THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA. 117 he was a born diplomatist. He knew exactly what he wanted : he understood the people with whom he had to deal. He possessed, too, a quality, very rare everywhere, of being able to realize the different points of view from which the selfsame issue presents itself to the minds of men belonging to distinct races, creeds, and civilizations. Before I come to the conclusion of this narrative, which coincides, roughly speaking, with the death of Nubar in Paris, I shall endeavour to make some estimate of the standard by which he can alone be justly judged, and of the credit due to him, taking into account the difficulties of his position, for having achieved the main objects of his life's ambition. For the present, I speak of Nubar in the days when he was still only known as a valued public servant of the Egyptian Government, and as a confidential agent of the Khedive. Shortly afterwards Nubar was sent by Ismail to Constantinople to conduct the negotiations which led to the issue of the firmans conferring the title of Khedive, and the privilege of primogeniture in respect of the succession to the Vice-regal throne, upon the Viceroys of Egypt. On his return he became for the first time a Minister of State. The title of minister, which has been borrowed from Europe, is calculated, as applied to Egypt, to convey a very false impression abroad. Under the autocratic monarchies of the East, a minister, whatever his appellation may be, is simply and solely the head of a department, who holds his office on condition of his carrying out the instructions,