Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-23
THE COMING WAR.
Hegira of American Officers TO
Egypt.
From Wilkes Spirit of the Times.

ES1pts
From Wilkes Spirit of the Times
Though Europe appears, at present,
TO be in a reasonably tranquil state, and
(barring the petulant disturbances in
France and SPAIN may be said to be
snoring in the very lap of peace, IL is
evident TO us, from many signs around us
here, that a great war is upon the
point of breaking forth across the ocean.
A war which is destined TO envelop the
whole Of the Eastern Hemisphere, and
probably give new commercial destiny
TO Asia.
1t is a little singular that no distinct
warning of this coming storm has been
given TO the world through the European
press; and still more strange, with the
many special signs of it which have been
springing here under our very eyes, that
no American Journalist has seen their
drift or pointed TO the crisis.
The war that we speak of, is the OBJ
viOus breach which is now imminent be-
tween the Pacha of Egypt and the
Sultan; the former acting under the
patronage of Russia, and the latter stand
ing not only for his authority in Egypt,
but for his fOothold in STEAMBOAT. This
Egyptian movement has evidently been
going on under the impulse of the Sui
tan's hereditary enemy; and the money
which the Pacba has spent in the United
States during the last two years for arms,
and the millions likewise lavished by him
upon the festivities of last December, may
also be credited, in large part, to the Rus
sian treasury.
But the most signific ant of all the
signs which the Pacha has given of the
friend who instigates and counsels him is
to be found in the facts, not only that he
has bought his arms in the United States,
but has sought among the Federal officers
who figured in the late rebellion the chief
tains for his army. Prominent among
the officers whom he has selected is Gen.
Stone, who, it will be recollected, COM
manded at Balls Bluff, and who takes
ship this week, to assume either the COM
membership OF His Highness' armies, or
the rank next to it. On the Helvetia,
which sailed last Saturday, and which
bore the new Consul General of Egypt,
Col. George II. Butler, and his staff, were
three or four young American officers,
also en- route to Egypt, among whom we
may mention Col. Sparrow Purdy, for
meTly of Newton's and Franklin's staffs,
who enters the Pacha's service with the
full rank Of Colonel of Engineers.
Here we have signs sufficient of the
large measure of the war which is now on
the point of cracking with its own full
ness, but of whom no journal has yet
spoken. To what enormous limits such
war as this may finally extend we have
unbounded warrant for conjecture.
France must take sides, and SO must Eng
land, the moment Russia moves. But
France has the most immediate reason to
interfere. She can have no interest in
Strengthening the Pasha by the weakening
Of the Sultan, to say nothing of the dan
ger which such a debilitation of the Otto
man empire would lead to, in the oppor-
tunity it would afford for an undue extern
sion of Russia TO the Mediterranean.
France united with Great Britain TO pre-
venS1hat danger once before, and since
then it has become more necessary still
that she should curb the Russian power.
Besides, war between the Pasha and the
Sultan would inevitably lead to the block
adc of the Suez canal, a thing which
France could not tolerate, but which Eng
land would be glad of, because of the su
periOrity of her marine by the old routes
to India.
In both of these respects, however,
and whichever way the problem of the
ocean routes TO India might turn, Russia
stands prepared to be the gamer. She
Gales not for the route TO HindOstan by
Sucz, or for the more tedious journeys
round the capes. Her road TO the east is
by straight line; westward, overland;
and thus tapping China and Hindostan in
the center, she may fling the riches of the
orient by rail TO Brest, and thus settle the
problem of the China trade, so far as
Europe is concerned, in seven days. The
iron road across the European continent
is already more than two-thirds done,
while ours is entirely finished: so,
with nothing but the Atlantic "
ing in between these equal rail
way spans of $500 miles each, the
world will soon be belted with commercial
traffic (eyen at the present rates of rail.
[ way speed, in q days. BY and by,
when railways are properly improved,
which must be the case within 10 OF i
years, the pendulum transit, swinging
from San Francisco eastward, in {
straight line over the broad land, via New
York and Brcst, TO China, at the rate OF
80 miles the hour while on the land and
at the rate of 10 miles the hour where tho
dull sea comes in, will barely occupy II
days. We shall then hear but little mor(
about the SueZ canal, while the burlesqut
of a short ship cut through the narrow
neck of Darien and Panama-that foolish
fable If 400 years-will cease even TO re
main a dream. Man in the new-fount
power with which he has already spaneC
this continent and even pierced the ada
mantine Alps. will then shun the ocean
because he can go round the world witt
tie sound earth under him, and with moth
ing to impede his fight more stubborn
than the air.
This is what Russia is lookingtO to, among
her other calculations of the coming Mos
lem war; and her skilled captains, alon!
with ours, both wearing the turban unde
the banner of the Niceroy, will content
with mutual fricndliness for common
destiny. DSlNCtn US We VIII COuuldu
the commerce of the world; and possible
Russia, putting her officers, at some futur
day, at the head of 400 600, 600 Chinese
may sweep HindOstan TO her coasts, an
then playing, again, the part of Rome
swarm back over western Europe, an
plant her standard on every abutment G
the continent, from Gibraltar TO the froze
ocean. This is the most likely mode /
which the prophets will realize their dreaI
of a common family; the only defcc' i
the picture being that America viii hol
the same proud position on this contincl
as Russia does on hers, and thus, betwcC
them, divide the empire of the world.
The emigration from Ireland to Il
United States, by way of Cork, is repOr
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