The country has heard, with a sensation of unmixed surprise,
that a Government like that of Mr. Gladstone has sanctioned the appointment of Baker Pasha as head of the new Egyptian Gendarmerie,—that is, virtually, Commander-in-Chief in Egypt. Baker Pasha has done nothing whatever in Turkey which should not only obliterate his dismissal from the British Army, but justify his claim to singular and exceptional promotion. He has not organised a Turkish Gendarmerie, or shown that he is any- thing, except a good cavalry officer, with such a genius for making friends in high places that conduct which would have ruined any other man, in him is treated as a claim to distinction. The best officers will not be attracted by his name, nor will it help to inspire in the new Egyptian Army the tone of character indispensable to a mixed, a half-disciplined, and a mercenary force. It is difficult to hope for im- provement in the East, when even a Government like the present, the moment it has to deal with Oriental affairs, shows publicly that it thinks of nothing except immediate convenience. The Indian Government has at its disposal at least a dozen officers who, to far greater experience than Baker Pasha's, add a record which is of itself an attraction to the best subordinates, and a justification of confidence in the men. There may be plenty of reasons for allowing Baker Pasha a new chance, there can be none for making him the head of the British Executive in Egypt.
