THE ORIGIN OF THE SUEZ CANAL. 87 



which you spoke of the enterprise as being i most 

 useful/ adding, 'in conformity with the Imperial 

 order relating to this interesting undertaking, the 

 question is now before the Cabinet Council.' 



" Since then, in order to facilitate the examination 

 and decision of the Sublime Porte, I have endeavoured 

 to clear away the objections urged as to the possibility 

 of the enterprise, or the fear of its being inimical to 

 the legitimate interests of foreign powers. The first 

 objection has been disposed of by the report of the 

 International Commission of Engineers, and the second 

 by the unanimous expression of public opinion in all 

 countries. The adhesion of the Continental govern- 

 ments has been not less explicit, and with regard to 

 England I think it well to mention the last official 

 statements made in the House of Commons on August 

 14th ult., subsequent to the resolutions adopted by 

 the Associations and Chambers of Commerce, and by 

 the many meetings held in the principal towns of 

 Great Britain. 



" At this sitting of the House, Mr. Gladstone ex- 

 pressed himself as follows : 



u < The House ought to treat the Suez Canal scheme, 

 as well as the Euphrates Eailway and the telegraph 

 schemes, as a purely commercial question, acting upon 

 the assured principle that the best judges of a com- 

 mercial speculation are those who have undertaken to 

 put capital into it. If this question should ever be 

 converted by the Government into a political one, 



