92 Egypt
which has remained a dead letter. The arguments
addressed to the wealthy were that if Sir R. Wilson's
plan came into force the taxes on ushuri lands would be
increased and the benefits conferred by the moukabala
law lost, and that ... it is the intention of the European
Ministers to hand over the country to Europeans, and
thus jeopardise the Moslem faith."
When the European Ministers, in their turn, called
Ismail's attention to the danger of the agitation, he con-
sidered the time had come to act. He convoked the
Diplomatic Corps, and said that the situation required
prompt action (April 9). Prince Tewfik resigned, and
the two European Ministers were told by Ismail that in
obedience to the wishes of the nation he had entrusted
Sherif Pasha with the formation of an all-Egyptian
Ministry (April 22). Major Baring and the French Com-
missioner were then invited to resume the duties of
Controllers, but refused. Baring resigned, as did many
other British officials. Sherif was instructed to prepare
a Constitution, which the Khedive calculated would serve
as a lightning conductor.
But Ismail this time had gone too far and too fast. It
was a clever game, and much the same as was then
successfully being played at Constantinople by Abdul
Hamid. But Abdul Hamid was a "dark horse/' and he
slipped out of the Concert's corral and then got rid of his
constitutional trappings very discreetly. Everyone knew
that Ismail was a '' rogue,'' and when he thus pitched his
European jockey right into the grand-stand, it was clear
that his constitutional leading-rein wouldn't long hold
him. And yet the British opened negotiations. Lord
Salisbury's despatch demanding a restoration of the
European Ministers (April 25) was followed by a dis-
cussion of other plans. The improved technique of to-day