Iarrangedthattheexpeditionshouldstartinthreedivisions。
Sixsteamers，varyingfrom40to80-horsepower，wereorderedtoleaveCairoinJune，togetherwithfifteensloopsandfifteendiahbeeahs——
total，thirty-sixvessels——toascendthecataractsoftheNiletoKhartoum，adistancebyriverofabout1，450miles。Thesevesselsweretoconveythewholeofthemerchandise。
Twenty-fivevesselswereorderedtobeinreadinessatKhartoum，togetherwiththreesteamers。Thegovernor-generalDjiafferPachawastoprovidethesevesselsbyacertaindate，togetherwiththecamelsandhorsesnecessaryforthelandtransport。
ThuswhenthefleetshouldarriveatKhartoumfromCairo，thetotalforceofvesselswouldbeninesteamersandfifty-fivesailingvessels，thelatteraveragingaboutfiftytonseach。