Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-06-02

1t needs but q glance to show Us how
peculiar the position of Egypt in the
present day Is. A fOurishiDg province
of a great but decrepid and. diving
empire. it would long ere now have
thrown off its allegiance and gained its
independence but for foreign repres-
sion. At the time when Mehemet Ali
and his energetic sou lbrahIm Pacha
were pursuing their conquests anu
threatening speedily tO put an end to
the Turkish Empire. it did not suit the
political creed Of Western Europe. the
faneied interests of France or England,
that that empire should be swept away.
France and England eyed each other
jealousiy over that strip of territory in
the Lower Nile Valley, and by the
eastern shore OF the Mediterranean. and
PalmerstOn was constantly giving cheek
to Louis Philippe and his Ministers in
their designs in that quarter. As was
then thought, too, the only way to keep
Russia out of COnstantinOple was to
bolster up the Osmanli on their rickety
throne. And so Western Europe com
PEELED Ibrahim Pacha to turn back from
his march through Asia Minor. and
made his father give up Syria: and
Egypt, forced thus upon herself, has
presented ever since the aspect of a
power chaiing against its boundaries
and seeking new outlet for its
strength. Barred in. toward the north.
1t has struggled soutliward, and spread
east and west of the Nile Valley into
Nubia, KOrdOfan, Darfur, and the
SOudan. Under the present ruler es-
pecially claim has been made for Egypt
to be recognized as n civilized and
civilizing power. Mehemet Ali paved
the way for the new order of things by
destroying the power of the Mamelukes
and establishing a despOtic irrespOnsi-
BILE power; but it is to his descendant,
Ismail Pacha, that the credit is due of
making deliberate and persistent at
tempt to engraft Western civilization,
usages, institutions, and arts on to the
old MOhammedan stock, He has not
ceased to seek cOnquests nor to dream
of independence, but has become i'm
bued with the notion that to be power
full he must do as the French and Eng
lish do. Under this motive power of q
great ambition, Ismail has followed the
policy of the founder of his race with
out swerving, and is building up an
empire within the Nile basin which,
when the territories annexed" by Sir
Samuel Baker are absorbed and con-
sOlidated, promises to resemble one of
the mighty empires of old.
The key to the dOuble-lined policy of
the present ruler of Egypt is this am
bitiOn; this makes him court alike
civilization and extensive dominion.
No other province of the Turkish En-
pre- can at all compare with Egypt IN
the 0rderllness of the government or in
the extent to which 1t has succeeded in
introducing civiliZing agencies among
the people. In this respect the conduct
OF lsmail is In marked contrast to that
of his nominal master. the Sultan; and
although under him Egypt has become |
loaded with vast public debt-as yet |
almost the chief monument OF progress
In civilization that she can shown |
nothing Is the contrast more marked |
than in the uses TO which Turkey and |
Egypt have severally put the money |
that has been lent to them. In the case |
OF Turkey, hardly any of it has been |
used wisely, and the reckless folly and |
waste with which, even when a good |
end was I'm view, II has been mlsspent,
has made the money borrowed by |
1 urkey curse to her. But IN the case
OF Egypt hardly any OF her borrowings /
have been laid ont on foolish purpose.
much of 1t may have been |
rather wastefully lavished on good
one. Egypt has, for example (accOrd
ing to an able little pamphlet recently
by an eminent Egyptian bankerl,
paid about seventeen and half millions
on account of the Suez Canal, which
can not he said tO have financially bene-
ited the country as yet, however it may
have increased ITS Importance. Some
Twelve millions have been spent on
railways which now yield a cOnsidera
BILE return; and other items, including
loan n-mOngers' profits, count uptO within