THE ORIGIN OF THE SUEZ CANAL. 69 



which his opinion is based. The eminent engineers 

 who form the International Commission will answer 

 him in a very short time. He will then have to speak 

 very explicitly upon the technical question, and I shall 

 be very well satisfied if the ancient or recent studies 

 of Mr. Stephenson shed any new light upon an enter- 

 prise which has for the last three years been under 

 the attentive examination of all the savants in 

 Europe." 



To M. Barthelemy St. Hilaire, Paris. 



" LOVDOH, July 80, 1857. 



" I shall not leave London till I find that there is 

 nothing more for me to do. 



" I am thankful that I was not there when the ques- 

 tions were put by Messrs. Berkeley and Darby Grif- 

 fith, as I could not have prevented them, and it would 

 have been risky to have asked our supporters in Par- 

 liament to get up a debate when Lord Palmerston has 

 so large a majority. This majority would, in order to 

 keep him in office, have voted against us, which, as 

 matters stand, it has not done, thus leaving Lord 

 Palmerston alone responsible, in the eyes of Europe, 

 for the use of language all the more violent and 

 absurd because there was no one to answer him, and 

 for a policy which is generally condemned, even in 

 England. 



" We had thought that it would be very advisable 

 to get public opinion in France to express itself in 



