k putting him in a subordinate
position. Hicks must be made Governor-General, otherwise he will never
end things satisfactorily." At the same time, he came to the
conclusion that there was only one man who could save Egypt, and that
was Nubar Pasha. He wrote:--"If they do not make Nubar Pasha Prime
Minister or Regent in Egypt they will have trouble, as he is the only
man who can rule that country." This testimony to Nubar's capacity is
the more remarkable and creditable, as in earlier days Gordon had not
appreciated the merit of a statesman who has done more for Egypt than
any other of his generation. But at a very early stage of the Soudan
troubles Gordon convinced himself that the radical cause of these
difficulties and misfortunes was not the shortcomings and errors of
any particular subordinate, but the complete want of a definite policy
on the part, not of the Khedive and his advisers, but of the British
Government itself. He wrote on this point to a friend (2nd September
1883), almost the day that Hicks was to march from Khartoum:--

"Her Majesty's Government, right or wrong, will not take a
decided step _in re_ Egypt and the Soudan; they drift, but at the
same time cannot avoid the _onus_ of being the real power in
Egypt, with the corresponding advantage of being so. It is
undoubtedly the fact that they maintain Tewfik and the Pashas in
power against the will of the people; this alone is insufferable
from disgusting the people, to whom also Her Majesty's Government
have given no inducement to make themselves popular. Their
present action is a dangerous one, for without any advantage over
the Canal or to England, they keep a running sore open with
France, and are acting in a way which will justify Russia to act
in a similar way in Armenia, and Austria in Salonica. Further
than that, Her Majesty's Government must eventually gain the
odium which will fall upon them when the interest of the debt
fails to be paid, which will soon be the case. Also, Her
Majesty's Government cannot possibly avoid the responsibility for
the state of affairs in the Soudan, where a wretched war drags on
in a ruined country at a cost of half a million per annum at
least. I say therefore to avoid all this, _if Her Majesty's
Government will not act firmly and strongly and take the country_
(which, if I were they, I would not do), let them