Khartoum. 49 town with Khartoum It is the residence of the sub-Governor of Khartoum Province who resides in a house built in the late Khalifa's enclosure.

Khartoum North (lately Halfaya) is the terminus of the railway from Haifa, and lies opposite to Khartoum, Khartoum on the right bank of the Blue Nile. It includes storehouses, workshops, the headquarters and the dockyard of the '?J'|f, Steamers and Boats Department, barracks for an Egyptian garrison, consisting of infantry and artillery. Custom-house, ' etc., etc. Population about 2,000. A steam chain ferry, running every half-hour, connects it with Khartoum.

Khartoum, including the towns of Khartoum North (late Halfaya) and Omdurman, together with a little Khartnuni. hinterland {vide App. G.), forms a Province by itself. It is once again the capital of the Sudan and the seat of Principal Government, though Omdurman still is, and Khartoum North will probably become in a few years, the principal trade *'""-''-centre.

Khartoum (meaning elephant's trunk — with reference to the point of land jutting out between the two Niles) is a rapidly growing town, on the left bank of the Blue Nile, just before it joins the White Nile, and is built on the site of the old town of the same name, which was so gallantly held by Gordon and destroyed by the Dervishes in 1885. Its population is now 8,500 souls, and is gradually increasing. The soil is alluvial ; bank of Blue Nile about 30 feet above the river at low Nile. In 1898 the old town was found entirely deserted and in ruins.

The main buildings are the Palace (built in 1899), the seat of the Governor-General ; the Government Buildings (including the local War Office and the Offices of the Sudan Government) ; the Nuzl or Government store, the Post and Telegraph buildings, the Mosque, the Department of Works, the Mudiria (Governor's office), branches of the National Bank and the Bank of Egypt, the Gordon College, the British barracks (holding one battalion of British troops), houses of the chief officials, and a small town of well-built mud-brick and stone houses (including a market square, landing place, a good European hotel, club, brick kilns, Zoological Gardens, etc., etc.), which is daily increasing in size.

At intervals along the line of the old entrenchments from east to west are the barracks occupied by the Egyptian Barracks. Army which are named after Ismail, Tewfik, and Abbas Pashas.

Outside these lines are villages of mud-built and grass-roofed houses of various Sudanese tribes, whose members are employed mostly in building and in other pursuits. {Vide also Chap. V.)

Higher up the Blue Nile at Buri are the Gordon College and British barracks. The town is symmetrically laid out with wide avenues planted with shady trees, and the class of buildings erected Town, etc must be in strict conformity with the standard fixed for each particular quarter.

The public gardens and " Zoo " are situated at the west end of the town ; these, especially the latter, have only as yet reached an embryo stage.

The normal garrison of Khartoum consists of one battalion of British Infantry, relieved annually in October, Garrison, and three battahons of Infantry of the Egyptian Army, as well as Cavalry and Artillery. {Vide p. 3.)

The market at Khartoum is poor and more expensive than that at Omdurman, which is much larger and better. Market. Meat is usually PT.3 per oke (2J lbs.) and dura varies from PT.25 to PT.90 per ardeb (300 lbs.) according to the season and the year.

Building and fire- wood have to be brought long distances from up the Blue and White Niles, and are consequently both expensive.

Labour is scarce and difficult to obtain owing to the many buildings, etc., at present under construction. The rainfall is very variable but that of an average year is very slight ;* rain seldom falls on more than 10 to Kainfall. 15 days in the year, but when it does it is generally in heavy thunderstorms, which occur at intervals from June to October, and are usually preceded by duststorms, very similar to those at Kassala. In some years heavy storms occur as early as May.

The climate is comparatively good all the year round, though in August, September, and October, and occasionally Climate. at other seasons, a certain amount of fever is prevalent. | Khartoum is 1,253 feet above the Mediterranean.

The hottest month, according to the monthly average maximum temperatures recorded for 1901, is April (110-66° Fahr.), and the coolest January (88-34° Fahr.). April, May and June are here, as elsewhere, as a rule, throughout the Sudan, usually the three hottest months of the year. Vide also p. 12.

The highest temperature recorded in 1901 was in July (116-6° Fahr.), and the lowest (518°) in December The -wind blows from the north almost continuously from November to April, after which it varies considerably, and finally settles down in May or June to blow pretty consistently from the south until the end of October or beginning of November.

* The rainfall in 1903 wa.s 67-9 mm. or 2-7 inches, of which 24-1 mm. fell in May and the remainder in July, August, and September. In 1904 the rainfall amounted to 21-4 mm. or about J of an inch. Vide also p. 12.

t The steps taken to exterminate mosquitoes here have proved so effectual that they are now practically extinct. The few stray ones imported by the steamers from the Upper Nile are soon marked down and their larvae destroyed. For methods of destruction vide " Report of Wellcome Research Laboiatories — Gordon College — 1904."