THE REIGNS OF ABBAS AND SAID

Character of Abbas Pasha — Introduction of railways into Egypt — Story

of Abbas' death at Benha — ^Accession of Said Pasha — Catastrophe of Kafr el Zahat — Issue of the first Egyptian loan.

By the law of Islam, Abbas, as the eldest male descendant of Mahomet Ali, succeeded to the throne,

to the exclusion of Said, though the latter was a son

of Mahomet AH, while the former was only a grand-

son. Of Abbas' reign |;here is little to be said ; certainly /nothing that is good. 1 He showed himself hostile to

j all thfi changes and reforms which., his grandfather X \ had introduced, was a fanatical Mahometan, and would

I have undone the work of his predecessor if he had not i been too slothful to concern himself seriously with

State affairs. It should, however, be recorded to

his credit that under his reign., railways, were first introduced intp_^gypt. The construction of the line between Alexandria and Cairo was entrusted to ■

( Robert Stephenson, who contracted not only to lay

\ ,,\l the road.wayj but to supply all the rolling-stock. The

j line was^ commenced in 1852, and finished in 1856. It

Ls worthy of note that Egypt should have taken the lead in railways, not only as compared with Turkey,

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