Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-05-11
England,s Share Of the Spoil.

England's Share Of the Spoil.
AS the carly stages of the war pro-
gress, 1t becomes more and more evident
that England, sooner or later, must be-
come involved either in its active opera.
tions or in its final divisions. If England
and Russia come to blows, it is evident
that the former will undertake three
things. The first of these is the seizure
of Egypt. 1t is only natural that it
should fall to England as her portion of
the spOils. Egypt is her route to the
Indian Empire. The management of
Egypts revenues is in the hands OF En-
glshmen. She is really mortgaged to
England to secure loans of over hun
dred million pounds. The chief offices
in the Egyptian Cabinet, the administra-
tion of her public works, the direction of
her railways, the principal commands in
her army and navy, are in English hands.
The exports to Great Britain amount to
nearly fifty millions of dollars per annum
Seventy per cent. of the Egyptian com
mcrce is with England. She sends her
per annum 5000, 600 bushels of wheat
and between 100000 and 500, 200 bales
of cotton, and large quantity of raw
silk. The Khedive is virtually only a
British agent, like some of the East In.
dian Princes. In any division of plumber,
fall to Great Britain, and there would
probably be no serious contest over il on
the part of any of the powers, unless it
be France. Even we're there no war
progressing to hasten partitions of prop
erty, Egypt would very soon pass into
English hands, through the operations of
debt, commerce, the Suez Canal, and
natural causes.
The second move of England would be
to seize the Island of Gambia, or Crete,
as some call it, which is in chronic re-
volt against Turkish tyrannical authority.
Its strategical position is immensely inn
portant. 1t blocks and commands the
exit from the Grecian Archipelago, and
its possession, since the English already
hold Malta and Gibraltar, would give
them the command of the Mediterranean.
From Malta to the Suez Canal, thor
sand miles, there is no stopping place but
Gambia. 1t is the halfway house be-
tween Malta, Constantinople, and Alex
andria. 1t has several deep-water har-
bors, capable of powerful defense from
the high shores, and capable also of
holding large fleets. 1t is position which
Great Britain needs, as it is long dis
tance from Malta to Egypt, and which
she will therefore take, although it is
not probable that she will annex it ex-
cept for military and naval purposes, and
of course as a menace to Russia, which
is the impelling force of every step that
England takes with reference to the
Eastern question. The political control
of the island, except the fortresses,
would undoubtedly be handed over to
Greece.
The third movement of England, con-
tingent upon the seizure of Constantine
pie by Russia, which has been several
times hinted at, would be the occupation
of a point on the Dardanelles in the
neighborhood of Gallipoli, which is situ-
ated on narrow tongue of land, with
bluffs 500 to 800 feet in height command
ing the Dardanelles on the east and the
Gulf of Saros lying back of them OF the
west, thus cutting off any danger of a
flank attack from the Russians. The
English never will consent to the control
of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles by
the Russians unless they are compelled
to by irresistible power; and if they can
successfully hold this point, which is
strong natural fortiication of itself, the
Russians, even if they hold Constantine.
pie, are still nearly as badly off as they
are now, as they can never get from the
Sea of Marmora into the Mediterranean
without British consent, which is the
one thing above all others that Russia
desires to accomplish, and which would
at once establish not only commercial but
military supremacy.
The grabbing, however, will not be
confined to England. Already it begins
to be apparent that Italy is preparing to
seize that portion of Albania which lies
between Montenegro and the old Greece
proper, or Epirus, known IN ancient
times as Illyricum, and now settled by
the descendants of the original Roman
colonists. Italy also wants Tunis, on
the African shore. That Austria wants,
and will have, Herzegovina and Bosnia
is well known. The only province whose
ultimate ownership seems to be in doubt
is Servia. Whether she will fall into
Russian hands or be set up as an inde-
pendent power remains to be seen.-
-ChicGgO Tribune.