The British Campaign mm the Soudan. 163 in hand an available force of about eight thousand men for active operations. During the spring and summer of 1883 he defeated the Mahdi’s forces in four severe conflicts. But his success excited jealousy and intrigues at Cairo. Sir Evelyn Baring, who from a Major of Artillery had become the virtual auchernt of Egypt as Minister Resident, was unfriendly to him as he was afterwards to Gordon. Abd-el-Kader was recalled. His successor as governor-general was Allah-ed-Deen, while his little army was put under the command of an ex-major of he Bombay army, until then unknown to fame, who was made a general under the title of Hicks-Pasha. He must have been a man of ability, for in spite of his ignorance of the people, the country, and even the language of the heterogeneous force he commanded, he inflicted three serious defeats upon the Makdi’s lieutenants on the east bank of the Nile, so that Sennaar was almost clear of rebels. The Khedive’s ministers now urged the recapture of El] Obeid as necessary to the safety of Khartoum and the eastern Soudan. The British commissioners being consulted, advised against it, but they did not forbid it, as they had the power to do. Says Prof. Dicey: “There is no doubt that England could if she had chosen have hindered the campaign of Hicks-Pasha. By the fact of her not exercising her right of veto, she became in reality responsible for it.” And Sir Samuel Baker wrote at the same time: “ Everybody knew that England was the only power in Egypt, and that the Khedive could not move his little finger without her special permission ; and that as she had completely fettered the Egyptian authorities, she alone was responsible for the situation.”