The Express.
London, England, 1853-04-04 00:00:00

EGYPT.

ALEXANDRIA, M.tncu.
Since the last mail little new has taken place in
our commercial affairs. No new failures have oc-
curred, although the prospects of the British market
for some of the large holders of grain have not much
improved, and as the Baltic ports will soon now be
open, any material rise in the price of grain can
scarcely be looked for.
The Nile subsides rather more rapidly than usual,
and consequently it is anticipated that in the course
of another month or six weeks the navigation of the
river and canal will become very difficult. This cir-
cumstance, of course, leads us to a:mreciate the im-
portance of a speedy completion of the railway.
The progress of this and other works, and indeed
of industrial occupation generally, is considerably-
impeded at present by the levying of recruits fur the
army, ocensioned by the furnishim, of the quota of
10,000 men which the Pacha is bound by treaty to
supply every three years to serve at Constantinople.
This is done by ballot, something like the drawing
for the militia in England. Each village has to furnish
its quota according to its population anti a registry is
kept of all the men liable to serve. Those who are
absent from their native villages in other parts of
Eypt, as a great many of them are in various em-
ployments, are also registered, and can be found by
the police wherever they may be. Under such
a system of registration, it would be au easy thing to
make the drawing either at the village or elsewhere,
and to take the men on whom the lot might fall
wherever they might be. This is, however, not the
case. The whole male population liable to serve. no
matter in what distant parts of Egypt they
may be, arc required to proceed to their
native villages, to be present at the bal-
loting. The consequence is that numbers
of men employed on the railway, in the
transit, &e., are withdrawn from their work to pro-
ceed hundreds of miles, in order to be present at this
drawing for recruits. Their labour is thus lost to
the public and themselves, and the object itself, in a
great measure, defeated. For, dreading the service
of the army, the greater number, instead of proceed-
ing to their owe villages, desert on the road,
and conceal themselves either by wandering
in the desert, or otherwise, until the levy-
ing is concluded. This illustrates a general
remark here, that if there be a right and a
wrong way of doing a thing the government is sure
to hit on the wrong. Connected with this subject, a
case of oppression in regard to the Copt population
has recently arisen. Hitherto the Copts and Jews, as
well as other inhabitants not being of the Moslem
faith, have been exempt from serving in the army,
it being the law of the Koran, as asserted,
that no Christian or Jew should be a soldier.
Lately, however, the Copts have been sul4cted to
serve in the army, and instead of being formed into
separate corps, they are mixed with the Maliontedan
troops, from whom, on account of the difl;:rence of
their faith, they receive all kinds of indignities and
insult. It is understood that the French consul has
interfered for the protection of the catholic Copts—
that is these who acknowledge the Pope, but those—
and they are the greater number—who only acknow-
ledge their own patriarch, have as yet received
no protection from any representatives of European
powers.
There is a good deal of talk here at present about
the projected removal of Cleopatra's Needle to Eng-
land for exhibition in the new Crystal Palace. Mr.
Anderson, who, it appears, is a director of that con-
cern as well as of the Peninsular and Oriental
Company, has been inspecting it. But it is said he
has come to the conclusion which every one here
acquainted with it has formed, namely, that it is not
worth the trouble and expense, as it is so thoroughly
def‘ced that its exhibition would only cause disap-
pointment. The Obelisk at Luxor, which also was
presented by Mehemet Ali to the British govern-
ment, is in a perfect state—vastly superior to the
Needle, and Mr. Anderson, it is understood, intends
to take some steps for obtaining it for the Crystal
Palace.