Organisation Introduced. 145 established on both rivers, and many slaves were brought back to swell the ranks of Mehemet's army. Whatever may have been his dreams of civilisation, the result of Mehemet's expedition and consequent government was to establish at Khartum, not only the capital of the Sudan provinces, but also a central mart for a huge slave trade.

The provinces thus annexed were Kordofan, Sennar, and Taka (Kassala).

Abbas Pasha, grandson of Mehemet, who ruled Egypt Abbas . from 1849 to 1854, kept up his authority in the Sudan i849—1854. provinces by means of a large force, which was necessary for the purpose of collecting taxes from a discontented population. In 1853 the most southern Egyptian settlement was about 120 miles south of Khartum, but in that year the first trading voyage to the Upper Nile was started by Mr. Petherick, the English Consul for the Sudan. He was soon followed by other traders, who established posts far up country, and organised armed bauds under the command of Arabs. It was soon found that slave hunting paid even better than ivory, and raids were made on the surrounding tribes.

Said Pasha, the successor of Abbas, found the country in a deplorable condition ; exorbitant taxes, a depressed agriculture, a disordered administration openly encouraging an open slave trade.

With the resolution of organising a better state of Sai <* Pasha things, Said, in the year 1857, made a rapid tour through Government the provinces in question. At Berber he proclaimed the at Khartum, abolition of slavery, and at Khartum he organised a new government for the five provinces then comprised in the Sudan, i.e., Kordofan, Sennar, Taka, Berber, Dongola. He ordered that the excessive taxes on the lands and waterwheels (sakiyehs) of the people should be discontinued, and postal services on fast camels organised across the desert. About the year 1860 the European traders sold their stations to their Arab agents, who paid rental to the Egyptian Government, and the misery and ruin were increased tenfold.

To Said Pasha is also due the first idea for making a railway to unite the Sudan with Lower Egypt ; Mongel Bey was ordered to report on the subject, but the probable expense caused the project to be abandoned.

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