JUBA RIVER EXPEDITION, 1875.
The Juba River Expedition, 1875.In the autumn of 1875 the Khedive, having long had under consideration the advantage of opening up a line of communication from the Indian Ocean to the central provinces, sent out what is known as the Juba River Expedition. The command was given to McKillop Pasha (an English naval officer who died in 1879, and he was accompanied by Colonels Ward and Long, the former to survey the harbours along the coast and the latter to command an inland expedition. Colonel Gordon was to co-operate from the direction of Victoria Nyanza.
The anchorage at the mouth of the Juba River having been found inferior, the Expedition ran several miles further south to Port Durnford and the harbour of Kismayu; but here they encroached on the territory of the Sultan of Zanzibar. Several interests now clashed with the success of the enterprise. The British Government were bound more or less to the Sultan by treaties concerning the slave trade. The merchants of Zanzibar became alarmed for their equatorial trade, and the people of Aden for their supplies from the Somalis, who had been independent till Egypt had acquired a portion of their territory and levied taxes at their ports. The result was that, at the instance of Great Britain, the Egyptian Expedition was given up, but, on the other hand, the Khedive’s authority along the coast, as far as about 10° north lat. was tacitly acknowledged. Ismail Pasha was thus encouraged to think that he was entitled to the whole of the Red Sea coast, and could resist any pretensions of the Abyssinians to a port; while England believed that she had erected a safeguard against European settlement on the coast, and had opened the way to a Slavery Treaty with Egypt.
WAR WITH ABYSSINIA, 1875-1876.
Abyssinia. Arendrup’s Expedition, 1875.During the same period other important events were passing in Abyssinia. Soon after the acquisition of the Port of Zeila by the Khedive, an Egyptian force was despatched to Massaua under Colonel Arendrup, a Danish officer in the Egyptian service. King Johannes had lately formed a new province (Ginda), which included the seaboard from the head of Annesley Bay to Amfila Bay and the Shoho, the Port of Zula, and the district of Ginda lying south of Ailet. This he had done to ensure the Port of Zula to Abyssinia, and he made Kirkman Governor of the new province, giving him the freehold for life. Kirkman accordingly had established his headquarters at Ginda, and ran up the British flag. In October, 1875, Arendrup’s force, having landed at Massaua, proceeded to Ginda, and took possession of it, and soon afterwards moved on Adua, the capital of Abyssinia. Destruction of Egyptian Army. 11.11.75.King John, however, having collected a large force, surprised and annihilated the Egyptian army at Gundet, killing 1,800 men and capturing 2,000 rifles, on the 11th of November. On the news reaching Cairo, Second expedition fitted out, December, 1875.another expedition on a larger scale was immediately organised, and the chief command given to Ratib Pasha, who was accompanied by Prince Hassan and several American officers in the service of the Khedive. The headquarters arrived at Massaua about the middle of December.
Owing however, to the disorganised state of the Staff and the difficulties of transport the army did not get under way till the middle of January, 1876. After tedious marches, it arrived at the Kaya Khor Pass, near which place, at Gura, Defeat of the Egyptians, 7th March, 1876.it was met and heavily defeated by King John on 7th March, losing nearly 4,000 men and 8,000 rifles.
The Egyptians retired into a fort they had constructed at Kaya Khor, where, during the next two days, they were assailed by the Abyssinians. On the 11th of March, however, King John withdrew his forces, and peace negotiations were entered upon. The Egyptian army commenced its return march for Massaua on the 19th April.
Ratib now returned to Cairo, leaving Osman Pasha in command at Massaua.
Walad Mikael.Walad (Wolda) Mikael, a former Governor of the Hamasen, and hereditary ruler of Hamasen and Bogos, who had joined the Egyptians during the campaign, now occupied himself in making a raid against the Hamasen territory of Abyssinia, which he laid waste in all directions. He then retired into Bogos and remained for some time at the Senhît Fort under protection of the Egyptians, who kept him as a menace to King John. The latter employed another chief, Shella Khan Alula, to watch him and to retaliate by ravaging the Bogos and Ailet countries. Menelik, King of Shoa, meanwhile had marched against King John, under the impression that he was worsted by the Egyptians, but he now returned to his own country.
The peace negotiations had come to an abrupt termination on account of the proceedings of Mikael, but in June, 1876, the King sent an envoy to Cairo to endeavour to have the boundary fixed, to secure certain privileges for Abyssinia at the Port of Massaua, and to obtain an Abuna (high priest) to fill the place of one who had died; offering at the same time the surrender of Hamasen if Walad Mikael were given up to him. The King’s representative was retained at Cairo, on one pretext or another, till December, when he was released through the influence of the British Consul.