Delaware gazette and state journal., 1884-02-14
Wilmington. Thursday, eb. "A. 1884.
The Egyptian question.

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often, in the Light Of after events, to sug-
gest the strange impression that TO their
eyes the future is no mystery and that
there may be great Lesson in the last
words of Schiller, "Many things before
"obsoure are now made plain to me-"
When Beaconsheld lay on his death bed
his parting breath gave utterarcs TO the
words, al am overwhelmed" The eye of |
the seer ranged lar beyond the vision of
the statesman what he saw clearly |
and with one glance 10 that supreme
moment We are beginning to behold vey
slowly unfolded, scroll by scroll.
This SoudEn trouble is mere cloud in |
the east, no bigger than minis hand.
But 1t forebodes storm which may shake
the entire civilized world. 1t is NO longer
q question Of Egyptian irregular levies
failing to put down petty false prophet
1t is the first bugle blast OF another war
between the Cross and Crescent; the
herald that reopens the whole eastern
question, bringing Great Britain and
Russia face to face with the buried but
unsettled problem of predominance in
Asia; lastly it is the death doom of
slavery or its acquisition OF fresh lease
OF life. Finally 1t ia a question OF the
ability OF Egypt 10 accept the progressive
element OF Occidental civ .Iizstion or 70
lapse into en- obseurity such Sc is typifed
by the sphynx and the bs Of the
PharsOhs.
The immediate results of the events
which have recently transpired in Egypt
are not difficult to forecast. The British
government which has permitted the re-
volt in the Soudan to gather force, which
has parslyzsd the action OF the Knedire
on the one hand and Turkey on the
other, cannot escape the consequences CT
its neglect. Il is a government elected
by the people, and to the people it must
make ana Ter. Mr.. Gladstone's lease of
power is not worth a weeks purchase, il
he ignores the voice OF the nation which
committed it to him. The majority in
the lower house by which he holds his
authority may he converted into
minority in single night, and his min
istry terminated as suddenly as was that
of Earl Aberdeen in 1855 when the latter
shirked the responsibilities of the Cri-
mean war. More than this, the Liberal
majority which placed MIR. Gladstone at
the head of affairs in 1880, is a
treacherous one, being composed in great
part OF representatives OF counties which
for centuries previous had furnished
members of the opposition. He may
elect to give up the SOudsu and abandon
Egypt TO its fate, but it is not in the
power of the British government at the
present time to sacrifice tke millions in.
vested by its subjects in the Suez canal
and the railroads of Egypt; still less to
leave open the highroad to India with
France in Tunis and Russia in Armenia.
1t is far more probable that the hint at
withdrawal was temporizing measure,
instituted in the vain hope of the success
of "Chinese" Gorion'5 mission, and q
possible military success on the part OF
Baker Pasha's army, These hopes are
gone, and the only position presented is
that offered to Lee at Gettysburg, "to
"whip or go.'
The Turkish government cannot deal
with the matter for two reasons it
has no money and its people are
Mahometsns, in sympathy with the rebel
tribes and dercely antagoni5tic to the
Christians who administer the atisirs OF
Egypt, The Sultan would no more take
up arms against Ei Mshdi than he did
against Arab Pasha Joint occupation
by England and France would not be en-
tertained by the former, and there Is nc
other European power, save Rus5ia
directly concerned in the matter. The
landing of Russian troops in Egypt OIL
any pretsnse would bs clsus Jeih with
England. .... -.
The question which naturally arises il
what would be the cost OF an expedi
tionary force and to what point shonld i
be directed
To fit out an army OF 10000 trained
Anglo-lndian troops would require si,
weeks Of preparation and involve mini.
mum expenditure of fifty millions o
dollara, withou. the remotest prospeo. o
oent being returned either in .he wa,
OF war indemnity or through furthe
taxation of the Impoverished laud o
Egypt. Suskin obviously suggests itsel
as the base Of operations, from its fesdi
ness Of scosss both from Europe su
India, and no difficulty whatever woul,
be experienced in the landing becsns
th9 Red Sea is commanded by the Brit!st
heet The necessity of guarding lau
line OF communications tssy 3Oi
miies) in hostile territory waul
absorb more than half Of the exppdi
tiOnary force, leaving $1,000 meu avsil
able to cope with the army OF the Msbdi
estimated at 100 600 men. The appar4n
disparity you'd Of course be mucs r.
duced by the superior srms and dfscir
line of the invading force. When ten
Roberts marched from Cab0ol to Canda
hsr to meet Ayoub Khan, il tie AfgAai
campaign Of 1879, he took With hr
10000 men to cope with hos.il
force OF 10000 and irregular troops Q
thrice this Lumber harassng Lis limo {
march. He covered Boz miles In ~ iay
through the Hindoo Koosh mountain
aud beat the enemy disastrously on til
day after his arrival before Csndahar
Here was demonstrated the value OF Ii
Indian troops,.e even when fighting againa
their co-reliRionists. The Sikh intantT
Ia the most formidable weapon of Britis
power in the east, and 10000 Of the.
wsr-like soldiers fully trained and ii.
oiplined ss they are, would alone max
short work of the troops OF the Hahdt,
The nearest sources from which
British contingent could be drawn a,
Cyprus and Alden, but it is very unlikel
that the latter post would be disgaruisht
for the reason that it is one OF the KEY
Of the Red Sea and its possession i
hostile Arab trlbes would interrupt cou
munication with India. Thetaak ofan,