prophet was apprenticed to a boatbuilder, | the Feast of Ramadan, and some small but after receiving a beating from his parties of troops were sent against him, uncle one day, he fled to Khartoum, where but failed to catch him. It is more than he entered a free school kept by a dervish probable that their sympathies were with of great sanctity and an alleged descend him. Colonel Stewart certainly held ant of the founder of Islamism. "Here," doubts on the subject. The Mahdi soon says Colonel Stewart, "he remained for afterwards showed himself at the head of some time studying religion, the tenets of his followers near Sennaar, finally taking his sheikh, etc., but did not make much up a position at Jebel Gadir, about one progress in the more worldly accomplish- hundred and fifty miles north-west of Kaments of reading and writing." His reli- ka, on the White Nile. Here he was atgious education was completed at another tacked by a body of regulars under Resschool to which he afterwards went near chid Bey, who was defeated with heavy Berber. Thence he settled in a village loss. This success inspired the prophet south of Kana, and enrolled himself as a and his adherents with fresh courage and disciple of a fakir or holy man, delighting ambition. Their ranks rapidly increased, in the name of Nur-el-Daim. Having re- and early in the following spring the whole ceived from this worthy the distinction of province of Kordofan was threatened. sheikh, Mohammed Ahmed took up his Raouf Pasha having been recalled, Abdabode on the island of Abba, near Kana el-Kader was appointed to the command on the White Nile. 'Here," adds Colonel at Khartoum, and a more strenuous atStewart, "he began by making a subter- tempt was made to suppress the new faranean excavation (khaliva retreat) into natical rising, whose spread began seriwhich he made a practice of retiring to ously to alarm the Egyptians. In April repeat for hours one of the names of the about three thousand men were collected Deity, this being accompanied by fasting, in the neighborhood of Kaka at the cost incense-burning, and prayers. His fame of reducing the neighboring garrisons. and sanctity by degrees spread far and Taking advantage of this "the rebels," as wide, and Mohammed Ahmed became the Mahdi's followers began to be called, wealthy, collected disciples, and married attacked Sennaar, but after some minor several wives, all of whom he was careful successes they were dispersed by Giegler to select from among the daughters of the Pasha. They were not, however, dismost influential Baggara sheikhs (Bagga heartened, and at length, when they again ra tribes owning cattle and horses) and met the Egyptians face to face on June 7, other notables. To keep within the legal- 1882, they obtained a signal victory. The ized number (four) he was in the habit of Egyptians came upon the rebels in a divorcing the surplus and taking them on densely wooded country; a zereba or again according to his fancy." In these stockade was commenced, and the troops marital responsibilities he was only sur- were formed up in hollow square, but they passed by his secretary or factotum, who were unable to withstand the furious onespoused no fewer than twenty-four ladies slaught of the Arab host, inspired by reof the neighborhood. But the Mahdi's ligious zeal. Once the square was broken time was not wholly occupied with the all discipline was lost, and the whole force attractions of the harem. The increase was simply annihilated. Naturally an exof his influence only incited him to fresh traordinary impetus was thus given to the efforts. Gradually he acquired a great insurrection, and many minor engage. reputation for holiness, and by-and-by as- ments took place, resulting generally in sembled a number of other dervishes favor of the Mahdi. At Shakka, for inaround him, and by his powers and tact stance, on June 20, another Egyptian desucceeded in uniting the various tribes tachment of one thousand men was cut to under his banner. The principles of his pieces, only a few escaping with their teaching are described as "universal equal- lives. On August 23 Duaim was attacked, ity, universal law and religion, with a com- but here the rebels were defeated with munity of goods. All who refuse to credit the loss of forty-five hundred men. Shorthis mission are to be destroyed, whether ly afterwards the Mahdi took the field in Christian, Mohammedan, or Pagan." It person, and advanced on El Obeid. was not until the end of 1881 that Raouf three successive days," it is recorded, "he Pasha, the then governor of the Soudan, made desperate assaults on the garrison, had his attention directed to the Mahdi's but on each occasion he was repulsed with pretensions. The latter at this time was great slaughter. The rebels are said to living at Merabieh, near the island of have had ten thousand men killed, while Abba. In August, as already stated, he the Egyptian loss is put down at two hunpublicly proclaimed his "mission " during | dred and eighty-eight." These disasters

"On

caused a diminution in the Mahdi's pres- it did honestly value age, it would hardly
tige, who had never hitherto been defeated make that value felt by overwhelming
while personally leading his troops, so with new burdens those on whose power
that he was said to be invincible. But, to bear the necessary burdens of their
nothing daunted, the prophet laid siege to position it is congratulating itself. If the
the town, and after much bloodshed both senders of these messages had asked
El Obeid, Bara, and other fortified posts themselves, in Sir Moses Montefiore's
fell into his hands. Compelled by these case, "Will this telegram add to his hap
reverses to make a more gigantic effort piness?" or in Mr. Gladstone's case,
to regain possession of the Soudan, the "Will this telegram add to his power or
Egyptian government despatched Hicks usefulness?" most of the senders must
Pasha's expedition, numbering upwards have replied to themselves in the nega-
of six thousand men. This army, the tive. But as probably many of them only
most completely organized and equipped thought of asking themselves, "Will it
ever assembled in the Soudan, was deemed look well for us to send this telegram?"
sufficient for its object, but its overthrow they snowed their unmerciful orange en-
after a desperate three days' engagement velopes upon both the veterans without
in the desert between the Nile and El hesitation or pity. If they had really set
Obeid proved that the strength of the the true value upon age and understood
Mahdi had been vastly underrated. Since what it means, they would not have pre-
that crowning victory the Soudan, save pared a disturbing, and therefore inap-
such garrison towns as Khartoum, Sen-propriate, sensation for a centenarian, or
naar, and Kassala, has been at his mercy, wasted the valuable time and energy of a
and the fame of his conquering career has prime minister in receiving and acknowl-
spread not only through all northern Af- edging a deluge of empty felicitations.
rica, but over the whole Mohammedan | For what exactly is the advantage of old
world. Personally, the Mahdi is described age; for what qualities do we value it?
by Colonel Stewart as "tall, slim, with a Chiefly, we suppose, for its serenity, when
black beard and light brown complexion.
Like most Dongolawis, he reads and
writes with difficulty. He is local head of
the Gheelan or Kadrigé order of dervish-
es, a school originated by Abdul Kader-
el-Ghulami, whose tomb is at Bagdad.
Judging from his conduct of affairs and
policy, I should say he had considerable
natural ability. The manner in which he
has managed to merge the usually dis-
cordant tribes together denotes great tact.
He had probably been preparing the
movement for some time back."

From The Spectator.

it has achieved serenity; chiefly for that triumph over egotism and vanity, and the profuse illusions of youth, which hardly anything else brings. Yet it is precisely this serenity, this freedom from illusion, which popular demonstrations of overexpressed delight endeavor, however fruitlessly, to dispel. If the senders of these messages really said to themselves, "No one will know better how little this is worth than the man to whom I send it," would they ever send it at all? We believe that they would not. It is because they expect to excite a little agitation, to create a faint illusion, that they pelt with congratulations the serenity and impar tiality of judgment in which, if they really understand the best qualities which age brings with it, they profess to rejoice.

-

AGE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. THE world is thoughtless even in its And yet is it not true that wise age is most amiable aspects. It congratulated admirable chiefly because it deprives us Sir Moses Montefiore on attaining the of so much which is not the strength but age of one hundred after a fashion that the weakness of youth? Wordsworth very nearly ensured his not living a week does not go far enough when he says, beyond the century; and it telegraphs So fares it still in our decay, congratulations to Mr. Gladstone on the And yet the wiser mind completion of his seventy-fifth year, as if Mourns less for what age takes away, it had not already given the prime minis Than what it leaves behind. ter enough to do without acknowledging Age does something, no doubt, in taking compliments sufficiently laborious and away energy, and energy, if rightly disufficiently effusive to make him long for rected, is enviable; it weakens the tenaca world where compliments are not. Per-ity of memory, and memory, if it can haps the reason of the fuss is that the only manage to drop what is not worth world rather plumes itself upon valuing keeping, is also enviable; and it diminage than values it as it ought to do; for ifishes the vivacity and spring of the imag.

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