1885-1891] Chronology of Events 465 



1885 Gordon. It arrives too late, Khartoum having fallen to the Mahdi 

 and Gordon having been slain. 



Wolseley's army is ordered home. The Soudan is abandoned south 

 of Wady Haifa. ' 



Gladstone resigns office, and is succeeded by Salisbury. 



Salisbury sends Drummond Wolff to Constantinople to arrange 

 terms with the Sultan for evacuating Egypt. 



News of the Mahdi's death. 



1886 Feb. — Gladstone returns to power. He continues the occupation 

 of Egypt. The Drummond Wolff Mission makes no progress. 



1887 Salisbury, once more in office, renews negotiations for evacuating 

 Egypt. 



22nd May. — The Drummond Wolff Convention is signed. It pro- 

 vides that the British troops are to be withdrawn from Egypt at the 

 end of three years, unless prevented by external or internal danger: 

 on ratification the Powers to be invited to recognize and guarantee 

 Egypt's territorial inviolability ; the Ottoman Government reserves a 

 right to occupy Egypt in above said cases of danger, but failing to 

 restore order, England may reoccupy. 



A Turkish Commissioner is appointed to reside permanently at 

 Cairo, representing the Sultan's authority. 



France, supported by Russia, threatens the Sultan with hostility if 

 he should ratify the Convention, and at the last moment he refuses his 

 signature, although Queen Victoria had already signed. 



Salisbury, regarding the Sultan's refusal as an insult to her Maj- 

 esty, resolves to remain in Egypt, with or without legal warrant. 



Cromer's policy of the Veiled Protectorate. 



The Franco-Russian Alliance dates from this incident. 



Stanley's Expedition up the Congo. 



1888 Italy joins Germany and Austria in the Triple Alliance. 

 Kaiser Wilhelm II succeeds his father as Emperor. 



1890 Treaty of Madrid assigning joint powers of Protection to the Great 

 Powers, including Germany, over Morocco. 



Bismarck is dismissed by Kaiser Wilhelm II. 



France fortifies Bizerta contrary to agreement, and talks of annex- 

 ing Tunis. 



Crispi complains of this in London as menacing the balance of 

 power in the Mediterranean. His agent, Catalani, is assured by Sal- 

 isbury that England would be willing, but advises " Not yet." 

 " Sportsmen," he says to Catalani, " do not fire until the stag is within 

 range." 



Crispi thereupon commences an intrigue against the Sultan in Trip- 

 oli with Hassouna Caramanli, representative of the former Deys of 

 Tripoli, but Italy having sustained a defeat in Abyssinia, Crispi is 

 driven from office and the project of Tripoli is for the time aban- 

 doned. 



1891 The French, defeated in Tonkin, moderate their Colonial policy. 



