Emin was appointed Chief Medical Officer in the Equatorial Province in 1876, and in the early years of his service undertook, with some success, diplomatic missions to Mutesa of Buganda and to Kabarega of Bunyoro. This was during a period when Gordon considered that the best chance of destroying the slave trade and bringing good order to the southern Sudan was by infiltrating the powerful kingdoms on the great lakes Victoria and Albert; Gordon's relations with Buganda, and Emin's important mission of 1876, are described a little further on.1 In 1877 Gordon became Governor-General of the whole Sudan with his headquarters at Khartoum. After an interval partly filled by Colonel Mason and Colonel Prout, Gordon appointed Emin Governor of Equatoria. It was a depleted governorship, Egypt having abandoned the idea of expansion into Bunyoro and Buganda, and Gordon having withdrawn his garrisons on the Victoria Nile. But the stations of the Albert Nile remained the backbone of the province, and for thirteen years Emin lived in and around Lado, Rejaf, Kirri, Muggi, Lahoré and Dufilé.2 Equatoria was always an isolated province, separated from the Sudan seat of government at Khartoum by some 1000 miles of difficult travel, mostly of desolate marshland, through which the steamers plied, slowly and infrequently, with supplies and news. For twenty months, from 1878 to 1880, Emin received no mail or supplies at all. Cairo lay over 1500 miles beyond Khartoum and the impact of events was diminished, not only delayed, by the immense distances and the uncertain communications. Writing to his friend Robert Felkin, in the enforced leisure of the years of isolation, Emin described something of the remoteness of his post, and the lack of any positive contact with the home Government after the flurry of activity which characterized Gordon's governorship. He enlarges on the restrictions imposed on him by the Egyptian Government, and his lack of resources compared with Gordon's:

“They never gave me any power to use the ivory, indiarubber, oil, vegetable butter, sesame, skins, ostrich feathers, wax, etc. which I obtained for barter so as to pay my officials, discharge the cost of administration... I was ordered to send all the produce down to Khartoum where the same was sold by the local government, the sum being subsequently transmitted to me... I sent them down yearly 1200 cantars of ivory and they sent me 2000 dollars in two years, as well as a quantity of goods such as Khartoum merchants could not use, for me to divide amongst my people.1

Saeed, what is that from? A truly fascinating time and place. The Pasha and Gordon are both incredibly interesting characters.

I see from the title where it is from. I need that book.

The book is called:

THE DIARY OF A.J.MOUNTENEY JEPHSON

The expedition reached Zanzibar on 22 February, and here spent three busy days, which included the lightning negotiations between Stanley and Tippu Tib which were to be productive of so much trouble. Fred Holmweod was the go-between, and a contract was signed by which Tippu Tib agreed to provide porters for the expedition, to take over the loads when the expedition reached the limit served by the boats of the Free State administration.2 The porters were to be recruited from Tippu's sphere of influence round Stanley Falls and were to be armed with guns and ammuniti vided by himself, while the gunpowder and caps were to be supplier expedition. At the same time, Tippu Tib was offered, and accep post of Governor of Stanley Falls under the authority of the Con State.1 In addition to these negotiations with Tippu, Stanley had the Sultan with a letter from Mackinnon outlining the expedition's return by the east coast route through the German sphere and the territories. A letter was then dispatched to Emin ' by couriers overlai will travel through Uganda into Unyoro secretly'.2 Although this letti arrived, an earlier one from I-Iolmwood got through to alert Emit approaching expedition.

May 9th. We got the holes in the vessel finished at last, but as the cement is a little wet we shall not start till tomorrow. The Peace & Henry Reed however left at about one oclock & will arrive at Bolobo tomorrow afternoon. We hope by starting early to get there too tomorrow, as we steam faster than they do. These delays are serious besides making us behind our time the expense is great. We were calculating the pay of our Zanzibaris today, not inclusive of their food & we found that it amounted to £21 a day. After Stanley left us two natives came on board for protection. A King of this district had died &—as is the usual custom—they were killing a certain number of men in honour of the event—in the present case they were killing fifty. The natives here are hideous & they are so lacking in intelligent looks—they grow a great deal of tobacco & brought down large quantities of it for sale, it is not at all bad but is badly cured & very strong. Jameson & I went out this afternoon & got a good many new butterflies. At about five o'clock we got the cargo & wood on board & had everything ready for an early start tomorrow morning. May 10th. We had the men on board before daybreak & got started as soon as it was light enough to see our way up river. As we steamed up the river gradually widened out to a breadth of five miles, & was full of small islands amongst which we saw a great number of hippopotami—we counted seventeen on one small sandbank—& a good many spur-winged geese, they are fine large grey birds & when they are flying one sees a good deal of white on their wings. At one o'clock we caught up the Henry Reed & Peace— we shall probably get to Bolobo first after all. My dog is very ill today I think it is internal inflamation, I have done what I can for him, but the poor little beast suffers a great deal.

Sounds good
It’s on its way

Those old books are humorous today. In the Colonial era, the British left the indigenous people to their own devices at times (such as when they were going to kill 50 people because of the death of a chief), and injected themselves when they saw fit, like female circumcision, slavery, and intertribal wars (Masai v. Kikuyu). Yet, at other times they encouraged tribal conflict, usually on a smaller scale.

I've been fascinated for decades and want to read all I can on the subject. Preferably contemporary books.