Further Correspondence respecting the Affairs of Egypt.

My Lord,

No. 1.

Sir E. Baring to Earl Granville.-(Received April 1.)

Cairo, March 24, 1884.

I HAVE the honour to inclose herewith, extracted from the "Moniteur Egyptien" of the 20th instant, a Statement of the receipts from land tax from the 1st January to the 29th February last.

:

:

I have, &c.

Inclosure in No. 1.

Extract from the "Moniteur Egyptien" of March 20, 1884.

PROVINCES AFFECTÉES À LA CAISSE DE LA DETTE PUBLIQUE.

105,207 35
Résultat: Différence en moins

PROVINCES NON-AFFECTÉES À LA CAISSE DE LA DETTE PUBLIQUE.

£ E.

33,750 75

P.
20,197 17
39,914 39

£ E. P.

£ E. P.

£ E. P.

£ E.

1,816 08

68,208 22

6,163 64

112,706 72

p.
38,672 29
47,695 27

£ E. P.

41,168 92

32,851 37

8,317 55

156,041 98

34,298 85

3,929 23

130,060 68

13,954 26

3,929 23

116,106 42

71,964 14

8,559 68

63,404 46

71,964 14

12,488 91

59,475 23

2,637 13

2,637 13

17,375 55

42,099 68

45,840 86

40,376 08

45,840 86

37,738 95

29,409 44

19,985 17

28,033 61

26,262 49

10,187 92

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

E. 372,452 10 p.

Le 16 Mars, 1884.

T. CAMEL, le Directeur des Contributions Directes.

No. 2.

Earl Granville to Sir E. Baring.

(Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, April 4, 1884, 4.30 P.M. INFORM. Sir E. Wood that in the event of British and Egyptian troops being quartered together, command of the whole would devolve upon the officer who would command in accordance with the rules of the British army if all the troops concerned belonged to it.

No. 3.

My Lord,

Sir E. Baring to Earl Granville.-(Received April 7.)

Cairo, March 31, 1884. I HAVE the honour to inclose herewith a letter which I have received from Mr. Clifford Lloyd, reporting upon the manner in which the new police force is performing its duty.

I have, &c. (Signed)

E. BARING.

Inclosure in No. 3.

Sir,

Mr. Clifford Lloyd to Sir E. Baring.

Cairo, March 22, 1884.

I HAVE much satisfaction in informing you, for the information of Her Majesty's Government, that the new police force, though only working for two and a-half months, is performing its duty in a manner calling for approval.

Several instances have lately come under my notice in which criminals have been followed up and arrested under circumstances showing energy and aptitude, while the discipline and education of the force is daily being improved.

I the more desire to bring this to your notice as you are aware that the police and its organization have been generally condemned lately by some of the Mudirs and by others. As the result of several meetings at which the subject was discussed, it is evident to me that this condemnation was owing to a dissatisfaction on the part of the old ruling party at finding a check put upon its arbitrary powers, and not to any fault in the organization of the police.

There is no doubt that in former days, when there was a local so-called police entirely in the hands of the Mudirs, some of the Mudirs failed to report crime to the Government, and even, in many cases, took money to hush it up. Under the present organization of the police this is not possible. His Excellency Nubar Pasha admitted to me to-day that he considered the apparent increase in grave crime was greatly due to the fact of its being now reported by the police.

I feel confident that the great reforms carried out in the police and prisons have even already done much to purify the administration of the law in criminal matters, and have relieved the people from the sufferings endured under arbitrary arrest, punishment, and torture.

This cannot but tend to the peace of the country, and to the well-being of its peasant population.

There has been lately a marked anxiety on the part of many natives of high standing to revert to the more rude and arbitrary system of the past. I beg to acknowledge the support I received from you in opposing such ideas. We can only look for good results in administration from a system based upon the sound principles we are applying, and which possibly may not always be acceptable to those whose powers of arbitrary misrule are day by day being curtailed.

One of my next duties will be to search for and find men of more capacity and intelligence to fill the posts of Mudirs; men who will see the value of what is being done, and will be capable of performing their parts in carrying it out. I do not think that the difficulty will be in finding such persons, though necessarily we may have to look beyond the class to which the vast majority of those at present holding these offices belong.

The Egyptian Government has the good fortune of having in its services some English officers of police of very marked ability, and it is owing to the unremitting labour of Colonel Baker, V.C. (who has acted as Inspector-General since the formation of the new force), and of his officers, that I am able, even at this early date, to report a satisfactory progress.

I have, &c. (Signed)

CLIFFORD LLOYD.

No. 4.

Sir,

Earl Granville to Sir E. Thornton.

Foreign Office, April 8, 1884.

THE Russian Ambassador called upon me to-day, and said that he was anxious before quitting England to contradict in the most categorical manner certain reports to which I had alluded, to the effect that Russia was inciting the Porte to activity on the Egyptian question.

His Excellency acknowledged that I had treated these rumours as gossip, but he referred to his conversation of the 5th ultimo, recorded in my despatch to your Excellency of that date,* as describing in the fullest and clearest terms the manner in which the Russian Government regarded the situation in Egypt, and he pointed out the absolute incompatibility of that frank communication with the attitude attributed to Russia at Constantinople.

Baron Mohrenheim assured me that Her Majesty's Government were in complete possession of the views of his Government, which had not varied in the slightest degree during the last two years. They did not allow of different interpretations, and wherever they might be expressed, it would be in the same conciliatory spirit as in London.

His Excellency begged me to believe that these views were incapable of alteration, no matter where they might be stated, and that the Russian Government were exclusively devoted to carrying out a policy of peace and conciliation, on the bases of right and justice guaranteed by Treaties and international arrangements.

An interruption brought our interview to an end, and his Excellency promised to send me a Memorandum on another subject to which he had wished to refer.

I am, &c.

Sir,

Foreign Office, April 10, 1884.

I HAVE been in communication with the Secretary of State for War on the subject of the future frontier of Egypt after the evacuation of the Soudan.

After careful consideration, Her Majesty's Government are of opinion that both Wadi Halfa and Korosko should be occupied and fortified as frontier stations, the main body of the force quartered on the Upper Nile being stationed at Assouan.

It will be for the General in command to decide, in the event of an invasion of Egypt proper appearing probable, where the enemy should be met, and he would be guided by the state of the tribes at the time and other considerations.

I am, &c. (Signed)

GRANVILLE.

No. 6.

Sir,

The Secretary to tne Admiralty to Sir J. Pauncefote.-(Received April 21.)

Admiralty, April 18, 1884.

I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to request that you will state to Earl Granville that Rear-Admiral Sir William Hewett reports, in a letter dated the 29th March last, as follows:

*See "Egypt No. 12 (1884)," p. 141, No. 211.

'

"Lieutenant and Commander Crowe, of the Coquette,' writes from Massowah, dated the 25th March, that the Governor having represented to him that Araphale was likely to be immediately attacked by brigands and outlawed Abyssinians, he conveyed the Governor, thirty-three soldiers, and a field-gun to that place; on arrival, however, everything was found quiet, and after landing the soldiers and gun the 'Coquette' returned to Massowah."

I am, &c.

(Signed)

EVAN MACGREGOR.

No. 7.

My Lord,

Earl Granville to the Earl of Dufferin.

Foreign Office, April 23, 1884.

THE Turkish Ambassador called upon me to-day and inquired whether any of the Powers had replied to my Circular proposing a Conference on Egyptian finance, and whether it was intended to confine the discussion to that subject. I answered in the affirmative as regards the latter question, but said that there had not been time to receive any replies to the Circular.

His Excellency expressed his regret that Her Majesty's Government had not come to an agreement with the Porte on the general subject of Egypt; that agreement might have been submitted to the Powers, who would certainly have accepted it. He also showed me a telegram from his Government pressing for a reply to his note of the 12th instant,* again referring to the desire of the Porte for an arrangement between the two countries with regard to Egypt on the basis of my Circular of the 3rd January,

1883.

I reminded Musurus Pasha that on learning that the Porte wished to treat upon that basis I had told his Excellency that since the issue of that despatch Her Majesty's Government had endeavoured to act in accordance with its declarations, and that it was their intention to continue to do so. I undertook, however, to address a note to his Excellency in answer to his of the 12th instant.

I am, &c. (Signed) GRANVILLE.

No. 8.

Sir,

Earl Granville to Mr. Egerton.

Foreign Office, April 23, 1884.

I HAVE this day forwarded to you a telegraphic despatch instructing you to send several messengers to General Gordon, through Dongola as well as Berber, or in such other way as might on the spot be deemed most prompt and certain.

The messengers should be dispatched at intervals, and should carry a message to the following effect :

That he should keep Her Majesty's Government informed, to the best of his ability, not only as to the immediate danger to which Khartoum may be exposed, but also as to any prospective danger which may arise later; that in order to be prepared. to meet such danger, he should advise us as to the force that would be necessary, under the circumstances, to secure his safe removal, giving his views as to its amount and composition, and as to the route by which it should approach Khartoum, and the time at which the operation should take place. General Gordon should, at the same time, understand that Her Majesty's Government do not propose to supply him with a Turkish or other force for the purpose of undertaking military expeditions against the Mahdi, such expeditions being beyond the scope of the commission which he holds, and at variance with the pacific policy which was the purpose of his mission to the Soudan. If, with the knowledge of this fact, General Gordon decides on remaining at Khartoum, he should state the cause of his decision, and the intention with which he so continues.

I have requested you to add to this message the expression of the respect and gratitude felt by Her Majesty's Government towards General Gordon for his gallant and self-sacrificing conduct, and for the good results which he has achieved.