The Turkish Government is believed to be about to extend
its interference in Egypt. 'King John of Abyssinia is deter- mined to recover Massowah, a victory which would render the Egyptian possession of the Soudan useless. Gordon Pasha has offered him any other terms, but he adheres to his demand, and the Egyptian Government, fettered by the Bondholders, is afraid to accept war. An application has therefore been made to Constantinople for aid, and ten Turkish regiments are immediately to be despatched to Egypt. They are not, how- ever, to go to the front, but are to garrison Alexandria and. Cairo, and of course to be paid by the Egyptian Government. With this force in the two cities, the Pashas in Constantinople will have fairly got their. fingers on the throat of Egypt, and will be able, with a little adroitness, to make their demands for money irresistible, Unless Lord Salisbury and M. Waddington can come to some agreement, this new plan may introduce one more complication into the affairs of Egypt, where the removal of Ismail seems to have produced no result, beyond a certain comfort to the minds of the usurers who hold the floating debt. There is not a trace of better government, or of increasing English influence.
