160 Gordon, Governor- General.

Gordon leaves for England, October, 1876.

Gordon returns to Egypt, January, 1877.

Gordon goes to Abyssinia.

1877.

In January, Gordon had given up all idea of forming an expedition to meet that proposed from the Juba river: his reasons were that his troops were utterly untrustworthy and unfitted for such a task.

In July the steamer was at length put together above the Dufile Falls, and the passage cleared to the Albert Lake.

A treaty was made with M'tesa recognising his independence, and Dr. Emin Effendi,* a German by extraction, was sent to him as Gordon's representative.

In October Gordon left for Khartum and for England, having handed over the government of his province to Colonel Prout. He had during the three years successfully checked the slave trade in the Equatorial provinces, and established the basis of a sound government, if such could be found under Egyptian rule. That he could not entirely suppress the slave trade was due to its huge ramifications, the despicable quality of his troops, and the resistance offered to all his endeavours by the government of the Sudan under Ismail Yakub Pasha.

In February, 1877, Gordon, under pressure, returned to Egypt, and the Khedive made him Governor- General of the Sudan, uniting in one great province the Sudan, the Equatorial provinces, and the Red Sea provinces ; thus giving him a district some 1,640 miles in length by an average of 660 in breadth, with three Vakils (deputy governors) for Sudan proper, Darfur, and the Red Sea provinces respectively. The Khedive drew his attention specially to the suppression of the slave trade and the improvement of the communications, and gave him powers to negotiate with Abyssinia in order to end the disputes with King John.

Gordon at once proceeded, via Massawa, to the Abyssinian frontier to make a treaty, if possible, with the King. He found that there was no hope of bringing the matter to a satisfactory result till a stop was put to the raids of Walad el Mikael. Just now a large portion of Gordon's troops were withdrawn for service in the Turco-Russian war, and it was useless for him to think of using force against Mikael, while the news of a serious revolt in Darfur required his presence elsewhere. He therefore #agreed to supply Walad el Mikael with money and provisions, on * Edward Schnitzer.