The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1888-04-24
A GORDON CONTROVERSY.

General GOrdon'S Bible, IN which
the Queen charges the Gladstone
Ministry with case desertion of Gen
eral Gordon. The London Star, in
recalling " the facts as they bear upon
the Gordon mission to Khartoum,"
says that it will not be difficult to
show that there was no desertion,
and that in saying the contrary the
Queen has been most unjust to the
late Prime Minister" Evidence is
then given under "Chinese Cor
don's own hand, in memoranda,
letters, kilograms and diary entries,
showing that he invited his fate and
that he sbsolved the Government
entirely from responsibility for any
trouble that might befall him.
In his voyage across the Mediter-
ranean, General Gordon wrote his
opinion that the British Government
was justified in ordering the evaeua-
tion of the Soudan. At Abu Hamid, he
expressed his trust that, with Gods
help, security will be restored in the
Soudan after a month";" A few days
later, after the fall of Tokar, the Gen
eral advised against the advance of
General Graham upon Berber.
Arrived at Khartoum, Gordon de
iberately suppressed the Khedive's
firman, carried in his pocket, init
mating that the Soudan was to be
abandoned, and, as the London paper
says, had this firman been made
known to the people, Gordon might
have been alive to-day" Upon his
own admission he might have brought
away the garrisons had he obeyed
his instructions, and treated the
Mahdi as an honorable enemy. He
writes of having repulsed ENJOYS
from the Mahdi, saying: " Leave the
letter and go back. I will not let
you III. 1t is of no use any more
writing" That the General was in
subordinate he owned under his own
hand as follows:
own to having been very insubor-
dinate to her Majesty's Government
and its officials; but it is my nature,
and l can't help it. l know if [
was chief [ would never employ my
self, for | am incorrigible.n
Mr.. Gladstone's defender, from
whose article this is summarized, says,
with proof supplied by the late
General:
Mr.. Gladstone, we are told by the
Queen, should have sent out the Re
lief Expedition months before it
started. Mr.. Gladstone, as we hold,
ought never to have sent it; but as
Stunning that Gordon had done his
duty, it would have reached Khar-
toum in time. 1t is generally admit
ted that the town was lost through
famine, but there ought to have been
plenty of provisions, and would have
been but for reckless waste that ought
to have been prevented by the Gen
eral.
Further, it is charged that Gordon,
besides wasting provisions and am
munition, encouraged pillage, in
authorizing his following to "rob
away gaily, but with wisdom, and do
not let me hear of it." General Cor
don admitted repeatedly that it would
be folly for him to hold on to Khar-
toum, involving the sacrifice of the
whole of the troops and employees
there. He, however, changed his
mind and ceased writing for instruc-
tons, but he left the following on
record as showing where the respon-
sibility for what might happen him
did not lie:
| would like to express to you (Sir
E. Baring) and her Majesty's Govern
ment my sincere thanks for the sup
port you have both afforded me since
| took up this mission, and to ac-
knowledge that you have both given
me every assistance l could have eX-
pected. | say the same for the
Khedive and Egyptian Ministry.
This interesting contribution to
dark episode in recent modern history
the London paper mentioned con
cludes as follows:
General Gordon refused to leave
Khartoum when to leave was COM
paratively easy, and the time soon
came when it was impossible for him
to leave. But that was not the fault
of Mr.. Gladstone or his colleagues.
They had instructed him to leave
when the road was open; they had
told him distinctly from the first that
no troops would be sent to his assist
ance; he went to the Soudan upon
that understanding. He carried
message of peace, and had he been
content to pursue peaceful policy he
might have brought away the garri-
sons in safety. Gordon preferred to
remain in the Soudan to harry and
Stay. His style of warfare may be
judged from the following, contained
in telegram dated 23d April:
1.-THE rising of the Nile will enable
steamers to destroy irrigating ma
chimes all along the river banks, and
thus prevent cultivation
General Gordon was brave soldier,
who in China and elsewhere had
proved himself a capable officer. But
his later record in the SOudan was not
creditable one. 1t was a desperate
service upon which he went to Khar-
toum, but that did not warrant his