New-York tribune., 1889-12-22

Ds1.s.,,oos u IL not surprising that tne
natives regard with some misgivlns .no
,uoa,t efforts of their European frienus ~ -, ~
dor. them with the appurtenances OF oi'''"a
uo" ''s;ot, ;s NOT suited to their climate OF "
their country rr,;sh are about
- ;ntrodnce into Egypt is the aooii''on ~ 49,.
''"..oo " '"s, ;, or forced labor tax" hi'ner'o
- native has been obliged to pefiorin
w. au,o,rt of labor each year on puonc
IT. 49, or else TO pay a heavy tax IN Deu 'here-
r,n dams and embankments along 'he
. y. ,,,hicb demand the most unceaslhe care
fl.', ,.,ont;on during the high-Nie season. the
~ :,.;nat;o, works of the Delta, and even the
Suez Canal, have all been createo ny '"O"n' u
" coryee" labor. Indeed, thousands "pon ."o'
sands of fellaheen perished uhuer 'ho ""'p =,
tho taskmaster while excavatlng' h'o anu
twenty years ago, the sand from the "a.er,"aS
which in ancient times connected tne -heuioer-
rapean with the Red Sea- The aboli'lon OF the
:. corveeu is. however, only natural ana 1nevi-
.,Llo conseouence of the abandonment oi the
q" kourbasb.5 or whip of hfppopotamus hide.
Same few wears ago popular opinion'in England
forced the British authorities in Egypt to insist
-, tho abolition Of the "kourbash" as means
for the collection of taxes from the natives.
The Pacbas demonstrated at the time, and
argued that it would be impossible 10 carry on
tho administration without that means OF gentle
nersuasion. which they described as constitut-
ing the handspring of Egyptian Government
since the days when Mizraim, the grandson OF
Noah founded the first of the Pharaoh dynas-
ties. The Pachas, however, were overruled,
past. The effects OF this reform soon became
apparent. The peasants absolutely decnned 70
nerform any more forced labor, and refused to
work either on the Nile embankments or any
where else except for wages. AS there was no
means of forcibe persuasion that could De en-
nIovod and as. moreover it was impossible IN
a country where the main source OF revenue
i dorvod from the lard tax, to deprive the
peasantry of their holdings by way OF punish
ment. the British Government proceeded 10
make virtue out of necessity, and to insist
unon the abolition of the "corvee." Public
oninion in Europe so the English authorities
declared was outraged beyond all description
by this "remnant of barbarism-so near AKIN
to slavery" and if we are to believe our Lon
don friends. forced labor on public works by
the fellaheen is about to be abolished IN order
TO satisfy the susceptbilities of those Western
nations who sec nothing Objectionable in their
own far more onerous "corvee" OF military
service.
Finally the English Government has Official
" proclaimed that it withdraws the veto against
trade between Egypt and the Soudan. This Is
by far the most important announcement OF
all. since it involves the pacifcahon OF Central
Africa The Nile is the ancient highway OF
trade and commerce between the markets OF
Central Africa and the outer world, and when
eight years ago the English authorities were
led by purely local and temporary disturbances
in the Soudan to prohibit any continuation OF
the Egypto- Soudanese trade they not only hall
uined the Khedive's kingdom, but also rem
dered themselves responsible for the relapse
of Central Africa into the darkest barbariSm
| Nearly all the many hundred towns and cities
along the banks of the mighty stream, which
until then had been important centres OF trade
and exchange, dwindled away and sank into
insignificance when the veto was issued, and
since only relatively small area of the Soudan
is capable of bearing wheat the Arabs were cut
off from their source of supplies Rendered
! desperate tnereDy, they "efe loi0Vu W h6"'
either among themselves or against the nations
round about them. such as the Egyptians the
Abyssnians, and the English, in order to keep
from starving. Even an Arab is obliged to
eat sometimes, and it is this attempt by Eng
land to starve them into submission which is
the real secret of the terrible wars which have
been deluging Central Africa with blood during
the latter part of the present decade. If any
doubt existed as to the correctness of this the
ory it would be dispelled by the fact that since
the reopening of the trade between Suakim and
the Eastern Soudan. more than year ago, the
itrepressibic Osman Dgna and his savage
hordes have refrained from any fresh act OF
hostility.