New-York tribune., 1884-02-16
NOTES FROM LONDON.
GENERAL STONE AND THE EGYPTIAN CUES
TION-LITERARY QUESTIONS.


I.uNDON, February l.
Ii is easy to agree with General Stone in part Of
his criticism on the paragraph about Egypt which
he quotes in his letter 10 you from dispatch 1lan-
UNI, January l2l to which my Initials Nc'O
appended by mistake. The view taken IN that "s-
patch is the view commonly urged here oy th"'e
who support tie Ministry through all their Egypt
ian policy. Ii Is a perfectly dci'nsibie view ana
represents great body OF English opinion bni on
one uont Al least General stone seems To me right
do moi think that Il Is mainly the fault OF Cbcui
pacha that the carTisons al Snkat ana Iokar are
in danger. The proposed evacuation of Khartouia
alva,s seemed to me a blundcr; and the public all
nounccncDt of 1t still greater bluudcr.
But Gcueral Stone IN Que breath complains of the
greed of England aud ia tho nrxt condemns the
English abandonment Of Khartoum and ot the vast
proNmccs OF the Equator. Tho two things do not
90 together. The truth Is that this Government so
far from showing itself greedy of Egyptian terri
tory has stIivcn with all its migbt To get oat of
Egypt With the best intentions but with impcr-
feet foresight Mr.. Gladstone pledged himself ia ad
vance Ia evacuation. lie has done hIs almost to
redeem his pledge. Events bavo proved stronger
than he There never has been a moment since
1cl-cl-Kebir when English troops could be with
drawn from The Delta except AZ the sacrifice of
every hing They went thcrc to protect intending
the lives and property of Egyptians themselves and
the general peace and order of the country. The
cholera stopped one movement homcwarL The
nahdi stopped auoiher and nobody now ventures
10 propose that while there is chance of invasion
lV the fanatical hordcs of that horribly tanatica
adventurcr the country should be handed over tn
anrchy. 1t was plain to many before. 1t Is plain
now 80 all that withdrawal does mean anarchy
and even the Radicals here in England have ceased
to clImot for 1t. They still hope to got out but
they no louger venture either to fix a date or to
urge he Government to come away 1T once ana take
the consequences. Mr. Courtney proposal to let
the Egyptians stew in thcir own juice. II repeated
to-day would horrify the country.
Nobody can say to what indefinite duration OF
armed occupancy the dispatch of General Gordon
may not have committed this Government. His
instructions are a mystery . Mr.. Charibcrlains
speccL on Tuesday seems to imply that they are TO
remain a mystery. But Ministers will find 1t an
extremely difficult thing to resist the pressure that
will lee put upon them directly Parliament meets
If there be point which. not the Opposition
merely. but the entire English public are eager to
he informed il Is on this What was General Cor
don sent to do' What are his pOwers' What dis
cretiou is left 10 him' What has been or VIII be
done 10 insure. first his reaching Khartoum and
secondly his protection while on tho way. and the
protection of the garrison and population after be
arrives, People are distressed TO learn that General
Gordon bas been allowed Tor required. nobody
knows which to leave Cairo for journey mp the
Nile aad then through the desert without an escort
and with half million dollars III his trunks. They
recall the fate of Professor Palmer, who went on a
similar expedition into the desert. aud was mar
dercd They hear that General Gordon has himself
expressed msgyngs as 10 his journey-he, the
brayest of men. Ministers will surely have to clear
up ihc mystery that now envelops him. and their
proceedings with reference 20 his mission
That done, the question. what is his mission viii
Tocur. If General Gordon gets alive to khartoun,
and flds the place still in the possession of Colonel
Coctiogan, anxiety about him Will perhaps give
way to a conviction that he can take care of HIM
self Tie is understood 10 consider that diplomacy
is more wanted than troops Bat if his diplomacy
fail-then whatY What the Government and
England DONG with view to support their own
General should it turn out that he needs support
Suppose he finds on reaching Khartoum that the
place can be held. and cannot be evacuatcd-then
what VIII Mir. Gladstone insist Oh evacuation
against the opinion of an English commander on
the spot do not believe IL. He justified, and
rightly So the bonbarlment of the forts AZ Alcxau
dria OH the ground that Admiral Sir Bcanchamp
Seymour told the Cabinet hat II was "a military
necessity either TO silence the forts or sail out OF
the harbor 1t was possible for Admiral Seymour
10 sail away from Alexandria. but If General Cor
don reports that there j, transport for an auuy
for Thartoum what can a Cabinet in London say to
himg The best thing TO he hoped for is. perhaps
that for a while communication between Downing
Street and Khartoum should bc cut OFF
The far greater question of the ultimate fate OF
the Soudan of such parts of Il rs the authorities
in Egypt now wish 10 retain. WILL in its turn. press
f0r au answer. What everybody secs Is that. hy
sending General Gordon rs IT'S own officer into that
disputed territory. tins Government has assumed
responsibility which II cannot lightly rcnqui,h.
- Il, az, it, II
is 10 longer free agent with respect 10 Egypt.
General Gordon told his employers in PLAN words
that the danger TO Egypt. and not only 90 Egypt
hut To England, was not INVASION by the Mahdi.
bun the establishment on the frontier of Egypt of
a huge and hostile Mahomcton Power II any
mar can cOniure away that danger, GOriOu can.
Hc can probably pacfy the S0udan. lie goes 20
pit his influence against the Influence Of the Madld.
Iic believes that the revolt whatever You like 20
call IT, is not essentially religious, but revolt
against intoerablc tyranny the tyranny of cruel
taxation among others He himself ruled the Sou
dan for three yc;r, to the acceptance OF its vast
population. He stopped slave catching and stoppco
official oppression and nitgatcd the system of
wholesale plumber which passes with Turkish
officials for taxation. lie Won "a name for just.
tuithlal honest and kindly dealing. That is one
secret of the strength hc possesses to-day for rcstor-
iue throughout that c0uatry the Tulc of law and
leprcs,ng the rule Of mere force. Bu; 10 Is also one
secret of the deadly hostility which the slave
dealers with Zobelr pacha al their head. begI to
General Gordon. Zobchr Pacba is left behind iu
Cairo 90 intrigue with the Khedive WHO only few
week, ago thought him "a III man TO cntuat again
with "a great command. Hussein Pacha. mean
while is kept ia Authority al khartoum. where bus
apathy. 10 the word that the dispatches use,
paral, yes every effort of Colonel Coetloeau for the
deleacc OF the town. If General Gordon appears
Oh the scene. IT is pretty safe 10 say that neither
Hu,-ein Pacha nor amy other Pacha on obstruction
of ANY kind will long hamper his movements But