THE ORIGIN GF THE SUEZ CANAL. Si 



sentatives of these Powers, as well as to the French 

 Embassy, should Lord Stratford de Eedcliife use his 

 influence to hamper the liberty of the Divan. 



" It may be that this influence will not be exerted 

 now that Lord Palmerston has been compelled by the 

 attitude of Parliament and public opinion to modify 

 the violence of his original declarations, especially 

 since the occurrence of the horrible events in India, 

 which have shown that ' there is no security for the 

 future if the Government does not take effective steps 

 for bringing the mother country n< aivr to her Eastern 

 colonies, and unless the first of these steps is to secure 

 the piercing of the Isthmus of Suez. 7 



a I do not ask the Imperial Government to take 

 any initiative, or to abandon the wise reserve which 

 it has hitherto observed ; but if during my negotia- 

 tions at Constantinople I should have occasion, in my 

 quality of a Frenchman and holder of the concession 

 for an enterprise in which France is interested, to 

 claim the intervention of the French Ambassador, as 

 well as that of the representatives of other Powers, 

 I hope that M. Thouvenel's protection would be 

 accorded me, and that the Emperor will be pleased 

 to instruct him to that effect." 



To II. I. H. Prince Napoleon. 



"PARIS, October 12, 1857. 



" In compliance with your kind suggestion, I have 

 the honour to enclose you the note for the Emperor, 



