The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-02-05 00:00:00

ENGLAND AND EGYPT.

Mr. Edgar Vincent has returned to Cairo from the
petroleum fields, having during his visit thoroughly
overhauled the workings at Jebelzeit and Jetseh.
The boring at this latter spot has now, at a depth of
over 400 feet, reached coralliferous strata impreg-
nated with oil, which give every promise of a rich
return. An attempt was made by exploding
dynamite to open up the source from which the
petroleum is being forced through the coral rock, but
owing to the bad quality of the explosive it failed.
It is, however, confidently expected that in the course
of the next six months a large yield of oil will be ob-
tained, sufficient to take the place of coal in sup Nying
the Indian and other steam ships passing through
the Red Sea.

"The financial situation in Egypt," a correspondent
adds, is still somewhat strained, owing to foreign ob-
struction. As this subject is likely to be much dis-
cussed, I think it well to give the facts of the case as
briefly as possible. Last year, in the month of May,a
draft decree authorising the expenditure of the sum of
£950,000, which had been saved by the partial aboli-
tion of the corree, was drawn up by the Egyptian
Government and submitted to the Consuls General.
Shortly afterwards the Consuls held a meeting at
which it was decided to refer the draft decree to the
Caisse de la Dette, accompanied by a verbal intima-
tion, that if the Government agreed with the Caisse
the Consuls would raise no difficulties. Accordingly
the draft was forwarded to the Caine, which added
two articles in reference to remunerative expenditure.
These modifications were accepted by the Government,
and the draft decree as corrected by the Caisse was
communicated to the Consuls General on the 14th
of July. After a short time all the repre-
sentatives of the Powers, with the exception of the
French Minister, received instructions to adhere to
the decree, but they deferred the official signification
of their adherence till their French colleague should
ioin them in the step. Just at that time, however,
the question of the appointment of a successor to the
late French Procureur General was mooted, upon which
a serious disagreement arose between Nubar Pasha
and Count d'Aunay, with the result that the latter
proposed several fresh modifications of the draft de-
cree, the effect of which would have been an increase
in the military expenditure, which the Egyptian
Government regarded as utterly uncalled for, and
which would inevitably have involved a deficit in the
next budget. In fact, these proposed modifications
showed a lamentable ignorance of the simplest prin-
pies of finance generally, and of the present peculiar
financial situation of Egypt in particular; and
,as their acceptance would have been suicidal,
I the Egyptian Government was forced to decline to
discuss them, and to adhere to the decree as corrected
by the Caisse and accepted by the other Powers. It
was pointed out to the French Minister that if his
Gover, went declined to sanction the decree for a
partial abolition of the conee, the Egyptian Govern-
ment would be compelled to call out the whole of the
corvee in 1887. Up to the present the matter remains
in dispute, and meanwhile the public works are sus-
pended, including a large number of contracts in con-
nection with the irrigation schemes. The petty spirit
which the French agent, supported by the French
and Russian members of the Caisse, has shown
throughout this question is a sample of the general
obstruction with which the Government is confronted
at every turn

.NewEi has reached Cairo that the Turkish troops in
Hejaz have occupied some forts at El Wedj, which is
in Arabia, in Egyptian territory, on the eastern coast
of the Red Sea opposite Kosseir. The actual im-
portance of the fact, says a correspondent, is small;
but if it were allowed to pass unchallenged Turkey
might claim to garrison other strong places within the
Egyptian border; and, in face of the encroaching at-
titude of Malihtnr Pasha, every tendency in this
direction will be quickly suppressed.

The reports that England was maintaining an atti-
tude of complete reserve, and even opposing the
efforts of the other Powers to bring about a solution
of the Bulgarian question at Constantinople are abso-
lutely discredited in Berlin. The Standard corre-
spondent is assured on good authority that England
follows the action of the other Powers with the best
wishes, and is ready to approve of any understanding
as soon as it is arrived at.

From Sofia on Tuesday came the flowing
message: A formal denial is to-day given to tne
rumour that the Government is ready to submit to
the Russian demands if any candidate for the Throne
except the Prince of Mingrelia is proposed. The
Government, it is explained, is willing to give two
Ministerial posts to the Zankovists, and also one seat
in the Regency, if an entirely acceptable candidate
for the Rulership of Bulgaria is put forward. Captain
Bendereff has issued from Bucharest a proclamation
to the Bulgarian officers, inviting them to be ready to
rise against the Government, as Russia is the only
State on which the Bulgarians can rely, whilst
Europe, in whom the Government has implicit faith,
will as surely abandon them. Ihe circulation of the
proclamation has been prohibited.