THE ORIGIN OF THE SUEZ CANAL. 153 



authority than myself, the same assurances, and to 

 encourage him, upon the other hand, not to permit 

 any interference in the internal administration of 

 Egypt contrary to the arrangement of 1841, which 

 constituted the Egyptian Power in favour of the line 

 of Mehemet Ali. 



" I trust that your Highness, whose protection and 

 aid have been so freely accorded me since the begin- 

 ning of your reign, and who is more interested than 

 anyone else in the success of the enterprise at the 

 head of which I have the honour to be, will appreciate 

 the obligation which is incumbent upon me to scrupu- 

 lously discharge all my duties, and that you will help 

 me to employ the necessary means for completing as 

 promptly as possible the work from which you will 

 derive so much glory and profit." 



Such is the origin of the work of the Suez Canal. 



With regard to the celebrated firman which pro- 

 voked so many international negotiations, the com- 

 pany went on its way without concerning themselves 

 any more about it, and without a day's delay. 



The tranquillity of the president was to a great 

 extent due, especially during the last few years, to a 

 fact which has remained unknown to the public. 



When Napoleon III. arrived at Marseilles, on 

 April 30th, 1865, to embark on his yacht, the Aigle, on 

 his way to Algeria, the Grand Vizier, Fuad Pasha, 

 who had come to the south of France to recruit his 



VOL. II. M 



