The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-29 00:00:00

THE RECENT OUTRAGE AT CAIRO.

(From the Homeward Mail.)
We shall not, we are sure, be suspected of realis-
ing in our own persons the truth of Rochefoucauld's
maxim, that there is always something to delight
us in the misfortunes of our best friends, if we say
that we have read with no common satisfaction, in
an Indian paper, a statement to the effect that the
perpetrators of the outrage committed a few months
ago in the grand' mosque of Cairo, by certain out-
ward-bound passengers to India. have been disco-
vered, and that the two senior officers concerned in
this most disgraceful achievement have been dis-
missed the service. We do not know the names of
the officers thus condemned—what their standing.
in the army—what the branch of it to which they
belonged. But if they were, as we presume, men
of mature age, and not mere boys just emancipated
from school, we cannot think that the punishment
which has descended upon them is too severe. But it
is not as an act of punishment, but as a warning to
others, that we regard this righteous sentence with
satisfaction. If there ever were a time at which
an outrage upon the Mohammedan population of
any country, committed by Christian officers, is
likely to recoil injuriously upon our own people, it
is in a crisis like the present, when the minds of
the followers of the Prophet, in all parts of the
world, are in a state of feverish excitement ; and the
massacres of India, of Jeddah, and of Syria, may,
any day, be acted over again in Egypt if we
are regardless of the feelings of the people. But
we hope that the good effect of the salutary exam-
ple may extend even farther than this—that it may
be felt, indeed, to the farthest extremity of India.
We believe that one of the worst evils which is
likely to arise from the greater influx into India of
Europeans unconnected by personal antecedents
with the East, is the disregard of such new men
for the religious feelings and social prejudices of
the people of the country. It may be ignorance—
it may be levity—Mere carelessness—no matter
what, that suffers a man to outrage the feelings of
a people whose religious creed and social usages
differ from his own ; but the result is as injurious
as if he had designedly, maliciously, committed the
wrong. And we cannot think that government can
tpo severely visit such offences, whether committed.
against the people of a foreign country or the inha-
bitants of our own territories. Nothing less than
summary dismissal from the service should be the
penalty of such an offence. In the present instance,
we believe that the British government, at home
and abroad, have acted with the most praiseworthy
promptitude and vigour. The consular authorities
in Egypt, the Foreign-office, the Secretary of State
for India, and the Supreme Government of India,
have each and all done their parts of the
w
a becoming sense of the magnitude of the offence
withoffenee
and the importance of the occasion. It only re-
mains now for her Majesty's government, when
official tidings of the result of the inquiry
punishment communicate
w en
inlndia
shall have been received, to
Egyptian authorities thathasov etr o the
Egyptian a
kt e
ne
the offenders, and that all similar
acts committed by
its officers will be visited • with like retribution.
re

, -
Yesterday
THE GREAT. EASTERN STEAMSHIP. 0
(Tuesday) the Great Eastern was thrown opentnto thetime in-
spectionin
of the public. The directors 2Vs
thus making her profitable. A meetinhgaciv
12 N Mr. S. Baker, and
t the directors on
the spot—viz., Captain Carnegie, ---- • " on .Monday after-
Mr. Bold, was held on hoard the ship
noon, at which Mr. F. Clark Br,tued on behalf of the
attended
it was decided to open
South Wales Railway ComPari_Yob.a.
her at once to public insn
who visited the Channel
Cage of the opportunityr!M.onday the operatione
show occupied all
_teas
Monday several lia
Haven visited the
commander,
her anchorage
the Haven-
Captain
taken out ofher Thousands of persons
- 6.0 yesterday also took advan-
mc, on board the " big ship." On
toof (leaning and preparing her for
h available hands. In the course of
from the Royal squadron in the
Great Eastern, and were received by her
Vine Hall. The vessel still lies at
below the dockyard on the Milford side of
eHer coals will, we understand, have to be►
before she is placed on the gridiron.