The Otago Daily Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1897.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10721, 9 February 1897, Page 2

The Otago Daily Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1897.

Britain- continues to maintain an I attitude of impassiveness in Egyptian affairs which is in the highest degree exasperating to France, but which proves the honesty of the British in:;en tion to remain in Egypt until the country has been pacified and placed in such a position as to cease "to be a danger to the general interests of peace. The latest development .has just occurred in the House of Commons, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir M. Hicks-Beach, asked Parliament 'f6r upwards of three-quarters of a million for the Dongola expedition. The Chancellor spoke very plainly on the occasion, and seems to have goaded to frenzy not only the French press, but that section of politicians who have advocated a policy of! scuttle with regard to Egyptian affairs. In order that the present position may be clearly and easily understood it is necessary to go back *a little way into Egyptian history. Egypt is a tributary of Turkey, the annual tribute being about .£665,000. In the year 1880 Egyptian financial affairs became so com plicated that the .Khedive assented to the appointment of an international commission to examine the financial situation and draft a law regulating the I relations between Egypt and her creditors. In other words, the Khedive assigned his estate for the benefit of his creditors. Tc is unnecessary to specify minutely the arrangement ■ which was made. It is sufficient to I state that financial arrangements were j made by which it was anticipated that the debt would be extinguished | in 1941. The fund for 'extinguishing the debt was entrusted to.the Caisae de la Dette, a commission consist-; ing of six members representing the j Powers interested. Under French and .Russian instigation a <7«c«i-judicial , body called the Mixed Tribunal i . declared that the advance by the ! ■ Caisse de la Dette to the Egyptian j ' Government of .£500,000 for the i i j Dongola expedition was illegal. An ; I appeal was immediately lodged in the oon:-t a!. Aloxuml'Mii '"•'!:<' ' Vvvri-t of:

Appeal decided that the advance was 1 illegal, and the Egyptian Government ] was called npon to refund the money, which it was enabled to do by the aid oi; an advance from the .British Government.. The advance fi'om the Oaisse was authorised by four oub of the six commissioners of which it is composed, and it now becomes matter for serious consideration whether the

tfixecl Tribunal created for judicial purposes shall be permitted, to nterCere with the action ol! the nteniatLonally-appointed Caisse in its ulmmistration of the fund. "It was not i case oil- giving the money; it "was ■nerclj one of advancing it, and it was :o be repaid out of tlie surplus expected ;his yeav. The Economist of December 12 contains the Egyptian Budget for 1597, and it practically .shows an estimated surplus of -£S29JSOO, the expenditure including an item oE ,£IOO,OOO for the administration of the Province of JJongola. It may be remarked in passing that the .Finance Committee afford in their report an illustration of the faction continually existing between France and Britain in Egyptian-ad-ministration. The committee renew their protest against the way in which the fund that represents the loan conversion economies is dealt with; That fund is invested in Egyptian bonds, but not under the most; .favourable condition, and the Economist says :— "B,ut it is idle to hope that the French Government will either permit the fund to be abolished, and- -the amount now needlessly transferred to it devoted to the relief of the taxation, or to consent to its bei.ngii.sed in a more economical way; and the only thing that can be done is to keep the people °f ■*\"7Pt alive to the financial injustice that France, from purely selfish motives, insists upon inflicting upon them." France voluntarily retired from the dual control of Egypt in 1883, after iiitAßi Pasha's rebellion, and Britain has practically governed there since, and tliis has made Britain responsible for the safety ■of the • country, while Franca and ..Russia do all in .their poY/er to harass Britain's action; Tlie former is now bitterly chagrined at the cool way in which Britain ha^s treated--what was regarded as an insuperable monetary difficulty. Upon this point The Times speaks with no uncertain sound. " Under British guidance Egypt, has won back from the enemies of. civilisation, a. province .which,.as. Lord Gamperdown points out, will probably form a substantial addition to her resources, and, therefore, to* ' the security for the holders of the. Egyptian debt. She has been denied the /use to meet the charges of the undertaking of a fund expressly reserved for ' extraordinary expenses'; she has had to fall back upon the aid of. the Power which raised her from the anarchy and bankruptcy of 15 years ago to the present state of prosperity and peace. That aid England can and will give her. in the present case,.! and in similar cases if tlie necessity j should recur, whether or not we are j prevented,- by further insistence on i obstructive technicalities, from taking j formal security for the loan. This is i an incident of the duty we have under- ; .taken in Egypt, and we do not appre-! herid. that it will fail to meet with the j cordial approval of Parliament. It certainly will not strengthen the contention of the small party which, is j pledged, . among other things of the I same sort, to the instant evacuation of i Egypt: 3' ■:■■■■ ■ —'•. ~ / ■■■ : The expedition which has led up j ito ths present difficulty ■was one of j the: most glorious in its incidents and ; resiilts that.ever: reflected honour upon , ..the ißritish flag. Conspicuous strategic talent was seconded by dauntless bravery, not only on' the part of the ! British troops, but .on that of the Soudanese, and native Egyptian ' soldiers. To quote The Times again: — " The English have done much in Egypt of which they may be proud. Of all their achievements none is more worthy of their high traditions as an Imperial race than the creation of this new Egyptian Array. It has shown not merely endurance but courage and alacrity in the face of the enemy, and yetit is largely composed of the peajsants who used to be dragged to join their regiments in chains, and who regularly submitted to be slaughtered rather than fight in their own defence. To infuse within a few years a new spirit of manliness and bravery into a people or degenerate cravens is a feat memorable even .in annals such as ours." It is generally recognised that; the complete pacification of the Soudan ciinnot be ■ expected until Khartoum is reached and placed under civilised control, though the Chancellor declines to name that as the objective point. But there is the frank avowal ,that the British .troops are. to advance, and this should have the effect of again warning France that Britain is not to be easily.turned from what she.considers the path of duty. That duty is the pacification of Egypt, and to that pacification it is necessary that the whole Valley of the iNile should be wrested from the fierce hordes that block the way. in fcir Heubf.ht Kitchener the British have found the man for the work.