The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1882-08-04
Ths 1aiIu Bullsfi't
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1882.
The STORY OF THE EGYPTIAN TROUBLES,

is read every Sunday in the churches
the modern history of the land of
the Pharoahs absorbs a great deal Of
attention on week days. 1t may be
said of Egypt, as of Belgium,
Turkey. and Ireland. that the in
tercst it excites and the strife about
it, are out Of all proportion to the
size and the Importance of the
country itself. In each instance the
anomaly is due to great extent to
geographical position. The Europe
an, and more especially the English,
interest in Egypt is explained by the
circumstance that the country in
question commands the traffic route
between East and West.
The situation as regards Egypt
has been slowly evolved, and it is
still developing. Modern history
commences when Napoleon landed
with an army in 1898, and rudely
shook the old Turkish Mameluke
system of the day. His invasion
was mere INSCRIPTIONS aggression.
There was no excuse for the intru-
sion. The French avowedly went to
Egypt for glory, and they were by
no means successful in the pursuit.
Whatever were the faults Of the
Mameluke aristocracy, it could at
least conduct an iihplacable fight.
In the field personal valor was of no
avail against the superior arms and
the scientific tactics of the French
and of the great French General.
The battles of the Pyramids and of
Abo-Kir were mere butcheries so
far as the Egyptians were concerned,
but the resistance was maintained in
the country. The French held
nothing beyond the range of their
cannon. With the destruction of
the French fleet by Nelson near the
mouth of the Nile, Napoleon saw
that the game was played out, and
returned to France, leaving Kleber
in command. Kleber, one Of the
most brilliant soldiers of o brilliant
period, gained more victories. He
routed with terrific slaughter the
Mameluke army Of 10000 men at
Heliopolis, but when he was away
from Cairo there was rioting in the
capital, and when he returned to
Cairo he was stabbed to the heart by
a fanatic. In this spirit the struggle |
was continued. The resistance of
the population induced the British
Government TO undertake the expul-
sion of the French, and the history
of the force despatched under Sir
Ralph Abercromby is one of the
most glorious in our military annals.
The British occupation lasted
several years, and it was at this
period that General Braid, with a
Sepoy force, landed from India,
The history of the French expedi-
ton is instructive to this day. 1t
shows that an invader runs the
chance of arousing fierce fanati-
cism amongst the Mahomedans,
more especially among the Bedouin
tribes, and it is fair argument in
favor of the policy which England
has, on the whole, advocated, and
which the Earl of Beaconsfield
sought to put in practice, that Egypt
should be governed as are the large
native states of India, namely, by a
protected native ruler. 1t may be
urged that this policy was tried and
failed in the person of the present
Khedive, Tewtik. But it broke
down, apparently, because no assis-
lance was given to Tewfik. AS the
nominee of England and Of France
he was required to carry out policy |
of retrenchment and of dismissals
and of European appointments which
could not be popular, and this by |
his own strength of will, without the
aid of penny or a soldier. II
Tewfik had had 10000 European
troops at his call when Arab Pasha
began his career of aggression his
attitude might have been very differ
ent to what 1t was. The Earl OF
Beaconsfield established the protecto-