The Pall Mall Gazette of Thursday cynically acknowledges that the
pretence of caring for Egypt on philanthropic or Im- perial grounds is mere pretence. It says, in Egypt, "The finan- cial situation is the whole situation. What else is there in Egypt to interest anybody, but the results of the Khedive's
financial misgovernment P For what purpose, what end,
have the Powers interfered outside the region of financial administration ? None whatever." In other words, British policy in Egypt for the past two years has not had in view the interests of Great Britain, which are exclusively political, or the interests of the people of Egypt, which demand total repudia- tion, but only the interests of the Bondholders. The statement has not been made so plainly before, and will, we suspect, be repudiated by her Majesty's Government with some emphasis. They may have accepted, but will hardly avow, the role of bum- bailiffs.
