330 



EGYPT. 



array the preceding week. Mr. Vivian replied 

 that he deeply regretted the incident. It was 

 incumbent on every civilized country to re- 

 spect the laws of hospitality toward foreign- 

 ers. It was more especially incumbent on 

 Egypt to respect and protect an Englishman 

 who had been sent by her Majesty's Govern- 

 ment, at the express request of the Khedive, 

 to take a prominent part in the government of 

 the country. Mr. Rivers Wilson expressed sat- 

 isfaction at the apology, and said that the army 

 and the whole country should have remem- 

 bered that in coming to Egypt he had only the 

 interest of the country at heart. Under great 

 difficulties his sole object was the introduction 

 of order and reform into the administration. 



The British Government, immediately upon 

 the resignation of Nubar, proposed to the 

 French Government to take joint action look- 

 ing to the reinstatement of Nubar. The latter 

 acceded to this proposition, and on March 8th 

 a joint note was dispatched by the two Gov- 

 ernments to the Khedive, which contained the 

 conditions for the settlement of the crisis. 

 These conditions included the right of Messrs. 

 Wilson and De Blignieres to veto all proposi- 

 tions which were not acceptable to them. The 

 note concluded as follows : " The Khedive will 

 comprehend the great responsibility which he 

 has assumed in taking the initiative in these 

 new arrangements, and the consequences to 

 which he would expose himself if he were not 

 able to secure the complete execution of those 

 arrangements, or if difficulties were placed in the 

 way of the Government, or disturbances of the 

 public peace should take place." A new Min- 

 istry was finally formed in the second week of 

 March, with Prince Tevfik as President of the 

 Council, and Zulfikar as Minister for Foreign 

 Affairs. Mr. Wilson remained Minister of 

 Finance, and M. de Blignieres Minister of Pub- 

 lic Works. Riaz Pasha retained the portfolio 

 of the Interior, and also discharged the duties 

 of Minister of Justice. Eatif Pasha was suc- 

 ceeded in the Ministry of War by Eflatoun 

 Pasha, a man brought up in England, used to 

 English ways, well versed in the English lan- 

 guage, and enjoying a high reputation for talent 

 and honesty. The decree of nominations was 

 signed by the Khedive and countersigned by 

 Prince Tevfik. It was accompanied by a docu- 

 ment of greater importance than even the de- 

 cree. This document was a letter from the 

 Khedive to Prince Tevfik containing an author- 

 itative interpretation of the new Constitution 

 published in August, 1878, in a letter from the 

 Khedive to Nubar Pasha. Tlie letter to Prince 

 Tevfik was as follows : 



HIGHNESS : At the moment when I intrust to you 

 the presidency of the Council of Ministers, and with 

 it the duty of 'forming a Cabinet, I wish to remind you 

 that perfect harmony of views must exist among the 

 members of that Cabinet ; and I must also communi- 

 cate to you my ideas concerning the accomplishment 

 of the reforms which were inaugurated by my decree 

 of the 28th of August last, which is the basis of our 

 system of government. 



When I established the new order of things I had 

 no intention of separating myself from my .Ministers, 

 with whom, on the contrary, I wish to remain in close 

 union. It is, therefore, most important that before 

 the Cabinet comes to any decision concerning any bill 

 or decree proposed by any one of its members, such 

 bill or decree, with the report on which it is based, 

 should be laid before me by the proper Minister. It is 

 also necessary that I should inform the Cabinet of all 

 measures of general importance which I may feel it 

 right to introduce. In either case it is necessary that 

 the Cabinet should meet, if I require it, to consider in 

 concert with me the proposed measures. But, in order 

 to maintain the complete independence of the Cabinet, 

 I will always refrain from assisting in the delibera- 

 tions. 



On the other hand, as the native Ministers now 

 form a majority in the Cabinet, it is right, in order to 

 restore the balance of power and lend to the interven- 

 tion of our European Ministers all the usefulness pos- 

 sible, that they should be entitled to a veto on all 

 measures they agree in disapproving. 



I hope these new plans will insure the working of 

 the new organization, whose success will bring so 

 much good to Egypt. The Cabinet may rest assured 

 that, under all circumstances, it can count on the 

 most complete and loyal assistance from me, just as I 

 count on their devotion to the work we are carrying 

 out in common. ISMAIL. 



On April Yth a peaceable revolution occurred. 

 Its origin was as follows : Mr. Wilson, acting 

 with his French colleague, Mr. Baring, and the 

 Debt Commissioners, having found it impos- 

 sible to meet all the demands on the public 

 debt, elaborated a plan for an equitable reduc- 

 tion of the claims of all classes of creditors, 

 taking as a basis the last two budgets, and sub- 

 mitted the plan to the Khedive, who proposed 

 a counter-project giving better terms, espe- 

 cially to floating-debt holders. A petition was 

 signed in support of the Khedive's scheme by 

 pashas, ulemas, members of the native Parlia- 

 ment, the Coptic Patriarch, the chief Rabbi, 

 and the large land-owners in fact, an essen- 

 tially Egyptian opposition to European influ- 

 ence. The projects naturally clashed. Prince 

 Tevfik resigned the presidency of the Council, 

 and the Khedive dismissed Messrs. Wilson and 

 De Blignieres. A new Cabinet was then 

 formed under the presidency of Sherif Pasha, 

 composed entirely of native ministers. Mr. 

 Rivers Wilson and M. de Blignieres refused to 

 resign their posts unless authorized to that 

 effect by the British and French Governments. 

 An official statement was promulgated explain- 

 ing the action taken by the Khedive. It de- 

 clared that the Khedive, complying with the 

 daily growing national feeling, had decided to 

 form a truly Egyptian Cabinet. A new Min- 

 istry had therefore been formed under the 

 presidency of Sherif Pasha, the members of 

 which would be responsible to the Council of 

 Delegates. The latter would be invested with 

 full powers, on the model of the European Le- 

 gislative Chambers. It was added that the na- 

 tional financial scheme communicated by the 

 Khedive to the Consuls-General had been elab- 

 orated by the Egyptian notables and dignita- 

 ries, and would be scrupulously carried out. 

 A letter was also published from the Khedive, 

 in which he accused the European Ministers. 



