THE ORIGIN OF THE SUEZ CANAL. 17 



so that in this way prosperity may increase, and that 

 others, seeing the price paid by the Government, may 

 be led themselves to pay more, which is the way to 

 increase the welfare of the country. You will take 

 no man or camels for corvees (forced labour) ; you will 

 advise the inhabitants to sow wheat, indigo, cotton, 

 and sesamum. You will do all that is necessary to 

 see that the cottons are properly pressed and the indigo 

 well made so as to facilitate their export and increase 

 their value. You will also encourage the inhabitants 

 to extract sesamum oil, for that is in their interests. 

 There arc also many forests which contain an immense 

 quantity of wood suitable, some for building, some for 

 boat-making, some for firewood. It would be easy to 

 send this timber down to Egypt on a raft when the 

 Nile rises. You must let the inhabitants understand 

 this and encourage them to do it, for most of them 

 have little to do, and this would be a fresh source of 



profit for them 



" ' With regard to the mountains which are taxed, as 

 their inhabitants live like savages, and as it is necessary 

 to bring them to a state of humanity, so that they may 

 no longer be inclined to revolt, I have decided to forego 

 two-thirds of their taxes. You will explain to them 

 that they are not slaves, but free. These persons are 

 in the habit of sowing some of the land on the slope of 

 the mountains. You must encourage them and make 

 them understand the advantages of life in towns; 

 exhort them to increase their cultivation, and en- 



