THE ORIGIN OF THE SUEZ CANAL. 189 



his safe arrival in liis capital, and no sooner had they 

 taken their seats on the divan than he publicly de- 

 clared that he had resolved to open up the Isthmus of 

 Suez by means of a maritime canal, and to entrust 

 me with the formation of a company composed of 

 capitalists of all nations to which he would cede the 

 right to execute and work this enterprise. Then, 

 speaking to me, he said, ' Is this not so ? ' I then 

 spoke a few words, taking care to let the spontaneity 

 and merit of the decision remain with him to avoid 

 ruffling the susceptibilities of foreigners. 



" The Consul-General of England was somewhat ill 

 at ease, but the Consul-General of the United States, 

 to whom the Viceroy had said, ' Well, M, de Leon, 

 we are going to start an opposition to the Isthmus of 

 Panama, and we shall be done before you,' had boldly 

 spoken out and replied in what I could not but regard 

 as a favourable sense. 



" After the consuls had withdrawn, I told the 

 Viceroy of the coincidence of my being lodged in the 

 residence of the ancient Egyptian Institute, and it 

 struck him as being so strange that he sent for several 

 of his intimate friends to tell them of it. He was 

 very satisfied at having made this declaration to the 

 consuls. I told him that I should never have dared 

 to advise him to do it, but that I thought he had taken 

 the best course for cutting short a great many objec- 

 tions and difficulties by letting public opinion know 

 of a project the general utility of which is incontest- 



