(1880-1885)
When Mr. Gladstone succeded to power in April 1880, he began by announcing a policy of conciliation in Ireland. But the failure of this policy was at once apparent. The agitation against the payment of rent in Ireland was accompanied of so many acts of violence, that in January 1881 the government was forced to introduce a new Coercion Bill. In the debate on this bill the conduct of Irish members was so outrageous that thirty-six Irishmen were temporarily expelled from the House. In Ireland a reign of terror was established. The law was set at defiance with Land League, several murders and many outrages were committed, and the system of "boycotting" was fully developed.
Mr. Gladstone resolved to remove the grievances which were supposed to lie at the root of these disorders, by passing the Irish Land Act (1881). This Act gave the tenant full right to sell his lease, and to settle the question about his rent by a Land Court which was to act in different regions. The rents were to be settled for fifteen years, and meanwhile the tenant could not be evicted, so long as he paid this rent. Soon afterwards the Land Court got to work, and largely reduced the rents in many parts of Ireland.
But the Land Act did not satisfy the League. Mr. Parnell declared for "prarie-rent" —that is, for a rent reduced to the nominal value of uncultivated land. His violent proceedings led to his arrest, and the proclamation of the League as an "illegal and criminal association". Mr. Parnell was relieved, however, shortly afterwards, 
on condition, as it was understood, that he should help the government to maintain order. But the forces which he had himself called into action were too strong for Mr. Parnell. A short time after his release the country was horrified by the murder of Lord Frederic Cavendish (the new chief Secretary) and Mr. Burke in Dublin, and it was followed by several murders more.
These events led to the passing of the Prevention of Crimes Act (1882), the severest coercion law of modern times. In 1883 the murderers of Lord Frederic Cavendish were discovered and punished. The number of agitation crimes diminished in 1883 and 1884; but, on the other hand, the attempts of the more Irish-American party to strike terrors by means of dymanite outrages in London rather increased.
During the first four years of the existence the Gladstone government, besides dealing with Ireland, passed several minor domestic measures, but they produced any important results only in 1884. After the quarrel between the two Houses, a Bill for the reform of elections was brought in, but at last the Lords accepted it not to make the quarrel too serious.
The effect of this, was to give the vote to all householders. The servants who lived apart from their employers also received a vote. The agricultural labourers got more rights. In the redistribution of seats, London and the great towns obtained a number of additional numbers, and a long step was taken in the direction of equal electoral districts.
On taking office in 1880 the Gladstone government found two important foreign questions which waited their solution — those of Afghanistan and the Transvaal. Lord Beaconsfleld had already decided to retire from Afghanistan, and Mr. Gladstone hastened to adopt his policy. Unfortunately, before the withdrawal could take place, Ayoob Khan cut to pieces a British force at the battle of Maiwand, and besieged Kandahar.
General Roberts at once set out from Cabul, reached Kandahar by forced marches over a difficult country, routed Ayoob's army, and relieved the sieged garrison. Abdurrahman was recognized as Ameer, and the British forces then withdrew, leaving the new Ameer to establish his power as best as he could (1880). It was a very poor result to achieve at the expence of so much blood and means.
The government had hardly freed themselves from these difficulties, when the consequences of Lord Beaconsfield's South Africa policy appeared. In the first days of his power Mr. Gladstone had spoken of the Conservative policy in regard of Transvaal in a was which the Boer leaders considered favourable to their claims tot independence; but very soon he, in spite of the remonstrances o1 the Boers, had decided to maintain the annexation of the Transvaal In December 1880 the Boers revolted, proclaimed a republic, and invaded Natal.
In January 1881, Sir George Colley attempted to dislodge the Boers from their position, and was defeated soon afterwards near the Ingogo river. In February 1881 the British had a disgraceful defeat at Majuba Hill. Thereupon Mr. Gladstone tried to come to terms in the negotiations with the Boers, revoke the annexation, but he insisted that some native territories should be still annexed. A truce was arranged in order that these conditions might be considered; but while it lasted the Boers were entrenching Laing's Nek, and so Colley decided to occupy Majuba Hill; which dominated their position Next morning the Boers stormed the hill and routed the British force. The news of this disaster was received with indignation and dismay in England; but the government continued its negotiations; at last the Boers accepted terms which gave them complete self-government under British suzerainty. This arrangement was modified two years later, when the title of the South-African Republic was restored to the Transvaal State, and Mr. Gladstone then left the Boers to govern themselves under the suzerainty of Great Britain. Most people thought that, if this was to be the end, independence should have been granted before rather than after British defeats.
Meanwhile a harvest of trouble was growing up on the banks of the Nile. In. 1875 Great Britain and France had been obliged to interfere in Egypt, in order to check the Khedive's misgovernment, and protect the interests of the numerous bond-holders who had invested money in the country. This interference was resisted by the Khedive, Ismail, who was deposed, and Tewfic was set up in his stead. The new Khedive was obliged to consent to what was called the "Dual Control" (1878), an arrangement under which France and Great Britain each nominated one of the Khedive's ministers, and jointly suprovised the government of the country.
This plan worked fairly well for two or three years. But there was a national party in Egypt, especially strong in the army, and headed by an officer named Arabi, which resented all for reign control. In 1881 the troops mutinied, and forced Tewfik to dismiss his ministers and appoint purely national ministry. Arabi thus became master of the situation.
Early in 1882 the British and French fleets were sent to Alexandria, and the two powers demanded the dismissal of Arabi. The English fleet bombarded the town, mainly Arabi's fortifications there. Arabi withdrew, but the Egyptians attacked the European population. The Khedive was powerless to do anything, so he had to flee from Cairo. A riot broke out in Alexandria, in which some British officers were killed; the Egyptian army manned the forts, and prepared for resistance. The French refused to go any further, and withdrew their ships, so that the English had to act alone. Sir Garnet Wolsely marched against Arabi, who had taken up a position at Tel-el-Kebir, thirty miles north-east of Cairo.
On the 11-th of July the forts of Alexandria were bombarded, and the town taken, on the 12-th of September the Egyptian forces were put to fight at the battle of Tel-el-Kebir. A victory here enabled Wolseley to enter Cairo, and the rebellion was soon at an end. Soon afterwards Arabi was taken prisoner, and the Khedive was restored to power. But the country which had restored order had made itself responsible for maintaining it; an English army remained in Egypt, and the French had forfeitedany right to be consulted in its government. Sir Evelyn Baring was appointed, the British Consul-General and became practically the ruler of Egypt.
To the south of Egypt proper lay the vast unruly territory of the Sudan; between 1877 and 1879 it had been entrusted by the Khedive to the government of Major Charles George Gordon, an Engineer officer, who had won a respect of the warlike Arabs and had largely succeeded in putting down the slave trade. When Gordon retired the old anarchy returned, and the Egyptian government found it almost impossible to renew the Khedive's authority. To complicate matters a Mohammedan fanatic known as the Mahdi had begun to preach a holy war of extremination against Christians and foreigners. The Khedive was advised by the British government not to attempt the reconquest of the Sudan. General Hicks, with an army composed of Arabi's disbanded troops, was sent against Mahdi by the Egyptian government, the English Cabinet disclaimed any responsibility for the expedition; but his whole force was surrounded and cut to pieces by the Mahdi's Dervishes in November 1883. In a very short time the Mahdi was master of the Sudan; only a few garrison towns were held by the Fgyptians. When Baker Pasha had been defeated and almost annihilated, a British force was sent out under General Graham, and Gordon was despatched from England on a vague mission to Sudan; his instructions were to report on the best means for the withdraws of the garrisons, and his instructions from the Khedive were to act as General-Governor of Sudan. But without troops Gordon soon found himself helpless; he was an adventurous and high-minded man, but he was soon besieged by the Dervishes (January, 1884).
When the real position was understood in England, the public clamoured for a relief expedition to be sent out at once; but it was only after several months of delay that troops were sent. It was not till the autumn of 1884 that Lord Wolseley started with an expedition up the Nile to effect the rescue. Early in 1885 the expedition, after fighting several desperate battles with the Sudanese, reached the Upper Nile; at a short distance of Khartum, only to find that the town had been surrended two days before and that Gordon had been killed. Lord Wolseley, the commander-in-chief, advanced from Suakim to subdue the Mahdi; but the government decided to withdraw from the Sudan, and the province was left for thirteen more years to the anarchy and oppression of the Mahdi and his son.
NAMES AND EXPRESSIONS
at the root of these disorders — в основании этих беспорядков
Land Court — земельный суд, земельное управление
Cavendish ['kæv(ə)ndi∫]
domestic measures — местные меры
Ayoob Khan [aijəb ka:n]— Айоб Хан
Maiwand ['məivənd]
it was a very poor result to achieve at the expence of so much blood and means — результат был достигнут весьма скудный, если учесть, сколько было пролито крови и затрачено средств
when the consequences of Lord Beaconsfield's South Africa policy appeared — когда проявились последствия политики лорда Биконсфилда в Африке
Ingogo ['ingəgou]
Majuba Hill [ma'ju:bə hil] (в Натале)
to come to terms — прийти к соглашению
Laing's Neck [ leiŋz nek]
if it was to be the end, independence should have been granted before rather than after British defeat — если тут должен был наступить конец, следовало бы признать независимость скорее до начала, чем после поражения Британии
a harvest of troubles was growing up — неприятности созревали
Khedive [ki'di:v] —хедив, верховный правитель Египта (титул)
Tewfic ['tju:fik]
this plan worked fairly well — этот план осуществился с весьма хорошими результатами (не сработал!)
Arabi [ə'ra:bi]
Wolsely ['wəulsli]
Tel-el-Kebir [tel el kə'bi:r]
enabled Wolsely — дало Уолсли возможность, позволило
Evelyn Baring [ i:vlin 'be(ə)riŋ]
Sudan [su:'dæn]
Mahdi [ma:di]
Baker Pasha [bake:r pa'∫a:]
Khartum [ka:'tu:m]
Suakin ['swa:əkən]
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