224 HISTORY OF THE PROTECTORATE TERRITORIES 



Mombasa included, of tlie Sultan of Zanzil.ar. Sir Julm Kirk was then 

 the British representative at the coui't of the Zanzibar " sayyid,'' or sultan. 

 He was hoping to see the growth of a large, prosperous, and well-governed 

 Arab state over East Africa between Somaliland on the north and the 

 Portuguese possessions on the south, and inland as far as the great lakes. 

 This state, he hoped, would eventually come under a sufficiency of British 

 protection or control to prevent the intermeddling of other European 

 powers, and to secure an unhampered field for l^ritish commerce. ^Nlutesa 

 had heard from the English missionaries of Sir John Kirk, and had 

 conmienced a correspondence with him. Sir John Kirk had intervened to 

 send away tlie fleet of ^Mcfiillop Pasha, and had prevented the Egyptian 

 Government from laying liold of the Sultan of Zanzibar's possessions south 

 of Somaliland. He now made a certain intervention on behalf of Uganda, 

 and his representations through the British Foreign Office restrained General 

 (lordon from establishing the Egyptian power south of the Victoria Nile. 



In 1884 .Mutesa died, and was succeeded by liis son IMwanga. ^Iwanga 

 was a youth of very vicious tastes, and introduced ])ractices into liis 

 court of an indescribable nature, only to be alluded to in Latin 

 phrases which might be borrowed from the works of Suetonius. He 

 very soon came into collision with Christianity. Both the Anglican 

 and Roman converts steadily refused to join in his orgies. Several cruel 

 executions followed, and the persecution of both Christians and Muham- 

 niadans became so vehement that, despite the almost religious reverence 

 which was paid to the sacred person of the king in Uganda, a strong 

 feeling grew up for the deposition of INIwanga. King Mutesa during his 

 later years had been less afraid of ]Muhammadanism, and had decidedly 

 acquiesced in the settlement of Arabs in his country both as traders and 

 religious teachers. His half-brotlier ^Mbogo had become a Muhammadan,* 

 and numbers of other Baganda had been converted to Islam. Many of 

 these people, in fact, had travelled to the coast, returning with Arab 

 caravans, and had joined the Muhammadan faith at Zanzilmr. 



In the late 'seventies a great revival of Arab enterprise had taken 

 place, firstly in matters of commerce, and secondlv not unconnected with 

 a desire to establish an Arab rule over the countries of inner Africa. 

 Arab t caravans had pushed boldly inland from the ^lombasa coast, feeling 

 their way along the direct route to the Victoria Nyanza. In this way 



* Mbogo was once for a brief time made king over Uganda. He Las always 

 been a loyal adherent of the British Government, is now regarded as the ofKcial 

 head of the Muhammadans in Uganda, and receives a yearly pension. 



t When I say "Arab" in dealing with periods since 1850, I must be taken to 

 include black men with only a proportion of Arab blood in their veins, as Avell 

 as pale-complexioned, long-bearded Arabs from Southern and Eastern Arabia. 



