Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-10-22

the fniTt she SOWtu a Win VI NNiNh NAN
whirlwind still remains to be reaped.'
THE FALL OF ISMAIL PACHA.
1t may be assumed that England will
not allow the Suez Canal shares bought
By Disraei TO slip out Of her grasp. But
will Turkey herself be able to redeem
them, and thus rescue Egypt from the
English bondholders .and the English gov
eminent? Recently many Of De Lesseps's
unkindly critics have harked back to the
Suez Canal TO show that it was much less
n triumph of engineering skill than of
INSCRIPTIONS financing and that it would
never have been financially successful I'M
less NJ de Lesseps had been backed b.
the "murderous cupidity" of the Egyptian
Vlceroy. Ismall Pacha. one OF its worst
features was the outrageous exploitation
OF the miserable Egyptian laborers. The
poor fellaheen were driven from their
homes 10 work I'm gangs upon the canal
without wages and under the lash of the
taskmaster. The Suez canal was made
with forced labor OF the three men who
shared the spoil filched from European
investors or wrung from the blood OF
the fallaheen, one. Ismails Finance MIN
ister Said Pacha, was poisoned BY hs
masters orders and his hoard OF several
million pounds sterling seized by lsmail,
only a minute share being allowed to
Said's family. Said Pacha was known in
Capel Court and on the Paris Bourse as
bold and fortunate Spectator. He was
heard one day I'm Capel Court as wiring
his agents regarding dealings, two days
afterward as ordered up the Nile by
Ismail and the next as dead and his es-
tates conhscated. Ismail, turn has come
since Himself the Sultan's prisoner at
STEAMBOAT, allowed limited and guarded
frN.
the Sultan In December, 1892, was slowly
making him dlsgorge what riches he had
left.
THE IDEA OF THE CANAL.
Khedlve Ismai Pacha was not on the
throne when De Lesseps began TO dean
of making the canal. He did not come
TO the Khedlyal throne until 1865. II was
IN 1854. when Said Pacha became Niceroy
of Egypt. that NJ. dc Lesseps. who 81 CIV
him intimately, was invited TO pay a visit
to Cairo. There, living as an hono-ed
guest i'm the Niceroys palace, he conceived
the project Of the Suez Canal II vas
an old idea Of Napoleon L.. and NJ. de Los
seps had often turned IL over during his
former sojourn i'm Egypt, but without
ever having had leisure 10 study the queS-
ton in it's practical bearings. In pleas
ure trip which he made with Mohamned
Libyan desert he preached the subject
to his host. and the Khedive. perceiy.ng
at a glance all the profit which might aC-
crue To Egypt, requested the Frenchlnan
to draw up n memoir. VI. de lessepS
set to work, and eighteen months iatrr
published his admirably elaborate and yet
concise book. "Percement lie ilsthme de
Suez." In this all the advantages that
would attend the opening OF the canal
were exposed LUMINOSITY, and the material
difficulties OF the enterprise were so care
fully entered into and disposed OF that
Mohammed Said, seeing the thing to lie
decidedly feasible. empowered NJ de Les
seps to begin the work. The political
obstacles which beset the eager French
man were very formidable. Lord Palmer
ston and Sir Stratford Canning u4ord
Stratfor- de Redcline) at Constantinople
did all they could TO oppose II. No as
sistance or encouragement was Afforded
by any influential party or class In Eng
land-merchants shipowners. capitalists
engineers. as well as politicians. set them
selves against It,, But NJ. de- Lesseps per-
severed and the French nation. under
the Emperor Napoeon III, entered
readily into the scheme which also found
favor in Italy and Austria and in other
Mediterranean States. The "Compagnle
Universele du Canal Maritime de Suez'
was thus framed The total cost OF the
works was seventeen millions sterling.
THE SCENES OF 1869
The Suez Canal was opened November
II, 1869. nearly a quarter Of a century ago.
We can imagine that Il is one Of these
scenes that the aged and stricken De Les
seps is now continually reading at La
Chesnaye In his Memoirs Of Forty
Years" 1t was a grand occasion. Thou
sar'- OF people, Europeans and Orientais.
had assembled at Ismailla. Among the
representatives of the reigning houses Of
Europe were the Empress Eugene, The
Emperor OF Austria, the Crown Prince
Frederick OF Prussia, Prince Henry, The
brother Of the King of the Netherlan Is,
the Duke d'Aosta of Italy, the brother OF
the King OF Sweden, and the English Am
bassadOr. The United States Government
was not officially represented. The En-
press Eugene arrived in the imperial
yacht Aige on November 18th. When she
landed she assisted at a solemn "re
Deum." and at the Mussulman prayers,
which were chanted on the occasion Of the
Inauguration. on the same day the inn
perial yacht. with the Empress on board,
and followed by forty-seven vessels.
passed through the canal from end TO end
in the space of eight hours and a half.
A cable dispatch published in the Herald
at the time said: There are forty-seven
seagoing ships at this end Of the canal,
OF an average tonnage OF a thousand
tons. The largest vessel Is Russian
frigate which draws seventeen feet two
inches of water The buildings In lsmailia
are filed with guests. A grand ball IS In
progress tonight. The lake In front OF
IsmaIlia is brilliantly Illuminated. The
scene IS one OF great splendor De Les
10 this evening 70 The
representatives of the Chambers OF Com
merce. the members OF the press. and
others"
A LETTER'FRoM STANLEY.
In the Herald Of December q, 1869, a
letter is published dated SueZ, November
22d. describing the scenes connected with
the ceremony OF opening the canal TO
navigation Tne.letter, II may be inter-
esting to know, was written by Mr. STAN
ley, who was then making his way TO
Zanzibar with instructions to search for
and find Livingstone. This he writes:
ION the way back from. a tour which
made round Ismalia | met the Empress
Eugene on a dromedary going to the re-
view OF Arab troops and to witness the
sham fight OF the Bedouins OF the Lybian
desert NJ. Lesseps was eseorting her.
| dancing about her dromedary on a feet
! Arab horse. She was dressed In light
habit. with a hat and a blue veil over her
face. can only say that she looked
! charming and as graceful as any lady
can be In my opinion. She bowed gra-
ciously to all. and by her unpretending
manner and grace every European who
was at Ismalia feA in love with her From
all mouths you could only hear. "sfle Is
most charming, most graceful" She rode
her dromedary as IL she had been born TO
ride one. while the poor ladies OF honor.
IL seemed to me, suffered torments.
| The Duchess Of Alba and another large
eyed. full-busted lady rode in a basket
carriage drawn by ten feet dromedaries
ridden by pure Bedoulns. They both look
ed excessively annoyed and heated. The
\ Bedouin sham fight was quite curiosity.
! The yiceroy was there In person. ex-
planning what was done to the Empress.
| who seemed TO be very much amused
and delighted with tho exercises.
THE AMERICANS PRESENT.
Among the Americans who were present
Mr.. Stanley mentions Mr.. Charles Hale.
Consul General at Alexandria. General
Banks. OF Massachusetts; General T. NJ.
wadsworth. of Oregon; DIR. Thomas w.
| Evans, physician TO Napoleon III, Paris.