266 



EGYPT. 



erence to the conclusions at which you have arrived, 

 I accept them. It is only natural that I should do so ; 

 it is I who have desired this work for the good ot my 

 country. It remains only for me to carry out these 

 conclusions. Rest assured I am resolved to do so 

 seriouslv. My country is no longer African; we 

 now form part of Europe. It is proper, therefore, to 

 abandon our old ways and to adopt a new system 

 more in accordance with our social progress. I be- 

 lieve that in a not far distant future you will see con- 

 siderable changes, and they will be brought about 

 more easily than might be expected. It is really 

 only a simple question of justice, of respect for the 

 law. Above all, we must not be satisfied with mere 

 words, and for my own part I am determined to 

 prove my intentions by my deeds ; and, to show how 

 thoroughly in earnest I am, I have intrusted Nubar 

 Pasha with the formation of a ministry. This inno- 

 vation may seem of small importance, but you will 

 see that from this innovation, conceived in earnest, 

 will arise ministerial independence, and that is no 

 slight matter; for this innovation is the starting- 

 point of a radical change of system, and forms, in 

 my opinion, the best assurance that I can give of the 

 sincerity of my intention to carry out your conclu- 

 sions. You are going to leave us. I hope we shall 

 soon see you back again, but I wish that you should 

 take away with you1;he conviction that, if you have 

 had a difficult and troublesome task, your exertions 

 will not be fruitless, because you know that all 

 things take root and 'ripen quickly in this ancient 

 soil of Egypt. 



In accordance with his declaration, the Khe- 

 dive intrusted Nubar Pasha with the formation 

 of a new ministry. This ministry was com- 

 posed as follows : Nubar Pasha, President of 

 the Council, Minister for Foreign Affairs and 

 of Justice ; Riaz Pasha, Interior ; Ratif Pasha, 

 War ; Ali Mubarek Pasha, Public Instruction, 

 Agriculture, and Public Works ; the Ministry 

 of Finance remaining vacant for a short time, 

 the Khedive intending to submit, as he re- 

 marked, to the sanction of the Commission 

 "a personage who I know enjoys your esteem 

 and the public confidence." Mr. Rivers Wil- 

 son was subsequently, about the middle of 

 September, appointed to this post. At the 

 same time that this appointment was officially 

 announced, it was stated that the session of 

 lands by the Khedive for the benefit of the 

 state had been duly effected by the Commis- 

 sion. The receivers-general at Cairo were 

 summoned to appear before Nubar Pasha and 

 Riaz Pasha, where these Egyptian ministers 

 explained the recent events to them, and in- 

 structed them, in the presence of the European 

 officers, that henceforth all orders not ema- 

 nating from the Ministry must not be obeyed. 

 The new administration concluded a loan of 

 250,000 with the Imperial Ottoman Bank, for 

 three months, at the rate of V per cent, per 

 annum, renewable for a further period of three 

 months. Since no previous financial operation 

 had ever been effected by the Egyptian Gov- 

 ernment on such favorable terms, a good im- 

 pression was produced by this proof of confi- 

 dence in the credit of the administration. 



The arrangement respecting the financial 

 administration and the appointment of Mr. 

 Rivers Wilson to the position of Minister ot 

 Finance was not wholly satisfactory to the 



French Government, which apprehended that 

 the changes would be attended with an in- 

 crease of British preponderance at the expense 

 of French influence. Deeming Mr. Wilson to 

 be a man of considerable political importance, 

 its susceptibilities were touched by seeing him 

 placed in so prominent a position, while to 

 France was allotted the comparatively inferior 

 department of Public Works, which had been 

 originally given to a man of no political influ- 

 ence. Upon the representation of the French 

 Government, a new adjustment was made of 

 the Department of Public Works, under which 

 it was enlarged so as to include all the rail- 

 ways and ports except that of Alexandria, and 

 was placed under the direction of M. de Bli- 

 gnieres. It was further arranged that the new 

 possessions of the Daira should be administered 

 by an Englishman, a Frenchman, and an Egyp- 

 tian, under the control of the new Cabinet, 

 while the ancient estates of the Daira remained 

 attached to the Department of Finance. The 

 Khedive also acceded to a proposal advanced 



SECTION OP THE GREAT PYRAMID. 



by the French Government, to the effect that 

 if his Highness should dismiss either of the 

 two foreign ministers without the previous con- 

 sent of the Government interested, the state 

 of things existing before the present arrange- 

 ment should be established de piano. The 

 Italian Government now came forward with 

 claims to be consulted in Egyptian affairs, and 

 made representations to the Khedive and to 

 the English and French Governments that its 

 interests and wishes also ought to be taken 

 into consideration in the changes which were 

 being made in the administration of the coun- 

 try. The Khedive in reply admitted that the 

 claims of Italy would be just if it were a ques- 

 tion of establishing an international adminis- 

 tration; but added that, although some for- 

 eigners might enter the Egyptian Cabinet, they 

 would not possess any foreign official character. 

 The British and French Governments also re- 

 plied that the dispatch of an English or French 

 subject to Egypt to take part in the adminis- 

 tration was merely an act of international 

 courtesy, and must not be regarded as a pro- 

 ceeding of political significance. A short time 

 afterward the Italian and Greek diplomatic 

 agents at Alexandria made protests against the 



