150 The British Campaign in the Soudan.

Ist. Ismail-Pasha’s strong personality was eliminated by his forced abdication.

2d. Gordon deprived of Ismaiil’s unlimited support, and disgusted at the complaints of the British commissioners at Cairo, because, under his upright administration, the Soudan no longer yielded a surplus, resigned his office and his successor, Raouf-Pasha, reéstablished the old abuses.

3d. The Egyptian government was disorganized and its army destroyed by foreign interference and by Arabi’s rebellion.

4th. The iniquitous bombardment of Alexandria aroused the dormant Mussulman fanaticism, and the British occupation of Lower Egypt impressed the Soudanese with the idea that the Khedive had sold his country to Christian foreigners.

The natural consequence was that all the bonds which had kept the Soudan in subjection were loosened at once. Gordon himself had warned Ismail, when invested by him with unlimited powers, that when he left, it would never again be possible to return to the old régime, and this explains the expression he. used later : “T laid the egg which hatched the Mahdi.”

It is worthy of notice that no rebellion could have succeeded which did not appeal to the passions or interests of a// classes. The slavers’ grievances had awakened no interest in the Bedouins of the desert or the tillers of the soil. Therefore Zobehr, Abou-Saoud, and Yusuf had been defeated. Other Mahdis had appeared from time to time, but appealing only to religious fanaticism, they had been easily crushed. But now only a leader was wanted who could unite a// the elements of discon-