Britain secretly appealed to Italy for Red Sea help against the Mahdists

Evidence

The English have fought only small bands, getting from them a taste of the pain of torment, and they know what incredible strength the Mahdï possesses; they know what terrible battles will occur between them and the Mahdists, battles that baffle the mind [al-`uqul], causing it to break into bitterness, the heart crumbling. For that reason, the English have seen fit to appeal to Italy, asking her humbly to come to the rescue with soldiers from the direction of the Red Sea, in this way hoping to save themselves from the casualties that will befall them when they try to get out of the dilemma into which they have fallen. — Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Colonialism_…, 470

Categorization

• QUESTION: Is there corroborating documentation of a British appeal to Italy for Red Sea troops in 1885? Worth verifying in colonial archives.