678 
THE SUDAN PAST AND PRESENT. 
The early history of this vast country is but imperfectly known. 
Roman sway did not extend below the second cataract, and it was not 
till 1820 that any attempt was made to subjugate this hitherto almost 
unexplored land. In this year the forces of Mohammed Ali reached 
Khartum, whence they divided up the Blue and White Niles. The 
town of Sennar which had formerly been renowned as a seat of 
learning, was captured by Ismail Pasha, who, on his return journey in 
1822, was treacherously burned at Shendi. 
The Egyptian authority was, however, gradually established, and 
sixteen years later the Sudan was visited by Mohammed Ali. 
A local revolt occurred in 1841, which was without much difficulty 
suppressed, and other large tracts of country annexed. 
Said Pasha has the credit of having attempted to establish a more 
orderly and beneficient form of government, but in 1865 a further 
revolt of the negro troops of the Khedive in the province of Taka 
brought about a renewal of the repressive measures, which bore bitter 
fruit later on. 
Meanwhile various geographical expeditions had greatly extended 
the knowledge of this dark country. A recollection of the memorable 
events connected with Burton and Speke's journey to Uganda has 
been recently revived by the stirring occurrences which have just taken 
place within the territory of the Imperial British East Africa Com¬ 
pany ; while Sir Samuel Baker's wonderful exploits, adventures, and 
discoveries in the regions of the White Nile to Albert Nyanza, have 
been over and over again referred to in the numerous works which 
the strange circumstances connected with Emin Pasha and his deliver¬ 
ance have given to the world. 
The annexation of these provinces was brought about by Ismail 
Pasha, pressed by the Powers, and especially by England, to suppress 
the slave trade. It was under his instructions that Sir Samuel Baker 
annexed Gondokoro and established Egyptian military posts almost as 
far south as the Equator, whilst other expeditions penetrated into the 
Bahr el Ghazal on the one side, and as far as Senheit in Abyssinia on 
the other. Sir Samuel Baker was in 1874 followed by General Gordon, 
who in 1877 became Governor-General of the Sudan. It was during 
this period of Gordon's residence in the Sudan that an event occurred 
which, though forgotten at the time, has quite recently become in¬ 
volved with some interest, and which may still have a more important 
bearing in the future. 
I refer to the suppression of Suleiman Zubeir's revolt in the Bahr el 
Ghazal at the hands of Gessi Pasha. It will be remembered that 
Gessi succeeded in breaking up this revolt and in executing Suleiman 
and eleven of his chiefs ; but a large portion of Suleiman's army 
succeeded in escaping with their arms and ammunition, and were 
entirely lost sight of in the stormy events occasioned by the Mahdi's 
revolt. But all this time the leader of the vanished portion of Sulei¬ 
man's army—known as Rabeh Zubeir—was not inactive ; it has only 
recently transpired that he quitted the Bahr el Ghazal, took up a 
position on the south-east confines of Wadai, and after incessant wars 
with the forces of that country, during which he made himself master 
