one of the greatest difficulties of the campaign. Although, therefore, every one's wishes at home and abroad tend to a resumption of hostilities, with the possible result of delivering a part of the force a little sooner from their present predicament, it is improbable that any such attempt will be made; while the appearance on the scene of the Sheikh Marghani, taken with other minor incidents, points rather to the possibility of a more diplomatic and less warlike solution.
Having failed to rescue, it is not unnatural to consider whether it may not be advisable to retire.
A step in the right direction, to facilitate either of these manœuvres, is being taken in the extension of the present line of railway from near Ambigol on to Akasha. This will have the advantage of turning the now almost impassable cataracts of Akasha and Tanjar, thus leaving the boats, ascending with stores and descending with sick, the three remaining cataracts of Dal, Kajbar, and Hannek to contend with. The first is long and arduous; the second shorter, but crooked and dangerous; while that of Hannek may be said to extend now, more or less, over twelve or fourteen miles. These formidable barriers are alike an obstacle to the stores, which pass up in one continuous stream, and to the sick and wounded, who are now coming down in average numbers of about thirty every week. This short bit of rail, under forty miles, will, it is calculated, take almost four months to complete: there are one or two hard cuttings to get through, and the difficulty about platelayers is great. If natives are employed, only skilled labourers from Lower Egypt would be of any use – and these, with the Suákin demand to be met, are very scarce; while the employment of Europeans is undesirable, owing to the great exposure of the back to the sun, entailed by the constant stooping posture, and the necessity of wearing gloves to handle the heated iron. While executing similar work in some parts of India, each European is attended by a native carrying an umbrella; and it is a pity that nothing more has lately been heard of a consignment for the front of 2000 of these homely but useful articles – unless, indeed, they are being replaced by the patent Japanese shade about which accounts have lately appeared in the London papers.
The Egyptian soldier, – that willing and most useful adjunct to the expedition, without whose assistance and co-operation the English army would, with average luck, have reached by this time as far south as, perhaps, Dongola or Debbeh, – is again at work upon this railway, and, to the astonishment of his task-masters, easily completes an eight-hour task in about half the allotted time, those who finish first crowding round their fellows and jeering at the extra time they take; still this is not skilled labour, and the want of that will soon be seriously felt. As regards the greater undertaking of the Suákin-Berber line, it can hardly be doubted that the honest opinion of any expert connected with that work will put down the date of its probable completion at somewhat nearer twelve than six months hence. The extension and establishment of the Nile railway, as opposed to the Suákin-Berber line, would meet with general approval in Egypt, where it is argued that the laying down of the latter would simply anni-
