The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-04-30
THE PERRIN QUESTION

oi '"e sS's Wv md ability that their articles
ia'sp 'sd Inv the general public in this country aud
.hav NAV be engaged for a long time on s"o)ec' "
fore we become aware OF ~ even ,no"sn Wy n 49,.
~n,r. ourselves BE- it known, then, that the great
.,;or debated at present by whateyor OF Journalism
WI, ,it. 10 Paris is the Island Of Perrin, the i"ck III
I entrance of the Red which the Fast ina'a .v"A-
sov occupied sona months SINCE 10 great - ING 'ei
~ ,esd y this new thome, that even the lsshnus OF
- I. Car !, time forgotten This great philanthfopic
ct has indeed cause TO complain oil the inconsistency
II he parisan Journalists several newspapers have not
S1 n, article ON the subject for nearly week. those
NV" Glance over the broad sheets Of neghbors
why a.. That between scientific essay the Artificial
a., ,o,;o Of Prawns and antiquarian ctsay ON Car
,hn;an Horse Shoes article on the piercing 81 the
,.r 81 sues has right ~ distinguished place about
eyery three days Judge then 81 thc importance Oh re-
, hih has for time carried the imagination Of our
a,,hhors 10 the other extremity Of the Bed sea
1 two oucstions are however, one and as they have
,yd comparatively little attention In this country,
While the continental press has been ringing with them,
!, v ~, "a well TO offer few words Of explanation.
rsr since the establishment OF the overland route to
Jndia the political gossips Of the continent have seen
With extreme jealousy the extension Of what they call
nEnesh influence in Egypt and the parts adjacent.
n ,.,M srs them that nafa wich acts u likely 10 haze
,so,. influence nan ,o,or rhRh merely talk and moreover,
ma, fe community Of actise mua necessarily ezsed is re-
Unions rih countries hRh liz Mev rdy 10 sroM nrsaaols
rvndscy This country has, indeed, done wonders for
Eypt since Waghorn succeeded in his notable enterprise
Iha
traffic between England and India, China Australia,
and the Indian Archipelago has been diverted to the
route Of Suez and the Rcd sea. The perish'ng cities
Of Erypt are living again. touched by the renovang in
fuence Of British enterprise and civilization Aexan-
da Cairo and Suez becoming places Of the highest
IMPORTANCE and the Vceroyalty Ii taking its position as
the wealthiest and most prosperous State Of the Fast
All this has been done by Engshmen and what has been
done is nothing compared with what will be effected
before few years have passcd away Already the rail-
way is nearly finished between the Mediterranean and
the Red sea- The Indian mail raverscs the ooun-
try twice every week. and it Is certain that with the
rapid increase Of trade the departures Of first Eng
lish steamers from Suez will be almost daily.
Our telegraph lines will bs laid along the Red
sea and The shores Of Arabia to Kurrachce Bombay
Thousands OF British soldiers will yearly the desert
on their way to and from empire In the East. We
may add that the direct trade of Egypt with this country
ia Of the very greatest importance and that the vccroy
atty il linked to England by continually strengthening
interests Such facts these would think, might
show other nations the iiIiberay and folly Of endcavor
ing thwart the intercourse which has done much for
country but lately plunged in poverty and barbarism
But national jealousy and national vanity proof
against reason and good feeling The French people, not
content with their high position the continent not
recognising the truth that their destiny though great is
merely European, seek to follow the world, and,
without an object but the qualification of uneasy self
esteem to force themselves into all France
has interests in the Red the Indian She
is represented IN Egypt only by few adventurous, who,
ingratiate themselves with the Mohammeans, and adopt
the manners, the morals and sometimes the faith, of the
among which they live. This clique has always
heep animated by bitter jealousy Of England and
in the midst Of the Russian war, when France
and England were in together it did not care to
dissembIe Its hostility. To the inspiration Of these
French fortune seekers is to lie attributed the plan Of
making canal from the Mediterranean coast to Suex
scheme wild aud impracticabe that no man be-
eye 1t to lie sincerely propuuncd for commercial and
ma IL n inn
granted by the Porte the canal would not be made
that not intended to be made but that the installa
tim Of a French company under French protection,
the route which minis and passengers follow, would
be used as means Of hwxting in all plans for per
ecng the system of trnilst In fact, it Is merely pc
itical scheme for operating line Of communica-
tons Whenever we propose extension Of railway
another line Of telegraph, or nh Improvement OF the port
or the erection of warehouse, any practical object
should he met with the rights OF the IAsscps Com
pany, which, should lie told in year two to
commence that great work of civilization 10y which
France 10 whom alone belongs the initiation of ideas,
was 10 attract the gaze Of the universe We sincerely
trust that II there any persons who believe that
improper opposition has been made 10 the Sucz scheme
they will be content to give the successive governments
of the country credit for understanding the question bet
ter than themselves England has done everything for
Egypt and she alone is interested in the traffic across the
isthmus IT, then the canal feasible, English
gnecrs would have executed il long ago. All that can
be done is to maken railway and that has been effected
while those who clamor fer wonderful projects have been
sitting idly at home
The occupation of the rock of Perrin is question of
similar nature English steamers we have said are
passing aud requesting the entrance Of the Red sea daily
No other European flag appears the waters Of this
tropical gulf Neither France nor Russia nor Austria
has the slightest with IT, 1t is in the exclusive
occupation of England and must in the OF things
remain SO long England has possessions beyond
IT. and these other countries have none mt ALL Perrin
which advanageousy situate at point where the nav
CATION is difficult has been unnhabed rock except
rare intervals, since the creation Of the world 1t was
occupied when Sir David Baird about to invade Egypt
rom India nearly sixty ago. and when few months
back our people returned they found told the
iocaons and reservoirs just their grandathers left
them And yet, because we form a settlement ON this
desert rock in where flag but our comes
we must listen to Outburst Of spite from the continental
press We are to forego the possession of spot which
Is untenanted by any human being and which is found
TO DC convenient haltng placc for mail steamers
ano transports, simply out Of Difference 10 the susccp-
eities Of continental politicians who have not Tho small
lest interest in those regions Of the world aud who never
beard the name Of Perrin in their lives. Perrin may he
necessary for the intercourse between Europe and ASIA but
ien must I've left dcsoate because France thinks that
the occupation will too much Increase the influence of
England on the Arabian and Aby&inian coasts This Is
what the science Of politics has come to among the pub
ho'sts OF the second empire tt
we nave had enough OF such tri1ing Ever since the
french press has been forbidden TO discuss domestic sub
e u has always been searching for paltry matter
" s KIND and seeking to elevate IL into great politi
"a. y. question The continental journalists have also
'nonght Mt TO nsinuate proposition which may
wen repudiate at namely that the policy Of this
country in Asia Is to lie suborinatcd some general
w VI European powers md hear Of the
eupaon Of Perrin being brought before the Partisan
eshce and OF collective notes being neditati the
suolect There IL probably no truth in all this but
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