15 NOVEMBER 1873, Page 1

The Foreign Office seems to be in another scrape. The

Turks, who have been pushing their conquests in Arabia very fast for the last two years, are now attacking Lahej, a city thirty-eight miles north of Aden, surrounded by an oasis which is our only source of supplies. As Aden is essential to the Empire, and as Aden must have food, we have agreed in writing to protect Lahej ; and a homoeopathic corps d'armIe, 500 men of all arms, has been sent to do it. The General in command, moreover, is going (28th October), and is apparently to beg Lahej off. We have stated the facts elsewhere, but may add here that Mr. Bourke, Lord Mayo's brother, declares that Lord Palmerston had repeatedly informed the Ottoman Porte that it had no rights over South Arabia. We doubt that, but clearly the Sultan cannot have Lahej, and must be told so by a fleet, if needful. What can Sir H. G. Elliott have been doing at Constantinople, to allow matters to come to such a pass ? The Turkish and English tioops are actually facing each other in Arabia, and a British defeat would either rouse the Mohammedan population in India, or, what is more probable, lead to a massacre of Indian Mussulmans in Mecca, where they are hated for their wealth and liberalism.