The Firman of 27 May 1866 altered the line of Succession to Ismail's family.

In June 1867, Ismail was appointed 'Khedive' by Imperial Firman.

449

Administrative
Autonomy

APPENDIX II

FIRMANS, ETC.

The principle of Egyptian autonomy was laid down in the
Separate Act annexed to the Treaty of London of 15th
July 1840.

The Treaty itself, after preamble, commenced :
'ART. I. His Highness the Sultan having come to an agree-
ment with their Majesties the Queen of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Emperor
of Austria, King of Hungary and Bohemia, the
King of Prussia, and the Emperor of all the Russias,
as to the conditions of the arrangement which it is
the intention of his Highness to grant to Mehemet
Ali, conditions which are specified in the Separate
Act hereunto annexed; their Majesties engage to
act in perfect accord,' etc.

In the Separate Act annexed to the Convention, the following pertinent passages occur:

'ART. I. His Highness promises to grant to Mehemet Ali,

for himself and his descendants in the direct line, the administration of the Pashalik of Egypt. . . . 'ART. V. All the Treaties, and all the laws of the Ottoman Empire, shall be applicable to Egypt. . . . The Sultan consents, that on condition of the regular payment of the tribute above-mentioned, Mehemet Ali and his descendants shall collect, in the name of the Sultan, and as the delegate of His Highness, within the Provinces the administration of which shall be confided to them, the taxes and imposts legally established. It is moreover understood that, in consideration of the receipt of the aforesaid taxes and imposts, Mehemet Ali and his descendants shall defray all the expenses of the civil and military administration of the said provinces.

'ART. VI. The military and naval forces which may be maintained by the Pasha of Egypt and Acre, forming part of the forces of the Ottoman Empire, shall always be considered as maintained for the service of the State.' 1

I have already referred to Ismail's Firmans, altering the Order of Succession. This principle and others involving the Organic Law of Egypt were embodied in the definitive Firman of 8th June 1873, from which I make the following excerpts :

of Firmans

'Be it known that we have taken thy request into con- Consolidation sideration, and that we have decided to unite in one single Firman all the Firmans and Khats Humayun which, since the Firman which granted the Egyptian succession to thy grandfather, Mehemet Ali, have been granted to the Khedives of Egypt. . . . It is our will that the present Firman... shall henceforth be executed and respected, and shall also in future replace the other Imperial Firmans, and that in the following manner :

Succession

'The order of succession to the Government of Egypt Order of granted by our Imperial Firman dated the 2nd Rehib-ulewel, 1257 [Firman of 1841], has been so modified that the Khediviate of Egypt passes to thy eldest son, and after him to his eldest son, and in like manner as regards others, that is to say, that the succession is to succeed by primogeniture. ... I have resolved to establish as law that the succession to the Khediviate of Egypt and its dependencies . . . shall pass as aforesaid . . . in conformity with the law of primogeniture, to the eldest sons of future Khedives.

...

and internal

'The civil and financial administration of the country, Administration and all interests, material or otherwise, are in every respect legislation under the control of the Egyptian Government, and are

1 On 13th July 1841, the same Powers, through their representatives at London, signed and issued a Protocol intimating the submission of Mohammed Ali, and their intention to obtain the adherence of France to the above Convention. France, on the same day, signed a Convention to that effect and so became a Signatory of the Treaty of London of 15th July 1840. The Great Powers and the Porte bound themselves to observe the stipulations of the Act, which more particularly referred to the passage of the Straits.

Non-political treaties

Loans

Troops

Coinage, flags, warships

Perpetuity of
Firman

Tribute

confided to it, and . . . the Khedive of Egypt is authorized to make internal regulations and laws as often as it may be necessary.

'He is also authorized to renew and to contract (without interfering with the Political Treaties of my Sublime Porte) Conventions with the Agents of foreign Powers.

.. 'The Khedive has complete and entire control over the financial affairs of the country. He has full power to contract...1, in the name of the Egyptian Government, any foreign loan, whenever he may think it necessary.

'The first and most essential duty of the Khedive being to guard and defend the country, he has full and entire authority to provide for all the means and establishments for defence and protection according to the exigencies of time and place, and to increase or diminish the number of my Imperial Egyptian troops as may be required. [Number of troops restricted to 18,000 in Firman of Investiture of Taufik, but increase allowed for defence of the Empire.]

'The money coined in Egypt should be struck in my Imperial name; the flags of the land and sea forces will be the same as the flags of my other troops; and, as regards ships of war, ironclads alone shall not be constructed without my permission.

'It is in accordance with my Imperial wish that the rules and principles contained in this Firman should be for ever observed and executed, instead of and in place of all others contained in my previous Firmans.

. ... 'Thou wilt also pay great attention to remitting to my Imperial Treasury, every year, without delay, and in its entirety, the fixed tribute of 150,000 purses.'

The Firman of Investiture of 2nd Aug. 1879, granting to Taufik Pasha the Khediviate of Egypt, prohibited the Khedive from contracting loans without the consent of existing creditors, and from maintaining more than 18,000 troops, as already mentioned. The only other points to be noted are given in the extracts below :

1 'Without leave' omitted, since this privilege was subsequently rescinded.