The same writer visited the prisons in Mansourah, which it
appears. the Khedive, though present in the town, must not inspect," for reasons of etiquette." He found them crowded by 174 prisoners, better-looking than an average crowd in Alex- andria, and not ill-treated, but without, apparently, hope of trial. They told piteous stories of reasons for their arrest, and the officials admitted that they never knew why the prisoners were sent or when they would be released. Anybody in authority sends any -one to the prison, he is admitted, and there it ends. It is quite possible that many of the poor wretches are simply forgotten, like the aide-de-camp of the Emperor Paul, who was arrested for forty-eight hours and left unnoticed for thirty years. It is most discreditable to us to allow such a system to exist, but -what is to be done P English opinion will not allow us to govern Egypt, and if the Egyptian Ministry is ordered to clear the prisons, it will obey meekly, and hint to its subordinates that -dangerous persons had better be kept at secret in the interior. We are trying to carve with butter-knives on rotten wood. Sup- pose Lord Northbrook were Khedive. How many hours would the great abuses last which have lasted intact throughout our -occupation P
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