238 



EGYPT. 



doubled the following year. The English and 

 the French will, for some time at least, be the 

 largest customers of the canal company, their 

 rival steamship lines, the Peninsular and Ori- 

 ental and Messageries Imperiales, furnishing 

 now the chief mediums of communication be- 

 tween Europe and the East. But in this re- 

 spect, as in many others, this new highway 

 must effect a radical and permanent change. 

 If permanently successful, it must practically 

 cut off Alexandria, Marseilles, and Southamp- 

 ton from the monopoly they have so long held 

 of the Mediterranean trade with Egypt and 

 the East, and open the field to successful com- 

 petition. 



Brindisi and other ports on the eastern coast 

 of Italy, by reason of their greater proximity 

 to Port Said, will share largely in the rich 

 trade of Marseilles and Southampton. Trieste 

 also will become a formidable competitor for 

 the trade of Central Europe. The Austrian 

 Lloyd's line of steamers from the latter port is 

 doing a steadily-increasing business, and al- 

 ready giving evidence that it feels the stimu- 

 lus. So far as the passenger, mail, and fast- 

 freight traffic with the East is concerned, it 

 seems wellnigh certain that these two ports 

 will supplant their older and wealthier rivals 

 altogether. 



The following are the official regulations for 

 the navigation of the Suez Canal : 



1. Navigation on the Suez Maritime Canal is per- 

 mitted to all vessels, whatever their nationality, pro- 

 vided they do not draw more than seven metres and 

 a half of water ; the canal being eight metres deep. 

 Steam-vessels may navigate by means of their own 



. steam-power. Sailing-vessels, about fifty tons' bur- 

 den, must be towed by the service established for 

 this purpose bv the company. Steamers requiring 

 to be towed will arrange by special contract. Every 

 vessel towed will provide its own tow-line. 



2. The maximum speed of vessels on the canal is 

 provisionally fixed at ten kilometres an hour. 



8. Every ship exceeding 100 tons' burden must take 

 a pilot employed by the company, who is bound to 

 furnish every information as to the route to be fol- 

 lowed, the captain remaining responsible for the con- 

 duct and handling of the vessel. 



4. When a vessel requiring to pass the canal has 

 taken up her moorings at Tort Said or at Suez, the 

 captain is to enter his vessel at the office and to pay 

 the passage dues, as well as the pilotage fees, tow- 

 ing and harbor fees, when due. A receipt will be 

 given him, which will be available in case of need. 

 He will be bound to furnish the following particu- 

 lars : Name and nationality of the vessel, name of 

 the captain, names of the owners and charterers, 

 port whence sailed and destination, draught of water, 

 number of passengers, tonnage of the ship accord- 

 ing to legal measurement, certified by official docu- 

 ments. 



5. In the formation of trains, the captain, fur- 

 nished with a number according to his receipt, serv- 

 ing as a way-bill, and after having received the 

 pilot on board, will take up the position assigned to 

 him. 



6. Every vessel about to enter the canal is to have 

 her yards braced up and booms topped. She must 

 have two anchors one forward and one aft to allow 

 of anchoring at the first order of the pilot. 



7. (1.) Every vessel must have, during the passage 

 f the canal, a boat in tow with a hawser ready, m 



order in case of need to carry out her hawser to one 



of the mooring-piles placed along the two banks of 

 the canal. (2. ) The captain is bound to keep watches 

 on deck both night and day, to be ready to cast off or 

 cut the tow-lines at the first order. (3.) During the 

 night, vessels will keep lights burning according to 

 regulation, and a lookout forward. (4.) Every steam- 

 tug or other steamer will whistle at the passage of 

 curves, at the approach of vessels which are _to be 

 passed or crossed, and at the approach of dredging or 

 other engines which they may_ meet. (5.) When two 

 vessels, proceeding in opposite directions, come in 

 sight, they are to slacken speed, each keeping the 

 starboard bank, or stop, according to the order of 

 the pilot. (6.) When a vessel requires to pass 

 another going; in the same direction, warning must 

 be given by signal. The vessel going at least speed 

 is to keep close to the starboard bank and to slacken 

 speed as much as possible. 



8. (1.) Vessels, which for any cause whatever are 

 obliged to stop in the canal, are, as soon as possible, 

 to place themselves on the windward bank, and moor 

 fore and aft. (2.) In case of necessary stoppage, and 

 when it is impossible to reach a siding, which is al- 

 ways to be donej if possible, the captain must imme- 

 diately give notice by signals' by day and by^ lamps 

 by night, fore and aft. (3.^'In case of grounding, the 

 agents of the company will" have the right to direct 

 the means of getting the vessel off, and, if necessary, 

 of unloading the whole at the expense of whoever 

 may have caused the grounding. 



9. Captains are forbidden (1.) to anchor in the 

 canal, except in case of absolute necessity, and not 

 without the pilot's consent. (2.) To throw into the 

 canal earth, ashes, cinders, or any other materials. 

 (3.) In case of any thing falling into the can'al, a 

 declaration is to be made to the pilot, who is bound 

 to transmit it to the agent at the nearest station. 

 (4.) The captain is forbidden to fish up any thing 

 fallen into the canal, except under the direction of 

 the company's agents. (5.) The salvage of all objects 

 fallen into the canal is at the expense of the captain, 

 to whom they will be restored on payment of these 

 expenses. 



10. Captains will bind themselves, on receiving a 

 copy of tnese regulations, to obey every order for the 

 purpose of carrying them out. 



11. The dues to be paid are calculated on the actual 

 tonnage of the vessel, both as to the transit dues and 

 the towing and harbor dues. This tonnage is deter- 

 mined (until further orders) by the official papers on 

 board. The transit due from one sea to the other is 

 ten francs per ton burden, and ten francs per passen- 

 ger, payable at the entrance at Port Said or Suez. 

 The towage dues are fixed at two francs per ton ; the 

 harbor dues for anchoring at Port Said, at Ismailia, 

 and before the platform at Suez, after remaining 

 twenty-four hours, for twenty days at the utmost, 

 five centimes per ton per day, at the place assigned 

 by the captain of the port. 



The pilotage dues for the passage of the canal are 

 fixed according to the draught of water, as follows : 

 Up to three metres, five francs per decimetre ; from 

 three to four and a half metres, ten francs ; from four 

 and a half to six metres, fifteen francs ; from six to 

 seven and a half metres, twenty francs. Every deci- 

 metre to be paid for proportionally according to the 

 category to which the vessel belongs. 



The pilot kept on board, in case of anchorage, will 

 be paid twenty francs per day. Vessels towed will 

 be entitled to a reduction of twenty-five per cept. on 

 the pilotage clues. 



FERD. DE LESSEPS, President Director. 



The opening of the Canal has raised the 

 question of its neutralization. The powers 

 were said to be very actively occupied with 

 this question ; for, if it is not declared neu- 

 tral, it runs the risk of becoming the theatre 

 of rivalries and struggles between the great 



