GORDON PASHA V ZEBEHR PASHA. 65 The usual courtesies having been exchanged, Gordon Pasha desired Zebehr Pasha to make any complaints against him which he might wish to make now in the presence of Sir E. Baring and Nubar Pasha, and added that his statements would be written clown.

Zebehr Pasha. I want to know why my property in the Soudan was confiscated?

Gordon. Because you wrote a letter to your son, Suleiman, inciting him to revolt.

Zebehr. Produce the letter, and then I will speak.

Gordon. It was produced at the court-martial. The khedive has the letter.

Zebehr. When you went as governor-general to the Soudan, I solemnly intrusted my son Suleiman to you, and told you he was thenceforth your son. He was only sixteen years of age.

Gordon. The question at present is about the letter. Do you deny its existence?

Zebehr. I wrote to my son, but in the letter I did not incite him to rebel.

Gordon. Well, I say that you did incite him.

Zebehr. Then, if such a letter exists, what you did was right. Produce the letter.

Gordon. The court-martial condemned Suleiman to death; they had your letter before them.

Zebehr. Who was the president of that court? Gordon. Hasan Pasha Hilmi.

ZebeJir. And who was over him ? Gordon. I was.

ZebeJir. Produce the letter. Where is it? If such a letter existed, I ought to have been myself brought before a court-martial, and also condemned to death.

Gordon. That letter was given to the present khedive, and was kept with the proceedings of the court.

Zebehr. You arc the subject of a great and just nation ; there is no nation greater than England. I intrusted my son to you. Why did you not write and tell me, at the time, of the letter?

Gordon. We do not write to tell a man of his sin when wc have his letter before us. As for the letter, you had better ask the khedive.

Zebehr. For your own honour you ought not to have given up th< letter, but kept it privately yourself.

Gordon. But I gave it to the proper court.

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