Suez Canal--Nubar Pasha, Egyptian Foreign Minister | Five letters on the construction of the canal, 1864

Suez Canal--Nubar Pasha, Foreign Minister of Egypt

Five autograph letters signed, to "Monsieur le Bey", 

asking for clarification on Napoleon III's position regarding the land required by the Suez Canal company, pressing for the setting up of a commission to reconcile the conflicting interests involved, particularly those of France and Turkey, giving details of how Egypt is to pay the indemnity to the Suez Canal company imposed as compensation for the abolition of forced labour, registering Egypt's objections to the fact that their generals cannot obtain an interview with the Foreign Minister without the intervention of the Ambassador, asking for permission to be granted to an archaeologist digging in Egypt to remove any artefacts he excavates, in French; 22 pages, folio, 18 July 1864

[with:] a group of related letters and documents, in French and Arabic, c16 pages, later 19th century

"...il n'y a pas de doute que cette question a pour nous, sous tous les rapports, une importance enorme et que bon gre mal gre il faut que ces terrains soient fixes par une commission mixte. C'est un point capital. Ce n'est pas a la quantite de terres que j'attache une grande importance, mais...a une question de principes; c'est a ne pas blesser la Porte dans les circonstances actuelles..."

The Suez Canal was built between 1859 and 1869 by a company headed by Ferdinand de Lesseps (see lot 143), who had received substantial territorial concessions from Said Pasha for its construction. Napoleon III resolved the dispute between Egypt and the company by awarding the company an indemnity and the right to retain a certain amount of land along the canal. Nubar Pasha was responsible for reducing the amount of forced labour available to the canal company, which enabled the introduction of more advanced construction methods and machinery.

PROVENANCE:

Sotheby's, London, 3 December 1998, lot 324