16 MAY 1891, Page 2

Riaz Pasha, the stout old Turkish Premier of Egypt, has

resigned. He could not endure the limitation of his powers which, as he perceived, must follow on Mr. Justice Scott's reforms of the judicial system, and ho departed with his Cabinet, to he replaced by Mustapha Pasha Felnuy, who will "take advice." This means, of course, that the English will govern more directly, to the great benefit of Egypt, but to. the increase of the anomalies involved in the position. We now govern Egypt as completely as we once governed Bengal though the Nuwabs of Moorshedabad, but with imperfect, responsibility, and a machinery partly native and partly international. The latter is nearly. unmanageable, and there is • much friction and more waste in every branch of the Administration, which is only made tolerable by the loyalty of the Khedive, who carries out suggestions faithfully, and is in theory absolute. There is nothing to do at present but wait; but Englishmen have a long experience of this mode of goyernment in Asia, and it usually collapses in some unex- pected, fashion. The European and Asiatic, Christian and Mussulman ideas of good government always collide in the

end, though both in principle accept "the greatest good of the greatest number" as the guiding law. They only differ radically as to what is the greatest good.