LETTER TO MADAME DELAMALLE.

33

that the opening of the Suez Canal, a work of civilisation and progress, would not be conducive to the interests of Great Britain. The frank and complete alliance of the two nations placed at the head of civilisation, an alliance which has already proved the possibility of the solving of many questions hitherto considered insoluble by common tradition, will allow, amongst many other advantages, of the impartial consideration of the great Suez Canal question, of the taking of an exact estimate of its influence on the prosperity of all nations, and must make it appear a heresy to suppose that an enterprise which is to shorten by half the distance between the East and West could be detrimental to England, mistress as she is of Gibraltar, Malta, the Ionian Islands, Aden, important colonies on the Eastern coast of Africa, India, Singapore, and Australia.

England, as much as and even more than France, ought therefore to promote the cutting through of this neck of land of forty leagues, which no one interested in civilisation and progress can see upon the map without an earnest desire to remove the sole obstacle remaining on the grand route of the commerce of the world.

The copy of my report, which I have the honour to enclose, and of the powers the Viceroy proposes conferring upon me, render it unnecessary for me to enter into the further details of an enterprise, in which you will observe there is no question of privileges for any State in particular, but merely of the formation of a free company, open on equal conditions to shareholders of every nationality.

VI.

TO MADAME DELAMALLE, PARIS.

(Continuation of Journal.)

CAIRO, November 27th.

I AM about to call on Zulfikar Pacha, Koenig Bey, and Talat Bey, who live in the Citadel. I have other visits to pay in the town. Everywhere I meet with compliments and congratulations on the grand scheme of the Suez Canal. The French Consul-General, M. Sabatier, has not

yet arrived, and I am waiting to show him my letter to Mr. Bruce before sending it. Not knowing whether I should succeed, I could not say a word to him when at Alexandria about what I was going to attempt; but his reception of me was so hearty and cordial that I should be sorry for him to learn from any one but myself of an affair of so much importance, and of which he is as yet completely ignorant, though it is already the chief topic of conversation in Cairo. I have, therefore, begged to be informed immediately of his landing.

November 28th.

M. Sabatier arrived yesterday evening, and I at once told him all the details of my journey across the desert. He seemed to understand my reserve with him when I passed through Alexandria, and rejoiced for France at the realisation of a scheme which his instructions authorised him to propose to the Viceroy two years ago. In accordance with his usual character, having once made up his mind, he will frankly and vigorously carry out his views, and he is disposed to support me to the fullest extent of his power. He read and approved of the report, firman, and letter to Mr. Bruce, which last he undertook to deliver.

I paid a visit to the Viceroy at nine o'clock, and entered the divan of the Citadel at the same time as M. Sabatier. The French Consul-General hastened to congratulate the Viceroy on the Canal affair, telling him of the instructions authorising him to support a project, the execution of which had always been desired by the French Government, in a word, saying everything necessary to strengthen the Viceroy in his resolve.

After M. Sabatier had taken leave, the Viceroy made me go into his apartments with Prince Mustapha. The conversation turned on the preliminary measures for the execution of the scheme, such as drawing up the list of the first founders, &c. "It will be for you," said my host, "to name the sum I am to put down."

LETTER TO M. SABATIER.

VII.

35

To M. SABATIER, AGENT AND CONSUL-GENERAL FOR FRANCE IN EGYPT.

CAIRO, November 29th.

ON On your arrival at Cairo, I informed you of the circumstances which, during my journey with the Viceroy, had called the attention of his Highness to the great enterprise of cutting a canal across the Isthmus of Suez, and I discussed with you the Viceroy's proposal for conceding the execution of the work to a company of capitalists belonging to all nations.

I now beg you to be good enough to inform the Imperial Government of the decision of Mohammed Said, and to entrust to me the task of forming and directing the Maritime Canal Company. I shall hasten, on my approaching return to Paris, to solicit the personal honour of submitting to his Imperial Majesty the measures to be adopted and the result of a survey I am about to make of the isthmus in conjunction with M. Linant Bey, Director of Public Works in Egypt, and M. Mougel Bey, Chief Engineer des Ponts et Chaussées, whom the Viceroy has permitted to join us.

Meanwhile I think it my duty to forward to you:

1. The report on the proposed canal across the Isthmus of Suez, drawn up by me at the request of the Viceroy. 2. A translation of the powers to be conferred on me by the Viceroy.

3. A copy of the letter I wrote to Mr. Bruce, and which you were good enough to undertake to remit after having read and approved of it.

The Viceroy, whose present friendly relations with the Porte are known to you, tells me that he has no doubt of the Sultan's acquiescence in his scheme for the maritime canal, and that he will discuss the matter personally with his suzerain as well as with Reschid Pacha.

VIII.

To M. RUYSSENAERS, CONSUL-GENERAL FOR HOLLAND IN EGYPT.

CAIRO, November 30th.

I GAVE you a verbal account of the circumstances which enabled me, during the journey I recently took with the Viceroy from Alexandria to Cairo, to persuade his Highness to concede the right of making the Suez Canal to a company of capitalists of all nations.

You, who have concurred with me for the last two years in endeavouring to realise this scheme, of such special importance to the interests of Holland, will rejoice with me in the resolution come to by our mutual friend, Mohammed Said.

I have the honour of forwarding to you the report drawn up at the request of his Highness, and the translation of the powers signed this very day by him for constituting and directing the Universal Maritime Suez Canal Company.

December 2, 1854.

Documents sent to all the Consuls-General, and a letter, in which I inform them that the Viceroy will himself discuss the matter with the Porte.

IX.

TO RICHARD COBDEN, ESQ., M.P., LONDON.

CAIRO, December 3, 1854.

As the friend of peace and of the Anglo-French alliance I am going to tell you some news which will aid in realising the words, Aperire terram gentibus.

I arrived in Egypt a short time back, as the invited guest of the Viceroy, with whom, since his boyhood, I have been on terms of friendship, and I have had an opportunity of calling his attention to the advantages which would result to the commerce of the world and the prosperity of Egypt from the opening of a maritime canal between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Mohammed Said has

LETTER TO RICHARD COBDen.

37

understood the importance of this great enterprise, and wishing to see it carried into execution, he has authorised me to form a company of capitalists of all nations. I forward you a translation of the Firman of Concession. The Viceroy has requested me to communicate it to her Britannic Majesty's Agent and Consul-General as well as to the other Consuls-General in Egypt.

Some people maintain that the Viceroy's project will meet with opposition in England. I cannot believe it. Under existing circumstances your statesmen must be too enlightened for me to admit such an hypothesis. What! England monopolises half the general commerce with India and China; she possesses an immense empire in Asia; she can reduce by one-third the charges on her commerce and the distance from her metropolis by one half, and she will not have it done! And why? In order to prevent the countries on the Mediterranean from profiting by their geographical situation to carry on a little more commerce in the Oriental seas than they do at present, she will deprive herself of the advantages, material and political, of this new communication, merely because others are more favourably situated than herself, as if geographical position were everything, as if, having regard to all the circumstances, England had not more to gain by this work than all the other Powers put together. Lastly, England deprecates, it is said, the diminution in the number of vessels trading with India which will result from the reduction by more than one-third of the length of the voyage. Has not our experience with railways proved, in a manner surpassing the expectations of the most sanguine, that the abbreviation of distances and of the duration of journeys lead to an immense increase in the number of passengers and the amount of traffic?

It is difficult to understand why those who admit this last objection do not advise the English Government to compel vessels for India to take the Cape Horn route, for it would employ more ships and turn out better sailors than that of the Cape of Good Hope.

If, though it seems impossible, the difficulties with which we are threatened have actually arisen, I hope that public