One hundred years ago
A very serious incident has occurred in the Sudan. The Egyptian Government has received information from the Governor of Khartoum that the 'False Prophet' there, who was arrested in 1879, took advantage of the contest with Arabi to raise a new force, destroyed an Egyptian army sent against him, and is now besieging Khartoum, with 20,000 Nubian followers. The Governor demands reinforcements and, of course, there are none to send. The Ministry, therefore, propose to raise a scratch ar- my of blacks, who will probably desert. It is rumoured, according to the latest intelligence that Khartoum has fallen; and Sir Charles Dilke, on Thursday, though he spoke of exaggerations, ad- mitted that the news was serious. Mr Gladstone, moreover, in his speech on Sir Garnet Wolseley, rather pointedly spoke of the Sudan as if it were an in- tegral part of Egypt, and within the ter- ritory which it was our duty to release from anarchy. If the False Prophet is only a negro leader, he may be easily defeated, though it will take English troops to do it; but if he is acting for 'the Mehdi', the Teacher whom Mussul- mans expect on 12 November, the day on which their creed will be twelve cen- turies old, he may give serious trouble. The whole organisation of the Senioussia, which covers Arab Africa with monasteries in regions beyond European ken, will be at his back, as will half the population of Upper Egypt.
Spectator, 28 October 1882
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