was discovered that a strong ring had 

 been formed for the issue of fictitious bonds 

 alleged to have been issued by Gen. Gordon 

 during the siege of Khartoum. Several promi- 

 nent Government officials were compromised. 



Fraud in the Daira Sanieh. On the 4th of July 

 a commission cTenquete was organized for the 

 purpose of investigating frauds committed in 

 the Daira Sanieh. The Egyptian director and 

 others were found to have substituted fraudu- 

 lent papers relating to contracts. 



Diplomatic Incident. During the French in- 

 vasion in 1797, one Sheik Suleiman obtained 

 recognition as a French subject. The French 

 consul, some time in July of this year, had oc- 

 casion to give a certificate of protection to one 

 of the descendants of the Sheik, good for 

 one year. The Egyptian Government held, 

 nevertheless, that they were Turkish subjects, 

 and refused to acknowledge the certificate. 

 The French consul thereupon wrote to the 

 Egyptian minister, declaring that, if the cer- 

 tificate was not recognized as issued by him, 

 he would within the twenty-four hours demand 

 his recall. Nubar Pasha immediately recog- 

 nized the consul's claim, accompanying his 

 reply with the necessary apology. 



Death of General Count Bellegarde. On the 13th 

 of January Gen. Bellegarde, Privy Councilor 

 to the Emperor of Austria, died in Cairo, and 

 was buried with great pomp and ceremony. 

 The body was escorted by both English and 

 Egyptian troops, and a large civic escort. 



The ex-Khedive Ismail. On the 31st of May 

 the ex-Khedive addressed a circular to the con- 

 suls-general, requesting them to hold a meet- 

 ing in Cairo, in order to decide upon a mqdus 

 procedendi as to his claim, amounting to the 

 sum of 5,000,000, besides a permanent yearly 

 budget charge of 150,000. On the 27th of 

 September Ismail's agent, with two armed Al- 

 banians, took possession of property contigu- 

 ous to the Ismaiilia Palace, or the ground of 

 the palace, but they were ejected soon after. 

 About this time the Council of Ministers, the 

 Khedive Tewfik presiding, resolved not to ad- 

 mit the claim of the ex-Khedive, his father, 

 who asked that a pension of 20,000 should 

 be accorded to his mother. 



In the matter of the seizure made by Ismail's 

 agent, the Mixed Tribunals have recently ren- 

 dered a decision sustaining the action of the 

 ex-Khedive's agent. 



The ex-Khedive supports several establish- 

 ments in Europe, the palace of La Favorita at 

 Naples, a house in the rue Neuve des Mathu- 

 rins in Paris, and another in London. The 

 greater number of his wives remain in the 

 palace at Naples, but he recently arrived in 

 Paris accompanied by four of his favorites. 



The Suez Canal. On the 8th of January, 1885, 

 the French ministry proposed to the Cabinet 

 of London that the Suez Canal should be neu- 

 tralized, and the free use guaranteed to all na- 

 tions. England, in the early part of December 

 of this year, semi-officially declined to accept 

 this proposition, if it should tend to bar the 

 passage of her fleets in time of war. The re- 

 ceipts for the year 1885 amounted to 65,049,- 

 945 francs ; the expenditures of every nature 

 amounted to 31,021,178 francs, making a to- 

 tal earning of 34,028.767 francs. 



During the year 1885, 3, 624 ships, represent- 

 ing 6,335,753 tons, passed through the canal, 

 compared with the year 1884, an augmentation 

 of 340 ships and of 464,253 tons. This is the 

 more remarkable in view of the commercial, 

 industrial, and maritime depression that pre- 

 vailed during the entire year. This is evident 

 in the railway reports of France, which show 

 a diminution in receipts for that year of 37,- 

 000,000 francs; while those of England lost 

 21,000,000; the commerce of France fell of 

 175,000,000; the commerce of the United 

 States, 475,000,000; the commerce of Eng- 

 land, 1,013,000,000. 



In accord with the Egyptian Government, 

 the administrators of the canal are engaged in 

 enlarging and deepening the channel along its 

 entire length from Port Said to Suez, adding 

 thus an additional width of 15 metres and 

 depth of 8| metres. The business of the canal 

 is best illustrated by the following : 



