196 THE STORY OF THE KHEDIVATE.

notis sommes en Europe Whenever any request of a public character was addressed to him, or whenever any reform was suggested, his invariable answer was, '' You must speak to my Ministers. Henceforth, it is for them to govern, not for me." My own impression is, that during the interval which elapsed between Nubar's return and the completion of his Ministry by the arrival of his Anglo-French colleagues, neither the Khedive nor the Premier fully showed their hands. Both of them, from different motives, wished the other to make the first move.

Questions, however, were not slow in presenting themselves, which must have created doubts in both their minds as to how far they had the same objects in view. The Britisli Government raised no serious objection to Mr. Rivers Wilson's appointment, and agreed that, under the altered conditions, there was no further need of Mr. Romaine's services as British supervisor of Egyptian finance. The French Government, however, while consenting to M. de Malaret's dismissal, insisted on his place being filled by the addition of a French official to the new Ministry. This demand was received with great disfavour by Nubar Pasha, as it was inconsistent with his wish to give his Ministry the character of an Egyptian, not an International, administration. He soon discovered, however, that the Khedive, while professedly sharing his views on the subject, was privately forwarding information to M. Waddington, as French Minister of Foreign Affairs, that, personally, he did not share