isted between
England and France, he believed that there was a chance that he might
successfully play off one Power against the other. If the Moslems had
not been so severely oppressed by taxation, and Ismail had acted with
courage and firmness, it is probable that he might have held his own,
and Egypt might have refused to again accept the dual control.

Bismarck now intervened, and hinted to the sultan that he would receive
the support of the Powers, and Abdul Hamid immediately sent a telegram
to the Egyptian government that Ismail Pasha was deposed from the
khedivate. At this moment his courage gave way, and Ismail surrendered
his throne to his son Tewfik.

[Illustration: 195.jpg THE KHEDIVE TEWFIK]

Tewfik had the misfortune to enter upon a doleful heritage of an empty
treasury, a starving people, and an army ready to mutiny. There were now
two parties in Egypt. The military movement was of the least importance.
The superior posts in the army had been occupied by Circassians since
the days of Mehemet Ali.

196 THE BRITISH INFLUENCE IN EGYPT

Slave boys were bought and trained as officers. The number and quality
of the Circassians had deteriorated, but they still held the most
important posts. The fellaheen officers, under Arabi, who had been
brought to protest against reductions in the military establishment, now
claimed that the Circassians should make way for the Egyptians. Together
with this military dissatisfaction was also a strong civil movement
towards national reform, which included a number of serious and sensible
administrative reforms, which have since been carried out. Arabi Pasha
was the leader of the National Party, and had hopes of convincing
fair-minded people of the justice of their cause; but many influences,
some good and some bad, were at work simultaneously to divert him from
constitutional methods towards making his appeal to the violent and
fanatical element.

Just at this time a divergence between English and French views in
dealing with the situation had manifested itself, having its root in
earlier history. France, now as in 1840, was aiming at the policy of
detaching Egypt from the control of the unprogressive Turks; England
aimed at the maintenance of the much talked of integrity of the Ottoman
Empire. The French premier, Gambetta, was determined that there should
be no intervention on the part of the Turks. He drafted the "Identic
Note" in January, 1881, and induced Lord Granville