I 74 EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN.

Christian hero though he be, has a quick temper as well as other people, and I -am not surprised that, with the extremely imperfect knowledge of the views and intention of the Q-overnment that was in his possession, he expressed his indignation in somewhat strong language. But the fact that General Gordon spoke of indelible disgrace — an expression which has been fastened on by the opposition — has not necessarily the effect of attaching it to us. I say that it would be indelible disgrace if we should neglect any means at the disposal of this country to save General Gordon; but if General Gordon tells us that indelible disgrace attaches to the government with reference to these other garrisons, then I say that I do not admit that General Gordon is, on this point at least, a better authority than anyone else. The government were under no moral obligation to use the war resources of this empire for the relief of those garrisons. General Gordon's mission did not involve the employment of military force, and the fact that he has been despatched to Khartum, and that he has done, and is doing, all that he considers to be best and most advisable to relieve these garrisons, does not alter the moral obligation that rests upon her majesty's government, and cannot in itself affect the accusation of indelible disgrace.

"It appears to me that the scope and character of General Gordon's mission have been very much lost sight of, and have been misrepresented and exaggerated throughout the whole of this debate. ... At the time General Gordon was despatched the situation was one of very great difficulty and anxiety, as it is now. The position of the garrisons in the Soudan and of the Egyptian officials there, appeared to be one of the greatest danger, and almost hopeless. They were separated from each other by enormous distances, frequently by immense deserts, and were only united to each other by rivers, the navigation of which was cxttemely precarious and difficult. They were separated by still further distances from Egypt, the base on which they had relied ; and the moral support and influence of the Egyptian government, by means of which alone they had up to that time held their position in the Soudan, had been destroyed. For that condition