SLAVERY IN THE BAHR-EL-GHAZL. 421 



an answer to every letter asking for the approval of new 

 measures. The fact that this year, the first of real business, I 

 have been able to obtain for the Government a net revenue of 

 between five and six thousand pounds sterling proves that 

 the province can support itself, notwithstanding Gordon's oppo- 

 site opinion. Caoutchouc, oil, &c, are not included in this 

 estimate. 



January 31, 18S2. 



I have heard from Dr. Junker again to-day, and enclose his 

 letter, begging you not to publish anything in it which is not 

 geographical. This letter and those from Casati, which I like- 

 wise enclose, will, by the exceeding misery which they disclose, 

 furnish the best proof of what I have just asserted. It will 

 only be possible to produce salutary effects and to suppress 

 outrages in this country when it is separated from Khartum, 

 and possesses an administration armed with all requisite 

 authority. Here I sit gnashing my teeth and wasting my 

 time in writing for permission to do this, that, or the other, 

 which requests lead to nothing, while I might be up and 

 doing. I do not even yet know where my frontier lies on the 

 side towards that nest of slaves, the Bahr-el-Ghazal province, 

 and whenever I send a proposal to Khartum, it comes back 

 again without a decision. What use are all the compliments 

 showered on me and the politeness shown me ? It is known 

 that you write to me, and that I occasionally publish some 

 information ; hence all this attention. Junker has kept silence 

 hitherto, but when he returns, unless something is actually 

 done soon, he may make some disclosures which will be rather 

 unpleasant for the Egyptian Government. The capture ot 

 slaves, and the slave caravans which travel daily from the 

 southern districts northwards to the Bahr-el-Ghazal territory, 

 and, alas ! to Rumbek also, are undeniable facts. When I 

 wrote to Khartum, asking that Wando's and Kifa's territories 

 might be placed under my command, so that I might erect two 

 or three military stations there, and be able to render the 

 transit of slaves impossible, I received the answer that the 

 chiefs of those districts would perhaps be displeased if they 

 were annexed to this territory. Naturally one loses all inclina- 



