204 THE STORY OF THE KHEDIVATE.

men-of-war to Alexandria. For the moment Nubar Pasha was retained in the Ministry as Minister of Foreign Affairs. But his authority was at an end ; and with his dismissal from the Premiership the so-called responsible Ministry had virtually ceased to exist. Some objection, however, was raised, both in London and Paris, to the idea of Ismail becoming his own Prime Minister; and as a concession to European public opinion, Prince Tewfik, the heir to the Khedivial throne, was appointed to the position of President of the Council. But before proceeding to record its formal downfall, I would like to say something of what this short-lived Ministry achieved, as well as of what it failed to achieve.

The responsible Ministry only enjoyed a little over three months of working existence. Yet, in this brief interval, notwithstanding the financial and political difificulties with which the Ministers were daily confronted, they contrived to lay down the lines on which : the regeneration of Egypt has in the main been effected. Nubar Pasha had devised a scheme by which natives might be entitled to the privilege of \ having justice administered by the International, as \ well as by the Egyptian, courts. Mr. Rivers Wilson had set on foot a land survey, so as to preclude the assessment of the fellaheen by the arbitrary authority of Government officials. He had enforced the com-• pulsory sale of lands belonging to » wealthy Pashas, who had hitherto evaded the payment of their taxes ; and he had actually dismissed several high-placed