THE ORIGIN OF THE SUEZ CANAL 249 



English agents, on the contrary, are always backed up 

 and supported, their rancour being, therefore, very 

 dangerous. He was further told that the internal 

 tranquility of France and her external influence are 

 at the mercy of a pistol shot to which the Emperor 

 Napoleon may at any moment succumb ; and, lastly, he 

 is warned that if he persists in his scheme, he will 

 lose the good graces of the Sultan. I repeat what the 

 Viceroy said word for word. Anyone who knew his 

 character would be aware that such a system of under- 

 hand intimidation would produce the very contrary 

 effect to that desired. 



" Eeschid Pasha, with the aberration produced by 

 the terror which Lord Stratford de Eedcliffe causes him, 

 had not reckoned that Said Pasha had sufficient confi- 

 dence in me to disclose to me all his unworthy devices. 



" It must be allowed that the conduct of England 

 in this matter has been pitiful in the extreme. One 

 can understand that Lord Stratford de Eedcliffe, in 

 his conversation with me should have sheltered 

 himself behind official eventualities, though such an 

 attitude, suitable enough at the time of the Egyptian 

 firman being first granted, was scarcely applicable four 

 months afterwards. But to say now that he is awaiting 

 instructions is, as my cousin E. de Lesseps wittily put 

 it, equivalent to asking for soup after dinner is over. 



"Is it possible, then, that the English Cabinet, not 

 seeing its way to oppose the project upon grounds 

 that can be openly avowed, is reduced to offering, 



