The Sun.
London, England, 1832-12-29 00:00:00

TURKEY AND EGYPT.

(From the Monitcur Ottoman of NOV. 24.)
• The defenders of Mehemet Ali. whether through inte-
rest or error, are making great efforts to distort the aspect
of the present state of affairs between the Porte and
Egypt. According to them, it is a struggle between two
Governments, and may produce, with regard to that
which the fate of arms would not favour, what defeat
' leads to in all wars—that is, disastrous treaties, loss of
territory, and the most serious and ruinous results. This
Announcemeut of the misfortunes assigned to the issue of
-I question of a nature such as this, can only gain credit
by the way that the question may be represented ; it is
important, then, to view it in its true light.
Mehemet Ali is not the chief of an independent Go-
vernment ! he is not invested with sovereign authority
ir. States defined and acknowledged as independent;
he is only a depository of that authority within the
limits of Egypt, which is a province forming part
of the Ottoman States. There' have been instances of
revolution having suddenly charged the relations of
oommatid and obedience, and produced the triumph
of interests that hail in their favour the power of nuts-
bens, if not that of right ; but that a man standing single
in his party, who has destroyed all interests far the ad-
vancement of his own,—who has isolated himself as much
Is it was possible in order to do so,—who has preserved
no means of entitling himself to the sympathies of Go-
vernments or to popular sympathies, having forfeited the
former by his rebellion, and the latter by his despotism,
that such a man should, some fine morning, declare him-
self supretne chief, king, or emperor, that he should ap-
propriate to himself certain countries solely because he i•
provided with some means of resistance, and that lie
should succeed in obtaining general public sanction, is
what can never happen. Many ambitious men may have
a similar dream, which may continue so long as their
precarious resources last; hut soon after meeting with some
success they are sure to encounter the obstacles that policy
opposes to their career, as well as right, and that universal
sentiment which produces an aversion to projects in wide;
there is neither morality nor utility. It is fortunate, in-
deed, that no such illusions are realized in the sequel
of all the kinds of events which occasionally come to
astonish the world; for, a single triumph obtained under
such circumstances over Governments, people, or the
principles of preservation which direct both, would pro.
claim society as being at the disposal of the highest bidder
in audacity and immorality. And yet, such is the ten-
dency of the reasoning by which it is attempted to repre-
sent Mehemet Ali as a Sovereign who attacks another
Sovereign. Since when is he then a Sovereign ? Yester-
day only he was a mere GovernOr of Egypt, in the name
and through the choice of the Sultan. lf, from being the
depositary of authority, he has suddenly become the pos-
sessor of it, it is because ke has usurped without scruple
that authority which had been intrusted into his hands by
availing himself of circumstances which could be made
subservient to bad design•,—for instance, distance, and
that confidence placed in him by which his power and his
honours have increased, in order to snatch from his bene-
factor those rights of which be had been made the guar-
dian. In this way the question is judged by its very
nature, and the friends of Mehemet Ali, in declaring that
he is possessed of soveregin power,do nothingless than show
that be has betrayed his trust.
Such are the auspices under which Mehemet Ali pre-
sents his case to public opinion in Europe, and claims its
interest and support. What other claims has he put
forth ? The advocates of his cause have spoken but
slightly of what they call his institutions and his civiliza-
tion. They know too well that those points would as-
sume a very ridiculous aspect were they to undergo any
minute discussion. The only serious argument hitherto
employed by them is the independence de facto of the
Pacha. But it may be answered, that the more that in-
dependence were real the more the revolt which seeks to
convert it into a right presents the guilt of an abuse o'
confidence ; for Mehemet Ali, through a certain turn
given to his acts, might easily have freed them from every
control. But would Egypt herself, with her inhabitants,
thereby become independent ? Is it a necessary result o;
Mehemet Ali's will and of the affranchisement of his Ad-
ministration that Egypt shall be separated from the Otto-
man dominions, and that the property of that province
should forcibly pass from the hands of its rightful owns?
into those of his agent ? For, the sovereignty of Egypt is
a property appertaining to the crown of the Sultans ; and
the endeavour to deprive the latter of that property.
made with the force of arms by the man who had beer
appointed its guardian by its master, cannot be considered
as anything less than a breach of trust of the most infamous
kind, because morality is not of a different nature in poli
tical law to what it is in civil law.

But whether or not the pretended independence of
Egypt can be made out by bad or good arguments, how
could the seizure and occupation of Syria be justified ?
In the beginning it was pretended that Mehemet Ali was.
forsooth, to be revenged on Abdallah Pacha ; and on
the strength of a similar sentiment—a very bonourabl,
one to be sure, in an old man of seventy years of age—it
was deemed perfectly natural that he should set in a blaze
that portion of the States of his Sovereign. Well, then.
he has had his revenge. Abdallah is in his hand, and
he may rejoice to his heart's content with the sight of a
prostrated enemy. But why should he keep possession
of Syria? Why should his troops continue to march—
they are already at a great distance from the confines of
Egypt? Let his friends answer, and let the good fait)
pf their egotism assign as reasons, the ruins of Acre, the
defiles of Bylan, and the cannon that defend the passes of
Meuat Taurus. It is there that we are to look for Mehe-
met Alt's claims to the Sovereignty of Egypt and Syria.
Theee we may understand that Mehemet Ali takes Syria
because i:s possession suits him, and he would be glad to
extend his territories. But is be to be considered in the

light of a powerful neighbour, who has long been cen
tending about the limits of his states, and avails him
self of circumstances to cut the matter short 1

No; he is only the Governor of Egypt, ap-
pointed to that station by the Sultan. But he is now as
anxious to be a King as be was a year ago to revenge him-
self on the Paella of Syria; and as he has well deserved
at the hands of the people of Egypt, by destroying a tenth
portion of them, and oppressing and spoliating the re-
mainder, entitled himself to the good-will of the Cabinets
of Europe by his revolt, and obeyed the laws of honour ann
morality by appropriating the deposit which had been in-
trusted to him, and trampling on the duties prescribed by.
gratitude, the Fellaha of Egypt, the Kings of Europe,
his own Sovereign, could surely not do better than hasten
to meet his wishes and raise him to a Throne. It would
not be too much that Egypt and Syria should supply the
materials for one on behalf of so honest a pretender. But
we would, at least, say to his defenders, that in order to
enable Mehemet Ali to show himself as a Sovereign, and
treat on a footing of equality with the Sultan, they should
wait until the Throne was made, until other Governments
have written in the code of nations that the right of pure
force has become the social principle, that sovereign power
is no lonZer assumable by right orby birth, nor through po-
pular intervention, but only through individual audacity;
which presumes to turn to its profit thrones and nations.
When we shall have read a rule so founded, when the base
notion of acquiring through temerity and violence has
been turned into a law which has been crowned with pub-
lic sanction, then we will acknowledge that the arguments
used by Mehemet Ali's friends are good ; but until then
they ought to know that Mehemet-Ali is only a rebel that
the force of inertness alone will infallibly destroy. History
has proved that in politics egotism crowned with success
does not remain long so.

INVERNESS-SHIRE.—The nomination for
the county took place on Saturday. The Right Honour
able C. GRANT was proposed by LovAT, and seconded
by Mr. FRASER, of Culbokie. /IPLEon was proposed by
illActriTosti, of Geddes, and seconded by the Reverend
Mr. Smrro, of Urquhart. Mr. GRANT delivered two
splendid and eloquent speeches in the course of the day ;
he was most enthusiastically received by all classes. The
Sheriff declared the show of hands to be in favour of Mr.
GRANT, and the polling proceeds, at Inverness, Kingussie,
Fort William, and l3roadtord, on the 2tith and 27th
current.—Ethitburg Evening Courant.
Mr. FRESEIFIELD had such a high idea of
his influence in Penryn and Falmouth, that he deemed
himself not only secure of his own election, but able to
carry the return of another. He made overtures to Lord
TtiLEAMORE and introduced him to his electors, but, un-
fortunately for Mr. FRESHFIELD, the electors returned
Lord TULLAMORE instead of himself, along with Mr.
ROLFE of the Chancery bar. It is something now to see
an attorney the victim of his own kindness and liberality.
He was, perhaps, unfortunate in having selected a Peer
for his protege, as the English, among their other preju-
dices, have rather a hankering after Lords.

A German Prince, laughing at one of his
courtiers whom he had employed in several embassiew, told
him that he looked like an owl. " I know not," answered
the courtier, " what I look like ; but this I know, I have
had the honour of frequently representing your High•
ness's person."

A GOOD PRECEDENT.--" We must claim
the indulgence of our subscribers for withholding our pub•
lication of Thursday next, in consequence of the Christmas
bolydays interfering,"--Mayo Constitution of Monday.