76 Egypt
culty in obtaining from the Sultan a suitable title for his
dynasty, getting eventually to his great disgust nothing
better than the obscure Persian dignity of " Khedive."
This was unfortunate, as it encouraged him to assert his
sovereign dignity in the eyes of Europe by extravagant
expenditure. But, taken altogether, this completion of
the work of his grandfather was probably well worth the
outlay, and cost far less than the military methods of
Mehemet AIL
The cutting off of Egypt from the drain of Ottoman
corruption was a great service, and scarcely less so was
the first step that he made towards freeing Egypt from
the ever-growing interference by foreign colonies and of
foreign commerce under cover of the capitulations. The
foreigners in Egypt had multiplied by ten to over two
hundred thousand, and their extra-territorial privileges
had become a serious embarrassment. Realising that the
only way of getting rid of the foreign imperium in imperio
created by the consular jurisdictions and by the capitu-
latory privileges was the creation of a judicature capable
of applying the principles and procedures of European
justice, he instituted, with the help of Nubar, a new
"mixed" judicature. This involved a conflict with the
Ulema, and was only carried after the Sheikh-ul-Islam
had been deposed. It also involved a controversy with
the French, whose opposition was so obstinate that the
formation and functioning of the three mixed Tribunals
at Cairo, Alexandria and Mansoura, and of their Appeal
Court, was delayed for many years (1877). ^ *s a^ the
more pleasant to record the hearty support given to this
reform by the British who helped in overcoming the
objections of the Porte and of the other Powers to any
interference in the capitulations, Thus, Lord Stanley
writes (October 18,1867): " His Majesty's Government