Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-04-27

AsAUcY ARTICLE II ~raUsDLHz'
Fran tho Joud.n Times, April ctn.l

RED SEAtlSLASDCfPEh
,s,vcy ARTICLE tRoa TIE "rauspraZE.'
From the Londen Times, Apr''cn'I
Ofls,e wears the French newspapers have so much
ALLEN in importance and ability, that ,Iel &c a"G J
rarely read by The general public III 'hs -, H.,
they may hr engaged for a long tune III
fore we become aware of it, even though tne mave.
concerns ourselves. Be it known then' Una. lne enta.
question debated al present by whatr'tlo I ouinan', -,
exists in Paris, is the Island OF te, .n i Es. to i,nd;s
the entrance vi the Red Sea, whici '"e co'
occupied some months since. 90 ste", .
the intpres, excited by this new theme, thai even 'he
lsthmus of Suez is for a tins forgotten ih'S zen
philanthropic project haa, indeed, Gauss W coihp'a'"
of the inconsistency of the Partisan l1urnans1s sGso,
raj newspapers have not had an a, ,u VI ~ co.. III The
for nearly a week. Those who sthi gianee over u
broad.sheets of our neighbors, are aware 'hat oet"een
a scientific essay on the Artificial Alimeniatlon I
Prawns, and an antiquarian essay on ea'nas,Mau
Horseshoes, an article on the piercing VI Tue ts.n,
mus Of Suez has a right to dis'ingusnIa P,o.e ~
avery three days. Judge, then, OF tns importance ..
Perrin, which has, for q time, carried lne In'S'nnS.u"
of our neighbors TO the other extremity OF Tue Neu Sea'
The two questions are, however, one ano,a 'ney
have received comparatively little alleution ~ tnls
country, while the Continental prees mas oeen iinglus
9TH than. il NAV be "A we'll TO offer a few words OF
explanation. Ever since the establishment Tue
Overland Route to India The political goee'Po VI u
Continent have aeen, with extreme jealousy, u et-
tension of what they call 'Engllsh lnnuehce III
EYVDI HUQ Tile paris duJduCuts IL
that a nation which acts is likely to- have more inhu
ence than nations which merely talk; and, moreover
that a free community of active men must necessarli
" extend its relations with countries Wplcn lie on
their way TO q most valuable dependency. in.s GUun'
trv has!!indeed, done wonders for Egypt since Wag-
horn succeeded in his notable enterprise. Inc whG.e
mail traffic, and a large part OF the passenger ratnc
between England and India, China AastraLia ana lhs
Indian Archipelago, has been diverted 10 Inc route Oh
Suez and the Red Sea. The ~perishing cities OF Egypt
- 81. aoa;p touobod bv tha ra0OyatlDp influence
of British enterprise and civilization Ale1ahar'a,
Cairo, aud Suez are becoming places OF Inc highest
importance, and the ViceroyaltY Is taxing is posi-,
ton az the wsalthiest and most prosperous STATE OIL
the East, ho,
has been done is IA nothing compared with what will
| BIZ effected before q few years have passed away
Already the Railgay 10 nearly finished between tne
| Mediterranean and the Red Sea. The Indian Mall now
trayerass the country twice every week, and II IS Ger
tain that With the rapid increase OF trade the depar
lures of fret class steamers from Suez will soon be al
most daily, Our telegraph lines will soon be along
the Red Sea and the shores of Abrabia to Eurracnee
or Bombay. Thousands OF British soldiers Will year
" cross the Desert on their way to and from our En-
pire in the East. We may add that the direct trade
of Egypt with this country Is OF the very Creates
Importance, and that the Viceroyslty is linked t
England By continually strengthening interests.-
other nations the illiberality and folly of endeavorinl
10 hwart the intercourse which has done 90 much Tor
country hut lately plunged in poverty and barbarism
But national jealousy and national vanity are proc
against reason aud good feeling. The French people
not content with their high position on the Continent
! not recognizing the truth that their destiny, though
CREST, is merely European, seek to follow us over tn
world, and withon, an object but the grahhca'ion o
an uneasy self. esteem, totorce themselves into all ou
concerns. ,.
France has no interests in the Red Sea or the lndi
! en- Ocean. She ia represented in Egypt only %
few sdysutrrers, who, with a pliancy which English
men have no dasiro to rival, ingratiate thernselve
with the Mabomedans, sns sSopt the manners, To-
/ Eorals, and sometimes the faith, OF tia .a'e anon
which tiey live. This clique has always been an'.oa
ted by q bitter jealousy Of England, and even in tn
midat of the Russian WIS.,. when France and England
wers n arms together, it did nSt care to dlssemoI
ira hostility. To the inspiration of these trench tor
tune. seekers il to De attributed the plan Of making
canal from the Mediterranean coast to SueH-'
scheme go wild snd inpractica6le that no man cal
bsli,ye il to be sincerely propounied for Commercial
and maritime objects. Our conviction ia, toa. il
concession were granted by the Ports iEs canal woni'
not be m%sde-that it Ia not intended TO be mace. Du
ti,sl the installation Of q French company, unde
French urvtsction, on the route which our mails AM
passengers follow, you'd he used az n means o
ihwartinv us 10 all plans foT pe~yfecting the system o
transit. In fact, it ia merely d political .eSene to
operating on our line OF communications:
Whenever we propose an extension of railway, o
another line OF telegraph, or an improvement Of tn
nori, or the erection OF a warehouse, or any practice
object, We snoaid be met with the rights OF the Les
spn, COMPANY, which wo should be told wa. in a yea
or VI to commence that great soIs OF civilization b.
which France, to whom alone betoDgs TO imtiatio'
of ideas, vas to attract the gaze OF the nniVeITs. Y
aincerely trust tbs. il there are any pSrsoDs who De
1 Eeye that an improper opposition has been made y
the Sues schen1e, they will be content to give the cue
cs:siye g~overnrDents Of the country credit Tor under
standing tho question bslteI than Themselves. Eng
land has done every thing for Egypt; and she alon,
= xso.kod ~ thn fruFHo nornla fha Iafnnua. VI
then,t canal were feasible, English engineers woult
hsye asecuted it long ago. All that can DO dcnS i
10 make 6 ra,lyay, and that has been effected, Will
those who cIamof for wonderful projects have beef
sitting idly at home.
The occupation of the rock of Perrin ia & que-tlo!
Of a similar nature. English steamera, as we have
said. are passing and requesting the entrance of thu
Bed Sea daily. No other Europern Tag ever appenr'
on the waters Of this tropical eulf. Neither France
nor 3 ussia, nor Austria has the slightesi concern witt
il. II is ia the exclusive occupation OF England, snc
must in the aatGrs Of things remain 30 IA long 6:
England has vast posaessions beyond It, and thes.
other countries have none at all. Perrin, which Il
advantag-oualy situated at a point where tiIo naViga
ton lie difficult, has been an uninhsbifed rock, except
ct rare intervals, since the creation ut The world; !.
was occuoied when Sir David Baird was about 10 in
wade Egypt irQn India. nearly sixty years ago, and
when, q few noDths back. our people returned, they
found, We are told, fhe Notifications and reser
yoira lust as their grandfathers left them. And yet,
| b6CausH we lOrm Il 66ttloWcHt VI is bCeci'
, rock In a sea where no flag but our own ever oonea,
we must listen to an outbprst Of spite from the Con
tipentsi presst We are to forego the possession OF q
spot which is untenantsd by any human being, and
| which is found to be q oonvedisat hating place Tor
! our mail steamers and transports, simply Oh OF oe'
fereuac to the susceptbilities Of Continental poiiti.
clans, who hsys not the smallest Interest in those re-.
| gions Of the world, anu who never heard the name OF
Perrin in their lives. Perrin may "a necessary for the
intercourse between Europe and Asia, out Perrin
! must ba left desolste because France thinks that the
occupation viii too much increase the influence OF
England on tho Arabi4u end Abyssinian coasts. This
Ia what the science Of politics has ocne To among the
| publicists of the Second Empire!
We have bad enough Of sucb tri0lng. Every since
the French prsss has been forbidden to discuss do
mesio subjects 1t has always been searching Tor some
paltry matter Of this kind, and seeking to elevate It
into a great political question. The Continental
journalists have also thought 6t TO ~insInHate a propo-
sitlon which We may az we'll %repudiats at once
namely, that the policy Of this country In Asia 10 to
be subordinated to some general Council, OF Euro
pesn Powers. and we consequently hear OF the occu-
patton of Perrin being brought before the Partisan
Conference, and of collective notes being msditated
on the subject. There lie probably no truth 10 all TINS;
but still, the existence OF tbs report ia evidence OF
notions which we may as well dissipate at once. As
for Egypt and the Red Sea the Intentions of this coun
Try ara soon stated. We have no wish to acquire
territorial possessions In those parts, but we Will not
for a moment tolerate any scheme Tor interfering win
the great systern Of ercommunlcation whicn We are
now building MP. As for any nation pretending toa
superior or sven m equal position with England in
Egypt. it is out Of the question. We have moi labored
go much to give up now the fruits OF orr labor:
Twice within the last sixty years have British arms
preserved Egypt TO the Porte. In the hrst OF thsss
first Of modern generals, was utterly defeated and
destroyed Forty years afterwards. when an amoi'
tious VIoeroy made war against bis Sovereign, 1t was
again q British force that cruahed bis pretensions.-
The policy and spirit of England are what they were
in 1893 and 1870. Our own rights and the rights Of
the Sultan W will support, az we have done before,
against either European or Egyptian ambition. 80
We would advise those Journalists who are husylng
themselves about English proceedings in the Red Sea
to attend to matters which more nsar!y concern
themselves. Perrin can only possibly belong to the
Sultan Of Turkey or the Imaum of Muscat. IL ethics
of these potentates chooses to make a reclamation,
We shall know how 10 deal with il; but any other
State will only lose its time and temper by interfering
with the question. Probably all that has been said