FINANCE— ARMY AND NAYY. 443 



those of viceroy and sovereign. The legal sovereign is still the Sultan of Constan- 

 tinople, in whose name the imposts are levied, and whose monogram is stamped 

 on the native currency. The padishaw continues to receive a yearly tribute of 

 £700,000, just as if the present intervention of Great Britain had not effaced the 

 last vestige of his authority. He also derives an income of from £280,000 to 

 £320,000 from the monopoly secured to the import trade of Turkish tobacco. 

 Nevertheless, at least three-fourths of the tobacco consumed in the country is 

 introduced by an organised system of smuggling, especially across the frontier of 

 the desert towards Palestine. 



Till recently the official language was Turkish, not Arabic, which is neverthe- 

 less the mother tongue of nearly all the native inhabitants of Egypt. 



But the political power has passed from the hands of the Sultan, and is now 

 practically exercised by the Christian states of Europe. A few years ago the 

 Condominium was jointly exercised by England and France. Their agents controlled 

 the finances, which they disposed of at their pleasure, thereby substituting their 

 own authority for that of the Khedive. The European nations were also more 

 powerful in Egypt than the local Government, in virtue of the consular tribunals, 

 which, in the terms of the " Capitulations," claimed exclusive jurisdiction in all 

 matters of dispute in which both Europeans and natives were concerned. But the 

 Condomini\mi has lapsed, and Great Britain alone exercises the control ever since the 

 military revolt under Arabi Pasha — a revolt which, although made to the war-cry 

 of " Egypt for the Egyptians," would, if successful, have resulted in handing over 

 the country to new Mameluks of native origin no less oppressive and extortionate 

 than the former Mameluks of foreign race — Arabs, Circassians, Armenians, 

 Sudanese, and others. 



The ministers appointed by England decide the most important questions in 

 accordance with her decrees, without even taking the trouble to consult the official 

 sovereign. His function seems to be simply to attach his signature to all state 

 documents. In return for this service he retains his nominal rank and personal 

 revenues, but he no longer possesses even the privilege of putting an end by abdica- 

 tion to his present somewhat ignoble position. 



Finance — Army and Navy. 



The political situation of Egypt is all the more strained and bewildering that 

 the English, while exercising sovereign rights, omit no opportunity of asserting 

 their set purpose to quit the land at no distant date, and restore to the Egyptians 

 the autonomy they had so long forfeited to the stranger. At the same time their 

 deeds themselves speak another language. British subjects, even Anglo-Hindus, 

 Christians and Mussulmans alike, flock in hundreds to the Nile Valley, where they 

 are installed in the places of emolument withdrawn from the native and non-British 

 foreign officials. The public revenues formerly set apart to meet the claims of 

 money-lenders at high interest are now applied in the first instance to pay the 

 salaries of these new functionaries. They are also to some extent made available to 



