Daily globe., 1882-11-09
AN INTERVIEW WITH ARABI.
What He Has to Say of His Otcm and
Egypt's Troubles.
[London Telegraph

Egy2,t's Troubles.
London Telegraph
''None of you," said Arab, lean under
stand Egypt or Egyptian politics. We in
many ways resemble Mexico. You call
yourselves the champions of liberty, and
would send us back into the most abject
serfdom. You are great and powerful but
I cannot respect you. This Tewfik, in
whose cause you have made so grand dis.
plav, IS utterly cOntemp pti6le-well-m
ing possibly ,ille Louis XVI, but p,ey to
the worst advisers. He is not so bad as
his father, admit, nor SO silly and useless
as his brother, the wickedness of his coun-
selors makes up for such deficiencies. You
restore Tewfik in spite of such unanimous
desire of country to the contrary; on
your head be our misery, then. l do not
like you but l am obliged to respect your
power: knowing what do know, see how
vain were my hopes, and can only be
proud to think that miserable Egypt could
stand against your strength for nearly
sixty days. If you great European powers
choose to dictate, we have no option but to
obey Then Egyptian liberty is but a
dream? Yes, alas! sine the sO-called cham
pions of liberty side against the oppressed
Two days before your bombardment Tew-
fix loaded nle with honors, and called me
friend. have not, nor ever had. any person
al hate against the khedivc. The khedIve is
nothing III himself, but always the servant
of another. If you like to give him tutor
who will whisper to him, all may go well
but if not the Turkish and Circassian
regime will be established and the basti-
nado be rampant as of yore, and Ii will be
your doing. What would / wish to do? l
would wish to be banishea from Egypt
forever. My heart is sick of Egypt.
would live quietly in Europe with my fam
lily, and trouble no one any more, for my
dream is passed, and I was deceived.
Quietly: Ha, ha! How could 1 live
otherwise? Liars say that filled my purse
when in Office. l am very poor
man: have only one little house near Tag
azig, where Twas born: my palace at Cairo
is not mine-was only let to me as minis
ter. l am very poor, indeed; and # you
set me free. shall have to work for my llv-
ing and nay family. But you Will give US
up to our enemies. I feel presentiment
of that ne concluded, quietly, land it Will
soon be all overall over"
when we declared war did you think
we were III edfueS5. dSkeO, iuiy.
''No.' replied Arab, with emphasis,
f'and that was one of the most dreadful
moments in my life. Your Seymour sent
me message that he would lombard the
city OF Ale1a adca at 8 the next morfingg
I laughed, for I thought half the wealth of
Alexandria is English, and they will surely
not wreck their own property l lay
awake all night thinking, growing surer
and more sure; and dawn came, and 8
O'Clock struck, and there was no unusual
noise, and I breathed freely and turned to
sleep. At $50 heard the first gun, and
it set me- shivering. for heard in it the
kneIl of established hopes, and wondered
who would win the viytory. 'You are a
great nation,'' he repeated. ''You can
afford to be generous and great to Cete-
wayo-a savage-and surely should be to
me. Treat me as you treated Cetewayo,
and I will be satisfied"