The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-07-27
The Coming Egyptian War.
New York Tribune.I

New York Tribune.l
The Parliamentary explanations Whicl
were made on Monday in Paris and Londor
were explicit and satisfactory. The Frencl
| Government has virtually decided to allow
England to act alone. IL may send a fore,
OF marines to protect the line OF the Suel
canal, but its operations will be purely de
fensive. VI. de Freycinct stated that tn,
/ French marines would not take any mea
sures TO secure the safety Of the Sweet Wa
ter canal from the Nile. This is the fresh
water supply not only of lsmailia, but OF
Port Said, and il any operations on the line
OF the Suez canal are to be effective they
must include complete defence Of this chan.
mel from the Nile. 1t is probable that the
marines will be kept on board ship, and
| that the vote Of credit for which the
Ministry has asked will he applied almost
exclusively TO n"val expenditures. The
Premier may not understand the temper of
the French people, but he can apparently
count with confidence upon the support OF
the Legislature. He has chosen the caJl-
tious but ingloriouS part OF inaction.
The defence of the SueZ canal by
the marines will he nominal, but
not effective. England is expected
TO do all the serious work. This
result will he hailed with satisfaction in
London. where the risks and cmbarrass-
ments Of Joint expedition are fully ap-
preciated. For military as well as diplo-
matte reasons, one agent is better than two
i'm work of this sort. The isolation o!
France may not be creditable to her Gov
eminent, but il is a substantial gain so far
as European Interests are concerned.
The two Premiers are in accord on one
point. VI. dc Freycinct states that the
Powers have renowned the idea OF de-
putting any agent to act in Egypt, and Mr..
Gladstone refers only in the yagueSt way
to the authority Of the Sultan and to the
moral assent OF Europe. 1t is evident
that the work Of The conference has prac-
ticaly ended. The Sultan will not be
allowed another opportunity for action
on the Nile. and the Powers will tacitly
acquiesce in English intervention with
out formally sanctioning it. The re-
sponsbilty Of suppresSin@ the military
revolt and OF restoring Tewfk's authority
deyolycs upon Great Britain. a vote Of
credit has been asked, an increase of the
income tax has been proposed, the reserve
has been called out, and arrangements are
rapidly making for the dispatch of IN army
corps OF $4,000 men for active operations.
This force will apparently include eighteen
battalons of infantry, three OF the guards,
six regiments Of cavalry, as many rs seven
teen batteries of artillery, and a commits
Sal'at reserve.
This army Of seasoned men ought TO
have no difficulty in dispensing Arabs
forces il an engagement can be brought on
in the open field. Egypt will, however, be
a very different battle-ground from India,
where there are dense masses OF population,
and where supplies of food for an invading
army can always be secured. With the
lower Nile basin under water, as If will be
i'm August and September, the commlssa-
riat will present unusual difficulties, and
the English regiments will readily fall IL
prey TO disease. Ii their foes wisely con-
clude TO fight like the Arab or the Moor
rather than to meet them in the field, where
artillery will decide every battle, the CAM
palgn may be indefinitely prolonged. But
whatever may be the hazards and difficult
ties OF the work which lies before Eng
land. the issue has been joined. Her forces
are i'm motion, her honor is pledged, and
her people unite in pronOmcing the war
both necessary and iustifablc.
This, we think, will also be the sober and
deliberate judgment of mankind. Mr..
Gladstone's speech, delivered after the
bombardment OF AleXandria, is an I'M
answerable defence of England's policy.
While European conference was striving
TO induce the Sultan TO suppress military
despotism in Egypt, and by relnstatlng
Tewfik in authority to secure the safety
of the short waterway to the East,
there was an atrocious massacre OF foreign
crs i'm Alexandria. Whether Arab was or
was not responsible for that massacre, 1t
was the duty Of the British Admiral to
keep his fleet in the harbor and to protect
not only those residents OF his own
nationality who remained on shore, but
the Viceroy, who had been loyal TO
his engagements with Europe. When
the safety of that fleet was menaced,
he was justified in battering down
the earthworks in seli-defence. When
the city was burned and pillaged, it was
his duty TO land his marines, to rescue the
Vicerov, and to restore order IN the black
ened and blood-stained streets. Finally, the
Government is acting wholly within It's
rights rs member OF the European State
system when, perceiying the unwilling
ness of the sultan to assert his authority,
il takes effective measures 10 put an END
10 the reign of military violence in
Coypt the rule OF soldier mob
led by officers who have been
bribed by an Arabian adventurer-a
state of anarchy and suspense which
has not only brought ruin upon thousands
Of foreign residents and pauperlsm ana
misery upon the entire native population,
INT has also menaced the commercial inter-
ests Of the world. Ii is not lingo craze.
II il NOT bondholders' war. England's
d;nIomatic negotiations will bear, we think,
the closest scrutiny, and her course
throuobout the present crisis can be iusti-
fed on the highest moral grounds. Her
troops are departing on an GRAND OF nle +,
CIV TO the Egyptian people--on mission VI
memorable justice, sanctioned not on! U!
enlightened self-interest, but by the ihIe'-
ests OF civilization.