44
work has always been in finding suitable men to run the
new machinery. Mehemet Ali made little attempt to
train his own Egyptians. For his foreign trading opera-
tions he went into partnerships with the trading consuls
of Foreign Powers. This had the additional advantage
of putting the local diplomatic representatives in his
pocket. The Treaty of 1818 between the Powers and the
Porte had freed trade in Egypt with the exception of
small ad -valorem duties. But, with the help of his
consular partners, dodges were devised that enabled
Mehemet Ali to drive his State monopolies between the
lines of the Treaty.
But developing new industries is a more difficult matter
than dodging international obligations. The model
factories were, from the first, run at a loss, though this
was not recognised at the time owing to the absence of
any real accountancy. The more expensive enterprises
were successively abandoned as war made money scarce.
Yet in agriculture, the true industry of Egypt, permanent
and important improvements were made. A French
mechanic, employed to set up looms, suggested the
planting of foreign cotton, of which the exportation by
1838 had reached sixty thousand balas. A Hindu intro-
duced opium and indigo. Armenians spread the growing
of hemp, hitherto only used as an intoxicant, but that
Mehemet Ali required for his fleet. Wages in the lower
ranks of labour quadrupled, while food prices only slightly
increased. Certainly, prices of imported products rose
swiftly; for example, coffee doubled and sugar was ten
times dearer. But the aggregate wealth of the country
increased rapidly. The land-tax, which in >x8*2i had
brought in ^650,000, was worth double ten years later.
Customs receipts doubled, and trade profits rose from
about £100,000 to over four times that amoimt In the