THE ACCESSION OF ABBAS II. 459 but he was not willing to confirm his acceptance formally by sending his sons to be educated in the country whose forces were in occupation of Egypt.

Prince Abbas, therefore, instead of being sent to school and college in England, was sent in the first instance to Geneva, as a preparatory school for the Teresianum College at Vienna. During his holidays the Prince travelled a great deal on the Continent, and perfected his knowledge of French and German. The events of the last two years have taught us how hostile the general tone of Continental society is towards England ; and it is intelligible enough that when Abbas Pasha was recalled from the Teresianum of Vienna, to become Khedive of Egypt, he should have returned to Cairo with a great bias against British rule, and with a strong desire to seize the first opportunity of asserting his independent authority.

The events which followed the arrival of the young Khedive to his native country tended, I fancy, to confirm him in the impression that England was not prepared to assume the responsibilities involved in the declaration of an avowed Protectorate. By the firman of 1 866, the Sultan had granted direct succession to the Vice-regal throne to the Mahomet Ali dynasty. Tewfik was dead, and by the firman, Abbas, as his eldest son, became Khedive, as a matter of course, with which the Sultan had no more to do than he had with the elevation of the Prince of Wales to the throne of Great Britain upon the death of her