THE ORIGIN OF THE SUEZ CANAL. 95 



action in this matter unknown to the British Govern- 

 ment, would be glad to know his views on the sub- 

 ject. Lord Malmesbury replied that he and his col- 

 leagues shared the opinion of the previous Ministry, 

 and that they should continue to oppose the under- 

 taking. He added that he noticed with pleasure, in 

 the communication from the Porte, that nothing 

 would be done without the consent of England. This 

 was how he was pleased to translate the word u un- 

 known'' (insu). 



" c This reply excited considerable astonishment at 

 Constantinople. The Divan lost no time in instructing 

 Musurus to declare that they had never dreamed of 

 alienating their liberty of action in a question of internal 

 administration, or of making their decision dependent 

 upon the fiat of a foreign government ; and, finally, 

 that if, out of deference for an ally, they had an- 

 nounced their intention of taking no action unknown 

 to that ally, they had no idea of allowing the solution 

 to depend upon the consent of the British Govern- 

 ment. 



" Such, from the diplomatic point of view, is the 

 present condition of affairs between the two govern- 

 ments. What you may regard as quite certain is 

 that the Turkish statesmen, finding that the English 

 Cabinet does not dare to admit openly in Parliament 

 the steps taken by its diplomatic agents, sees how 

 puerile and useless is an opposition which cannot face 

 a public debate.' " 



