28 GOVERNMENT.

the people, and have reduced them to abject po-

verty. The old proverb, " Where a Turk sets his

foot no grass will grow," is, in this province, ade-

quately exemplified. The originator of all this

misery was, undoubtedly, the Defturdar, the con-

queror of this country. With the conquest, go-

vernment was out of the question, for every one

was subjected to arbitrary and tyrannical treat-

ment. Mehemed Ali, indeed, recalled the Def-

turdar, but the people experienced, on the whole, no

material relief by this measure, for the subsequent

governors were by no means idle in scraping trea-

sure together, and gradually exhausted all the sap from this already impoverished country. The pro-

vince is now governed by the Bey, (colonel,) of

the first regiment of the line, quartered at Lobeid,

to whom the Casheffs, (chief magistrates of the five

districts, and generally captains in the same regi-

ment,) are subordinate. The Bey is again respon-

sible to the Pasha (general) of Khartoom, who is,

at the same time, governor of the whole Belled

Soodan.*

The Bey, or governor, is the superior authority

in all civil and military affairs ; his decision is per- emptory ; but, in matters of importance, orders must be received from Khartoom. In judicial

cases, the kadi passes judgment, and the governor

sees it executed ; this, however, is generally a mere

* Sennaar and Kordofan ; Dongola is also under his sway, but

does not belong to the Belled Soodan.