Smyrna times., 1882-07-05
Intervention in Egypt.

Il
The situation in Egypt is becoming
more alarming every day. The intel
llgence that England is making secre
preparations for landing troops on tn,
lsthmus has caused intense excitement
III Alexandria and Cairo. Arabi i,
reported to have sent two regiments tr
defend the approaches to the Sue,
Canal, and the fanatical mob in tbe
cities is SO infuriated that the siona1
may be given at any hour for another
attack upon the Europ ans residents
A report that several troop-ships ar,
preparing at Plymouth for Medlter.
ranean voyage may precipitate a sec
ond massacre ut Alexandria. 1t will
be necessary for the British Govern.
ment to proceed with the utmost call
ton; and as military preparations can
not be concealed at home. it is possiblo
that several regiments will be trans
ferred from India to Suez. and then he
reinforced from the Mediterranean
garrisons. Official explanations cannot
be reasonably expected in Parliament
when the necessity for secrecy and
prudence is so pressing. Whatever is
done must be done quickly and effect
ually. The Government must know
by this time that it will forfeit the con-
iidence of the country if it fails to act
with vigOr and discretion. The inter
ests of the bOndhOlders and the limita-
tions of the joint control have passed
out of sight. The highway to India is
III danger and must be defended. This
Is distinctively British interest. The
defence of that interest NAV endanUer
the lives of many thousands of foreign
residents. Before the recent exodus
began there were in Egypt 10000
Greeks, $4,000 Frenchmen, $4,000 Ital-
ians, 1000 Germans and Austrians. and
1000 Englishmen. The swarm of for
eigners still remaining ON the delta
ana in Cairo will be at the mercy of nm
Eastern mob if the Power which lands
troops on the Isthmus does not take
adequate measures for their protection.
Military Intervention is attended with
SO many difficulties and risks that an
English Ministry cannot act without
an overwhelming sense of personal
responsibility.
But inactiOn is also attended with
manifold difficulties and risks. II inn
plies pOwerlessness at the true geogra-
phical centre of the British Empire.
1t involves n confession that the militia
Ty reputation of England has fallen
very low. This confession was made
in the Crimea when the Aberdeen
Ministry displayed such incompetence
in handling its army and left the
French to carry off the laurels of the
campaign; and one of the startling
of military decadence
was the mutiny of the native troops in
Bengal-a mutiny which was only sup
pressed by n supreme effort. Inaction
and vacillatiOn in Egypt may breed
distrust and disaffectiOn in India and
contempt in Europe. Supremacy on
the Nile delta has been the traditional
policy of England since the days of
Pitt, when Abererom3y, land
ing in Aboukir Bay, put to route the
army which NapOlean had left to guard
his conquests, and Malta was made the
commanding fortress of the Mediterra-
mean, If the Napoleonic wars were
obstinately waged through coalition
after coalition, until Waterloo found
England weighed down with taxation
and debt of 81, 600, ,OOO,OOO, it was be-
cause the French victories among the
pyramids had created across the Chan
mel startling sense of the insecurity |
OF a vast commercial empire. If Brit
Ish influence in that quarter of the |
world was essential then, a loss of |
prestige would be simply intolerable |
now.
put an important distinction must
Ae marked, Egypt was then recovered |
rom France by the unaided efforts of |
TREAT britian, Now there Is an en-
Langling alliance with France In the
interest of hondholders--an alliance
which adds to the risks and response
hilitles of independent action. The
financial partnership has had import
ant political consequences. The alli-
lnce has made it point of honor for
each Government represented in the
Control to resist the encroachments
and pretensions of the other, and at
The same time to support @ sovereign
who has been deserted by his army
and his subjects-and deserted mainly
because he was acting under foreign
nfiuence-a puppet moved by the
agents European creditors. England
sannot revert to the commanding poll
~ of Pitt without endangering her
relations with France, nor can she re-
store ordinary tranquility in Egypt
without violating Canning's principle
of non-intervention in the internal