THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1884.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6947, 22 February 1884, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1884.

The Egyptian question . is becoming more involved with every -attempt at its solution; but the, announcement that Gordon Pasha has. signalised his return to his old, quarters in. tlie Soudan by proclaiming ' the restoration of the trade in slaves; presents a condition of .things, almost, passing comprehension; :No wonder the first announcement that he had issued, a proclamation that, no impediment would .be offered to the free traffic in slaves was met by -gener ral incredulity; and that even the ■Prime Minister of - England expressed his doubts as to the truth of■such, a proclamation having been . issued; and stated his belief that the. abstract of i the proclamation received by telegram, was incorrect. But the statement: has been in some way confirmed; and the; announcement has sent a thrill, of indignation through all Europe. It is not merely that in- his mission. Gordon. Pasha is the recognised and .sioned officer of the British Govern- . merit, but that he himself, after, the: •achievements in suppressing, slavery in Soudan—which of all his heroic, exploits had won him most renown—sliould have, undone what he had so well done before-;; it is this.that made the report so difficult of /belief; Before ■ he; had been: com-; missioned to the late Khedive the traffic in .slaves had attained to a state of systematised. horrors unparalleled in the history: of the. :slave trade.. From . Khartoum as a centre specu-1 lators had gone forth at convenient intervals withi bands of -professional desperadoes, who uniting.themselves with. Some distant tribe, shared in raiding a neighbouring territory; giving.the cattle and property to: their allies, and taking: .the men and women as .their own. bootv, 'with which, returning to Khartoum' as the great distributing centre, they despatched some for sale in the depths of . Central Africa; some to the - Red -Sea ports, and through them to the Arabian coast; Then in turn uniting themselves, with. some, other distant; .tribe they - were accustomed to. raid notinfrequently against, former allies, and so on, perpetrating a condition of terror : and blood in an ever increasing circle; : Such was the condition of things: against which. Gordon Pasha: had.beencommissioned :; and such .was Khartoum; the place which he had made the headquarters of his reformingoperations; That traffic through Khartoum as a centre he had utterly suppressed, while the Arabs he had relieved from . the ' extortionate and; grindin'g oppressionof the tax collectors, : winning from them a gratitude that has been, repaid in the cordial recgp!tion and the safe conduct which' fcljEjy have rendered to him in. his preseflt expedition to the Soudan.' That should have safely travelled through wild 1 tribes in the blaze of revolt, under the fierce inspiration of perhaps not. so :much' to be wondeMd at, considering all- lie had - done- .for ■them in tlie .past. But that- after ;his former-, achievements in the utter suppression of slavery, he should, have recognised the institution, argues at least that his position must :bave. been: in some- way critical in the. extreme;. It is easy euough for those who are far removed from- peril* to indulge; in the, .expression:, of surprise and .indignation; at' even the temporary recognition: of the hateful institution by any one bearing -the, commission, of a British officer. But if it is really so that he has con-, sented to offer no opposition to ; the traffic in slaves, who may tell the necessity that was laid upon him,;or, say that, it may not have been a question of the total failure ,of; :his .mission; perhaps a< question of life or- death; Every one questioned tlie sanity of his unarmed incursion among the; wild rebel .tribes; but his faith has not been misplaced, and he has achieved the object at which he aimed in arriving - safely: at Khar-: toum. A man of his character is not to be judged on half information, and though, public feeling will ;bei likely : to lash - itself into a passion at the indignity of England being implicated: in the . maintenance of slavery, public opinion .does not appear-to. be yet in a position to form itself as; to the real, merits of. the'.case; If he has expressed. his intention of not interfering, with slave, traffic. in the district .which: has: been .ceded to El Mahdi, it is probably because he has not the power nor the prospect of power to prevent it; while the cession of a vast territory to the Prophet is a recognition of his- right, to rule the territory in his own way. If, again, the proclamation refers to the portion or the Soudan of which Khartoum is vthe : centre, it is quite possible ; that the : proclamation is a work of expediency, necessitated by, the. circumstances of the hour; for we may feel absolute certainty that if -England is to . retain, ,:for ; Egypt or otherwise, possession of that portion . of ; .the Soudan, there will, be 110 toleration of the traffic in slaves under the flag of • England. . Diplomatists, as well as

Ganerals and rassed la these days bv n, emWwith which news e an^ ty which it moves the *ith whole nation. «» that delicacy 0 f treatment is rill, * m the critical relations between Pasha and his desert friends • ?? doa little « Oriental: finesse" i s Te '^ d . 4 » meeting the emergency, those fa! * removed from the scene of anxl?** 7 ' ; unacquainted with even a sha!) Snd the whole facts, are as are incompetent in pronouncing manly on the proceeding 8 Rl ®- We learn from the cablegrams t , 4 the news has fallen like-TUr l , 1 amo.g the people of Europe. of glad enough of .a reason for fi n J v iault with perfidious Albion" ' D '-' especially in her dealing v.-[lb Egyptian question. And this latest most repellant item of news ■ to be made the utmost of, to fan ready excited public of E n „f l against' the .vacillating and lu, policy of the Gladstone Ministry p" 7 we wait with confidence the sol u -: 0 n • this surprising and perplexin-"i n . kgence, and we feel certam Gordon Pasha will give a good accou* ot himself, and that the world £t find that neither he nor the Go; c merit that commissioned 'him has b involved in the disgrace of at or sanctioning the traffic in h u flesh. The destiny of England i s tl break the fetters of the slave, and ? ; what is alleged to have occurred' is cpptible of the interpretation put ™ it, we merely see in the incident a further proof-that.the work of j. in Egypt is yet .very far short of° CO m. pletion.