THE ORIGIN OF THE SUEZ CANAL. 223 



he had regenerated. As I ride along I am struck by 

 a coincidence which had not occurred to me before. 

 My father in 1803 was French political agent in 

 Egypt, and Bonaparte had instructed him to pick out 

 from among the leaders of the Turkish troops a man 

 of energy and ability who could be proposed at Con- 

 stantinople for the hitherto nominal dignity of Pasha 

 of Cairo. Mehemet AH, who was a native of Mace- 

 donia, in command of a thousand Bashi-Bazouks, and 

 who could neither read nor write, had become the 

 friend of my father, who gave him good advice how 

 to deal with the Mamelukes who were hostile to 

 France, and it was Mehemet's name which, at my 

 father's suggestion, was submitted to the Sultan and 

 agreed to. 



" And now after the lapse of half a century the son 

 of Count Mathieu de Lesseps, being already the friend 

 of the son of Mehemet Ali, becomes his adviser for 

 the accomplishment of a work which cannot fail to 

 illustrate his reign, and here in this same citadel 

 which witnessed the elevation of Mehemet Ali, fol- 

 lowing upon the massacre of the Mamelukes, Mo- 

 hammed Said effects a peaceful coup d'etat which will 

 complete the regeneration of Europe by announcing 

 to all the Powers of Europe that he has resolved to 

 join the Red Sea to the Mediterranean and open to 

 the whole world the route to India. 



" I am convinced that England will profit more 

 than any other nation from the advantages of this 



