Il8 ENGLAND, FRANCE, AND EGYPT. 



The opposition of Russia was not so clearly defined, but it was 

 believed she wished to hasten the downfall of the Grand Vizier, 

 Kiamil Pasha, and thus to secure some corresponding advantage for 

 herself, either in Armenia or Bulgaria, in fact, Russia would only 

 give her adhesion, at the price of a gigantic bribe. 



On the other hand, it was believed France and Russia were not 

 alone in their resistance, but that the Porte itself, was against ratifi- 

 cation, partly from a fear of Mahommedan fanaticism, which is 

 opposed to any foreign occupation of Egypt, under any pretence, 

 and partly from concealed objections of the Porte, to any future 

 occupation of Egypt, by England. 



Occupation, therefore, was the bHe noir of Russia, that demanded, 

 forsooth, occupation of Bulgaria ! 



Occupation was the bete noir of France, that has, forsooth, carried 

 out occupation in Tunis, Tonquin, and Madagascar ! 



Occupation was the bUe noir of Turkey, lest it should become the 

 thin end of the wedge of annexation ! 



In face of these great and conflicting interests at Constantinople, 

 the Sultan Abdul Hamid, who personally wished to ratify it, was 

 placed in an awkward position, and between this Scylla of France, on 

 the one hand, and the Charybdis of Russia, on the other hand, the 

 Porte resorted to its favourite weapon of procrastination, and seldom 

 has that dangerous weapon of the Government of Constantinople 

 been more dexterously applied, as the following rksumi of the 

 negotiations will show. 



The British Envoy, Sir Henry Drummond Wolff, arrived first in 

 Constantinople in August, 1885, and after four months' negotiation, 

 he succeeded in inducing the Porte to sign the Anglo-Turkish Con- 

 vention, on 25th October, 1885. 



According to this agreement, Mukhtar Pasha and Sir Henry 

 Drummond Wolff proceeded to Egypt, and for a period of twelve 

 months pursued their investigations. 



In January, 1887, having finished their investigations, Sir Henry 

 Drummond Wolff, returned to Constantinople, to negotiate with the 

 Porte for a Convention, based on the joint recommendations of the 

 Turkish and British Commissioners. 



After five months' negotiations, they mutually agreed, on the 23rd 

 May, 1887, to its six provisions, and the Porte promised it should be 

 ratified by the Sultan on the 22nd June; then he procrastinated to 

 the 4th July, and again procrastinated to the loth July, and this 



