THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1882.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1112, 4 August 1882, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1882.

Thb Egyptian difficulty so far from clearing seem 3to be becoming more and more involved, and the hoped for settlement appears to be far from realisation. The whole situation is by no means a pleasant one, and, though with the reduction of Alexandria, and the night of Arabi. Pasha,' it was hoped all trouble was nearly at an end, it would appear as though that was merely the beginning of complications. The course that France has pursued in the whole matter is by n^ means creditable to that nation, and will d 6 much to damage the entente eof§iale which has existed between he* And England for so many years. Joining heartily at first in the proposed-action, ;wl\en it came to the test thejWjch grew lukewarm, and their navyftHiqiigh on the spot, refused to join in the Alexandrian bombardment J& the same time it was promised ilfttt a French force should be furnished for the protection of the Suez Canal, and that in all but active operations the most' thorough co-operation shQujd be afforded. jSaJg^.^l^fe* howtfvei^' (tfißfflJßwnbiyplj^a war' vow being submitter? to meet the expenses of the expedition, refused, by an overwhelming majority, to grant it The consequence was the Ministry resigned and the despatch of troops suspended, with little chance of any over being sent England is thus left alone to carry out the policy initiated, and though FrancVisglpeciaUy interested in its achievemenfjTshe refuses at the last moment to lens 'any assistance in bringing it about Several of the Powers have been quietly looking on, watching the English Government get into a mess. Italy has absolutely declined to have anything to do with the matter, Russia has recently also withdrawn, very likely with a view to coming contingencies, and the old country now not only has the whole brunt of the actual fighting to encounter but all the responsibility as well. They have a puppet Khedive to bolster up whose nominal subjects seem to follow the lead of Arabi Pasha, and ignore any other authority ; they have a most slippery customer to deal with in Turkey, ' for there can be no doubt that Arabi Pasha has really been countenanced and encouraged in the course he has pursued by the Porte, and the acquiescence in the proposal to send Turkish troops down to reinstate the Khedive and restore order seems to have been rather implied for the purpose of gaining time. By the latest accounts the European Conference is broken up, and this will no doubt be an excuse for withdrawing any and every pledge given during its sittings. Even the half promise to send troops was accompanied with a condition that wa|j not likely to be concecfed, viz : that before their entry all the British force should be withdrawn. This was %no means lik^y;^ or, had, such beeu^Ae ci% t|e7 To^ would-«|^y^%tp>me'^xetsie^ for delay, and allowed Arabi Pasha 1 a full opportunity- of. reoccupying the whole country, taking possession^ the Canal, and generally undoing everything that had been done. There is no question whatever that England has embarked on what may be a long struggle, and is certain to be a most costly war, the end of which is shrouded in the darkest doubt It is not only encountering Arabi Pasha and his ragamuffinr army, swelled as it may be by the "holy war" fever, but complications at present only to be guessed at seem likely to arise, the result of which may be most serious. It is evident from the exertions that tEngland is making that the Government is fully alive to the gravity of the position. The Household troops are ordered on service, a fact in itself sufficient to show that an early termination to the war is not expected, and a large Indian contingent, composed both of European and Native troops, is 'also under orders for Egypt. Late advices state that large masses of Russian troops were being massed in the Caucasus If this be true there can hardly be a doubt that Russia, sooner or later, means to have a finger in the pie, and interfere in some way that will precipitate war. There are no rebels now in the Caucasus, there is no possible occasion for the gathering, unless with a view to mjdonief in connection with England* Wnatever may be in the womb or^the .future a very short time must now disclose, and cablegrams will be watched with the most intense interest for some time to come. The grand old country now stands alone and has accepted the position with all its consequences unflinchingly. It rewjtnther iii^e'lacting something like rjght an<J justice from a shifty and dishonest vassal an equally unscrupulous and dishonorable chief,