THE ORIGIN OF THE SUEZ CANAL. 147 



hours, but too late to close the eyes of one who had 

 ever been for me a firm and fast friend. The new 

 Viceroy, Ismail Pasha, has been pleased to give me 

 his assurance of goodwill towards our enterprise, as I 

 telegraphed to you ; and I am now, after having had a 

 long and confidential conversation with him, in a 

 position to assure you that we may feel quite at ease 

 both as regards the progress of our works and the 

 regular payment of the sums for which the Egyptian 

 Government has made itself responsible. Ismail 

 Pasha is opposed to the idea of a loan, if it can 

 possibly be avoided, and he is anxious, if possible, 

 to have all the instalments paid in succession, so as to 

 enable the company to meet all its expenses without 

 having any need to make a further call upon its 

 shareholders until the whole debt of the Egyptian 

 Treasury has been paid off. We intend to draw up a 

 plain agreement to this effect on the Viceroy's return 

 from Constantinople, where he is about to go to 

 receive his investiture from the Sultan. Until then it 

 is easy to understand that Ismail Pasha cannot do more 

 than let things remain in the state in which they were 

 left by his predecessor, but I am assured by him and 

 his intimate friends that he understands how important 

 it is for the glory of his reign to bring the enterprise 

 of the Suez Canal to a successful conclusion. 



" The Due de Brabant, who has returned from an 

 excursion in Upper Egypt, has expressed to me his 

 wish to visit our works in detail, and I am starting 



