STATE OF EGYPT. (From the Times' Correspondent.) Alexandria, September 14.

New Zealander, Volume 4, Issue 287, 28 February 1849, Page 3

STATE OF EGYPT. (From the Times' Correspondent.) Alexandria, September 14.

On the 9th instant, Ibrahim Pacliu returned to Alex andria from Constantinople, whete lie was invested by the Sultaa with the Tashallu ol Egypt, and treated with great distinction. On the third day of his arrival at the Turkish capital, Ibrahim wa» admitted to a private uudience with the Sultan ; on the lat mitant the investiture took place, and tha decoration of vizier, or minister, of the Ottoman Empire, the rank he is entitled to as Viceroy of Egypt, was presented to him with the mual ceremonies at thu Imperi il Palace by Ibe Sultan. On the 3rd he kit Coiutintinople kr Ihia country, of which he is now the sole governor. When lbraham Pacha left Alexandria, on the 30th o» July, he proceeded to Rhodes, and Bft ;r performing quarantine in that if.]*nd, he went in his line-of.battle sbip to Tenedos, where he was met by a Tuikish steamer, despatched by the Sultan expressly to convey him to Co/ibtantnople, and on his return the situe steamer took him back to TencUos, whence be came to Alexandria in his own ship,

About two months ago Mazloum Bey, Minister o^ Justice at Constantinople, came to Alexandria to ascertain the exact state of Mehemet Ali's health and mind ; and on his report that the latter was totally unfit to govern the country, the Sultan wisely determined at once to appoint Ibrahim Pacha Viceroy in the place of his father, and thus, establish a constituted authority and responsible government in Egypt. The day after his arrival here, Ibrahim Paclw started for Cairo, where it is his intention to live very quietly for some time, in order to recruit his health, us he is at present suffering from a bronchitis, and spits blood i occasionally. Mehemet AH is therefore superseded in tho government of Egypt. He takes hi* daily drives in his carriage, lives in the same style he vrat wont to tlo, and in his own palace, but no one takes any notice of him, and none but his immediate attendants are permitted to approach him. llis mind continue! in the same weak state, and Ibrahim Pacha did not so much as go to sec him on his return. Mehemet Ali is to go up to Cairo shortly, no doubt in accordance with Ibrahim Pacha's instructions, in order that he mny be p'psent when bis firman of investiture is publicly lead in the citadel. tVhea the cholera first broke out here, Ibrahim Paiha put his son and his nfcphew in a frigate to proceed to C'avalla, in Roumeha, there to remain until the epidemic had disappeared, butthe two young men wished to stop at Rhodes, instead oJ going to C'avalla, and, on receiving a written order to that effect fiom Ibrahim Pacha's son, the captain of the corvette was induced to accede to their wishes. On Ibrahim Pacha's arrivnl at Rhodes, the cupiain showed ihe written order, but his highness there and then caused 500 stripes to be administered to him on a gun for not following his order-). A new Egyptian 18 gun brig of war, that Was suling in company With Ibrahim Pacha's line of battle ship, tva* lost off the island of Chio in a gale of wind. Since the decrease of the cholera and the return of Ibrahim* Pacha as the Viceroy of Egypt, trade has revived considerably here, and the intelligence of the probable failure of the potatoe crop ih England has caused a material rise in prices. Before leaving Cairo, Ibrahim Pacha gave ordeis to Artim Bey, the prime minister, to sell his crops, and apply the proceeds to the payment of one year's wages to ihe army and navy, to whom 14 months' pay it now due. The day before the arrival of the last mail, Ibrahim Pacha's agent here sold 15,000 ardeb« o' wheat at C 5 piasters ; a month ago the price was 50 piasters, and now he reiuse* to kdl his wheat under 75> and beans 55 piasters per ardeb. Private trade produce-— that is, not belonging to Government nor to any member of Mehemet Ah 1 * family — is several piasters cheaper. A public auctiou of grain and pulse »as to have taken place two days ago, but the Prime Minister has deferred it until aftei the arrival of the next mail, in expectation of a fui ther rise in prices. All the crops this year are very abundant. In anticip.atioja of connideruble sales of produce, the exchange on London has fallen to 97$ piastres per pound, and will be still lower by the nest mail. The cholera is rapidly disappearing from Egypt. In Alexandria there is not more than one or two deaths d ily from this disease. In Cairo for the last three days there have been no cases at all. In Syria also this epidemic is rapidly vanishing. By the last accounts from Beyrout thei c had been for the last twenty days only two or three cases daily, and it bud entirely disappeared at Aleppo and Damascus. The total number of deaths that occuned in Alexandria since the firnt appearance of the cholera on the 24 h of July is 5140, ot these. 3789 were from cholera. The popu1 <tion of Alexandria and its suburbs is estimated at 137.0D0. The total mortality ut Ca.ro, since tho 16ih of July, amounts to 86^0. It in calculated that during the past seven weeks there murt have been throughout Egypt upwards of 16 OCO victims to this epidemic, but this is very much below what it was when the ih.ol.ira visited th}s country in 1831, and its prevalence in the mouth of Ramazan, when the natives tait all day aud commit excesses duiing the night, must have materially assisted in increasing the number. The exact number ot cases of ch)leia is not known, as a register was kept of the deaths only. The recoveries among the Aiab population were fern, many dying without any medical assistance whatever. Of the Europeans attacked it is calculated that about one third have recovered, owing to prompt measures being taken, 'ihe police authorities took many precautions in order to stay the spread of the disease, by leiuoving the soldiers from the town, ordering the shops to be closed by a certain hour of the night, tnd seeing that the graves for the dead were dug to a proper depth. The greater part of the Italian and French families residing here, as also many of the better class of natives, performed strict quarantine by shutting themselves up in their houses, but this precaution pioved of no arail, as cases of cholera occurred even among them. The most accurate atmospherical observations made in this town have shown that the air presented no remarkable feature whatever during the whole time of the prevalence of the cholera.

Steam Communication with Australia.— -We have now the pleasure of announcing that an arrangement bas been entered into between the Govcrnmont and the " India und Australia Stram Packet Company," for extending to Sjdney the line of steam c«immnnicotion which already exists between England and Singapore. Mails, passengers, and packages will be conveyed to Singapore, as at preicnt, by the Peninsular and Oriental Company, and the vessels of the Australia Company will carry them on to Sydney. From England to Singapore tUe distance is 42 days," and from Singapore to bydney 22 days, and thus the entire communication will occupy scarcely more than two monthi. The advantages of this meaiure to India, China, and the commerce of the Eastern Archipelago, can huidly be too highly estimated, while in its bearings at the present time on the mutual prosperity of England and Australia it is likely to prove more im • portant. and moie in harmony with public opinion, tliau any other step which could have been devised.— Bell's Messenger.