200 THE STORY OF THE KHEDIVATE.

before. The Government was harassed with endless claims, which it was utterly unable to meet. The revenues, from whatever cause, kept on falling far short of the original estimates ; orders had to be issued to call in all taxes in arrear ; salaries were left unpaid.

General discontent ensued, and the natives were given to understand by the partisans of the old system of government that this state of things was due to the country being administered by foreigners, and that the condition of affairs would go on from bad to worse until the Effendina resumed his rightful position as supreme head of the State. It is easy to understand how readily insinuations of this kind found a hearing amidst an ignorant population, hostile by creed and race to the rule of foreigners and infidels.

Possibly the Ministry might have had a longer and fairer trial if it had been actively supported by the Consular body at Cairo. It was, however, only in accordance with human nature, and especially with human diplomatic nature, that the Consuls-General, who had been formerly the most important personages in Egypt, should resent any constitutional change which necessarily diminished their own authority, and should therefore have been reluctant to admit that the English and French Ministers had any claim to represent the Governments by which they had been selected. I need hardly say that this sort of jealousy manifested itself even more keenly amidst the female section of the Cairene-European community. The Khedive, who kept closely in touch