MR. GORSTsaid, he wished to ask the noble Marquess the Secretary of State for War a Question of which he had given him private Notice, with reference to the policy announced by Lord Wolseley at Korti, Whether the contents of his Proclamation made at that place were either authorized by the Government or approved by them? The contents of the Proclamation were these—
That the English word once given was always kept; that the Soudan would be held by the English until the Mahdi was crushed and. Khartoum taken, and that the English must stay in the Soudan 100 years, if necessary, until the Mahdi's power was broken.He might ask, in addition, whether the Government would be prepared to remain 100 years in Office in order to carry that policy out?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONI only received Notice of the Question as I entered the House; but my impression is that what the hon. and learned Member refers to is a part of what was spoken in the nature of a speech, said to have been made by Lord Wolseley, and not a Proclamation. The Government have no official knowledge of the words alleged to have been used by Lord Wolseley, and no instructions have been sent to him, excepting those which have been made public, or which were referred to in the course of the debate on Egypt last week.