e but tenacious of
liberty, are seen to resist with fury the philanthropic invaders, and
to perish in thousands before they are convinced of their mistake. The
inevitable gap between conquest and dominion becomes filled with the
figures of the greedy trader, the inopportune missionary, the ambitious
soldier, and the lying speculator, who disquiet the minds of the
conquered and excite the sordid appetites of the conquerors. And as
the eye of thought rests on these sinister features, it hardly seems
possible for us to believe that any fair prospect is approached by so
foul a path.

From 1819 to 1883 Egypt ruled the Soudan. Her rule was not kindly,
wise, or profitable. Its aim was to exploit, not to improve the local
population. The miseries of the people were aggravated rather than
lessened: but they were concealed. For the rough injustice of the
sword there were substituted the intricacies of corruption and bribery.
Violence and plunder were more hideous, since they were cloaked with
legality and armed with authority. The land was undeveloped and poor.
It barely sustained its inhabitants. The additional burden of a
considerable foreign garrison and a crowd of rapacious officials
increased the severity of the economic conditions. Scarcity
was frequent. Famines were periodical. Corrupt and incapable
Governors-General succeeded each other at Khartoum with bewildering
rapidity. The constant changes, while they prevented the continuity
of any wise policy, did not interrupt the misrule. With hardly any
exceptions, the Pashas were consistent in oppression. The success of
their administration was measured by the Ministries in Egypt by the
amount of money they could extort from the natives; among the officials
in the Soudan, by the number of useless offices they could create. There
were a few bright examples of honest men, but these, by providing a
contrast, only increased the discontents.

The rule of Egypt was iniquitous: yet it preserved the magnificent
appearance of Imperial dominion. The Egyptian Pro-consul lived in state
at the confluence of the Niles. The representatives of foreign Powers
established themselves in the city. The trade of the south converged
upon Khartoum. Thither the subordinate governors, Beys and Mudirs,
repaired at intervals to report the state of their provinces and to
receive instructions. Thither were sent the ivory of Equatoria, the
ostrich feathers of Kordofan, gum from Darfur, grain from Sennar,