The British Government has at last succeeded in abolishing the
greatest of the Egyptian evils that can be reached by legislation,—the corvae, or annual demand for forced labour. The comic saved the Government 2250,000 a year, and its abolition was on this pretext resisted both by Russia and France. France, however, withdrew her opposition, seeing that without this money4here was hope that the bondholders' coupons would not be paid, when the rights of the International Commission would revive. She made it a condition, therefore, that the equivalent of the value of the core& should be paid to the Oaisse of the Debt. This demand appears to have been accepted; but the British Government believes that the deficiency may be met by reductions upon which it will insist. This is the greatest boon we have yet been able to confer on Egypt, and the resistance of France is most discreditable. It is, however, of a piece with her whole policy in Egypt, which is simply to skin the people in the interest of the bondholders.
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