l66 EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN.

succeed as we have made the place very strong; if he fails he is done for."

We may now conclude the account furnished by these interrupted messages from Gordon, some of which came to hand. On the 17th September Sir E. Baring sent to Earl Granville a translation of a cipher message received from Gordon on the 23d of August, in which he said: — "Concerning the Soudan: — 1. English troops must be sent to the Soudan. Zebehr Pasha must also be appointed, with assistant, and with a salary of "8000 per annum.

2. On the arrival of the English troops in the Soudan the Egyptian troops will return to Egypt.

3. If the sultan would send 200,000 (2000) of his troops the Soudan could be handed over to him.

4. If no part of this scheme is carried out, and if the rebels attack the people in the Soudan and kill them, you will be responsible for their lives and all their salaries.

5. The expenses and pay of the soldiers in the Soudan amount to 1500 a day.

6. The troops in Dongola, Khartum, the Equator, Bahr-el-Gazelle, Kassala, and Sennar are more than 30,000 in number.

7. You have now become responsible to these troops for the sum of ,£300,000.

8. I hope shortly to take Berber. I have already sent Stewart Pasha, the English consul, and the French consul, with regular troops and Bashi-Bazouks, for that purpose.

9. I had already written to you that I should send Egyptian troops to take Berber and to occupy it, and that these troops would be under your protection; but, fearing that reinforcements might not be sent, and fearing that you might pay no attention to those that I should send, and naturally fearing that a panic might occur among my troops, I thought it more advisable that, after taking the town, they should remain in it fifteen days and burn it, and then return to Khartum again. Stewart Pasha will proceed to Dongola. Then I will send to the Equator to withdraw the people