GORDON (Charles George, 1833-1885, General Gordon of Khartoum, 'Chinese Gordon')

Superb Illustrated Autograph Letter Signed to "My dear Gerald", starting with a description of his journey to Galatz by rail and carriage, "as I could not speak the languages German is by far the most useful out here & I must try and learn it ... I thought to find it very mountainous near Czernowitz where the Carpatheans extend their spurs but it is not so ... this is the route the savage tribes of old used to follow in their descent on Daria and Roumania, and it is fine pasture land ..." he discusses the possible abdication of Prince Charles, "the very French feeling of the Boyards renders him quite a puppet .. he has 50000£ a year, & so he thinks twice before he will leave ... The Empress of Austria's companion and great friend is Miss Throgmorton. Bucharest is much improved ... Divorce being so very easy that a woman may meet two of her former husbands in the same room. Galatz is a large semi civilised place ... Stokes is very civil & kind, he has worked this Commission admirably ... The Commission consists of Turkish, Austrian, English, French, Russian, Italian, Prussian Commissioners, who meet twice a year & make very prosy proposals. The Executive Committee is Stokes, who rules them all & carries everything ..." he continues that he had been "down to the Delta .. it is a dismal swamp ... the fish come down & get a prick & then perhaps turn round and impale themselves ... the villages are principally Russian ... they used to be much persecuted, they do not smoke but make up for it by drinking ... All these environs are historical ..." he details some events of note in the area and continues that "The Turkish soldiers are fine soldierly fellows with quite a swagger ..." he has drawn an excellent detailed map of the area on the final sheet, with all the places that are mentioned clearly named, 8 sides 8vo., Galatz, 22nd November

In October 1871, Gordon was appointed British representative on the international commission to maintain the navigation of the mouth of the River Danube, with headquarters at Galatz. He was promoted to colonel on 16 February 1872. In 1872, Gordon was sent to inspect the British military cemeteries in the Crimea, and when passing through Constantinople he made the acquaintance of the Prime Minister of Egypt Raghib Pasha, who opened negotiations for Gordon to serve under the Khedive, Isma'il Pasha. In 1873, Gordon received a definite offer from the Khedive, which he accepted with the consent of the British government, and proceeded to Egypt early in 1874. After meeting Gordon in 1874, the Khedive Ismail had said: "What an extraordinary Englishman! He doesn't want money!". Gordon was made a colonel in the Egyptian army.
Khartoum, the capital of the Sudan, was beseiged by al-Mahdī and his followers from March 1884 to January 1885. The city, which had been defended by an Egyptian garrison under General Gordon, was captured, and its defenders, including Gordon, were slaughtered. The most popular account of Gordon's death was that he put on his ceremonial gold-braided blue uniform of the Governor-General and the Pasha's red fez and that went out unarmed to be cut down by the Ansar.

Item Date:  1871

Stock No:  38295      £7500

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