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THE EMIN PASHA EXPEDITION,…

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THE EMIN PASHA EXPEDITION, Review of Mr. Jephson's Book. It is with a feeling of relief that the render who bas been pained and wearied by what is known as the Stanley-Barttelot controversy turns to n phase of the great African expedition with which that unhappy story of the rear column has nothing to do. 'Mr. Jephson's book ba3 another claim to ftttention: It fills in the gap nececs-mly left in all Other narratives of Mr. Stanley and bis colleagues, for Mr. Jephson was the companion of Emin Pasha Auring that crisis at Wudelai in which the Governor of Equatoria was imprisoned by his own IIIen. Moreover, it gives us a portrait of Emin, which is all the more valuable because it is neither Painted by the hand of an enthusiastic admirer nor by the leader of the ex- pedition, who was naturally irritated by the pasha's weakness and VACillation. It was on April 20, 1888, that Mr. Stanley sent Mr. Mounitney Jephson up Lake Albert with a letter to Emin, and on the 29th of the same month Emin Accompanied 'Mr. Jephson back to Kar«lli. On the 22nd of May Mr. Stanley left Jeplwon with Emin Pasha to return with him up the lake, conveying Stanley's add reap, which lie was to read to Emm s soldiers, and so prepare them for the immediate evacuation of Equatoria, while Stanley himself returned in search of the rear column. It was not until the following January that Stanley heard anything more from his friend or from Emin. The story of that eventful interval is now fully to!d in this handsome volume by the only man who could tell it clearly, and it will command a large circle of readers. Stanley himself piehxes a most cordial letter of introduction. The book is excel- lently got up, and has for frontispiece an admirable likeuess of its author. The illustrations are numerous, nnJ, besides the map, there is a tran- script of the Mahdi's letter to Emin demand- ing l,ig surrender, which is very curious, Mr. Stanley hdS charged Mr. Jephson with bemoan Eminist, buf, although the writer of the work before us pays ready tribute to Ernies many admirable qualities, he does not conceal his disen- chantment. He had not been in the province long, he tells us, before he b"g"n to see things which surprised him greatly. Discipline as«Mr. Jeph^nn understood discipline was not enforced. Emili's orders were openly questioned and discussed by hia People. Ijut so firmly was the exalted i-'tea of Eniiu'g capacities nnd wisdom fixeJ in Mr. Joph- 8°n'a mind that for a good wLiik: he looked on liese things with wonder- It was not till he had seen Many dcplovs'o'r# examples of Emin's we 'kn'-sa and Vaci!iirion that, he bpgan to lose faith in his judg- ment. He discovered that the pasha had given a .Tory rose-coloured account of his people and then "pulae of the Mahdi's forces in the preceding year. His letters had misled Europe, so Uiut, instead of the relief expedition being received with open arms by Emin'a people, they weie looked upon 'WIth distrust, and from the first, the people of Wadelai conspired to rob and turn them ndnft. <1_It is difficult," says Mr. Jephson, "even aftei "ine months in the province, to understand what Eiuin's ppople renllr wanted and what his own Ideas really were." "The pasha's proceedings seem always to huve puzzled the euergetic European. Thus, when at M'swa, on his way to Emin, Mi. Jopliaon received a big deputation. The leader told him that five months before Emin had received a letter from the acting consul at Zanzi- bar telling hild that Stanley was coming to bring him relief, and he must expect him at the end of Saptember at the south-west cower of the lake Since then Emin had b.en most nnxi -us about ttwir non-arrival. One man said, "The pnrtw won't sleep to-night when he hear# you are here. Mr. Jephson confesses himself ucable to under- tttnd why Emin took no steps to smooth the way. It would have been so easy for Emin to go down in one of his steamers to the end of the lake and toll the nat ves Stanley was coming, leaving a for Stanley in the hande of a friendly chief. Or lie might have told the natives to tell Stanley to w-iit where he was and semi on to M'awa with the news. This, says Mr. Jephson, would have saved over four months 0:' hard work and disappointment, ami, as events IUllwd out, would have ',Iv()id-ti B,Fttell)t!s atid Jamrson's sad death, "had Euiin acted with simple common sense." Much later ou in his story, Mr. Jephson ie!!s us that Emin spoilt his paople, and he gives an illustration that cernanly supports that assertion. They wire at Kini when Emin came to Jephson and told him they must leave the eta! ion, for his orderlies had nothing to eat. 41 Bul ,izkeJ J,![Ai 9()P, "is there no coin in th* station Corn ? There's plenty of corn, but they have got no women to grind it." In re¡"Y to Jephson's cry of amazement that orderlies who had aothino, to do could net grind their own corn, I Emin said, Y ,u don't understand the customs of the country, such n thin- is not done Jeplis^n was forced to agree, but with the pio- teat thnt he should Ike to see the Z.n- liharis coming to S?ar,l v with such a couipi.nnt. Mr. Jephson was bv no means favourably im- pressed by Emin's men. They WOllld not. work on the dsfenco of the siation, or do anything tli.it "as asked of them, saying they were soldiers. He Could have forgiven them this if they had been good fighters but tlipy were no'. They fan away fr.>m a tfetei mined foe. Emm had a miserable lot of corrupt officers under him, most -Of them being criminals. Something might hav.. been made of tite men with better ofiicors. Pepple 18 Europe, as Mi-, Jephson observe?, think all troops are good becauso they fought well in the Egyptian campaigns. They forget the#Soud,n is a *a*t continenf.and practically unhm.ted. It ha.. » hundred different tribet:, differing from each other character, physique, and twye of living as mucn as the nations of Europe differ. Mr. Jephsonis "arrativeof the eventful time of Emin s d«po-«i- Itio" and time months' imprisonment will be read with keen interest. The time was a mort Critical one and had the rebel officers been able to prove a single instance of injustice or I'M*"1""1* •gainst Emin he -would have lost his liie. But here hia fine qualities came out, and his "cojrd "Was unblemished. When he left Dufile, where he had been imprisoned, it was amidst univaralll ex-, prossioos of goodwill.. The f*r*weH was .a triuisDh over his enemies, and E*>i t SnZSous spirits, but Mr. Lis oiary prove hew lads faith he put in these popular protestations. Emin s views on the country, Vs told to Mr. Jephson, are very well worth study. He formt d a scheme of impoiling Chinese labourers, and corresponded with Gordon on the subject, but Gordon ■wonld not sine'ion it owing to Chinese immorality. Emin thought also of making a settlement of his people near tliB Victoria Lake, but Jephson protests against such a scheme oi turning brigands into a new country; yet he Iiiini-B (lie country would be a glotious one if Only the Turkish and Egyptian influences could be 'kept.out. His manly and straightlorwaid story gives U!l, not only a vivid picture of a most dramatic epoch, but it en'ibles us to form a much clearer idea than herclofore of the real state of men iklid things in the Soudan. Emin Pashn; the Ration at the t quator." bv A-J. Moui.teney Jephson. Loudon: Salllpson Low and Co.

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