 In the late 19th century, the British were in the midst of a reform project in Egypt characterized by humanitarian sentiment and a motivation to enforce stability in the state.The British government under Prime Minister William Gladstone sent its ambassador to the Ottoman Porte, Lord Frederick Dufferin, to Egypt in 1882.Upon arriving to Egypt, Dufferin was openly critical of the pervasive use of the kurbash, and worked towards abolishing its use as part of the greater schedule of reform along British lines.