The Europeans in the Sudan: 1834-1878
02 November, 2014
This book contains ten manuscripts, written by traders,
civil servants, missionaries and others who visited the Sudan during the 19th century. It was translated and edited by Paul Santi and Richard Hill, Oxford, Clarendon press, 1980.
The 35-page introduction is a history covering the Europeans period in the Sudan. The said period saw different political regimes starting with Turko-Egyptians up to the Anglo-Egyptian condominium.
Chapter One:
Saint Simonian in Kordofan: it was a journey accomplished by a number 1 – religious – sociological cult (Alexander Rebon) as an expedition to collect live animals in the year 1834 – 39 from Kordufan, Western Sudan. Nevertheless, the group itself played an important role in technical administration in Egypt & Sudan.
Chapter Two:
The foundation of Mohammed Ali Polis and the quest for Sinnar gold 1839: For centuries the Sudanese local population who lived near the Blue Nile river banks ( near the Sudanese Ethiopian borders) used to collecting gold from the alluvial gold deposits in the sand cleared by the river.
In 1821 the valley became politically important to Ismail Pasha, leading him to invade the area. He sent back a piece of gold to Mohammed Ali. But it was not refined. The subsequent move was that Moahmmed Ali employed European experts and sent them in search for Sudanese gold.
He used an Austrian mining engineer of the Austrian Imperial Services who had already surveyed gold deposits in the Nuba Mountains in Kordufan. He started his survey in Dar Berta.
In 1838 another group started survey at Rusayrus and some other place. However, when Mohammed Ali failed to control the disputing European of different nationalities, he decided to go in himself. He left Cairo at the age of 96 by ship on 15 Oct 1838 and reached Fazugli, the sand valley on 19 Jan, 1839. He ferryed his way back to hie country on 30 Jan, 1839.
Chapter Three:
Two impressions of the Sudan under the rule of Ahmed Pahsa Shamli Called Abu Adhan 1838-43, was anonymous journal describing events in the Sudan. Also including Khayr Al-din Bye’s view in Ahmed Pasha death. The manuscript was translated from its original French, found in a notebook kept in the geographical society library.
The writing included, besides the geographical descriptions of places and the population in different province, important events and recorded some of historical occurances such as: the chase of Hamad wad Al- Malik, a new way to fetch out blacks from caves invented by Turks, Turkish rule in the Sudan, high spirited blacks, fresh water navy, Amna bit Aishe, the developments in Al Matama and Barbar areas.
Chapter four:
Commerce and civilization of Africa , the views of Moor L.G. Massala,1951. The manuscript included two tellers. The first was Bishop Massals on his way to Abyssinia through Sudan. He lodged as guest of the central African mission in Khartoum.
The letter was a memorandum sent for the French Consul General. It tells about the usefulness of the catholic mission in Khartoum and telling him about the importance of the people living on the banks of the Blue Nile and white Nile, who could be used as a nucleus of Christian belt to prevent Muslims from closing the region against Europeans. The second letter was enclosure of historic value tracing trade between Khartoum and outside world.
Chapter Five:
Fellow Alexander Dumas Pere maniple two Sudan travel narratives. The first was the s story of a pseudo travels and Louis – Lawe at du Couret who was living a life of beachcomber, in Jeddah, embraced Islam. The second was the journal of Jean Alexander and his voyage in the Red Sea and his findings between 1847-1849.
Chapter Six:
From Suakin to Kassala the journal of J.A. Vayssierei 1852. After his voyage in the Red Sea, he returned to Spain, only to leave again for Egypt and Sudan, early 1852. He went on a hunting expedition through eastern Sudan from Port Sudan through Toker and Kassala to the headquarters of Atbara River to the lower valley Selit, a journey that took him to port of Abyssina and led him to Khartoum, Atbara and other places in Sudan.
Chapter Seven:
Ivory hunting in the White Nile. The journal of J.A. Vassieri 1853-54. The passage that followed his last journal, the record of a voyage with A. De Maslzoc for the purpose of acquiring ivory from the people living between the north of river Sobat at the southern limit of navigation of Rajaf. All voyages were described geographically. They also contained description of the life of the population therin.
Chapter Eight:
British in the Sudan: The world of John Patrick HBM Counsel at Khartoum 1848-63. The year 1815 marked the end of the Napoleonic wars, the date when Europeans started to come to Egypt under the Mohammad Ali Pasha who offered Europeans jobs. Preference was given at the beginning to the French. A French Naval and military were allowed a base in Egypt and that led to the presence of the French in Sudan. Also, the manuscript included some letters before his appointment as a consul.
Chapter Nine:
Import & Export Business: the letters of Adolfo Antognoli 1836-68; Adolfo, an engineer who left to Egypt 1855 to try his fortune. He arrived in Khartoum September 1856. He travelled up the Nile in the company of Mohammed Abdel Halim Pasha, both started their business between Sudan, and Alexandria. The manuscript included samples of business letters Import & exports.
Chapter Ten:
A Director of Posts in Tour: A journal of Licugro Santori, 1877 – 78. Santori who joined the Egyptian posts, 1865 and spent 33 years in service, twenty of these a director of posts in upper Egypt and Nubia. The services were mainly between Khartoum and Cairo from early Turco- Egyptian administration in the Sudan. Generally, the manuscript contained his impressions of his journey between Cairo and Khartoum 1877 -78.
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