New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-04
EVCJJND ~ EG YPT.

The escape Of Sain Bey from inc iohS "''
tud. in which he has been held by inc 'aiiPl' vi
Omdurman is IN incident OF some poii''c'' ~
we'll rs personal interest 1t gives oppor'"n''s
far ,nc shedding Of new light upon various
phoscs Of the Egyptian question: Such III NV
,uim,,s Of the antEnglisn party the con'''o"
of the Soudan. and the effects OF Ehgiish '''
an the Lower Nile. In respect to me hrS'.
,,,, ho said that the violence of that party mas
in This case exceeded all former bounds Inc
journal Egypilcn" goes so far aS 10 u''l''i'
that Slatin might have escaped years ago. pu'
Voluntarily remained in slavery as an fnSi'"
spv hired by the English Government 10 STA!
there for political purposes. me inV'h'ion anu
,,,,,,,io,tior ~ tale at once so absurd ana 80
Insulting to a gallant and distinguished o''''''
sufficiently Indicate the character or the oppoSf
tion with which the English administrators Ill
Egvnt have 10 contend
rho condition of the Soudan. so far as y'' TO-
ycalcd by Slatn Bey-or Pacha. as Dc 10" i
is exactly what might we'll have been eApe'''r
The Caliph has given himself up To Il NE VI
luxury and scnsuous indulgence Inc ac'u''
conduct Of affairs is left to his brother anu o"'i
military chiefs who Cypress ana ROB the p'oPi'
without mercy. Justice does not exist pu'
cruel tyranny comparable with tha' OF ASh'ii''
and Dahomey. Industries are pros'ra''' so'I''!
is diSor.anized or annihilated. ana Inc "r''rh''
uroplr groan and pray for dever"r Ana '"''
In a country that rcvolted against the 'nh3h-
cncd government OF Gordon. ana "Xrcu''d Il
revolution for independence. home rule ana M
tional rights Happily, IN" power ana pr'S'iG'
of the Caliph are waning. and. though tue NM
tarv organization of the dcrvisheS X SIN strong
= vigorous blow from outside may soon crush
Mahdism and all It's works.
As to the results of English rule In Egypt.
striking array ~ facts has inst been made pubic
in The London Times bearing especially upon
IN. condition Of the Fcllahcen. who are. OF course
the people whose welfare first deserves consld-
Grafton About onc-hflh the entire cultivated
area II Egypt is owned 10y some 'l3oN' farm
crs In tracts ~ five fcddans or less. feddan
being a little more than an acre or all these
holdings less than 81. per cent are morlgaged.
And the aggregate burden Of mortgage indebted
moss resting upon these J13.oS0 farmers ana
their 93S 700 fetldanS of fertile land II tf.J'3.-
200 An Egyptian pound is al. more than an
English pound or Si9i of orr money. The
average. circumference upon The land. therefore.
j. 4 tribe more than 81 IN acre. AMI IN" IN
d,htr,luc>s IL the farmers. 81 80 each. There
,rr f.w agricultural countries anywhere that
can maxi, a more favorable showing than that
If W., proceed 10 the larger hodngs-of l0, -
or ~ frddans we lind the figures less favorable.
though by no means bad. And In III" worst
class The holdings Of more than ~ f'ldanS. less
than H. urr cont Of The land is moriSaGcd. In
all Egvpt lrS,. than per cent Of the landowners
and less than q per cent of the land are bearing
mortgages. the aggregate Indebtedness amount
ln, To- between - and - an acre on all the land
And the average value Of that land Is at least
$50 an acre.
How far this favorable condition OF the Fella-
h,cn is attributable 10 English rule is not sllS-
c,p'ihlc If exact demonstration. But, accord
ing To- statements made 10y the anti-Engl!Sh
parity the mort gage Indebtedness Is now little
more than one third what it was three years ago
That such progress in the right direction has
been made under English rule is certainly Il
strong prima -facc vindicaton Of that rule; and
I'm the face Of it, Egyptians who have the wei
fare of their country AT heart will pay slight al.
tcntion To political and diplomatic hlr-Splttings.