ENGLAND IN EGYPT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 113, 4 May 1908, Page 4

ENGLAND IN EGYPT

U.'IJD CkoMKl! S MUKV OF HIS J JFK'S NOi'K ON THE .NILE. "Eun our -uperb administration of litdia is hardly a brighter jewel iu our imperial crown than the marvellous: regeneration of Egypt.'* In two ii.-ng. carciully-wrilteu volumes Ijpnl Cromer tell- the storj of - Modem Egypt." H e begin, in IS7»i, when the author, then Mr. liaring. was appointej Commissioner of the Public Debt, lb: finishes with the record of the AngloFrench agreement of lyul. During most of the intervening years Lord Cromer was actively concerne i with Egyptian ali'airs, and during thus-. years order was evolved from chaos, and a new country was born on tin: banks of the Nile. The bar,, re-ital of events is a sufficient testimony to Lord Cromer's own great career, and the story, more than justifies the quotation printed at the head of this column. Though it was inevitable that iu writing of modern Egypt Jxud Cromer -liould be at times autobiographical, he is alway s modest, and in the following pathetic pa-sage iie cites th e causes of his success: —

I owe the success, iu so far as public matters are concerned, to the cooperation of a body of high-minded British official!-, who have persistently held up to all with whom they have been brought in contact a standard of probity heretofore unknown in Egypt, and, in so far as social life is con eerneil, 1 owed it until cruel dealh intervened to sever the tie which bound us together, mainly to the gentle yet commanding influence of h.-r who firs* instigated me to write this book.

Incidentally the hook reveal* a personality in all essentials Victorian English. Th t . narrative is interspersed wit], many quotations that suggest wide (if very \ictoriani reading. There is throughout a profound belief in the English character, particularly iu iU Puritan and it- anti-iiureaurrati.- aspect-, l-onl Cromer, too, in fond o] acclaiming a- often as |»,ssibl o his adherence to the I economic dc'-trines of .Mr. Cobden and j S'r Robert Peel. After the death, in IS In. of Mahomet Ali. in his way an able Sovereign. Egypt suffered from a ►ucce-sion of incanTible Khedives. Said, who reigned from ISol to I-S&l, was almost crazy. fvtid occa.-iomilly indulged in th» mo-t insane freaks. Tim-, in order In prove hi- courage, which had been I railed ill ijlle-tioli by til,. European i I're--. it i„ -aid that 'he <-in-e,l a kilo I metre of r I (.1 be -Menu a fo,.t deep with gull|KHV.|.T. lie iheu u,,|'--.-d -n1.,,,,,1,- ;,l..ti- th,. r0.,,1 -irn.ki,,. i ■' I'M"'- ami ......mp.,,, l.v | oil- -oile. ~|| ~, ~■„„, v.elo ..rdel-ed In -moki .-\-rc penalties being threatened against anvoi.,- uho-e piowa- not found alight at tl ml of die promenade. Aft"r *ai,l came [„mail. ..ml f-mail'-[theor. of - ::..i..-iiiiii.-tif " wa- linioiislv i-imilir to the practice of Kin- |e,,,,.,fi in the Congo. The state of K-vpt .il llii- lime «... deph.rable. Estate-, hint. ii,..about one-fifth of the nr.illc land ..] the eoiiutn. had pa I into the I'.llld- ~f tli.- Khclive: and these .-Lit--. ill-t.-.ld "f b-il.-: I;il|,|c,| ,„|l '" ''"' '""! -d proj.n.-lo.r-. wet, ;..|iiiiiii-t.r.-d direct by th- Khedive and cultivated K. -,, -jn-nt extent hv f.-r..-,l laK.ur. The country was pia.riclly l..u.knipi .10.1 flu- Debt Coninii—ion .i|ipniiited. and att-r 'il -ort- nf intrigue-, mutinies, .ml priv-nre wa- lirnugh! upon the Sultan, and I*mail was rle e.l in IST!', being siiccclcl | IV l,j, s.nn Tewtik. En-kind and I-'rame underl.,,,!.- ui ill- i defined dll.ll ...lUt-l of the -01111111. ~|„1 !

penty. But the national discontent continued, and was focused i u the revolt of the army ollhers under the leadership of Aral.) Pasha. England and Trance were in disagreement a„ lo (lie uielhod ol' restoring ordor and ti'iini|uiility. England \va- anxious tliat Turkey should intervene, out this «as opposed liy the French lluvcrunii'iit. Tli,. French Cnvcrinnciit. while admilting the pnrlncrship with Inland as an unavoidable. thmi':h |,erh-in> unIdeasant. necessity wUcd to lighten il'e hold of France over Iv.ypl.' Tli ■ ISliti-h Covernincnt. on ta,. other Intel, wished, almve all i hing-. t„ avoid the necessity „f serious i„(,. r . ferenee in Egypt. ..aniMtn pressed for ;„, .\„,,|„.p.,,,,,,!, | occupation, hut .m his fall j„ | S s> I'Vciich policy culirely changed, and ling land was thenceforward left |o *>,..,,- the brunt of the ivspniisiliilih „loi'i ■ Matters earn,, to a head will, the l,„j|,|. in? "f forts at Alexandria hy Arab! an I the Bombardment hv Aduiinl Seymour •<'"' ';.>■•. H'e suhse,p,e, lt expedil and the deteat of Arabi by I..id Wol-clcv at Tel-el-Kcbir.

All through the story of i|„. U .. M . IKStI to 18S2 it is impossible „„| ;„ |„, impressed with th,, curious iucapaciiv of Lord Crauville. the Liberal l-.n-ci,.,. Minister, and of Mr. (ihulsinuc lo deal with the crisis, of 1/inl llrauville Lord Cromer sayis;--lf there was one thing in the world which Lord Crauville disliked it was "facing the inevitable. - ' While Mr. Cladsf one's mind is well illustrated iu his disinclination to followup the bombardment of Alexandria. -Mr. Gladstone stated in the Jloitee of Commons that the landing of a | force was objectionable, because it would have involved " the assumption of authority upon the Egyptian cpicstiou,-' and would have been "grosslv disloyal in (he fac c of Enrojie and the Conference." ft is dillicult to conceive the frame of miud of any one who considers that firing several thousand -hot and shell into Egyptian forts did not involve an "assumption of authority," whereas landing some men to prevent a populous city from being burnt to the ground did involve such an assumption. These technicalities, which are only worthy of a special pleader, were the bane of the British Covevnmcnt in dealing with the Egyptian ipicstion during .Mr. Cladstniies .Ministry. The defeat of Arabi was th,, beginuiii; ot England's virtual control, a control ill-defined, unprecedented, but clicd.iv • and eventually successful. Iu 1S« Urd Cromer went to Cairo a- lirilish Con.siilI Ceneral and virtual (iovernor. The state of allairs he found was appalling. I The. |wsition, therefore, in the spring , of 1881! was as follows:—The 'Treas. ury was exhausted: th 0 army was unpaid, undisciplined, mil rained, partially disloyal, and, therefore, worthless as a fighting machine. At this part of his story Lord Croniei

-witches „ir to the Soudan, and h t - sets out tho wilts in order from tin- (Instruction of the ai-mv of Hicks Pasha in ISS:) to the battle of Omduriiiann in ]S!i:i. lie regard, the -ending ol'Gencral Gordon to Kliiirlouin a- a blunder. II was a mistake to s.-ml auv lirilish ~l!i <ial, ami it was a "renter to hj.,y 0 chosen Gordon. In -addition, iiavinj.' sent Cordon, he „hould have hcen given a free hand.'and should have Ipeeu pillowed to employ Zobeir I'aslia, disapproved of hi. London because of liis connection with the slave trade, ami, finally, the delay in sending the relief expedition was "a great and inexcusable blunder.''

Of Lord Cromer's opinion of the diameter oi (.onion one mav ijuote the following passage.-: Impulsive liightiness was. in fad. th" main defect of General Cordon',' character, and it was on,, which, in my opinion, rendered him unlit In carry out a. work which pre-eminently required a cool ami -leadv head, 'l used to receive „onie twenty «p r thirty telegram, from General Gordon lii Hie course of tfi.- day when he was at Khartoum, Iho-e in the cieiiin» often giving opinion* whirl, it wa, inipossible to reconcile with oth.'r,, despatched the .same morning. The peculiarity of General Gordon »a> that, in great thing, a* iu small, his revulsions of opinion were so rapid and so coinplele that it ua„ almost impossible to lo'liow him. Jhit there was another side: -\o soldier about to lead a forlorn hope, no Christian marlvr lied to the stake, or thrown to the wild beasts of ancient Koine, ever faced dealh with more unconcern than General Cordon. His faith was pstiblime. He died in the plcntitud,. uf his reputation, and left a name which will Ih. revered .so long as the qualities of steadfast faith and indomitable courage have any hold on the feelings of mankind.

Ixird Cromer blames himself for certain blunders, but hi> condemnation of Mr. Gladstone is unreserved:— Posterity lias yet. to decide on the services which Mr. Gladstone, during his long ami brilliant career, rendered iu other directions to the Uritish nation, but it is improbable that the verdict, of his. contemporaries in respect to his conduct of the all'iiir* in th,. Soudan will ever be reversed. That verdict has been distinctly unfavourable.. . . . Mr. Gladstone's error of judgnmel in delaying too long the despatch of the Nile expedition, left a, slain on the reputation of England which it will be beyond the power of the impartial historian or the partial apologist to ell'aie.

Space will not allow the recapitulation of all the events in the Soudan operations, but it ie interesting to ipiote Lord Cromer's opinion of the character of Lord Kitchener. Sir Herbert Kitchener possessed another quality which is rare among soldiers, and which was of special value under the circumstances then existing. H e did not think that extravagance was the necessary handmaid of efficiency. Finally, one may quote a passage showing what England has done for Egypt.

Slavery has virtually ceased to exist. Tli e halcyon days of the adventurer and the usurer are [nut. Fweal burthens have heen greatly relieved. Everywhere law reigns -uprcmc. Juslice is no longer bought and sold. Nature, instead of being spurned and neglected, has been wooed to bestow her gifts on mankind. hj! ha fi responded to the appeal. The, waters of the Nil,, are now utilised in an intelligent uinancr. .Means of locomotion have been improved and extended. The soldier haacijuired .some pride i" the uniform which he wears, lie has fought a- he never fought before. The sick man can be nursed in a well-managed hospital. Tlie lunatic is no longer treated like a wild beast. The puni-lnncni

awarded to the worst eriinin.nl i- no longer barbarous. l<aM.ly. tlie schoolmaster is abroad, wilh result?, which are a,j yet uncertain, but which cannot fciil to .be important.

And the work has not been easy. One alien race, the English, have l.ad to control and guide a sec I alien race, the Turks, by whom they are disliked, in the gownnm-iit of a third race, the Kgiptian-. To (he-e latter both (1,,. paramount race, alto ,i certain ( .xtent unsympathetic In the case „f Hie Turk'. Hie waul ol -.Miipalhy ha„ been mitigate,! by habit, by a eonimou religion, and by the use of a common language, hi the ca-e of the English it has been mitigated bv the re-pect due to superiorlalents, and by the benefits which have aeciucd to the population from British interference. Lord Cromer humorou-lv ..urns up hi,, oh ii varied dulie- in a parage of which the following is .in cstract:---I have had to write telegrams ami de-pali-lie- about I he most iiii-iidlain--..II- ,-Mbiecl- about the disllii,„al »f th- l<he.|i-..-'s la.-11-l, eoaeluiiail. abolll p|.-.-ivi„» tie- live- ol lt-i-1, iulorill.-l--. from the Clan-lia-l-ael conspirators, and about the tends of the Ahy-ini-aa Chureli in respect to the procc. siou of the Holy (Ihost. I have been a-ked to interfere in or.br to get a (let-man mis-ionaiy. who had Wit guilty of embezzlement, ~m of prison: in order to get a place ~„■ the l-'re.i.-li and Italian Catholics to hurv their dead: in order to ■ ...; a dead .Mahometan of great sanctity ..\hiimeil: in order to prevent a fount I" member of the Khedivi.,l family from | -tiding her hu-baiiil ov»r the Vi.mfi I

with a slipper; ami in order to arrange a marriage between two other lucuibcis of the same fauiilv whom hard hearted relative,, kept apart. . . I haw been asked by a Kgyptian I'i'llali to liiul out tin' whereabouts of his wife, who had I'lupi'd; ami liy a Ceriuau iH-ofi-sor io m'ikl him at once >ix live I'li'ctrie shiul-lisli from the Nile. Miii'li lias been done ami mueh rcmaiiis to ilo. 'J'lu. acliiiinislratiou of iu-.lirc i„ ill I'oniiilicali'il. and in all ili'|iarliiii'iits of tb c Slate there is still rnoiu for progrcs-. Lord Cromer himself look" forward to the day when the Kgjptinn may In; :i!il L . to take a larger' part in the administration of his own country, anil when lhc guiding hand of tin' I'.rilish administrator will no longer he ic.piircd. Jiut thai day is not yet. 1..Til (Tomer ha„ peppered his pages , with n v wise rclM-tions. ~i' whieli the follow in-'a re . haraelei Mie: Diilish poliey in Kg.vpt since Ihe year I SSJ mav he >aid Io constitute a prolonged and. so tar. oiilv partially clforl to ccapc Iroin the punishment due to original ciu. '1'1,,. absence of rollsMencv. whieli Is so fiv.pieiilly noticeable ill the aims of British policy._is indeed a neverending Miurcc of cinharrassiiH'iit Io llio-i' on whom devolve- Ih,. duty "I cairyiug that policy inlo execution. A British Prime Minister appear- to |„. in Ih,, position of lhc »lccrsinii.i of a ..iirf-bnnt king outside the mouth Of an African river, lie has to wait for a high wave to carry him over tic liar. Looking to lhc whole of the facts, inv experience leads me to the conelusion that Hritwli .Ministers, whether Liberal or Conservative, are good musters to serve. No casual visitor can hope to oblai'i much real insight into the true statr of native opinion. The sheet anchor of international ism is. indeed, that several men shoul, 1 lie set to do the work of one. Wherever, in fact, there is till smallest prospect of buying in a cheat ■ and selling in a dear market there wil the petty Creek trader he found. Finally. ' one may note that nl ' through' his two volumes I»nl Crome: • writes of the French with studious, fair > ncss and appreciation, and we may tak< . Hie following as a fitting last quotatioi i from a narrative, ol unflagging interest I began my connection with Kgyp twenty-eight' years previous to th ,' signature of the Angle-French agree I ni'eiit. when England and France nun e.l hand in hand together in thfi 1 country. I rejoice that my couuectio: lasted long enough to enahle me to se the friendly relations of Ihe past re established after an interlude of mi' ; understanding which was detrimentn alike to British, French, and Egyptia interests. The story of modern Egypt is a m.if < nifieent testimony to the character an ability of the modern Englishman.