§ BARON HENRY DE WORMSasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether his attention has been drawn to a telegram from Khartoum, in which it was stated that—
Zebehr Pasha is now admitted to be the only man connected with the Soudan who is endowed with the ability and firmness necessary to head any Government there;whether it is intended to intrust to Zebehr Pasha, notorious as the chief of an army of slave drivers, the Government of Khartoum after General Gordon leaves that town; and, whether such an arrangement would be in accordance with the Convention between England and Egypt for the abolition of the Slave Trade in the Soudan?
MR. GLADSTONEI think it will be the feeling of the House that prospective and more or less speculative Questions should not be put with regard to the mission of General Gordon, and the plans which may be ascribed to him. I confess I find in the passage quoted by the hon. Gentleman nothing beyond the expression of an opinion entertained by the correspondent of a newspaper as to the state of opinion which he thinks to prevail with regard to a particular person in Khartoum; and, therefore, I think the hon. Gentleman will not expect me to go into it, more especially as it raises a question upon which no intention has been formed and no decision taken by Her Majesty's Government.
§ BARON HENRY DE WORMSsaid, he had not alluded to anything said by General Gordon, but had simply quoted the words of a correspondent at Khartoum; and he wished to know whether the words he had quoted were not those of The Times Correspondent at Khar- 669 toum, who, as he was informed, was Her Majesty's Consul in that town?
MR. GLADSTONEWe have no Consul at Khartoum. [Baron HENRY DE WORMS: Consular Agent then.] A Consular Agent and a Consul are by no means the same person.
§ MR. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTasked whether the attention of the right hon. Gentleman had been called to a statement contained in this morning's newspapers that women and children of the garrison at Sinkat had been sold by Osman Digna into slavery; and, whether the right hon. Gentleman would send instructions to take immediate steps in any possible way to obtain the release of these unfortunate people?