[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR. "] thought that the legend
of the torture of the Cir- cassians, with the other accusations of malversation of public funds and suchlike, made against Arabi Pasha when an English expedition was being clamoured for, had died a natural death during Lord Dufferin's calm and impartial inquiry. I do not know whence Mr. Scudamore, whose accusation of " hideous brutality " you quote in your issue of February 6th, derives his information, but I know that I searched the Blue-Books of that time, in which the case against Arabi was put forward in the darkest colours, and the only evidence brought against him under this heading was, that a European gentleman had told Sir E. Malet that two natives had told him that cries had been heard proceeding from the prison where the Circassians were confined, from which it was inferred they were being tortured. As a matter of fact,
I was informed by Mr. D. Gibbs, head of the Eastern Tele- graph Company at Alexandria at that time (who has lately (lied at Vienna, in the service of the same Company), that he had seen and spoken with these identical Circassians after their release from prison, and they had declared that no tor- ture whatever had been inflicted, but that, on the contrary, they had been kindly treated all through.
As to his having wished to get rid of Osman Rifky, he had power at that time sufficient to place the lives of many of his declared enemies at his mercy, but no attempt was made to injure any of them. I take the following testimony from Mr. Broadley's account of a conversation with Tewfik Pasha after the war, published in 1884 :—" The Khedive said even now he thought Arabi a good man. He never for a moment believed Arabi ever wished to kill him. If he had such an intention, he could have done it a hundred times when they were together at Cairo." It is as cruel as it is unjust to rake up again these atrocious and exploded accusations against unfortunate men who have no means of defending themselves.—I am, Sir, &c., [We raked up nothing, and have no opinion on the matter. We simply quoted, in a notice of Mr. Scudamore's essay on Tewfik, Mr. Seudamore's statement. —ED. Spectator.]
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