'Egypt: The Soudan' [‎2v] (4/36)

2
The phrase “ avec les territoires qui y sont annexes et qui e "
defined, bid it ““i 1 ^r'““ ed been eiteJded and
SJS TfieS'llffireverlnS^ !.«. «—<*». » f"»« “"i
confirming the title of Khedive on Ismail Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. . A firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). of 1873 consolidates and
replaces all the previous firmans and is the most important since 1841. e aw o
Succession which it contains applies—
“ au Khedivat d’Egypte et de ses dependances, ainsi que des caimacamats de
Souakim et de Massawa avec leurs dependances.”
From this time we must, I think, take it that the whole of the Soudanese far as it
had been conquered by the Egyptians, is included under uie expression ( epen-
dances,” and becomes part of the hereditary Khediviate. A firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). of 1875 confers
on the Khediviate the additional territory of the port of Zeyla. A firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). of the
2nd August, 1879, appointing Tewfik Khedive, defines the territory over which he
shall rule as—
44 1’Egypte, tel qu il se trouve forme par ses anciennes limites et en \ compre-
nant les territoires qui y ont ete annexes.”
This firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). contains also the following paragraph :
£> Le Khedivat ne saura, sous aucun pretexte ni motif, abandqnner a d autres,
en tout ou en partie, les privileges accordes a FEgypte et qui lui sont confies, et
qui sont une emanation des prerogatives inherentes au pouvoir souverain, ni
aucune partie du territoire."
Anglo-Egyptian Agreement of 1877.
3. The position at this period was elucidated by a convention on the suppression
of the slave trade agreed upon by the British and Egyptian Governments on the
17th August, 1877. Under this “ tlbe Government of His tlighness the Khedive . . . .
engages to prohibit absolutely from henceforward the importation of any slaves into
any part of the territory of Egypt or her dependencies.’’ In another article we find
the expression, ‘‘ in Egypt or on the confines of Egypt and her dependencies towards
the centre of Africa.” Article 7 runs as follows :—■
“ The present convention shall come into operation from the date of the
signature hereof for Egypt proper as far as Assouan, and within three months
from the date of signature for the Egyptian possessions in Upper Africa and
on the shores of the Red Sea.”
The Soudan, then, is a dependency or a possession of the Khedive of Egypt. Subject
always, of course, to the suzerainty of Turkey, he is internationally recognised as the
ruler, and from the international point of view there is no distinction between his
authority over Egypt proper and the dependencies.
4. For the purposes of internal administration there was, indeed, a distinction, a
distinction which is shown by the proclamation issued by the Khedive giving effect to
the provisions of the treaty :—
“ La vente des esclaves negres ou abyssins, de famille a famille, sera et
demeurera prohibee en Egypte d’une maniere absolue, sur tout le territoire
gompris entre Alexandrie et Assouan. Cette prohibition aura effet dans sept
ans, a partir de la signature de ladite convention, dont la presente ordonnance
fera partie integrante. .La meme prohibition s etendra au Soudan et aux autres
provinces egyptiennes, mais seulement dans douze ans, a dater de la signature
precitee.”
But as at this time the Khedive was absolute sovereign, and as there w 7 as no consti
tutional limitation on his absolute power lor any part of his dominions the extent
to which the administration of the two portions was, in fact, separated was purely
a matter of his personal convenience. Even if owing to the grant of constitutional
government in Egypt theie had been a complete separation for all internal purposes
between Egypt and the Soudan, this would not have affected the right of the Khedive
to govern the Soudan as he wished; he could do so through a separate office or if he
preferred, he could use the Egyptian Ministers for the government of the Soudan.
I he relationship between the feoudan and Egypt was, in fact, similar to that of India
or any Crown colony to the British Government. Of course, it is obvious that so far
as money raised by taxes in Egypt was used for Soudanese purposes, the Government