The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-07-22
THE ROW ABOUT EGYPT.


i trnans or DEGREES of the Porte the viccroy en-
Joys the privileges of an independent heredlta
ry monarch with the title of Khedve or King
AS such the predecessor of the present khe
ave, lsmail, contracted heavy public debts
the main portion of which are held by British
and French subjects. Being unable to pro
vide for their payment, Ismail was lnducec
in 1879, to abdlcate in favor OF his son Tewfk
by whom the management of Egyptian finances
was placed IN the hands Of two comptrollers
general, one appointed by Great Britain and
one by France, who assumed the whole al
minlstratlon of the finances Of the country
levying the taxes, arranging the tariff imposts
&c. 1t is conceded that the 'rQmptrollers'
discharged their trust with moderation and
WISDOM and that the people of Egypt pros
pered under their management.
Very naturally, however the arrangement
was distasteful and CALLING to a large native
political element, notably the military, who
had been greatly reduced in number and i'm
portance and Arabi Bey, as the head of that
element, rebclled The trouble manifested
itself IN this way Among the officers of the
army were a number who were loyal to the
Khedive Arab trumped up charges against
about so of these, and had them tried by court
martial and sentenced to be shot. The Khe
dive refused to approve the sentence. On
May 10th the ministry, (partisans of ArabD
waited on the khedive and demanded that he
withdraw his dlsapproval, threatening to
depose him ifhe refused The Khedive stated
the case to the English and French comp.
trollers" and they teegraphed their respective
governments for support, and ships Of war
were sent AT their instance, also, Arab, who
had scared the Khedlve INTO appointing HIM
minister of war, was removed, and the rest of
the ministry resigned. Twelve hours after.
wards, however, the commandant at AleYan-
dria notified the Khedive that unless Arab
was restored he would not answer for the
safety of the city. At the same time a depu.
tation of ulemas and notabes waited on the
Khedlve at Cairo and begged HIM to reinstate
Arab, and the palace being surrounded by
soldiers who declared that If the request was
not complied With they had orders to shoot
the Khedive he was scared into compliance
The news created the intensest panic at Alex
andrla, for although OF the 100000 population
OF that city 10000 were foreigners, who, armed
and organized, would have been abundantly
able to defend themselves, the latter seemed
to have no thought but flight and rushed In
dlsmay to the ships to secure conveyance out
of the country. The panic was hardly over
before the riot Of June 18th occurred, when
200 foreigners were murdered IN the streets,
an outrage conceded to have been incited by
Arab, but who, to throw dust IN the eyes OF
Europe, ordered out his troops after ten hours
OF rapine, and restored order. While Arab
had thus demonstrated, as he supposed, to
England and France that he alone could
maintain order in Egypt, the latter powers
knew that there was safety for neither Euro.
peans or the Khediye under his control, and
demanded that the power be restored to the
Khedlvc-that 49, to the English and French
officials to whom he has entrusted it,-that
Alexandria be surrendered to them, and that
Arabi be banlshed from the country. The re-
Spouse to this was defiance to England and
France CD the part of Arab by commencing
to repair and arm the Notifications of the
city, Then the British Admiral IN command
of the fleet in front of the city notified the
authorize" pasha to wit--that un
less the forts were surrendered within "a
hours the city would be bonbarded; and no
attention being paid to that summons, on
Tuesday morning, July 18th, the lombard
ment opened, and in three days the city was
virtually IN ruins. While the Egyptian gun
ners stood to their posts and fought with DIES.
peration to the last no attempt was made by
Arab, who was in the city with an army of
5000 men, to maintain order, but the prisons
were opened and the worst elements of the
population given free license to murder for
eigners and plumber as they listed, applying
the torch whenever a house was sacked, so
that during the three terrible days two thirds
Of the city was reduced to ashes Meantime
Arab and his army, whose escape from the
city the English fleet could have easily pre-
vented, while flag of truce was displayed
from all the forts, in the night quietly escaped,
and at last accounts was encamped from 10 to
20 miles off, having cut the canal by which
the city is supplied with water, and having
command of all means of access 10 the CITY
from the land side cutting Off supplies of
food.
This, briefly outlined exhibiting the pres.
ent situation, the absorbing question occurs,
what next. Arab, finding nothing more TO
do in front OF Alexandria, falls back on Cairo
and recruits his army at leisure, meantime
dispatching force to threaten the Suez ccnal.
The English fleet, beyond aiding TO protec,
that ditch has done its work and can do little
more But England having embarked IN the