~Jan-April 1893: Trouble in the bazaar
January 1893: Paul Mauser introduces another version of his successful 1889 design. While incorporating many detailed improvements, it introduces a flush five round staggered magazine and the high velocity, flat shooting 7x57mm Mauser cartridge. The rifle is immediately adopted by the Spanish who will also purchase a licence for domestic production. The rifle will also be adopted by the Brazilians and Ottomans.
January 1893: With the bulk of the British forces engaged in Sudan, Khedive Abbas II of Egypt launches an uprising to oust the British from Egypt. While initially only some 2,000 of the 16,000 Egyptian and Sudanese troops remaining in Egypt join the uprising, the revolt spreads quickly and soon only 2,000 mainly Sudanese troops remain loyal, though another 4,000 have deserted or been disarmed by the rebels. Hundreds of British officers serving with Egyptian army units are murdered. Nonetheless, the 3,500 strong Dominion Brigade under Brigadier William Gatacre, with the assistance of the remaining loyal Sudanese and supported by Admiral George Tryon's Mediterranean fleet manage to hold Alexandria. With his supplies lies now cut, Kitchener is forced to halt his operations in Sudan and disarm his 6,500 Egyptian troops, who are now regarded as unreliable. He however retains his Sudanese units, leaving him with just 13,000 men, along with 1,000 British troops holding the main supply base at Aswan. To secure his position, he falls back to his bases at Wadi Halfa, Kosheh and Dongola. Meanwhile, reinforcements are urgently dispatched to reinforce the Dominion forces holding out in Alexandria.
February 1893: Regardless of the experience of the Crash of 1873 and subsequent Long Depression, since the recovery in the mid 1880s, another speculative bubble in railway and industrial investment has developed in the US. The situation has been worsened by the persistence of bimetalist policies in the US resulting in an unstable currency. This has led to European and British investors liquidating their US commitments as concern over the US economy has grown. All exacerbated by the increasing diversion of British capital to the safer Dominions after the Barings Crisis of 1890, along with the restrictions on risky investments imposed by the Banking Security Act of 1891. The badly overextended Philadelphia and Reading Railroad collapses, finally triggering a treasury crisis. The crisis is widely blamed on the inflated prices of silver caused by the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. President Cleveland successfully convinces Congress to repeal the act in an effort to stabilise the US currency.
February 1893: During the withdrawal to Wadi Halfa now Lieutenant Zaitian Aisin-Gioro's detachment becomes isolated and is attacked by a large band of Mahdists. With only eight British engineers and twenty four Egyptian soldiers he holds off the attack for over twenty four hours before being relieved. During this time he displays great heroism and personally rescues two of his men under fire. As a result he is awarded the Distinguished Service Order. However the incident also highlights the danger in which the Emperor of China has now been exposed to. As a result he is order back to the rear base at Aswan and preparation made for his evacuation to safety.
March 1893: Seeking to take advantage of the uprising in Egypt, the Khalifa orders 30,000 Mahdists under Osman Digna, his ablest commander, to attack the 4,000 strong garrison at Dongola. Despite inflicting heavy casualties on the attackers and being supported by the Nile River flotilla, the garrison is forced to fall back to Kosheh due to a shortage of supplies. The supporting fire of of Keppel's flotilla prove vital in allowing the garrison to withdraw intact. Though Osman Digna advises immediate pursuit, the Khalifa orders his to fortify Dongola and construct artillery batteries covering the river.
March 1893: The French dispatch several armed columns into Laos demanding the Siamese withdraw and accept the area east of the Mekong as part of Vietnam and thus under French control.
March 1893: A force consisting primarily of Indian troops lands at Kossier on the Red Sea in an effort to reopen a supply line to Kitchener's forces in Sudan. The landing is unopposed and work begins immediately on constructing a road to Kena, allowing supplies to then be shipped up river to Aswan and on to Wadi Halfa. A limited supply line will be established by mid April, allowing Kitchener's forces to be resupplied sufficiently to defend their positions. In addition an Indian infantry battalion and cavalry battalion will move to increase his available forces.
March 1893: British Foreign Secretary Joseph Chamberlain hosts talks between the Conservative Canadian Premier John Thompson and US Secretary of State Walter Gresham With the rejection of the 1892 Treaty, the British and Canadians somewhat sceptical a mutually agreeable deal on trade and fisheries access can be reached. However with the new US Congress leaning toward lowering protectionism, they are willing to discuss the matter. Eventually a new draft treaty is negotiated. Under the proposed terms, both Canada and the US will reduce tariffs on a wide range of items by 2%, with another 3% reduction by mutual agreement to follow in two years, and a final 3% reduction, again by mutual agreement, five years after that. The fisheries deal is substantially unaltered from the 1892, only with the provision for improved access by either side on agreement to an annual payment in return.
March 1893: John Redmond, the new leader of the Irish Home Rule Party, successfully negotiates an compromise deal whereby all the three Irish parties represented in Parliament agree to cooperate and avoid competition in elections. While the agreement is purely informal, the new alignment will come to be commonly known as the Irish Parliamentary Coalition.
March 1893: With the situation in Egypt and Sudan appearing dire, the British propose a secret agreement with the French to allow the French a free hand in Laos in return for the French ending their support of Khedive Abbas II. The French, realising as Abbas was unable to expel the British in the initial uprising, he is very unlikely to be successful, agree to the terms.
April 1893: With the ongoing problems in the US economy, only four torpedo gunboats are ordered in the 1893 naval estimates, despite calls by the increasingly Mahanist dominated US navy and continuing support from Secretary of the Navy Hilary Herbert.
April 1893: The British forces in Alexandria having been reinforced to some 12,000 men under General Frederick Roberts launch an offensive toward Cairo in order to re-establish control over Egypt. They are opposed by Khedive Abbas II with some 10,000 Egyptian regulars, supported by 15,000 hastily raised and equipped Egyptian irregulars. Abbas has split his forces in two, with some 3,000 regulars and 6,000 irregulars guarding against a repeat of Wolseley's attack from Suez in 1882.
April 1893: The Gresham=Thompson Treaty on US-Canadian trade is presented to the US Congress for ratification. Despite some Congressmen's concerns over the growing US treasury crisis, the new Democrat controlled body agrees to it's ratification.
April 1893: With the French introduction of the Lebel Rifle the new Austro-Hungarian 11mm M1886 Mannlicher rifle was rendered obsolete. In an effort to adapt the rifle a 8x52mmR compressed black powder round was hastily developed and the M1886 modified to use it as the M1888. This solution however was always intended as a temporary measure pending the development of a smokeless round. Unfortunately this has proved difficult. With the continued failure to develop a full smokeless powder, a second new cartridge, the 8x50mmR M90 using a semi-smokeless powder is introduced as yet another interim measure. The existing rifles are updated as the M1886-90 or M1888-90 while a new M1890 rifle is developed with a stronger chamber for the higher pressures expected with a smokeless round. Unfortunately the strength of the wedge locking system of the original M1886 is nearing its limit, but it expected it will be capable of handling the pressures of a fully smokeless round. Eventually a fully smokeless round is developed in the form of the 8x50mmR M93, however only the M1890 rifle is capable of handling the new round, even then only marginally. The older updated M1886-90 and M1888-90 rifles are restricted to the semi-smokeless 8mm M90 cartridge.