eminent victorians-第45章

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with　Gordon　himself；　to　send　him　on　a　mission　which　involved；　not



the　reconquest；　but　the　abandonment　of　the　Sudan；　Gordon；　indeed；



when　he　was　actually　approached　by　Lord　Wolseley；　had　apparently　

agreed　to　become　the　agent　of　a　policy　which　was　exactly　the　

reverse　of　his　own。　No　doubt；　too；　it　is　possible　for　a　

subordinate　to　suppress　his　private　convictions　and　to　carry　out　

loyally；　in　spite　of　them；　the　orders　of　his　superiors。　But　how　

rare　are　the　qualities　of　self…control　and　wisdom　which　such　a　

subordinate　must　possess！　And　how　little　reason　there　was　to　

think　that　General　Gordon　possessed　them！



In　fact；　the　conduct　of　the　Government　wears　so　singular　an　

appearance　that　it　has　seemed　necessary　to　account　for　it　by　some



ulterior　explanation。　It　has　often　been　asserted　that　the　true　

cause　of　Gordon's　appointment　was　the　clamour　in　the　Press。　It　is



said　among　others；　by　Sir　Evelyn　Baring　himself；　who　has　given　

something　like　an　official　sanction　to　this　view　of　the　case

that　

the　Government　could　not　resist　the　pressure　of　the　newspapers　

and　the　feeling　in　the　country　which　it　indicated；　that　

Ministers；　carried　off　their　feet　by　a　wave　of　'Gordon　cultus'；　

were　obliged　to　give　way　to　the　inevitable。　But　this　suggestion　

is　hardly　supported　by　an　examination　of　the　facts。　Already；　

early　in　December；　and　many　weeks　before　Gordon's　name　had　begun　

to　figure　in　the　newspapers；　Lord　Granville　had　made　his　first　

effort　to　induce　Sir　Evelyn　Baring　to　accept　Gordon's　services。　

The　first　newspaper　demand　for　a　Gordon　mission　appeared　in　the　

〃Pall　Mall　Gazette〃　on　the　afternoon　of　January　9th；　and　the　very



next　morning；　Lord　Granville　was　making　his　second　telegraphic　

attack　upon　Sir　Evelyn　Baring。　The　feeling　in　the　Press　did　not　

become　general　until　the　11th；　and　on　the　14th　Lord　Granville；　in



his　telegram　to　Mr。　Gladstone；　for　the　third　time　proposed　the　

appointment　of　Gordon。　Clearly；　on　the　part　of　Lord　Granville　at　

any　rate；　there　was　no　extreme　desire　to　resist　the　wishes　of　the



Press。　Nor　was　the　Government　as　a　whole　by　any　means　incapable　

of　ignoring　public　opinion；　a　few　months　were　to　show　that；　

plainly　enough。　It　is　difficult　to　avoid　the　conclusion　that　if　

Ministers　had　been　opposed　to　the　appointment　of　Gordon；　he　would



never　have　been　appointed。　As　it　was；　the　newspapers　were　in　fact



forestalled；　rather　than　followed；　by　the　Government。



How；　then；　are　we　to　explain　the　Government's　action？　Are　we　to　

suppose　that　its　members；　like　the　members　of　the　public　at　

large；　were　themselves　carried　away　by　a　sudden　enthusiasm；　a　

sudden　conviction　that　they　had　found　their　saviour；　that　General



Gordon　was　the　manthey　did　not　quite　know　why；　but　that　was　of　

no　consequencethe　one　man　to　get　them　out　of　the　whole　Sudan　

difficultythey　did　not　quite　know　how；　but　that　was　of　no　

consequence　either　if　only　he　were　sent　to　Khartoum？　Doubtless　

even　Cabinet　Ministers　are　liable　to　such　impulses；　doubtless　it　

is　possible　that　the　Cabinet　of　that　day　allowed　itself　to　drift；



out　of　mere　lack　of　consideration；　and　judgment；　and　foresight；　

along　the　rapid　stream　of　popular　feeling　towards　the　inevitable　

cataract。　That　may　be　so；　yet　there　are　indications　that　a　more　

definite　influence　was　at　work。　There　was　a　section　of　the　

Government　which　had　never　become　quite　reconciled　to　the　policy　

of　withdrawing　from　the　Sudan。　To　this　sectionwe　may　call　it　

the　imperialist　sectionwhich　was　led；　inside　the　Cabinet；　by　

Lord　Hartington；　and　outside　by　Lord　Wolseley；　the　policy　which　

really　commended　itself　was　the　very　policy　which　had　been　

outlined　by　General　Gordon　in　his　interview　with　Mr。　Stead　and

his　

letter　to　Sir　Samuel　Baker。　They　saw　that　it　might　be　necessary　

to　abandon　some　of　the　outlying　parts　of　the　Sudan　to　the　Mahdi；　

but　the　prospect　of　leaving　the　whole　province　in　his　hands　was　

highly　distasteful　to　them；　above　all；　they　dreaded　the　loss　of　

Khartoum。　Now；　supposing　that　General　Gordon；　in　response　to　a　

popular　agitation　in　the　Press；　were　sent　to　Khartoum；　what　would



follow？　Was　it　not　at　least　possible　that；　once　there；　with　his　

views　and　his　character；　he　would；　for　some　reason　or　other；　

refrain　from　carrying　out　a　policy　of　pacific　retreat？　Was　it　not



possible　that　in　that　case　he　might　so　involve　the　English　

Government　that　it　would　find　itself　obliged；　almost　

imperceptibly　perhaps；　to　substitute　for　its　policy　of　withdrawal



a　policy　of　advance？　Was　it　not　possible　that　General　Gordon　

might　get　into　difficulties；　that　he　might　be　surrounded　and　cut　

off　from　Egypt'？　If　that　were　to　happen；　how　could　the　English　

Government　avoid　the　necessity　of　sending　an　expedition　to　rescue



him？　And；　if　an　English　expedition　went　to　the　Sudan；　was　it　

conceivable　that　it　would　leave　the　Mahdi　as　it　found　him？　In　

short；　would　not　the　dispatch　of　General　Gordon　to　Khartoum　

involve；　almost　inevitably；　the　conquest　of　the　Sudan　by　British　

troops；　followed　by　a　British　occupation？　And；　behind　all　these　

questions；　a　still　larger　question　loomed。　The　position　of　the　

English　in　Egypt　itself　was　still　ambiguous；　the　future　was　

obscure；　how　long；　in　reality；　would　an　English　army　remain　in　

Egypt？　Was　not　one　thing；　at　least；　obvious　that　if　the　English



were　to　conquer　and　occupy　the　Sudan；　their　evacuation　of　Egypt　

would　become　impossible？



With　our　present　information；　it　would　be　rash　to　affirm　that　

all；　or　any；　of　these　considerations　were　present　to　the　minds　of



the　imperialist　section　of　the　Government。　Yet　it　is　difficult　to



believe　that　a　man　such　as　Lord　Wolseley；　for　instance；　with　his　

knowledge　of　affairs　and　his　knowledge　of　Gordon；　could　have　

altogether　overlooked　them。　Lord　Hartington；　indeed；　may　well　

have　failed　to　realise　at　once　the　implications　of　General　

Gordon's　appointment　for　it　took　Lord　Hartington　some　time　to　

realise　the　implications　of　anything；　but　Lord　Hartington　was　

very　far　from　being　a　fool；　and　we　may　well　suppose　that　he　

instinctively；　perhaps　subconsciously；　apprehended　the　elements　

of　a　situation　which　he　never　formulated　to　himself。　However　that



may　be；　certain　circumstances　are　significant。　It　is　significant　

that　the　go…between　who　acted　as　the　Government's　agent　in　its　

negotiations　with　Gordon　was　an　imperialist　Lord　Wolseley。　It　

is　significant　that　the　'Ministers'　whom　Gordon　finally

interviewed；　

and　who　actually　determined　his　appointment　were　by　no　means　the

whole　

of　the　Cabinet；　but　a　small　section　of　it；　presided　over　by　Lord

Hartington。　

It　is　significant；　too；　that　Gordon's　mission　was　represented

both　to　Sir　

Evelyn　Baring；　who　was　opposed　to　his　appointment；　and　to　Mr。

Gladstone；　who　

was　opposed　to　an　active　policy　in　the　Sudan；　as　a　mission　merely

'to　

report'；　while；　no　sooner　was　the　mission　actually　decided　upon；　

than　it　began　to　assume　a　very　different　complexion。　In　his　final



interview　with　the　'Ministers'；　Gordon　we　know　（though　he　said　

nothing　about　it　to　the　Rev。　Mr　Barnes）　threw　out　the　suggestion　

that　it　might　be　as　well　to　make　him　the　Governor…General　of　the　

Sudan。　The　suggestion；　for　the　moment；　was　not　taken　up；　but　it　

is　obvious　that　a　man　does　not　propose　to　become　a　Governor…

General　in　order　to　make　a　report。



We　are　in　the　region　of　speculations；　one　other　presents　itself。　

Was　the　movement　in　the　Press　during　that　second　week　of　January　

a　genuine　movement；　expressing　a　spontaneous　wave　of　popular　

feeling？　Or　was　it　a　cause　of　that　feeling；　rather　than　an　

effect？　The　engineering　of　a　newspaper　agitation　may　not　have　

been　an　impossibility　even　so　long　ago　as　1884。　One　would　like　

to　know　more　than　one　is　ever　likely　to　know　of　the　relations　of　

the　imperialist　section　of　the　Government　with　Mr。　Stead。



But　it　is　time　to　return　to　the　solidity　of　fact。　Within　a　few　

hours　of　his　interview　with　the　Ministers；　Gordon　had　left　

England　forever。　At　eight　o'clock　in　the　evening；　there　was　a　

little　gathering　of　elderly　gentlemen　at　Victoria　Station。　

Gordon；　accompanied　by　Colonel　Stewart；　who　was　to　act　as　his　

second…in…command；　tripped　on　to　the　platform。　Lord　Granville　

bought　the　necessary　tickets；　the　Duke　of　Cambridge　opened　the　

railway…carriage　door。　The　General　jumped　into　the　train；　and　

then　Lord　Wolseley　appeared；　carrying　a　leather　bag；　in　which　was



￡200　in　gold；　collected　from　friends　at　the　last　moment　for　the　

contingencies　of　the　journey。　The　bag　was　handed　through　the　

window。　The　train　started。　As　it　did　so；　Gordon　leaned　out　and　

addressed　a　last　whispered　question　to　Lord　Wolseley。　Yes；　it　had



been　done。　Lord　Wolseley　had　seen　to　it　himself；　next　morning；　

every　member　of　the　Cabinet　would　receive　a　copy　of　Dr。　Samuel　

Clarke's　Scripture　Promises。　That　was　all。　The　train　rolled　out　

of　the　station。



Before　the　travellers　reached　Cairo；　steps　had　been　taken　which　

finally　put　an　end　to　the　theory　if　it　had　ever　been　seriously　

held　that　the　purpose　of　the　mission　was　simply　the　making　of　a



report。　On　the　very　day　of　Gordon's　departure；　Lord　Granville　

telegraphed　to　Sir　Evelyn　Baring　as　follows：　'Gordon　suggests　

that　it　may　be　announced　in　Egypt　that　he　is　on　his　way　to　

Khartoum　to　arrange　for　the　future　settlement　of　the　Sudan　for　

the　best　advantage　of　the　people。'　Nothing　was　said　of　

reporting。　A　few　days　later；　Gordon　himself　telegraphed　to　Lord　

Granville　suggesting　that　he　should　be　made　Governor…General　of　

the　Sudan；　in　order　to　'accomplish　the　evacuation'；　and　to　

'restore　to　the　various　Sultans　of　the　Sudan　their　independence'。



Lord　Granville　at　once　authorised　Sir　Evelyn　Baring　to　issue；　if　

he　thought　fit；　a　proclamation　to　this　effect　in　the　name　of　the　

Khedive。　Thus　the　mission　'to　report'　had　already　swollen　into　a　

Governor…Generalship；　with　the　object；　not　merely　of　effecting　

the　evacuation　of　the　Sudan；　but　also　of　setting　up　'various　

Sultans'　to　take　the　place　of　the　Egyptian　Government。



In　Cairo；　in　spite　of　the　hostilities　of　the　past；　Gordon　was　

received　with　every　politeness。　He　was　at　once　proclaimed　

Governor…General　of　the　Sudan；　with　the　widest　powers。　He　was　on　

the　point　of　starting　off　again　on　his　journey　southwards；　when　a



singular　and　important　incident　occurred。　Zobeir；　the　rebel　

chieftain　of　Darfur；　against　whose　forces　Gordon　had　struggled　

for　years；　and　whose　son；　Suleiman；　had　been　captured　and　

executed　by　Gessi；　Gordon's　lieutenant；　was　still　detained　at　

Cairo。　It　so　fell　out　that　he　went　to　pay　a　visit　to　one　of　the　

Ministers　at　the　same　time　as　the　new　Governor…General。　The　two　

men　met　face　to　face；　and；　as　he　looked　into　the　savage　

countenance　of　his　old　enemy；　an　extraordinary　shock　of　

inspiration　ran　through　Gord