Appendix 2 - Khartoum in the Summer of 1862

Summary

Letter, Guillaume Lejean, 14 August 1862, Khartoum.

A witness of the arrival of Heuglin wrote a letter to the editor of the Nouvelles Annales des Voyages on the 14th of August 1862 in which he also referred to the departure of Alexine Tinne. The letter contains news about ‘the German expedition in Central Africa’. This notification was published anonymously as an extract of ‘a letter addressed to the Editor’.

I am now in Khartoum (…). Before I will tell you about myself and give you interesting news about the geography and the history – Mr. Von Heuglin and Steudner are in Khartoum: they are preparing themselves to go to the White Nile, by land. Mr. von Heuglin arrives from Abyssinia with a most superb harvest; a map of Lake Tzana, and another of the region of the Ouello-Galla, another of the countries of Gallabat and Guedaref (…). Mr. Munzinger has passed through here some days ago, returning from Kordofan where he has tried in vain to travel to Darfur. The Sultan has answered on his request with a very friendly letter in which he promises him help and protection till Fasher (…), but not any further. (…) Both Mr. Munzinger and Kinzelbach have left for Massua, by Berber [in footnote: Mr. Kinzelbach has just arrived back in Germany]. Mademoiselle Tine [sic], the eccentric and resolute traveller, has left for Gondokoro on the small steamer of Halim-Pasha, rented for 25.000 Francs, with an ambitious fittingout. She is now on the Sobat (…).The slave dealers present themselves here more than ever. Muhammad Khair, dressed in his red cloth, a sign of his Egyptian appointment, after having conquered the Shilluk, has delivered to the Dinka of the North a blow in which he has fully succeeded. Please follow this on your map. He has left for Kaka and has marched to the East, while the Arab chef Abou-Ruf [Rof], left for Goulé, and marched to the South-West: the ships of the slavers of Khartoum, cruising on the White Nile and Sobat, and cut the retreat of the poor black people. All have been dragged away, almost 4.000 captives; a country with an extension of two French provinces has been depopulated cleanly: they have split the booty. Simple soldiers have got some sixty heads of blacks as their part in the loot.