Bankrupts and Brokers 91
that order might be re-established." The British, on the
advice of Lord Vivian and Major Baring, supported him
against Wilson and the French. Finally, not Ismail,
but his heir, Tewfik, was made President of the
Council. Nubar was dropped, but in return Vivian was
recalled.
Encouraged by this success, Ismail tried again. He
had recovered half his power through the army. He now
resolved to recover the rest with the help of the Assembly
of Notables. A long expected report of the Commission
of Inquiry, though not yet submitted to the Powers, was
known to recommend a reduction of interest on the debt
to five per cent, and a scaling down of all claims by fifty
per cent. ; also, a repudiation of the liabilities to land-
owners under the moukabala and an increase of the
tishuri tax on the well-to-do. And while it was obvious
that the foreign creditors would move heaven and earth
against the first two proposals, it was no less likely that
the landed class would be disposed to raise hell against
the second two. Which hell would equally probably take
the form of a Moslem anti-Christian agitation. Then the
Khedive and the Assembly would intervene to save the
situation. Accordingly we find the British agent,
Lascelles, reporting (April i, 1879): <( Considerable
agitation exists here. The Sheikh-el-Bekhri (Head of the
Religious Corporations) holds meetings with the Notables
and Ulema, exciting religious animosity against the
European Ministers/' He adds (April 4) : "There is
constant communication between the Khedive and the
more influential persons who attend the meetings. Their
object is to obtain support for the financial plan which the
Khedive is preparing in opposition to that of Sir Rivers
Wilson, and to get up petitions to H.H, to put in force
the Turkish Constitution promulgated here in 1877, but