Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/547

 riNAXCE— ARMY AND NAVY. 448 those of viceroy and sovereign. The legal aovereigii is still the Sultan of Constan- tinople, in whose nonie the im|x>8t8 urc levied, and whose monogram is stamped^ on the native currency. The pudishaw continues to reoeiiw a yearly tribute of £700,000, just as if the present intervention of Great Britain had not iiffiuml the last vestif^o of his authority. lie also derives an income of from £280,000 to £320,000 from the monopoly secured to the import trade of Turkish tobacco. Nevertheless, at least three-fourths of the tobacco consumed in the countrj' ii introduced by an organised system of smuggling, especially across the frontier of the desert towunls Palestine. Till recently the official language was Turkish, not Arabic, which is neverthe- less the mother tongue of nearly all the native inhabitants of Egypt. But the political power has passed from the hands of the Sultun, and is now practically exercised by the Christian states of Europe. A few years ago the Condominium was jointly exercised by England and France. Their agents controlled the finances, which they disposed of at their pleasure, thereby substituting their own authority for that of the Khedive. The European nations were also more powerful in Egypt than the local Government, in virtue of the consular tribunals, which, in the terms of the " Capitulations," claimed exclusive jurisfliction in all matters of dispute in which both Europeans and natives were concerned. But the Condominium has lapsed, and Great Britain alone exercises the control ever since the military revolt under Arabi Pasha — a revolt which, although made to the war-cry of " Egypt for the Egyptians," would, if successful, have resulted in handing over the country to new Mameluks of native origin no less oppressive and extortionate than the former Mameluks of foreign race — Arabs, Circassians, Annenians, Sudanese, and others. The ministers appointed by England decide the most important questions in accordance with her decrees, without even taking the trouble to consult the official sovereign. His function seems to be simply to attach his signature to all state documents. In return for this service he retains his nominal rank and personal revenues, but he no longer possesses even the privilege of putting an end by abdica- tion to his present somewhat ignoble posit ion. Finance — Army and Navy. The political situation of Egypt is all the more strained and bewildering that the English, while exercising sovereign rights, omit no opportunity of asserting their set purpose to quit the land at no distant date, and restore to the Eg}'ptians the autonomy they had so long forfeited to the stranger. At the same time their deeds themselves speak another language. British subjects, even Anglo-Hindus, Christians and Mussulmans alike, flock in hundrecls to the Nile Valley, where they are installed in the places of emolument withdrawn from the native and non-British foreign officials. The public revenues formerly set apart to meet the claims of money-lenders at high interest are now applied in the first instance to pay the salaries of these new functionaries. They are also to some extent made available to