| No. of | Guns upon Lines | 12 |
| Steamers | 11 | |
| Rounds | Gun Ammunition | 21,141 |
| ” | Small Arms, Remington | 2,165,000 |
| ” | Arsenal turns out weekly | 40,000 |
Amount of Grain and Biscuit in Magazine.
| Grain | Ardebs | 4,018 |
| Biscuit | Okes | 349,000 |
| Weekly consumption of Troops | Ardebs | 500 |
| No. of Steamers | 7 | |
| Private Boats | 58 | |
| Government Boats | 53 | |
| Money in Specie | £2900 | |
| Paper | £39,195 |
October 20th.—Here is a summary of reports brought by Talataween, which left Shendy four days ago. Abbas went down to Hagar Homar with her four boats. She was pursued by Fascher, which captured two of her boats, with twelve Greeks. The Abbas turned and fired two cannon shots at the Fascher, which retired, and the Abbas went on her way and was seen no more. She is supposed to have been attacked by Arabs below Abou Hamed and drove off attack, killing seventy-two Arabs, the Greeks captured in the two boats were not hurt by the Arabs. When the Abbas got to Debbeh the troops advanced towards Berber. Three distinct parties moving on Berber: one through the desert of Korosko (the Arabs have put 1500 men and a gun at Abou Hamed); one from Merowé to Berber across the desert (making forts at intervals), and one with Seyd Mahomet Osman down the Atbara valley towards El Damer (which place is at the junction of the Atbara with the Nile) assisted by Awad Kerim. The steamers have been bombarding Metemma and Shendy, I expect with no great effect.
To-day came in from Waled a Goun two men and three women. They say the Mahdi is opposite Kalakla, i.e. within two miles of Kartoum, few people with him; those who came with him from Kordofan have, in great part, gone back.
In yesterday’s skirmish the Arabs lost two men in the steamer fight, the day before they lost more. Waled a Goun has sent his family to Gitana; many are deserting.
An officer and sergeant have escaped and come into Omdurman.
They say that the Arabs of Berber were warned by someone in the town of the descent of the Abbas. I have ordered the sale of 200 ardebs of Dhoora on the strength of this news. A man, who was at Berber, on board one of the captured steamers says Ferratch Pasha! and other officers have sent news to the Arabs, and that the Arab chief of Berber wrote to Cassim el Mousse, proposing he should kill me, which Cassim el Mousse refused to do. This Mahomet el Khair is a true cur, for I have ever treated him well. I expect if the truth was known very few notables or officials have not been hedging with the Arabs.
The Shaggyeh on the opposite side are yelling, on enquiring find it is for Dhoora; they have had their month’s rations and the month is not up. I went to the telegraph office and told them that “till the month was up I would give them none, but that the Sheikh el Obeyed had plenty, and that if they liked they could go to him;” no answer was given to this telegram.