DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4995#0043
26 LEGTUBE ON EGYPT.
SuczC'anai. and earns a gross return of £250 per mile per week,
with working expenses of 6| per cent. The commercial
results have thus been satisfactory to the shareholders,
and the traffic is increasing. These favourable circum-
stances appear to justify the hope that the time is not
far distant when the Canal will be widened so that a
larger traffic may be accommodated, the time of transit
and risk of obstruction diminished, and a lower tariff
adopted.
It is worthy of remark that upwards of 74 per cent.
of the vessels which have passed through the Canal since
its opening have been under the British flag. Having
reference to this fact it will be interesting to read the
following translation of a most remarkable document
which has been lent me by my friend Mr. Larking :—
Proclamation of the Sublime Porte under date of the year
1799 (1193 of the Mahomedan).
Hatti Cherif.—We do hereby order that no foreign vessel
whatever shall approach the Suez Coasts, either openly
or secretly. The sea of Suez is, moreover, the privileged
route of the glorious pilgrimage to Mecca : to permit
of free navigation to the above mentioned vessels, to
favour and not prevent the same would be to betray
our religion, our sovereign and the whole of ' Islam-
isme.'
Consecmently whoever dares to transgress this order,
will inevitably suffer the merited punishment both in
this world and in the next—it is therefore of the
utmost importance to the State and to our religion
that this peremptory and irrevocable order be con-
formed to with zeal and promptness—such is our Im-
perial will.
SuczC'anai. and earns a gross return of £250 per mile per week,
with working expenses of 6| per cent. The commercial
results have thus been satisfactory to the shareholders,
and the traffic is increasing. These favourable circum-
stances appear to justify the hope that the time is not
far distant when the Canal will be widened so that a
larger traffic may be accommodated, the time of transit
and risk of obstruction diminished, and a lower tariff
adopted.
It is worthy of remark that upwards of 74 per cent.
of the vessels which have passed through the Canal since
its opening have been under the British flag. Having
reference to this fact it will be interesting to read the
following translation of a most remarkable document
which has been lent me by my friend Mr. Larking :—
Proclamation of the Sublime Porte under date of the year
1799 (1193 of the Mahomedan).
Hatti Cherif.—We do hereby order that no foreign vessel
whatever shall approach the Suez Coasts, either openly
or secretly. The sea of Suez is, moreover, the privileged
route of the glorious pilgrimage to Mecca : to permit
of free navigation to the above mentioned vessels, to
favour and not prevent the same would be to betray
our religion, our sovereign and the whole of ' Islam-
isme.'
Consecmently whoever dares to transgress this order,
will inevitably suffer the merited punishment both in
this world and in the next—it is therefore of the
utmost importance to the State and to our religion
that this peremptory and irrevocable order be con-
formed to with zeal and promptness—such is our Im-
perial will.