Upon the appointment of Colonel Gordon as Governor of Equatoria, Britain, which had previously interfered in Sudan's affairs, prompted the late Khedive Ismail Pasha to appoint Gordon to a high position. He issued an order in late 1873 appointing him to a high mission in the Upper Nile. Sir Samuel Baker was the Governor of Equatoria, which was under the administration of the Governor-General of Sudan. It was agreed that Gordon would succeed Baker in his post, but he would be independent in his actions. He was granted 10,000 pounds from the Egyptian treasury for his initial expenses. Gordon had arrived in Egypt about two months before his appointment. He received detailed explanations from the late Khedive regarding the instructions he received from the British Foreign Office. He then proceeded to Khartoum, where the late Ismail Pasha Abu was the Governor-General of Sudan. He was received with great pomp, and a contingent of soldiers was paraded before him to salute his arrival. Cannons were fired, and people recognized his importance, understanding he was not like other provincial governors. It is evident that Ismail Pasha Abu did not give him this exceptional reception out of personal favor or generosity, but rather because the Khedive's orders had preceded Gordon to Khartoum, and it was incumbent upon the Governor-General to carry them out. This is why the Governor-General felt nothing but apprehension towards this ambitious official who would, on the one hand, compete with him for authority and, on the other hand, act as a supervisor over him.