THE CRISIS IN EGYPT.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1069, 20 October 1882, Page 3

THE CRISIS IN EGYPT.

( K'rom our contemporaries.) ■Alexandria. October 16. Baker Pasln, who is re organising the Egyptian army, has, it is understood, decided that the officers in the army shall be one half English and one half Na'ive. The military authorities in England are advertising for supplies until the middle of February next to the army in occupation of Egypt. Cherit Pasha, President of the Ministry, has urged fresh objections to allowing Arabi and his fellow prisoners the services of English counsel on their trial. The matter is again under discussion between the Government and Sir E. Malet, the British ConsulGeneral ; and, pending a decision upon the point, the trial, which wa» fixed for to-day, has been further postponed. Every round fired during the recent bombardment of Alexandria from the guns of t he four 80-ton Inflexible cost £25 10s per un. The 25-ton guns, of which the Alexandra carries two, the Monarch four, and the Temaraire four, cost £7 per round per gun. The 18-ton guns, of "'lnch the Alexandra and Sultan carry eight, the Rupert sixteen, and the Temaroire four, cost five guineas per round. Oat of the 12-lon guns, of which the Invincible carries ten, the Monarch two, and the Sultan f A ur, cost £3 12s per round per gun. The Penelope, which alone carries 9-ton guns, has eight of them, which were discharged at a cost of £2 15s per round per gun. It was mentioned the other day that a shot from the 0 ion smashed a carriage in the train bringing up reinforcements for the enemy near Nitehe. The train was upset and the Egyptians fled. It is remarkable that this shot was fired without the gunners seeing the enemy. Foreseeing the likelihood of the enemy bringing up troops by the train. Lieutenant Craysford, of the Orion, laid a 25-ton gun upon a point of the railway out of the determined sight, the elevation and direction being determined by calculation and the use of Azmith compasses, The line of aim was accurately laid down in one of the tops, and when Lieutenant Carysford saw the train was passing the point indicated he gave the word, the gun was fired and the train was struck and disabled. This was a triumph of scientific gunnery. A fine incident is told of the first bearer company of the army hospital corps. They were by some movements of the troops isolated, and the medical officer in charge refused fo allow any interruption in his duty of dressing the wounds which the change of position would have caused, and his forty men filled their haversacks with sand so as to make a rough shelter, took the rifles of the wounded, and defended their charge until the arrival of the cavalry put an end to the enemy’s attack. A prominent financier estimates that Egypt will lose nearly £70,000,000 by the war. The cotton crop, which is entirely lost, would have been worth nearly £4O, 000,000. there is little hope of saving any of the sugar crop. If the country is not in a settled condition within two months it will he too late for sowing next year’s cereals. Several large failures are anticipated shortly. The Rothschilds have presented the British army in Egypt with twelve tons of tobacco and 5000 pipes, which the Khedive has permitted to enter duty free.