THE ORIGIN OF THE SUEZ CANAL. 105 



and her commercial relations. Only the unfortunate 

 prejudices which, owing to political differences, have 

 so long divided France and England could have 

 accredited the belief that the opening of the Suez 

 Canal, a work of civilisation and progress, would be 

 detrimental to British interests. The frank and 

 sincere alliance of the two nations which are at the 

 head of civilisation, an alliance which has already 

 proved the possibility of solutions heretofore regarded 

 as impossible, will facilitate, among other beneficial 

 results, an impartial consideration of this vast question 

 of the Suez Canal, will enable us to form a true estimate 

 of its influence upon the prosperity of all nations, and 

 will prove that it is a heresy to believe that an enterprise 

 destined to shorten by a full half the distance between 

 the east and the west is not good for England, the 

 mistress of Gibraltar, Malta, the Ionian Islands,* 

 Aden, and important establishments upon the east 

 coast of Africa, India, Singapore, and Australia. 



England, therefore, as much as and even more than 

 France, must be in favour of piercing this narrow 

 strip of land only forty leagues in breadth, which no 

 one who gives a thought to questions of civilisation 

 and progress can see on the map without earnestly 

 wishing to wipe out the only obstacle in the way of 

 the main route for the trade of the world. 



" The communication of my memorandum, and of 

 the powers which the Viceroy proposes to confer on 

 * Note of the Translator. They have since been ceded to Greecr 



o2 



