L 68 THE STORY OF THE KHEDIVATE.

at the time that there existed a tradition in the family of Mahomet Ali that the dynasty was doomed to fall whenever it left off building. Whether the story is true or not, Ismail had certainly a perfect mania for bricks and mortar. Un every part of the country he erected palaces, many of which were never occupied, and have since fallen into ruin. Every one of these palaces involved the establishment of a new set of officials eunuchs, ladies of the harem, slaves, and parasites.

Tewfik Pasha assured me himself that when he first looked into the details of his fathers household expenditure, after his deposition, it was discovered that ten thousand people had, on one plea or another, I meals provided for them daily at the palace of Abdin.

\A similar reckless expenditure prevailed, more or less, in the Gesireh, Giseh, Ras el Tin, and other minor palaces. Of the luxury of the Vice-regal Court during the palmy days of Ismail's reign I shall have something to say later on. All I need say here is that of the countless, distinguished, and undistinguished guests who, in the early days of his reign, enjoyed Ismail's princely hospitality during their sojourn in Egypt, there was probably not one whose visit did not throw directly a heavier charge on the finances of Egypt than any amount which the country could possibly have gained indirectly by the visitors own personal expenditure. Another \ constant drain on the resources of Egypt was provided <J ""• < by the military expeditions sent to the Soudan with Y the view of extending the territories of the Khedive