Connecticut western news., 1882-07-19
EGYPT.

EGYPT.
 Egyptian news is good deal like Egyptian darkness, hard to see through and we doubt whether one of Edison's most powerful cleo. tric lights could dispel it's intense opaqueness. It is certain that Alexandria has been bom- barded and pretty much destroyed and that hundreds of innocent persons have been ruth lessly butchered, but beyond this all seems to be muddle even to the best informed. The immediate se-of the bombardment seems to have been that Admiral Seymour ordered the Egyptian authorities to stop work on the Notifications around Alexandria, and they failed to do it. What right he had to give such an order 1t is difficult for the ordinary occidental reader to understand. To the ordi- nary comprehension he would have had as much right to order the work on the Brook lyn Bridge to be stopped, and in case of origin of the whole difficulty, perhaps, dates many years back. The Khedives like most Eastern rulers, have ruled with magnificent extravaganza and involved the country in bankruptcy. Despite ruinous taxation they generally paid their debts by issuing bonds, which were gobbled up by English and French capitalists and of course they practically owned the Khedives and the country. They compelled the late Khedive, Ismail Pasha, to accept a joint English and French Commiss. 5 sions to superintend and control his finances and naturally they soon became the real rulers of the country. Ismail becoming somewhat restiye in such leading strings, he was quietly deposed and his son, Tewfk, put in his place. Tewik proved mere puppit in the hands of the Commission, and foreigners filled all the important offices with enormous salaries, while the native element was almost ignored. This naturally caused hard feeling and jealousy among the natives who finally found g leader in Arabi Bey, and the result is the unfortunate affair or massacre at Alexandria. What the outcome will be 1t is difficult for one not behind the scenes to see. Arabi Bey has escaped with the army such as it is, into the interior and although England with her vast resources can easily crush it, unless some other European power should interfere, it may prove to her costly undertaking and it's in huence may extend far beyond Egypt. Arabi has succeeded in stirring up the religious fanaticism of the Mussulmans and this feel ing may extend to British India The con. duct of England in this instance is of piece with her treatment of the Boers of South Africa. She was glad to back out then and tical movement again.
 The World publishes an interview with Lieu tenant Commander Gorringe, who spent some eight months in Alexandria preparing to re- move the obelisk, in which he gives the fol- lowing interesting, and doubtless correct state. ment of the causes which led to the present difficulties:
 The first cause lies, should say, in the attempt on the part of the English and French comptrollers to rule Egypt without regard to the interest or wishes of the Egyptians, Without entering into the questions of how the Egyptian debt originated, it is generally admitted that in yielding control of the Treas. ury to the representatives of the foreign bond holders the Egyptians did all that any one could demand. The present Khedive did more than this. He handed over many sour. ces of revenue which had been reserved under his father, diminished his own salary and the whole Egyptian civil list and entered fully and sincerely into the programme of feconomy in expenditures and of providing for the pay ment of the interest and principal of the Egyp. tian debt. No one can deny these facts. Whatever his predecessor may have done and however faithless he may have been, Tewfik has faithfully supported the foreign comp trollers of his Treasury in all their legitimate efforts to economize expenditures and collect the revenue. But the comptrollers, not satis- fled with the simple management of Egyptian finances, assumed to rule Egypt entirely with. out regard to or rather by dictating to the Khedive and his Ministers the action to be taken on all questions brought up and the source of this difficulty lies in the attempts oi de Blignieres and Wilson to ignore the Egyp. tians in the management of their own affairs. They filled all the important offices of all the departments with their own people, two-thirds of them being English and French subjects They gave extravagant salaries to themselves and their European appointees and diminish ed the salaries of all native employees. Eng lishmen were put at the head of the Post Of fee Department, the State railroads and tele graphs. the ports and public works, the Darf plantations, the custom. house, and indeed o all the public offices of any importance Most of these appointees belonged to the English and French Civil Service and, while serving, and drawing pay from the Egyptian Government, they openly ridiculed it and have been for years defying 1t. An orde from the KhediYal Minister to one of thes. subordinates was not obeyed unless the latter chose to obey it. Any attempt to enforce such an order or to remove such a subordinat, was always resisted by the comptrollers, ant in more than one instance caused the over throw of the Minister. This gradual seizur, of power by the irresponsible representative: of France and England, but chiefly of England finally aroused an intense hostility betweel the Egyptians and the persons whom the, had employed to administer their financial af fairs. When was in Egypt the Khedive in conversation on this subject, expressed hi: views very vigorously indeed. He said in eff feet that he was nomnally Khedive, with ab solute power, but was really the subordinate of the English and Frence comptrollers who had gradually assumed all power in Egypt without any responsibility. One remark struck me very forcibly; he said in effect tha for everything that went wrong he and hi Ministers were blamed but for everything creditable that was accomplished the comp trollers claimed all the praise.
 'sThis state of affairs naturally led some years ago to the formation of national party It existed when was in Egypt in 1879. ] am convinced that the Khedive was then its head. His object was to so strengthen him self among his people and in the eyes of othel nations by wise and honest administration of affairs then when the time came for him tt throw of the tyranny of the comptrollers tht civilized world would aequiesce in the step believe that Tewfik has always intended te scrupulously fulfil every one of his engage ments with foreign powers and to provide fol the payment of every dollar of the Egyptian