4 THE STORY OF THE' KHEDIVATE.

of office, a sum sufficient to satisfy the exigencies of the Porte, and to enrich themselves. If they failed

to satisfy both the Porte and the Mamelukes, they disappeared, by violence or otherwise, and were seen no more. If they succeeded, they left Eg^pt

men of wealth ; and in this case they had every motive for not calling public attention to the incidents

of the period during which their ill-gotten wealth had been acquired^.

This blank chapter in the chequered history of the valley of the Nile came to a close with the French occupation of Cairo under the Directory. It is a curious subject for contemplation, to speculate as to what might have happened if the great Emperor had not transferred the command of his troops in

Egypt to feebler hands, or if, in his absence, the allied forces of England and Turkey had not defeated the

French army and compelled it to capitulate at Cairo. But such speculations as to what might have happened, if events had been otherwise than they were, are not only fruitless in themselves, but have no particular bearing on the subject of this narrative. The only reason why I allude to the events in question is that they laid open the ground for the advent of Mahomet Ali, the founder of the Khedivial dynasty. The burden of the war had fallen heavily on the Mameluke chiefs. They had suffered not only in person and

in pocket, but still more in prestige. The Turks, on the other hand, had gained in repute, not only by their personal valour on the field of battle, but by the moral