459 THE LONDON GAZETTE, JANUARY 25, 1898.

the passage of the gun-boats over the fourth Bainbridge (East Kent Regiment j, who were em- cataract, I despatched from Kassinger on 29th ployed in connection with the steamers which (with July a flying column .Tinder the command of the exception of the gunboat " El Teb " capsized Major-General A. Hunter, D.S.O., consisting in the cataracts) were all successfully brought to of :— Abu Hamed by 29th August; whilst Major F. J. A detachment of cavalry. Pink, D.S.O. (Royal West Surrey Regiment), No. 2 Field Battery under Brevet Major N. E. Captain H. S. Sloman (East Surrey Regiment), Young (Royal Artillery). Captain W. R. B. Doran (Royal Irish Regiment), A Brigade of Infantry under Brevet Lieu- Captain J. J. Asser' (Dorsetshire Regiment), tenant-Colonel H. A. MacDona'ld, C.B., D.S.O. Lieutenant E. P. Strickland (Norfolk Regiment), (Royal Fusiliers), with Captain C. E. Keith- Lieutenant J. M. A. Graham (East Lancashire .Falconer (Northumberland Fusiliers) as Brigade- Regiment), and various other officers and men Major, composed of:— were employed on the arduous and- dangerous 3rd Battalion Egyptian, under Brevet Lieu- task of hauling the sailing craft through the tenant-Colonel J. Sillem (Welsh Regiment), rapids. Captain A. Blewitt (King's Royal Rifle Corps), Meanwhile reports having reached Merowe and Second in Command. Abu Hamed that the Dervishes were evacuating 9th Battalion Sudanese, under Lieutenant Berber, Major-General Hunter was ordered to H. V. Ravenscroft (Manchester Regiment), push on with four gunboats to occupy that place, Lieutenant A. R. Hoskins (North Staffordshire but being somewhat delayed by one of. the Regiment), Second in Command. steamers striking a rock which necessitated repairs, 10th Battalion Sudanese, under Brevet Major a party of irregular Arab scouts under Ahmed H. M. Sidney (Duke of Cornwall's Light Bey Khalifa, who had been sent by land to verify Infantry), Captain C. Fergusson (Grenadier the news, succeeded in entering Berber unopposed, Guards), Second in Command. followed on 6th September by the steamers, two llth Battalion Sudanese, under Qaptain V. T. of which were despatched south on the same day Bunbury (Leicestershire Regiment), Lieutenant and succeeded in capturing, off Ed Darner, the G. de H. Smith (Indian Staff Corps), Second in sailing craft of the retreating Dervish force. Command. The unexpected withdrawal of the enemy from In charge of Transport, Second Lieutenant Berber threw a great additional strain on the T. H. Healcy (Cameron Highlanders). organization and transport of supplies which had On the Slaffof General Officer Commanding :— now to be carried Ironi Kassinger, a distance of Brevet Major W. F. H. S. Kincaid (Royal upwarJs of 270 miles, portage stations being Engineers), A.A.G. ; Captain F. I. Maxse established at the cataracts under Captains . (Coldstream Guards); Captain the Honourable F. M. B. Hobbs (Royal Marines), J. A. E. C. E. Walsh (Rifle Brigade) ; Lieutenant G. F. MacBean (Royal Dublin Fusiliers), and other Gorringe, D.S.O. (Royal Engineers) ; Medical officers, and the fact that the requirements of the Staff:—Surgeon-Captains H. E. H. Smith and Berber garrison were fully met reflects great C. S. Spong (Array Medical Staff). credit on Honorary -Major "W. H. . Drage, The intervening distance of 132 miles over an D.A.A.G. (Army Service Corps), and on all the exceptionally rough road and during excessive transport officers. heat was accomplished in eight days and, after a Commander Keppel, Royal Navy, with the night march of 18 miles, Abu Hamed was stormed gunboat flotilla reconnoitred the enemy's position at 6.30 A.M. on 7th August, the position being at Metemma on 16th and 17th September, and captured after an hour's house-to-house fighting, again on 3rd November, proceeding on that date with the loss of two British officers and 21 men as far south as the foot of the sixth cataract. On killed, and three Egyptian officers and 61 men both occasions the gunboats were heavily fired on wounded. by the Dervish forts, but sustained little damage. Major-General Hunter reported that the They captured several of the enemy's sailing crait. behaviour of everyone engaged was deserving of In order to clear the districts round Berber of the all praise. - presence of Dervish raiders from Osrnan Digna's The death of two gallant and capable officers, camp on the Atbara, a small column was Major Sidney and Lieutenant FitzClarence despatched on 23rd October, under the com- (Dorsetshire Regiment), both of the 10th mand of Major-General Hunter, composed of the "Sudanese' Battalion, is a great loss to the army, llth Sudanese Battalion (Brevet Major H. W. and is deeply deplored by the whole force. Jackson, Gordon Highlanders, Commanding), A small number only of the original Dervish 2 guns under Captain M. Peake (Royal Artillery), garrison escaped, and, falling back on the rein- and detachments of Camel Corps and transport, forcements which were still some distance from but the enemy retired south before the arrival of Abu Hamed. the whole retired to Berber. the troops and consequently, after reconnoitring During this operation it was necessary to main- the- country towards Goz Regeb and burning tain, a considerable garrison at Merowe, and a Adarama on 2nd November, the column returned strong patrol of Camel Corps under Brevet to Berber on 9th November. During this opera- Major R. J. Tudway (Essex Regiment) was tion a post was established at the mouth of the "despatched thence to Gakdul to'hold in check the Atbara under Lieutenant J. F. Wolseley (Che- Dervish force at Metemma. shire Regiment). Simultaneously with the advance of the flying The withdrawal of Osman Digna from this column," one unarmed and six armed sternwheelers portion of the Eastern Sudan has thus enabled the besides a quantity of sailing craft were sent tribes to rally to the Government, and the road across the fourth cataract. I cannot speak too between Suakiu and Berber has been opened. highly o'f the zeal, energy, and skill displayed by An Egyptian garrison is also on its way to Kas- Commander Keppel, Royal Navy, assisted by sala to take over that place from the Italians Lieutenant the Honourable H. Hood, Royal Navy, under agreement with the Egyptian Government; and Lieutenant D. Beaty, D.S.O., Royal Navy, as The presence of a considerable force of Der- well as by Captain H. G. Fitton, D.S.O. (Berk- vishes at Metemma necessitates the maintenance shire Regiment), Captain E. A. Stanton (Oxford- of a strong garrison at Merowe under the com- shire I^ght Infanta"?)* and Captain E. G, T. mand of Major-General H.M. L. Rundle, C.M.G.,