Incidentally Lord Rosebery disposed ably enough, though in a jesting
spirit, of Mr. Courtney's proposal, made in a letter to the Times published on Monday, to withdraw from Egypt in order to convince Europe that we were disinterested. That, he said, was the old confidence-trick. The swindler asked you to place part of your property in his hands as proof of your confidence in him, and then marched off with it, his confidence in your integrity having perhaps increased, but not his confidence in your wisdom. To this Mr. Courtney, on Thursday, thinks it sufficient to reply that Egypt is not our property ; but in that case, how will it prove disinterested- ness to hand it over ? We do not call a bank manager disin- terested and unselfish if he hands over without a mandate from his employers the capital intrusted to him, not even if he selects the biggest shareholder as recipient of the whole. Of course, if Europe has no right to manage Egypt, call qumstio, the occupation is a pure act of conquest; but then that is not the position which Europe maintains. She claims, and maintains when necessary by force, a right to provide for the good order of uncivilised countries in the general interest of the world. She may not be justified in that pre- tension; but does it lie in our months to say so ?
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