io8 RECOLLECTIONS OF FORTY YEARS. 



buck's motion have quite made up their minds on the 

 subject, and will always vote in our favour. The 

 remainder, who form the docile ministerial majority, 

 have reserved their opinion with regard to the canal, 

 at the request of Mr. Disraeli, in order to gain time to 

 acquaint themselves with its merits before voting for 

 or against it. A large proportion of this majority is, 

 according to what Mr. Eoebuck himself told me, sys- 

 tematically hostile to the canal, because it is syste- 

 matically hostile to France. Lord John Eussell, Mr. 

 Milner Gibson, Mr. Eoebuck, and others are going to 

 come to an arrangement for enlightening the House 

 by means of fresh resolutions, so as to force the 

 Ministry in their stronghold. The following is the 

 telegram which I have sent to Vienna, Alexandria, 

 and Constantinople, denning our position : 



" ' With regard to the communications of France 

 and England concerning the canal, it had been agreed 

 in principle that, in view of the fact that the two 

 governments held different opinions, the enterprise 

 should be allowed to take its own course, the more so 

 as it did not demand the assistance of any govern- 

 ment. The French and English diplomatic agents at 

 Constantinople and Alexandria were to remain neu- 

 tral, and abstain from bringing their influence to bear.' 



" It is, then, most dishonest to assert that France 

 does not take any interest in the canal, because the 

 French agents have been true to the principle of 

 neutrality which they were instructed to observe, and 



