222 The Khedive on the Dongola Campaign [1896 



as guards. It would be better to say at once 'the men were unwilling 

 to go to a distance. He promised to bring Abu Shedid (head Sheykh 

 of the Howeytat) with him to-morrow to consult. 



" 2jth March. — A letter from Lady Lyfton. She tells me : ' Rhodes 

 knew about Jameson's advance on the Transvaal, but certainly not 

 Chamberlain, though he may have encouraged Rhodes too much.' Just 

 so. It means that Chamberlain told Rhodes not to tell him the de'tails, 

 but gave him to understand that he would be pleased at the fait ac- 

 compli. About the Soudan expedition she had great confidence in Lord 

 Salisbury, 'though ' one knows that what comes out in Parliament is all 

 arranged.' 



" 30th March. — Received a note from Abdin, granting me audience 

 of the Khedive for to-day, so to-day I went there. He asked me first 

 about our journey to Ghareb and Keneh, which interested him much, 

 but we soon got to politics. He gave me a full account of what hap- 

 pened regarding the advance on Dongola. The question was begun 

 soon after the battle of Adowa by the arrival in Egypt of our military- 

 attache at Rome (Slade?), when a council was held, 1 consisting of 

 Knollys, Kitchener, the attache, and Cromer. At this they decided to 

 send a force from Tokar 'to Kassala to take over that town from the 

 Italians and garrison it with Egyptian troops — this with the consent 

 of Italy, and Cromer telegraphed their decision to Lord Salisbury. 

 The Egyptian Government were not consulted, only informed of this, 

 and gave consent. After 'this they knew nothing till, on the 13th 

 March, Lord Cromer received a telegram from London, saying an im- 

 mediate advance on Dongola had been ordered. Kitchener was in bed, 

 and not at all expecting it. Neither he nor Cromer had recommended 

 it ; and, in fact, they disapproved. The next day was Beiram, and 

 after the mosque, Mustapha Fehmy was informed of it by Cromer or 

 Kitchener, I am not sure which, and i't was not till 7.30 that the Khedive 

 learnt it from Mustapha Fehmy. He refused his consent until a Coun- 

 cil of Ministers had been called, especially because of a demand made 

 that Suakim should be handed over to England. He disapproved of the 

 expedition on account of the hot time of year and the suffering of the 

 men and the increased cost of land transport at Low Nile, also because 

 it was made in no Egyptian interest. At the Council Kitchener with- 

 drew the demand for Suakim. When asked about it, he said that it 

 was not in question. Consent was then formally given to 'die rest of 

 plan. Cromer had since come to complain of his, Abbas', having 

 talked against the war, and had threatened to write against him in the 

 Blue Books. Abbas had answered that he objected on account of the 

 'time of year and the cost, not in itself to the re-occupation of Dongola. 

 ' Oh,' said Cromer, ' in that I am with you, but you ought to be glad 



1 A fortnight or three weeks before Beiram. 



