270 THE MARITIME CANAL OF SUEZ. 



feature of its deliberations, and was not unobserved by, or without 

 its influence upon, the neutral, and other European Powers; and this 

 alliance continued unshaken, subsequently, as we find by a Despatch 

 of Lord Granville, on 3rd October, 1883, addressed to the English 

 Ambassador at Rome, in which he declares how grateful Her 

 Majesty's Government were f6r the support which Italy had given. 



PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION. 



After the failure of the Paris Conference, the Italian Ambassador 

 to England, Count Nigra, was the first, on behalf of a Foreign 

 Power, to re-open the Suez Canal Question, in order to bring 

 about an agreement between the Powers ; and, whilst strongly 

 in favour of the policy of England, " to guarantee, at all times, the 

 freedom of the Suez Canal," she nevertheless considered that Egypt 

 alone, in the event of becoming a belligerent, was unable to 

 guarantee the Freedom, or Neutrality of the Canal, and, therefore, 

 it was necessary that the Powers should concert measures with Egypt, 

 for safeguarding the interests of the Canal. 



England and Italy, however, proceeded no further than the 

 exchange of friendly Despatches, and all efforts to bring about a 

 rapprochement amongst the Maritime Powers remained in abeyance 

 for a period of nearly eighteen months, when in February, 1885, the 

 Ambassador ' of France, M. Waddington, communicated to Lord 

 Granville the views of the French Government, which were in the 

 direction of the assembling of a Commission of specialists at Paris, 

 for the purpose of drafting an international agreement, based on the 

 famous Despatch of Lord Granville of January, 1883. To this pro- 

 pos,al no objection was taken, for it was, moreover, in accordance 

 with the former proposals of England, that an International Com- 

 mission should assemble at Cairo. A preference was, however, 

 given by Lord Granville to London rather than Paris, as the place 

 of Meeting, and each side urged reasons for their choice; but 

 France, showing unusual tenacity for Paris, Lord Granville 

 courteously yielded, although the result of its deliberations showed, 

 that it would have been more prudent, and certainly more favour- 

 able for a satisfactory issue, if the Commission had assembled at 

 London. 



A draft of declaration agreed upon between England and France, 

 was immediately communicated, by arrangement, through France to 



