Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

244 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD. The Khedive grants Permission. much, hostility was shown towards the enter- prise. Lord Palmerston denounced it as “ one of those bubble schemes which are often set on foot to induce English capitalists to embark their money upon enterprises which, in the end will only leave them poorer, whomever else they may make richer.” The great engineer, Mr. Robert Stephenson, while not condemning its practicability, cast doubts upon the com- mercial prospects of the project. The blow came when Egypt refused her consent. De Lesseps retired to his farm in France, and for some years the matter was entirely dropped. In his biography, M. de Lesseps relates how one day, while on the roof of a house he was building, in the midst of scaffolding and car- penters, he received a news- paper which announced the death of the Khedive and the succession of Mohammed Said, to whom he was well known. Without delay M. de Lesseps took steamer to Egypt, and at a favourable opportunity laid the matter before the new Khedive. The latter was in his tent surrounded by his ministers. He asked the engineer to draw up a written statement setting forth the scheme, and to let him have it as soon as possible. Jumping on to his horse, M. de Lesseps hastened to his own tent, and soon had returned with, the desired plan—contained in less than a page and a half of foolscap paper—setting forth the whole question briefly, but clearly and distinctly. The Khedive read it to the assembled ministers, accompanying it with a translation in Turkish, and asked their advice. They replied that the proposal of their guest, whose friendship for the Khedive and his family was known, could only be welcomed. Thus in the desert—for this incident occurred far from Cairo—was the permission to build the Canal granted. On his return to the capital the Khedive remarked to the Consul- General of America, when discussing the sub- ject, “ I shall clean the pan against you Americans. The Isthmus of Suez will be pierced before yours ! ” An International Consultative Commission, selected from among the most celebrated hydraulic engineers of Europe, was appointed to report on the scheme. Their final report was adopted and signed by the Khedive in June 1856. It virtually accepted the plan originally proposed by M. de Lesseps, only here and there making quite minor alterations. The French engineer estimated that the cost of excavating the Canal would be £8,000,000, and a company was formed in Paris soliciting subscriptions to this amount. Up to this time the only Powers that officially recognized the scheme were Turkey, Russia, France, and Austria. The British Government ab- solutely ignored it. With a view to interesting the British public and British capitalists in the project, M. de Lesseps visited England and interviewed the authorities of many of the principal towns, explaining the leading features of his scheme, and pointing out the advantages which British commerce was certain to derive from its accomplishment. His efforts were certainly not crowned with success ; most of the money was supplied by France. Curiously enough, much, of it came from the poorer classes, and some of these earlier shareholders made quite a fortune out of their speculations. On April 25, 1859, M. de Lesseps turned the first spadeful of sand at Port Said. At this port to-day they will sell you supposed photo- graphs of the ceremony, in which the figure of the great engineer is conspicuous. It was not long before the promoters of the scheme recognized the their task, and the innumerable difficulties they would have to surmount. Armies of workmen had to be transported to the scene of operations, housed in tents, and provided with fresh water and provisions, which had British Apathy. The Work begun. magnitude of