The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-28 00:00:00

EGYPP.

A letter from Alexandria, dated April 17, saps:
—I have on several occasions had to refer to the
financial embarrassments which of late have been

gradually growing up and perplexing the formerly-
smooth course of the Egyptian Government. A sys-
tem of reckless expenditure—or rather an utter want
of order and system, and a habitual practice of
squandering money upon all sorts of extravagant
and frivolous objects, are the main source of this
great and serious evil ; but other causes have been
at work, and among them must be reckoned the
constant claims for indemnities of one description
or another, which are incessantly urged against the
Government, %Mil which are hardly less remarkable.
for their success than for the monstrous and extra-
vagant nature that usually distinguishes them.
The sums are always pitched at a high figure,
and in the aggregate' they tell heavily upon the
Egyptian Treasury; indeed; they would form a
serious burden to any country. A recital of par-
tienlars would, however, be more wearisome than
interesting to most of your readers; •but there is
one claim at the present moment against the
Egyptian. Government which in some points differ
from those above alluded to. It, moreover, involves
an important question of principle, and its decisidn
must necessarily be of such vital importance to this
country that I cannot dispense with offering you
an outline of the ease. •
Your readers are aware that according. to the
terms of the tirman of 1840 the Government of
Egypt is hereditary in the family of the late Mo-
hammed Ali Pasha, not in a direct line of •sucees-
sion, bust passing from the eldest to the eldest of his
descendants.; henee it is that at the death of the
Viceroy his personal heir takes possession of his
private property, while a more distant relative Elie-
coeds to, the Viceroyalty. The difficulty, however,
is to determine what is to be regarded as private
property. The Viceroy is under the obligation of
remitting a certain annual tribute to Constantino-
ple, but herewith all further dependence upon the
Suzerain Power is at an end, and, after defraying
the expense of the administration of the country,
the surplus revenue, lately estimated at about a
million and a-half sterling, has always been re-
garded as absolutely his own, to be applied to
any purpose heinay think fit.
. . .

On the death of Abbas Pasha, his son El Hami
Paaha succeeded to the property he had amassed
during his reign, comprising the palaces and even
barracks he had built and the lands he had acquired
in various parts of the country out of his surplus
revenues, besides a large sum in hard cash. In
addition to these, however, the young Prince
claimed the Alexandria and Cairo Railway,which
it was argued was part of his father's estate, having
been constructed out of the funds which were
equally his private property as those who had
served for other investments.

The claim was disallowed, and at the request of
Said Pasha the European Consuls General were
convened at a meeting, and signed a declaration
that, in their opinion, the spirit of the Imperial fir-
man was to the effect that all works of public utility
constructed out of the revenue were to be looked
upon as the property of the State. Herewith the
matter was dropped. El Hami Pasha was then a
mere child, and shortly afterwards he left for Con-
stantinople, where a very few years have sufficed
to squander away the magnificent inheritance he

had obtained fro-m
his father. Now, however, he
has returned to Egypt, making claims upon the
Government to the amount. of £4,000,000 sterling,
consistingthe chief item of the Alexandria and
Cairo Railway, and of the rolling stock and• mate-
rial which belonged to it. The consular declara-
tion, he argues, merely represents the individual
opinions of the persons present at the meeting, and
is in no way binding upon him, but, as it would be
hopeless for him to contend, single-handed, with
the despotic Government of Egypt, he has made
over his claims to three Europeans, who demand the
intervention of the representatives of their respec-
tive Governments to see justice done to them. One
of these claims to be a British subject, and her Ma-
jesty's agent and Consul-General thus also become
involved in the dispute. But a technical question
has arisen—namely, whether the party in question
is in this instance entitled to the protection he de-
mands, and Mr. Colquhoun has, I am informed,
refused to interfere. The claim has been re-
ferred to Constantinople ; but, as I have said be-
fore, it is the question of principle which is the
main point, for, whichever of the two constructions
might be placed upon the firman, the result to
Egypt would be equally disastrous. If it should
be decided that El Hami Pasha's claim is a just one,
nothing would remain to prevent the Viceroys' of
Egypt from making use of the uncontrolled autho-
rity they possess to convert everything in the coun-
try—perhaps the land itself—into private property
for their families. If, on the other hand, it be held,
according to the opinions of the Consuls, that public
works are the property of the State, it will become
the sole interest of the ruler to amass and hoard
every sum he can lay his hands upon. The con-
struction of railways will come to an end, the canals
required for irrigation and for internal communica-
tions will fall into disrepair and become choked up,
agriculture as a necessary consequence will become
restricted to its narrowest limits, and the country
must end by falling into almost utter ruin.
The knot is one which cannot be unloosed, but
must be dealt with in a summary manner, and this
can only be dens with the assistance of the Euro-
pean Powers who were parties to the settlement of
1840, and among these it is to the British Govern.
ment alone that Egypt can look for real assistance.
Other countries have taken but little pains to con-
ceal their utter indifference to its welfare, and, in-
deed, they have not the motives which compel Eng-
land to take a lively interest in the prosperity and
independence of this country. The English peo-
ple, therefore, cannot stand by and see the source
of public wealth and progress diverted into private
channels for the purpose of feeding the cupidity or
of gratifying the senseless indulgence of the Egyp-
tian rulers, and they will need to be prepared to
exercise their just and legitimate influence towards
obtaining the settlement of a public question such
as the present, on the broad basis of general rights
and justice, whatever may be the interpretation
which, for the sake of individual interests, it may
be sought to lay upon the letter of the law.
The Pera, from Southampton, arrived yesterday,
and her mails and passengers have gone forward to
Suez, where the Nemesis has already arrived and
is waiting to convey them towards their destina-
tions in India and China. The Marseilles portion
of the mail is expected early to-morrow morning.
It not unfrequently happens that complaints
arise from the boisterous conduct of some among
the passengers on their way through to or from
India. They often exhibit their high flow of spirits
by brutal and cruel treatment of the natives with
whom they come in contact, and especially of the
unfortunate boys to whose lot it may fall to drive
their donkeys. Ido not remember, however, ever
to have heard of an instance to equal what occurred
on the transit of the passengers by the last, outward
Bombay mail. A small party who had arrived here
by the China had gone apparently to visit the
Alabaster Mosque in the citadel, the burialplace of
Mohammed Ali Pasha, and here they thought fit
to conduct themselves in a manner which it is really
difficult to describe. They hooted and yelled, slid
on the marble pavement, and mimicked the tones
and postures of the Mahomniedans engaged in
prayer. It happened that Said Pasha was present
in the mosque. On hearing the uproar he sent one
of his officers to the persons who were causing the
disturbance, and requested them to desist and to
leave the mosque, but they refused to do either, and
their conduct became more outrageous than ever,
until they were forcibly thrust out of the building.
Said Pasha behaved in the matter with exemplary
moderation and good sense, but he has naturally
felt deeply incensed at what he views as a personal
insult.

gad it not been for his presence the people in