THE ORIGIN OF THE SUEZ CANAL. 185 



speaks French like a Parisian. "We breakfast on the 

 Viceroy's yacht. His Highness informs me that the 

 Turquoise will that evening take on board troops and 

 start in the night for Cairo with all the other vessels 

 except his own, which will leave in the morning. 

 So I have my things moved on board. 7 ' 



" Xovembcr 23, 1854. 



" When I go early on deck, Moustafa begs me to 

 read him my memorandum. He seems very satisfied 

 with it, shows much enthusiasm for the undertaking, 

 and says that he will put money into it. The Viceroy, 

 who has joined us, himself opens the subject of the 

 canal, asking me what engineer is to make the 

 preliminary investigations upon the spot. I tell him 

 Linant Bey, to whom Mougel Bey might also be 

 adjoined, and that their report can then be considered 

 by the English, French, and German engineers, whose 

 researches will be submitted to the commission over 

 which I shall preside, and which will decide as to the 

 best route to follow. 



u At night time we stop for an hour at the dams, 

 which we see by torchlight, reaching Boulac at eleven 

 and spending the night there." 



11 CAIRO, November 24, 1854. 



u I rise at six and find the Viceroy has already gone 

 off' incognito to the citadel. He had told Zulfikar that 

 I was to wait for a carriage which would come to take 



