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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6999, 23 April 1884, Page 4

Ocr latest telegrams confirm the report which had been circulating in political circles, that a- general Congress Vof the European Powers is to.be held for the purppse of considering and deciding the line of action, to be pursued respecting Egypt. For some time buck matters have been manifestly tending towards such an event. . The experiment of governing that unhappy country by officials partly native and partly British has been productive only of misunderstanding and disaster. It resulted practically in a dual Government utterly devoid of unity, and secretly, when not openly, swayed by divided'-and opposite counsels. The experience which England had of the joint control which she and France, ! with tie consent of-, Europe, took over the country, ought to have proved a sufficient warning against any renewal of the attempt, and convinced her of the expediency either of annexation or the. establishment' ,'of a protectorate.immediately after Arabi's overthrow. Bat timid coanaels, coupled with a desire to avoid doing anything calculated.- to irritate France, prevailed, and the consequence lias been that Egypt is now actually in a worse condition than it-was before its-.pacification was bondertaken by Britain. As Mr. Gladstone had not courage, to do, the thorough"when Europe'expected he would, his Egyptian policy has therefore thoroughly broken down, and he is now obliged to contemplate 'the : doing of the very he- ought -to have- done at the - first. There, is,, of this, advantage attending il'e course -"he 1 -has J pursued, that if, a Protectorate is now established' 1 with the' concurrence of the ": other l European Powers, France, I though she may still-feel annoyed, would-

inot then have the same excuse being specially exasperated witn 'England.. It may indeed be safely that this connideration has had not little to do with the decision of the English Cabinet in favour. of a-European Congress..Some brief tide ago the .'Cabinet was reported aabeing"itself divided over the proposal to Establish a Protectorate," and those of it who.w-ere ,opposed .to. this,. ■ were doubtleas influenced by the desire, of not risking any rupture. of the relations existing between . Franca and England. Bat the difficulty:, which thus stood ' in the" way of 'decided" action I can be conveniently got over by [ sabniittiijg the" position sind exigency"- of' Egypt to:the judgment of .the. European: I Powers assembled in Conference. The telegrams, it is true, inform us that it.is | understood that the attention of the Con- , ference will be occupied exclusively with , the subject ef Egyptian finance ; but. in the peculiar circumstances of Egypt that : means .-her '. whole . autonomy," and the, practicid issue will-really be what is to be done xn -respßct of her. internal rgoyern"ment. To place that either in the hands of natives - alone, or in • the hauds of Egyptians and English combined, is now out of the question-; and, after the unsatisfactory: working .of* the former joint, control, the associating of France with. England in governing that country is a. question practically foreclosed. The only: thing that, in view of all the cirumstances; can be agreed upon is to recognise the constructive right and obligation of England to assume the sole protectorate of .the .Khedive's territory and regulateits whole affairs inher .own name and by her own officials. It may be naturally enough, supposed that such, an arrangement ' will v meet with ' opposition, 'froiii FrahceV'bnt looking at 'the" present situation of affairs, heivtactics are more likely to be directed towards either .requiring Britain to accept the responsibility of pacifying the whole of Egypt, including the Soudan, or allow it to be assumed by some_other .Power. But whatever may be decided on, and whatever objections may be urged against the' direct and sole control by Britain, it is abundantly'clear that the chaos now existing throughout the whole of Egypt 'can' no lopger be suffered to continue'.