The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-12-23

interests ct stake. To persist in
eliminating the English element from
the administration, when no one de-
sires to defrsud any OF the share
holders. forcibly points to n. de Les
! seps being actuated by political mo-
tives. II leo. English shippers must
at once treat with the Khedive for
the second canal, and which will ruin
the present. Gould NJ. de Lesseps
emsncipate himself from political
considerations, the canal difficulty
could be resolved in twenty-four
hours by few business men.
Curiosity has been expressed by the
who's.who class of the public, respect.
ing the family OF M. de Lesseps. l
am in position to satisfy the curl
osity. The earliest trace of the name
occurs during the conclusion OF the
war between the English and the
French in 1450-51. relative to Gas
cony, when the French recovered the
latter, after being three centuries IN
the possession CT England. One Les
Cepes figured in the negotiations, a
name derived from the family prop
erty .:'les cepes," famous for the pro
ductiOn Of cepes or oeps, a species OF
large and edible mushroom, and to
this day very much esteemed by
gourmands when prepared la Bor-
deJaise. This Les ceps-"Lesseps"-
in time, settled down in Bayonne, and
his descendants devoted themselves to
trade. One was for years secretary OF
the Bayonne Chamber of Commerce.
The family has ever been distin-
guished in official, diplomatic and
travelling affairs. Pierre de Lesseps,
born in 1890. had fourteen children;
his Suez nsmesaks promises to main
tain the family honors though aged
rs; the eldest of the family, Domi-
nlque, was at one time the representa-
tive of Frapce at Brussels; he was in
all thirtystwo years an employe in the
Foreign Office, for which services he
was created Count, in October 1777,
"more as a title OF JUSTICE" said the
patent, ''than as a title OF grace"
This is the more honorable, as at that
period titles were I'd much a market
able commodity as Rilks and WOOL
lens.
Jean Baptiste. grandfather OF the
present Ferdinand, was well-skilled
in languages, and travelled sill over
Europe with his father. He was
nominated French Consul at Corn
stadt at 17years of age. Sent by the
ambassador at st. Petersburg with
dispatches to Versailles, he volun-
teered on arriving, to Join the La
Perousse expedition. He was en-
trusted With the last dispatches ever
received from La Perousse, and his
overland journey, across Kamscatka,
Is an odyssey. On arriving, to please
the ladies. he continued TO dress in
Kamscatkian costume. He returned
to Russia and remained there till the
retreat of the French in 1872. He
had been accredited to Constantine
pie, but passed three years in the
Seven towers confinement, on account
of Napoleons' descent into Egypt. He
was nominated Consul General tc
Portugal, where he remained til!
1888. Millions Of money passed
through his hands, and his books
were ever found to be accuracy itself
Ma 2oleon ]. paid compliment to
his probity, by writing minute
with his own hand-"pass all DE-
Lesseps accounts without examiDa-
tion."
Matthew Macmillan, the con o
the foregoing, was Consul in Egyp
and Spain and Morocco. During
J the hundred days he was perfect Of
Oantol. On the restoration of tht
Bourbons, be was dismissed. Blu
they employed him in 1917 to pur'
, chase grain at Tsngier, which be die
successfully, and at great risk to hi
, life. Louis XVIII, nominated hin
Consul at Philadelphia il 1919. Ii
/ 1927 be went to Tunis. where h'
died, and is buried. 1t was while
: Consul in Egypt, that bis little SOL
] Ferdinand. mad for playmate Ma
7 homsd-Said, the future viceroy, ant
whose friendship in after live led Il
I the concession for the Suez canal
( This Matthew de 1ssseps married il
1900, one OF the daughters of Nal
= aga merchant named Griveril; he hal
{ tour children, the most famous beinl
3 Ferdinand. The other daughtel
, married the Kilpatrick of Closeburn
3 Scotland, he had one daughter, WHIT
t became the Comtesse di Montijo, anc
3 the mother OF Mdlle. Eugene d,
t Montijo. late Empress of the French
M. de Lesseps is thus secont
cousin of the ex-empress, but be hal
3 not drop of Scotch blood In hi
+. veins, nor can any squeezing of enc
t ology show that ever any de Lesseps
0 settled in Scotland.
, The present Ferdinand de Lesseps
J, is q vicomte as secoud son, not I
:, baron; which is the title of his young
0 est brother, be was born OF Versatile
i! November 18th, 1905, and wa
: brought up for foreign Office career
4 and where he was a clerk in 1851
d Then be became consul in Portugal
!. Spain, Tunis and Egypt. Appointet
: in 1S49, ambassador to the Roman