21 JANUARY 1882, Page 2

The Constantinople correspondent of the Times publishes an elaborate account

of the Panislamic project, which now en- grosses the mind of the Sultan. The statement coincides exactly with the beliefs we have for some time past expressed ; but the writer thinks that in Egypt and along the South Medi- terranean the Sultan has completely won the game. The Egyptians adhere to him, out of hatred of the Control; and the Moors, who were formerly unorthodox on the subject, out of fear of France. The effect of this adhe- sion, he says, is that although the Sultan cannot build up a Mussulman empire, he can excite insurrections wherever Mahommedans are numerous,—in Egypt, Tripoli, Tunis, and possibly even India. It must not, however, be for- gotten that this is an extremely dangerous game to play, that England and France can strike straight at Constantinople, and that on the appearance of a combined fleet in the Dardanelles, the Arabs would proclaim their own Khalif. The present Sultan, though obviously a much abler man than his prede- cessors, and fully aware where his strength lies, is. not a bold man, and he is surrounded by statesmen whose one idea is to live safe and luxurious lives in Constantinople. To succeed in his project, he should go to Damascus.