No. 646.
Mr. Beardsley to Mr. Fish.
Cairo , January 1, 1875. (Received February 1.)
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith an official report by the govern or-general of the Soudan, announcing the occupation by the Egyptian troops of the capital of Darfour, thus accomplishing the annexation of that kingdom to Egypt.
During the past year, several engagements have taken place between the Egyptian and the Darfourian troops, in one of which the Sultan of Darfour was killed, and on every occasion the Darfourian army was completely defeated and routed, the superiority of disciplined troops and modern weapons manifesting itself in the invariable victory of a few hundred troops over a numerically vastly superior enemy.
The conquest and annexation of Darfour is ostensibly made in behalf of law and order and for the purpose of suppressing the slave-trade, the principal marts of which have for years been the chief towns of that country, and the chief trader in the vile traffic the Sultan himself.
In former years, before the expeditions of Sir Samuel Baker and Colonel Gordon, the Nile was the main avenue by which the slave-trade with Lower Egypt and Turkey was carried on. Since those expeditious, however, the Upper Nile has been comparatively closed to the slave-trade, and a cordon militaire has been maintained at the frontier of Darfour to prevent the slave-traders from reaching the river. It has been impossible, however, to picket the entire length of the river, and undoubtedly many slaves have come down by the old route. A new route has of late years been opened through the desert, by which it is claimed that large bands of slaves have been brought to the very environs of Cairo. This route is only known to the slave-traders, and it is reported to be well supplied with water and by no means difficult to follow. The Egyptian government is now taking steps to explore all the caravan-routes leading from Darfour to the Nile and northward. Two expeditions left Cairo last month with instructions to make a thorough exploration of the country of Darfour and its avenues of traffic, to repair the wells on the caravan-routes for the benefit of legitimate trade, and to make careful topographical maps of the country and full reports concerning its resources and population. Each of these expeditions is under the command of American officers. I will transmit more minute particulars concerning their personal and proposed work in a future dispatch.
The Khedive is determined to suppress the slave-trade in the Soudan and among the tribes further south, and the annexation of Darfour is an important [Page 1331] step in that direction. It is proposed to place the people of Darfour on the same footing with Egyptians. All natives held in bondage will be liberated, and all slaves who have been brought from the neighboring tribes within a certain time will be sent back to their respective countries. A vast fertile region, abounding in many of the resources of wealth, has for years been desolated by the horrible traffic in human flesh. It is a matter of vital importance to those countries themselves, as well as to the commerce and prosperity of Egypt, that the slave-trade should be suppressed and the energies of the people directed into the natural and legitimate channels of agriculture and commerce. This can only be accomplished under a strong and well-organized government. The annexation of Darfour, the expedition of Colonel Gordon, and the building of the Soudan Railway, are all most important steps toward bringing Africa, as far south as the equator, within the pale of law and order, and conferring upon it many of the blessings of civilization.
I am, &c.,