EGYPT. 



235 



resources of the country. In former times the 

 Soodan was the nursery of soldiers and slaves 

 for Egypt. The efforts for the suppression of 

 the slave-traffic, if they are still continued in 

 earnest, are not successful ; for gangs are still 

 driven by slavers to the coast. In the sea- 

 board provinces of the Red Sea the Egyptian 

 rule is only nominal a day's march from the 

 coast. The interminable war with Abyssinia 

 has returned no benefits. With the exception 

 of Suakim and a couple of other small ports, 

 the whole of the equatorial provinces are a 

 burden upon the country. The abolition of 

 slavery would probably lead to the gradual com- 

 mercial development of Upper Egypt. The 

 Khedive is said to be desirous of abolition. 

 But it can only be accomplished by the strong 

 arm, and for that he has not the means, unless 

 his international monitors lend him material 

 assistance. 



The situation of Egypt under the present 

 system of international control is not a natural 

 one. If the people had been of a less docile 

 and peaceable nature, and the ruler and polit- 

 ical leaders less self-restrained, this system of a 

 foreign directory could not have been imposed 

 without resistance. The establishment of the 

 mixed tribunals by Ismail Pasha ingrafted the 

 principle of foreign interference in the consti- 

 tution of the country, and these institutions 

 of his own creation became the agents of his 

 downfall. The constitutional issue of the debt 

 crisis was the enforcement, over the Egyptian 

 Government itself, by the foreign govern- 

 ments, which had before 1875 exercised con- 

 sular jurisdiction, of the principle of the right 

 of jurisdiction of the mixed tribunals that had 

 succeeded the consular courts. The super- 

 vision of the entire administration, the man- 

 agement of the finances, and the practical con- 

 trol of all the departments, was at the same 

 time transferred at the dictation of foreign 

 Governments to the international agents of the 

 bond-holders, who were appointed by the in- 

 tervening powers. France and England chose 

 the two joint comptrollers, and the same powers 

 with Austria and Italy the four commissioners 

 of the public debt. The comptrollers can only 

 be removed by their own governments. They 

 are given full powers of investigation into all 

 branches of the administration. They may at- 

 tend the meetings of the Council of Ministers, 

 and express an opinion on any public measure. 

 The administration of Riaz Pasha, which was 

 likewise the creature of the intervening pow- 

 ers, followed all the suggestions of the comp- 

 trollers, and they themselves have exercised 

 their powers of supreme control in mutual 

 harmony. Since Oolvin succeeded Major Bar- 

 ing as the English comptroller, De Blignieres 

 has, by virtue of his seniority and longer ex- 

 perience, taken the lead in the management. 

 French and English officials have been at the 

 head of all the important administrations. Be- 

 sides the control and public debt offices and 

 the judges of the international courts, the cus- 



toms, the railways, the telegraphs, the harbors 

 of Alexandria and of the Suez Canal ports, 

 the coast-guard, the light-houses, the post- 

 office, the finance department of the Govern- 

 ment, the public works, and the administration 

 of the Domain and Daira lands, are all di- 

 rected by executive officers of one or the other 

 of those nationalities. The subordinate posi- 

 tions in all the offices are divided between na- 

 tives and Frenchmen. Through the selection 

 of able and hard-working officials, the French 

 have gained a stronger footing in the admin- 

 istrations than the English. The reforms in- 

 augurated by the initiative of the comptrollers 

 have worked well, and the foreign experts who 

 have been intrusted with the administrative 

 control of the government offices have for the 

 most part performed their duties faithfully and 

 capably. The very success of the foreign ad- 

 ministrators in extricating the country from 

 the financial quicksand into which it had 

 fallen, in organizing the general administration 

 of the government and bringing it into work- 

 ing order, and in creating confidence in the 

 future of the country and attracting capital and 

 skill from abroad, hastened the period when 

 native and religious prejudices would come to 

 the surface. Egyptians naturally chafed to see 

 the government of their country taken out of 

 their hands, and all the important posts filled 

 by aliens. The sooner the new system began 

 to work well, the more impatient they were of 

 the government by foreigners. This abnormal 

 situation was the more irksome, from the cir- 

 cumstance that the foreign officials receive sal- 

 aries which would be enormous in any country, 

 but which are unheard of in Egypt. 



The Khedive gave his countenance and sup- 

 port to the administrative reforms. He is fully 

 conscious of the lack of technical attainments 

 and executive ability on the part of his coun- 

 trymen, and welcomes the aid of the European 

 administrators. He is satisfied that their ef- 

 forts are working for the best good of his peo- 

 ple. He is willing to wait for the plans which 

 his European counselors have in view for the 

 material improvement and intellectual eleva- 

 tion of the Egyptian people, to be matured and 

 to work out their gradual results. He is grati- 

 fied at the progress which has already been 

 made in that direction, and desires that his 

 people should be schooled in the methods 

 which are being put in practice. But, friend 

 of progress as he is, he is intensely patriotic 

 and thoroughly Egyptian in *his feelings, and 

 is also an earnest and devout Mohammedan. 

 He brooks with impatience the position of po- 

 litical effacement in which the circumstances of 

 his succession have placed him, and looks hope- 

 fully for a time when he will be more of a 

 ruler in his own land, surrounded by advisers 

 and officers chosen from among his own peo- 

 ple. Tevfik was, therefore, on his guard 

 against the development of foreign interests in 

 Egypt, except those which depended on the 

 acknowledged international obligations of the 



