86 RECOLLECTIONS OF FORTY YEARS. 



diplomatic agents of both countries should remain neu- 

 tral in the matter. This was equivalent to admitting 

 that the neutrality had been violated, as indeed Lord 

 Palmerston had already declared in public. In any 

 case, this principle is again to be adopted in theory, 

 but if in practice we are weak enough to carry it out 

 I am ready to prove now that the English will not. 

 In order to have the appearance of doing so, they have 

 sent Lord Stratford de Eedcliffe on leave and put in his 

 place Mr. Alison, his first secretary, who is not less 

 devoted than himself to the Foreign Office, while in 

 Egypt the honest and trusty Mr. Bruce is replaced 

 at the Consulate-General of Alexandria by Mr. Green. 

 " Count Walewski, who was present at the Osborne 

 conference, will be able to tell you whether I am 

 right." 



Memorandum to Reschid Pasha. 



" CONSTANTINOPLE, December 29, 1857. 



"I have the honour to request your Highness to 

 apply to the Sultan for an Irade authorizing the 

 Commercial Company, of which I am the represen- 

 tative, to execute the works intended to effect a 

 junction between the Mediterranean and the Eed Sea 

 by means of a maritime canal. 



" At the time of my first visit, three years ago, to 

 Constantinople, during which your Highness was kept 

 duly supplied with all the preliminary documents, you 

 were pleased to write me a letter (March, 1855) in 



