New-York tribune., 1879-04-25
ENGLAND'S PERPLEXITIES.
AFRICA EGYPT AND RoUMELrA.

tTROM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRlBuN
LoNDov. April 12.-Not at all a comfortable week
for the Government. Their one comfort is that Par
lament is not sitting. For let Government be as
arbitrary it viii. and Parliament seryle as 1t
may, neither arbtrarness on tue one side nor ser
Witty on the other can wholly stine that dread ee
ment of publicity which an arbitrary Government
and its servile instruments in the Legislature alike
regard with fear Were the House IN session, the
new disaster at the Cape would certainly have pro-
voked questions and probably brought on debate.
In esther case, il would have been handled in a
manner very different from the manner
In which it is handled by the ministe-
nal press. The burden of the extenuation
offered by the c0mplacent writers who take their
orders from Downing Street, is simply that-after
Isandula-thls last military scandal is such little
one Only sixty British soldiers have been saugh-
tered in place of the six hundred and who fell
victims last January to the incompetence Of the
commander whom this Government still keeps in
power The worst of it is that. now as then, the
sacrifice is a sacrifice offered the altar of military
favOrtism and royal interference. 1t Is the Duke
OF Cambridge. with the Queen behind him, who has
insisted on retaining Lord ChelmsfOrd-0n giving
another chance. they say, 10 a nan whose unfit
ness is gross and pa!pabe. The subject IA one on
which the English press wrltes with gloves but /
know no reason why an outsider may not speak his
mind on the subject without fear or favor know
OF any rate that there are EDgiishmen who take at
least as strong view of ,he matter as do. And
having more interest in England than in any one
clique OF Euglishmen. and more than IN any one
Engllshman, however highly placed. look forward
with some satisfaction TO the prospect of debate
which shall drag the facts 10 light. Mr.. Dilwyn,
hear. is rcs0lute to bring on his motion about the
Queens meddlmg in foreign and in military mat
ters over the heads of her constitutional advisers.
Il is not yet certain that he viii get a day. But
he gets it. the truth, some part OF the truth must
come out, b,th as to Chelmsford at the Cape and
Lytt0D in India.
Yet for the moment other matters are more
pressing; EgyDt for one. Egypt. indeed, is the
question of the week Ever since Lord BeacOHsteld
took it INTO his head 70 buy four millions sterling
of shares IN the Suez Canal he and hls Government
have been getting deeper and deeper into the
financial troubles Of Egypt The shares have
nothing TO do with the present complications, but
that transaction is the starting point from which
may be dated the inextricable entan element Of
England in affairs in which she, a Power. has
nothing TO do In conjunction with France-or
rather al the ust,gation Of Frauce-and in the in
terest of French and English bondholdeTs, she
undertook. through Messrs. Rivers Wilson and
de Blgnlrres. the administration of Egyptian
finance. Those two gentlemen were the aFpoIutees
OF the English and French Governments respec-
lively. They took Office under the hhedlve upon
the distinct understanding that they should not
be dismiss a or nterfered with unless by the
ton Of the two Governments. Some people say
there was an express diplomatic engagement TO that
effect; but No matter. The thing was perfectly
understood on both sides. The Khedive entered
into the arrangement uuder compusiOn more or
less openly applied. Perhaps he counted on over
. I.rr-s ia Ifl
Orientahsm-on corruptng these two Ministers. 1t
is certain that he counted on either controlling
them In some way, or on getting nd Of them ifthey
proved intractable and t is The latter alternative
10 whIch be has finally found himself driven. H.
has dismissed Nr. Wilson and " de BIguieres.
They on their part have declined TO be dismissed,
and have appealed to their Governments 1Or sup
port.
For n whole week an animated discussion has
zone on i'm the papers about the particular method
or process by which England and France might
best signify 20 this Egyptian vassal and tributary
Of the Sultan chat be could not be permitted TO AZ
front with imruHity two great European Powers.
And not iu the papers only. Cabinet councils have
been held in London and in Paris. The English
Urder-Secretarv for Foreign Affairs Mr. Bourke,
has gone over TO Paris 10 exchange views with NJ
Waddinrton At last 1t seems 70 have dawued
Eevpt is, after an. only @ Turkish Pacha though
Pacha of exceptional ability and cunning. perhaps
even of exceptional unscupulou5ress The Sultan
made HMM q sense-aud can unmlke him.
France and England have therefore applied TO the
sultan. and the Sultan appears 10 have agreed to
depo,e the Khedive Tie current version, spread
abroad TO soothe the se-loye of two proud nations
differs from this and represents the proposal of the
sultan as q voluntary act on his part-an impulse Of
that love Of justice which, as Lord BeacOustield
would have us believe resides in the Turkish breast
Not 90 put 1T too disrespectfufy that is bunccmbe
II the accepted reports Of the Sultans intentions
be true sufficient pressure has been put on him TO
extort his consent 10 the overthrow Of the KhcdIye
or a bargain has been made-most probably the lat
ter. | confess doubt whether negotiations have
yet reached the definite stage told they have
reached. If they have, or if they hereafter reach
il. We are 10 see England and France in the proud
position of dependency upon the Sultan for onforG-
ing uDOn Egypt an AngO-FTeEch policy, 10 which
the sultan was originally no party.
There has been talk Of sending a joint English
and French force to Egypt. At first 1t was SAID
feet would be sent Then t occurred TO the authors
OF this project that feet could not 20 to Cairo and
that a fleet at Alexandria, which is pretty much q
European town. would do little toward bringing the
Khediye to his senses. Then land force was sug-
rested, but II u certain that neither England nor
France will gree to the dispatch Of a land force
France because her one fixed purpose TO avoid
foreign complications; England, becausr she has need
for moro troops than she now dispose Il not to
mention the anger with which the English people
would greet the announcement Of such expedi-
tion IN the present state Of English finances. Thera
are fev Englishmen who will to be taxed afresh
in order that the holders OF Egyptian stocks may
get their interest, or may put of more bonds on
coniding public. The point Of interest to the Eng
l-h taxpayer is the attitude Of his Government, aud