THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, JULY 18, 1882. THE EGYPTIAN CRISIS AND OUR DEFENCES.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2583, 18 July 1882, Page 2

THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, JULY 18, 1882. THE EGYPTIAN CRISIS AND OUR DEFENCES.

Thb late cable news from Alexandria has been of the moat satisfactory description, do far that it almost pitta an end to any fear of an immediate European explosion. The in telligence we had received waa of so meagre a charaoter that we were almost totally unable to ascertain the attitude taken up by Germany, Austria, and Russia in connection with the affair. On this, of course, hinged the question whether the matter wou!d assume a really cerious aspeot. Although the aolo object of England has all along been undoubtedly the safety cf the canal, and although she has no possible hankering afier the possession of Egypt, yet there ore bo many wheels within wheels in European politics that it was possible that the opportunities of the present orisis might be taken advantage of to further the aims of one of the Powera mentioned above. It turna out, however, that the Conference at Cons'.anti nople, however dilatory it may have been, has been acting in good faith, and that England, in taking up a decided attitude with regard to Egyptian affairs, has not offended against European susceptibilities. As to France and Italy they have been hampered by mutual jealousies, and ai the other three Powera did not feel inolinod to actively inter vene, the only possible solution of the question appears to have been that which has actually eventuated. The amount of suffering whioh has been brought on the inhabitants of Alexandria is of course to be deeply deplored, and it may be that the Conservative* j have some ground for the complaint that I he j English Government did not foresee and provide against the atrooitiei whioh have been | committed, Bat it ii very easy to be wife

after the event, ana anxious at the British Government were not to more until absolutely drirea to do so, it is hard to blame them too heavily for the coarse which events* hare taken. After all that has been writtenand stid abonfc Arabi Pasha, it was probably hard to imagine that he had 10 much of the tiger in hie competition ai has tamed outto be the case. That the leader of a party which was at one time considered to be actuated by purely patriotio motives should* have deliberately handed over the principal city in his native country to rapine and flimei cauld hardly enter into the calculations of the most provident statesman. Arabi'a course of action, however, will, at all events,, have taken off any glamor that might have been attached to him ai the leader of the-so-called national He- will now, in history, be looked upon in his true light,, namely, as a military adventurer, who, under the cloak of devotion to the native population,, was prepared to go to any extremes that private interest or motives of revenge might lead him to. It will now be clearly peroeired that the British Government were perfectly right in distrusting the actions of such a man. Had he been allowed to play his. game out to the bitter end, the neutrality of: the Canal would have been a thing of the patfc. _ With the Khedive as a mere tool, to be got rid of or otherwise as convenience might dictate, the future of Egypt would have been practically handed over to a man whose first thought would have been of consolidating his own power to the exclucion of European control. Under such auspioes the very raiser* d'etre of the caccl would have been a thing of the past. It would no longer have been a national highway, free at all times to those who might wish to use it, but a highway under the tutelage of an Oriental Power which was bound by none of the traditions of more civilized communities.

While, however, congratulating ourselves on the outcome of the crisis, it most press somewhat heavily on the statesmen of this country that they have proved themeelTCS to be ready to act in the matter of defence only when to act is to be a little too late. Supposing a general war to have broken out, in what sort of condition would our ports have been in f A few weeks might have seen cruisers of a hostile power entering our harbors, which are totally unprepared to cflar any sort of resistance. It was just the same a few years ago when the esaio of a Bussian war was upon us. The then Government were moved to a due sense of their responsibilities, only when to act would have been to have "locked the stable door when the steed was stolen." That there is something ridiculous is all this cannot bs denied. What the world at large may think of the readiness of New Zealand politicians to avert by timely precautions a great oalamity had perhaps better not be too closely inquired into. They have seemed to have gained no wisdom by their experienceof past years, A few days ago they were at unprepared to meet a possible and serious contingency as if they were governing a country in the moon. Time after time the matter has been brought before them. They have had excellent engineering advice given them, and although they now try to shift the. blame to a certain extent on the shoulders of* Colonel Scratchley because he has not paid this colony a second visit, yet the public will be little inclined to believe that, if there had been any hearty desire to place the ports in a proper state of defence, the - means would not have been found. Indeed, the Government stand self convicted, because! when spurred on by public opinion, they show that much can immediately be done. Mr Bryce, as will be seen by the news convey eci in another column, h&s declared that Colonel Soratohley's plans were at once to be carried out. Heavy batteries are to be erected at all the principal ports, and means - are to takes whereby, when necessary, torpedoes, torpedo boats, and submarine mires may be employed. They merely ask the Colonel whether any alterations have suggested them* ■elves to him since his report was written, thus clearly showing that that document contained ample material on which to work In providing for the defence of the eolony. We trust that the ridiculous and undesirable state of affairs to which we have alluded will be put a stop to at once and for ever. It is perfectly useleEs to envelop ourselves .in a mantle of fancied security. A crisis may arise at any moment in Europe which will have a most serious bearing on our position. We are a part of a great nation, and, while proud of forming portion of- an empire on which the sun never sets, it is as well to understand that there are oertain responsibilities conneoted with tbat position. Oar statesmen should not be completely wrapped up in local politics. Their ken should have a wider range. And more particularly should they not present to the world the absurd spectacle of men ready only to move ia their own 1 defence when the danger has already burst upon them. We trust that there will be no more shilly-shallying in this matter. But we hope to be forgiven if we do not place too much belief in the professions of the powers that be, until we see the defence works absolutely oommenoed. Thero has been so much, talk heretofore in this direction that J the public are in an undesirable state of incredulousness and disbelief.