§ MR. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether his attention has been called to the unfavourable news reported from Khartoum, and especially to the telegram in Monday's Standard, which states—
The political situation at Khartoum has been worse. The rebels are stubborn, and refuse to accept the proffered reforms. They regard forbearance as indicating weakness, and will never make peace without bloodshed. Two thousand irregulars (i.e. Bashi-Bazouks) marched out today from Khartoum towards Kemaleen, against the enemy. Should any disaster overtake these troops Khartoum will certainly be lost, as the garrison consists of scarcely two thousand fighting men. In a few days the acute crisis must commence, since large forces of the rebels are massed at only two days distance from Khartoum. Self-government in the Soudan means anarchy;and, whether, in view of the importance of Khartoum, both for trade and for the defence of Lower Egypt, Her Majesty's Government will take steps to preserve the connection between Khartoum and Egypt under efficient British supervision?
§ LORD EDMOND FITZMAURICESir, Her Majesty's Government have no unfavourable reports of the state of affairs in Khartoum. The policy of Her Majesty's Government in regard to the Soudan and Khartoum has already been stated in Parliament.
§ MR. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTasked for a direct answer, affirmatively or negatively, as to whether, in view of the importance of Khartoum, both for trade and for the defence of Lower Egypt, Her Majesty's Government will take steps to preserve the connection between Khartoum and Egypt under efficient British supervision?
§ [No answer was given to the Question.]
§ MR. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTThen I shall repeat the Question to the Prime Minister on Friday.
§ MR. ONSLOW, who had the following Question on the Paper addressed to the Prime Minister:—
How it was that a telegram was sent to General Graham to issue a slave proclamation (similar to that issued by General Gordon, and which is alleged to have had a beneficial result at Khartoum) to the Arabs at El Teb, before attacking them; and, whether Her Majesty's Government could not at once telegraph to Admiral Hewett at Suakin to issue a similar slave proclamation to the Commander of the Arabs now reported to be in the vicinity of that place?said, that the Question, as given Notice of by him, had been turned into nonsense by the Clerks at the Table, who appeared to have regarded it as ironical. What he wished to ask was, Whether, considering the beneficial result of the Proclamation issued by General Gordon at Khartoum, and circulated in the Western Soudan, a similar Proclamation could not be issued by Admiral Hewett in the Eastern Soudan?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONI have not noticed the Question on the Paper; but I repeat what I stated yesterday, that Admiral Hewett has already been ordered to communicate with the leaders of the tribes surrounding Tokar and in the neighbourhood of Suakin, and I have no doubt that he and General Graham will take such steps as may be necessary to open negotiations with them.
§ MR. ONSLOWThat is not the Question. The Question is, whether, seeing that beneficial results are expected from the Proclamation by General Gordon in the Western Soudan, a similar Proclamation will not be issued by our Representative, Admiral Hewett, to prevent bloodshed in the Eastern Soudan? I refer to a Proclamation, and not to any specific orders.
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONAdmiral Hewett and General Graham have general powers to communicate with the Chiefs in the manner they think best. If they think that the issuing of a Proclamation is the most effectual means of making known the views and the intentions of Her Majesty's Government, no doubt they will adopt that course.
§ MR. ONSLOWgave Notice that he would address the Question to the Prime Minister on Friday next.
§ SIR WALTER B. BARTTELOTI wish to ask the noble Lord whether the 508 report which appears in the evening papers is correct—that General Graham has received orders to withdraw from Tokar and to retire to Trinkitat?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONNo, Sir; General Graham has received no such orders. We have had no intelligence from General Graham since yesterday afternoon.
§ SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFFasked whether Admiral Hewett had received instructions which would authorize him to issue a Proclamation to re-establish the traffic in slaves in the Eastern Soudan?
§ [No answer was given to the Question.]
§ SIR GEORGE CAMPBELLasked whether the original orders directing General Graham to retire when Tokar had been captured and the garrison relieved were still in force or had been cancelled or superseded?
§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNORasked whether there was any truth in the report which appeared in the evening papers of an intended attack on the camp of Osman Digna?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONI have received no information whatever of such an intended attack. No orders have been sent cancelling or superseding the orders to General Graham which I read to the House yesterday.
§ MR. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTasked whether it would now be convenient to the Prime Minister to answer the Question which the noble Lord the Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs had failed to answer? [Cries of "No!"]
MR. GLADSTONESir, I do not like to remain silent—it would not be courteous for me to do so. I frankly admit that I am incredulous as to the failure of my noble Friend to answer the Question. We are not aware of any necessity whatever for taking any steps with regard to keeping open the communication between Khartoum and Lower Egypt.
§ MR. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTsaid, he thought the Prime Minister must have misunderstood his Question very materially. His Question did not refer to the physical communication between the two places, but to the Governmental and the political connection between Khartoum and Lower Egypt.
MR. GLADSTONEI certainly thought that the Question was purely 509 local and geographical. I had no idea that the hon. Member was flying so high as to touch the question of political connection. On this subject our views and intentions remain entirely unchanged. I do not concede that those views and intentions have been challenged by the House—indeed, they have commanded the general assent of the House as far as that point is concerned.
§ MR. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTasked the Prime Minister to forgive him for drawing his attention to the point of his Question. All that he wished to know was, whether Her Majesty's Government were prepared to maintain the connection between Khartoum and Egypt? He had not been able to gather a clear opinion on this subject from the statements which had been made in that House, neither did he think that anyone else had been able to do so.
MR. GLADSTONEIt has been announced on the part of Her Majesty's Government, in the clearest manner, that General Gordon was to go to the Soudan for the sake of conducting the important operation of withdrawing the Egyptian Military Forces from the Soudan. These Military Forces were a symbol of Egyptian power, and their withdrawal meant, in the main, the abandonment of Egyptian authority over the interior of the Soudan. That, of course, included Khartoum, which is a part of the Soudan.
§ LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILLDoes it include Suakin?
§ [No answer was given to the Question.]