THE EVACUATION OF THE SOUDAN. 347 according to the contention of our Government, had achieved a great moral victory by evacuating the Soudan. The only objection to the contention was that the Soudanese would not allow the Soudan to be evacuated. There were a number of Egyptian garrisons stationed in different parts of the Soudan, notably at Khartoum, Tokar, and Sinkat, and these garrisons, according to the ideas which found acceptance in Downing Street, ought by rights to have been bidden to depart in peace, as soon as the Soudanese had been assured of their independence. As a matter of fact, the Soudanese changed their attitude after the evacuation had been announced, by inverting our old volunteer motto of " defence, not defiance."

In the Eastern Soudan, Osman Digma, a Suakin merchant, of Turkish descent — and it goes without saying, a noted slave-dealer — joined the Mahdi insurrection, and began operations against the forts within his district still remaining in the possession of the Egyptian troops. As Emir of the Mahdi, he proceeded to besiege Sinkat and Tokar, whose garrisons held out gallantly, but were unable to effect their retreat to the sea coast. The British Government at this period refused to despatch any troops to the Eastern Soudan, or indeed to render any assistance towards the rescue of the besieged garrisons beyond sending Admiral Hewett to cruise off Suakin. .In default of any other expedient, an army of some 4000 men was formed with great difficulty in Lower Egypt, and forwarded to Suakin under the command of