ITALY. 



459 



Amer tribe. Evidently a concentrated move- 

 ment was planned between the secret and open 

 enemies of the Italians and the dervishes to fall 

 upon the occupying force, which was remote 

 from the base of operations, and drive it out of 

 Bogosland. These events suggested the advisa- 

 bility of extending the defensive frontier by 

 gaining possession of Kassala, which was cov- 

 eted for the further reason that it would extend 

 the field of trading operations into a new region 

 capable of great development. However impor- 

 tant the co-operation of the Italians would be for 

 the ultimate pacification of the Soudan, the Eng- 

 lish were unwilling to admit a commercial com- 

 petitor into a region reserved for British ex- 

 ploitation. After African delimitation treaties 

 had been concluded by England with Germany 

 and France, the Italian Government proposed a 

 conference to settle the boundaries between its 

 possessioTis on the Red Sea coast and the British 

 sphere. The negotiations were intrusted to Sir 

 Evelyn Baring, the British agent in Egypt, who 

 went to Italy in September, 1890, accompanied 

 by Gen. Sir Francis Grenfell as his adviser on 

 the military aspects of the controversy. The 

 Italian Government proposed that the line 

 should be drawn about half-way between Suakin 

 and Massowah. The English were entirely will- 

 ing to concede the coast district claimed, as it is 

 of no value, either strategically or commercially, 

 but none of the Hinterland, which would in- 

 clude Kassala and Atbara, and if extended west- 

 ward would take in the Blue and White Niles 

 and their junction at Khartoum. The Nile 

 regions Italy had no intention of claiming, for 

 it belongs geographically and historically within 

 the Egyptian sphere ; but by the same titles she 

 claimed Kassala as a necessary part of the sphere 

 in which she had established her influence with 

 the approval of Great Britain. Ethnologically, 

 it forms part of the domain of the Beni-Amer 

 and other tribes taken under her protection and 

 subsidized at a heavy cost as a bulwark against 

 the dervishes. Without it her dominion over 

 these Arab tribes could never be consolidated, 

 but would be disputed and remain always a sub- 

 ject of contention and a cause of friction be- 

 tween Italians and Englishmen, although with- 

 out their allegiance the port of Massowah would 

 lose much of its value. The commercial impor- 

 tance of Kassala is very great. The Italians if 

 established there could' tap the trade of the Sou- 

 dan and draw a large part of it to Massowah. 

 Before 1882 much of the trade was actually cen- 

 tered in this place. From the strategical point 

 of view the possession of Kassala was regarded 

 by the Italians as indispensable to the security 

 of their advanced positions at Keren and As- 

 mara so long as these were threatened by Osman 

 Digma. The English were disposed at first .to 

 urge the strategical importance to themselves of 

 a position that, flanked the Berber route and, if 

 held by a foreign power, menaced Khartoum, 

 but abandoned this argument, which they could 

 not put forward with good grace after 'having 

 conceded still more commanding military posi- 

 tions to Germany as soon as a better one was 

 furnished by the' Egyptians, more particularly 

 the element hostile to England, who raised an 

 outcry against the surrender of any part of the 

 former dominion. In Italy the agitation was re- 



garded as unreasonable and perhaps a factitious 

 one fomented for the purposes of the moment. 

 Kassala was never anything more to Egypt than 

 an outpost against Abyssinian aggression, which 

 need be no longer feared since Abyssinia is 

 under Italian influence. The Italian minis- 

 ter urged that Kassala is the key of Abyssinia, 

 and that so long as it is in the possession of the 

 dervishes, Abyssinia, for the safety of which 

 Italy is responsible, is in constant danger of at- 

 tack. He, therefore, asked that either Egypt or 

 England should go to Kassala ; in which case the 

 Italians would have neighbors that they could 

 trust, or that England should give consent to 

 its military occupation by the Italians. The 

 views of the two governments being so diverg- 

 ent, the Italian representative proposed, as a 

 temporary arrangement, that his Government 

 be allowed to occupy and hold Kassala with its 

 troops for its own protection, since the Anglo- 

 Egyptian authorities could not maintain peace 

 and order. Sir Evelyn Baring was willing to 

 accept this compromise, provided the Italian 

 Government formally acknowledged the Egyp- 

 tian right to Kassala, and would engage to with- 

 draw its garrison and hand over the place to 

 Egypt as soon as the Egyptian Government 

 should send troops to occupy the district. For 

 the capture of Kassala an expedition would be 

 required that might entail heavy sacrifices, and 

 therefore the Italian Government would not 

 agree to restore the town to Egypt and abandon 

 the claims of Abyssinia after performing the 

 work that belonged to Egypt if her claims to 

 the place were just, but offered to reserve all 

 rights that Egypt now possessed, and leave the 

 question after the object of the occupation 

 had been accomplished in the same position as 

 at present. Italian forces would take Kassala 

 and continue the occupation until Egyptian or 

 English troops were ready to resume possession, 

 when the question would be made the subject 

 of negotiations. Neither Government was will- 

 ing to make further concessions, and at this 

 point the conferences were broken off on Oct. 10. 

 A few days afterward the Sultan of Turkey sent 

 out a diplomatic note of the same tenor as the 

 one issued at the time of the Italian annexation 

 of Massowah, declaring that no one is entitled, 

 without his assent as suzerain of Egypt, to ac- 

 quire or cede any part of the Egyptian domin- 

 ions. In an incidental allusion to Tripoli, he 

 said that he would defend it against foreign oc- 

 cupation as long as he has a ship or a soldier 

 left. An arrangement with England was sub- 

 sequently made, allowing Italian troops to be 

 sent to Kassala. 



The Italian Government hopes to divert a large 

 part of the emigration to Africa and to develop 

 a trade that will bring in rich returns to Italian 

 industry and commerce. The cost to the Gov- 

 ernment of the colonial enterprise from 1882 to 

 1890 was about 100,000,000 lire. Gen. Gandolfe, 

 who was appointed civil and military Governor 

 of the possessions on the Red Sea, announced 

 when he entered on his office on July 1, 1890, 

 that military rule was at an end, and that he 

 would endeavor to make the people understand 

 the benefits of civilization, adding that he would 

 respect all religious beliefs and protect the in- 

 terests of natives and Europeans alike. 



