1208                       FOREIGN RELATIONS.

tify. True, but scenes such as I have depicted are not to be met with in
modern
history. Sir Samuel may be able to cite instances somewhat similar from sacred
his-
tory, but not otherwise.
   I am at a loss to understand why Sir Samuel and Mr. Baker should have
such a hor-
 ror at Abou Saood being appointed Colonel Gordon's agent, when Sir Samuel
ap-
 pointed Mahomed Wat El-Mek to be his vakeel, and sent him down from Fatiev
to
 Gondokoro to make cattle-raids on our neighbors, for the purpose of paying
the natives
 of the Laboria tribe to act as porters to Sir Samuel. Perhaps the fact of
the Khedive
 treating with contempt a proposal of Sir Samuel's to appoint Mr. Baker,
"a very
 young man who served as a midshipman in the British navy," to succeed
him as the
 governor of Central Africa, and also Colonel Gordon's refusal to appoint
him to theý
 situation now filled by Abou Sooad, may in a measure account for it. This
man Ma-
 homed Wat El-Mek, is described by Sir Samuel in his very interesting romance
on
 the Albert Nyanza as a most blood-thirsty villaini, steeped in crime, and
the great curse-
 of the country.
   Since I last wrote to the Mail I have had a letter from Sir Samuel, in
which he states,
 he is exceedingly hurt at my letter, and is astonished I had not expressed
my opinion
 of his mode of conducting the expedition when I was in daily communication
with
 him in Gondokoro. I can only say it would not have been conducive to my
comfort,
 to have done so, and would have been an impertinence to my commander-in-chief.
 Sir Samuel stipulated in the contract made with Dr. Gedge and Mr. Higginbot-
 tam that they would not write anything connected with the expedition to
the news-
 papers during their service, or publish any book on the expedition for the
space of two,
 years after its completion. I am under no such restraint, although Sir Samuel
often
 entreated us not to write to our friends about the harsh measures he had
used toward
 the natives, as he said they would possibly not understand them.
 Sir Samuel has lately written to some of my companions in misery, requesting
them
 to write something about the expedition with a view to contradict my statements.
I-
 await their communications with confidence, feeling assured that they will
bear me
 out in the description of what occurred under our own eyes in Africa.
      I remain, sir, your obedient servant,
                                                         J. M'WILLIAM,
                                        Chief IEpineer late White N7ile Expedition.
  8 BALIORAL TERRACE, ABERDEEN.


                     COLONEL GORDON'S EXPEDITION.
To the Editot':
  SIR: Having just seen a letter from Sir Samuel Baker in your issue of the
24th"
ultimo, which is calculated (through ignorance I am convinced, of the real
circum--
stances) to give erroneous impressions, it becomes my duty, as Colonel Gordon's
repre-
sentative here, to lay the following facts before the public, which place
under a totally
different aspect the occurrences which Sir Samuel complains of:
  1. Abou Saood was not "released as soon as Sir Samuel Baker's back
was turned."'
  2. Abou Saood was not "appointed by the Khedive as Colonel Gordon's
right-hand

  The real facts are that upon Colonel Gordon's own solicitation to His Highness
the Khedive, after he had made himself acquainted with all the circumstances,
Abou
Saood was set at liberty, and is now on his way to join the expedition.
  In conclusion, as an old resident in Egypt, and officially in frequent
direct communi-
cation with the Soudan, let me beg the public to withhold their judgment
on the rea-
sons which led to the unsuccessful termination of Sir Samuel Baker's expedition
until
they have before them evidence in addition to that of Sir Samuel Baker and
his.
nephew.
      Your obedient servant,
                                                         CURSON TOMPON.
  CAIRO, August S.


                              [Inclosure 2 in No. 23-.1
                        [From the London Mail of Juny 27, 1574.]
                     COLONEL GORDON'S EXPEDITION.
  We have been favored with a copy of a letter written by one of the gentlemen
at-
t ached to Colonel Gordon's expedition to his father, which gives the most
recent intel-
ligence on the progress made in e~stablishing a base of operations at Gondokoro.
WVe
understand that the application Colonel Gordon made to the Khedive to ask
our gov--
ernment to permit two officers of the royal engineers to join his staff has
been acceded
to, and that in consequence the gentlemen named will very soon embark for
Egypt.