Memorandum from Sir Garnet Wolseley, 1st Baron

Wolseley writes to SCC regarding a conversation he had with General Charles Gordon on 15 January 1884. He writes that Gordon believes it preferable to evacuate Sudan and blames the Egyptian governors for causing the rebellion. He writes that in Eastern Sudan, they should announce to the people that they are now responsible for their governance and ensure this is carried out by English officers independant of the Egyptian authorities. He writes that the tribes that make up the Mahdi rebels in Sudan do not trust one another and writes further on how this can be exploited. He writes that Gordon suggested he goes to Suakin and reports on the situation there to Sir Evelyn Baring before any final decisions are made on an evacuation. He reports that Gordon praised the Sudanese people for resisting the Egyptian Pashas. He reports that reconquering Sudan would be very expensive but he could possibly break up the rebel tribes for a fractional cost. Sent from: London, date stamped, 4 Feb.

Arranged in accordance with ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description, Second Edition, Ottawa 2000 and The Devonshire Collection Cataloguing Guidelines.

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