Wealth of t lie Soudan.

59 extorting from the poor peo])le more money than his predecessor, who perhaps was also a thief. By such proceedings he thinks to win praise from the Government and to gain the sympathy of the Khedive. How long will the Soudan endure these oppressions P Perhaps it will happen that, being reduced to the greatest misery, the country will demand that the governor shall be changed, and the next one will be able to send in very little money, and his province will yield no profit — then Ismail Pacha will say, rubbing his hands, and shrugging his shoulders, — " Do you see ? Such a governor has sent even less than I, and pretends to pass for an honest man ! " In the Soudan men have no time to breathe freely ; life is actually smothered with taxes of every kind. I am not speaking of the governors of former times ; I only assert that Mussa Pasha enriches himself at the expense of the Government and the subjects. Jaffer Pasha, the Great, was governor for only four months fortunatel} or his administrators would have been flayed alive. To him succeeded his brother, an honest man enough, but of limited intelligence. Then came Muntag Pasha, who is now awaiting his trial. To this latter are attributed deeds that surpass those of Rosa Schandor and the Passatore. He was replaced by Ismail Pasha.

A province, hoAvever rich, that enjoys a succession of such governors, must infallibly be ruined. All these officials were Turks, and Turks were also those appointed to the more central provinces, such as Kurshid Aga, Ahmet Aga, Antrusc, Suleiman Aga, Ibrahim Muscli, and Kutshuk Ali. The latter had organized the bands of Gondokoro, which I have spoken of in my report, who plundered, burnt, and assassinated the natives, stealing the ivory and destroying whole families, who were sold as slaves at Khartoum.

The sale was made in public and the governors ' When R. Gessi wrote tlicse notes.