QUESTION. OBSERVATIONS. (Hansard, 29 June 1882)

LORD DE L'ISLE AND DUDLEY
rose to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether it is true that Arabi Pasha has been decorated with the Grand Cordon of the Medjidié, and has further received a letter from the Sultan approving his conduct in the present 766 Egyptian crisis? The noble Lord said, that, in putting the Question, he had no wish to embarrass the Government, or to add to the difficulties against which they had to contend; but the fact that a few days ago Arabi Pasha had received the Grand Cordon of the Medjidié from the Sultan, the highest honour it was in the power of the Sultan to bestow, and also communications highly approving his conduct, was a matter of such great importance that both the House and the country, he thought, was entitled to ask for some information on the subject from Her Majesty's Government. It appeared to him that the misfortunes which had befallen Egypt were entirely due to the policy of Arabi Pasha, and the disturbances at Cairo and Alexandria, and the massacre of Europeans about a fortnight ago within sight of our Fleet might be attributed to the same cause. There had been an exodus of Europeans flying for their lives, leaving behind all their goods and property, and quitting those industries and occupations which they had done so much to develop, and which had tended so much to the wealth and improvement of Egypt, and that exodus was plainly attributable to the action of Arabi. Threatened as all these Europeans had been with the fate of their countrymen, he very much doubted whether they would ever return to that country in the same numbers; and one thing was certain, and that was that if they did return, it would be with very different feelings towards the Government to those which they had entertained before. Some time ago—he believed in January—Her Majesty's Government had sent a Note to Egypt, in which they stated their intention of supporting the Khedive, and he hoped and believed Her Majesty's Government would not depart from that intention, and that at the proper moment they would exact due reparation for what had been done; but, at the present moment, there was really no Government or law in Egypt, but the country was at the mercy of one man, and he a successful military dictator. It might be said that the whole policy and diplomacy of Europe had been directed against that man, and especially, then, that of England and France was directed against one individual—namely, Arabi Pasha; and when they heard that that man had been received with high honour by the Sultan, and that a Conference was 767 sitting to consider and settle the affairs of Egypt, which Conference had not yet received the sanction of the Sultan of Turkey, in his opinion it was a matter of grave and serious consideration. The noble Lord concluded by asking the Question of which he had given Notice.

§ LORD STANLEY OF ALDERLEY
said, he rose to deprecate piecemeal discussion, and pressure being brought upon Her Majesty's Government to increase the very serious risks of war. This was at variance with a Notice of a Motion by another Member of the Conservative Party in "another place" in an opposite sense, with which he (Lord Stanley of Alderley) agreed entirely. The noble Lord (Lord De L'Isle and Dudley) had spoken of the Europeans who had been driven from Egypt, and who had increased the wealth of that country. The riot had been begun by Greeks and Maltese, and the greater number of the people killed had not been Europeans properly so-called, but Greeks and Levantines. The last Blue Book had given a list of the enormous quantity of Europeans in the Egyptian Civil Service, who drew an annual sum of £369,000. Since the Control was established, they had settled like locusts in the country; an Indian official, who was in Egypt a year ago, had told him (Lord Stanley of Alderley) that the quantity of foreigners in the Egyptian Service was so great that he felt certain that state of things could not last. It was out of all proportion to the number of Europeans employed in any Province of India. He had not before spoken on this subject, so he would take that opportunity of saying that he thought Admiral Sir Beauchamp Seymour was to blame for having allowed any of his officers and men to land, and thus running the risk of a collision when the population was already excited; the Admiral had not allowed anybody to land on a former and similar occasion, when he had been in command of a squadron of four ships of war.

§ EARL GRANVILLE
My Lords, I am always very glad to have any support in the difficult circumstances in which we are placed, and I am very much obliged to my noble Friend (Lord Stanley of Alderley) who has just spoken for throwing his shield over me on this occasion. But I am bound to say that, 768 although I did not catch everything that fell, yet in that portion which I did hear, there was nothing said by the noble Lord opposite (Lord De L'Isle and Dudley) with which I can in the least quarrel. I have only to state, in answer to the Question of the noble Lord, that we have information as to the giving of the decoration to Arabi Pasha, though we have not received any as to a letter of approbation.