THE VALUE OF TRADITION IJ
Ali seized Cairo, ostensibly in the service of the Sultan,
but actually displacing the Turkish representative. If
the Sublime Porte wished to maintain its hold on Egypt
there was nothing to be done except to make a virtue
of necessity, and in 1806 Mohammed Ali was officially
acknowledged by the Sultan as Pasha of Egypt.
An Egyptian Pashalik under French influence could
hardly be expected to commend itself to Great Britain.
Accordingly an expeditionary force was sent out in
1807 to take the other side, and to back up the Mamluks
against the Turks. In an inglorious campaign they
were decisively defeated, and Mohammed Ali was left
in undisputed possession of Egypt. The cold-blooded
massacre of the Mamluks, for which he has been
severely censured, removed the last trace of opposition.
Mathieu de Lesseps was not in Egypt to see the fruits
of his labours. His services were already in demand
elsewhere; but Mohammed Ali never forgot what he
owed to him. Great Britain also did not forget the
part played by the Frenchman, and saw in his son's
Suez Canal scheme a further extension of France's
designs on Egypt. The bitter opposition of Palmerston
developed directly out of the seeds of suspicion sown
at this time.
At Malaga De Lesseps pere married Catherine de
Grivegijiee, a Spanish lady, aunt of the Countess of
Montijo, whose daughter was afterwards to become the
Empress Eugenie. By her he had a large family. It
is related that one day, while Mathieu was Consul-
General at St. Petersberg, the Czar Alexander met him,
and enquired after his wife. "Sire," replied De Lesseps,
" she was happily confined yesterday." " What