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The French diplomat and engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805 1894)
was instrumental in the successful completion of the Suez Canal,
which reduced by 3000 miles the distance by sea between Bombay and
London. This two-volume memoir, written towards the end of his life
and dedicated to his children, was published in this English
translation in 1887. In it, de Lesseps describes his experiences in
Europe and North Africa. He includes reflections on European and
colonial history and politics, an essay on steam power, and a
report on the 1879 Paris conference that led to a controversial and
abortive early attempt by a French company to build the Panama
Canal. Volume 2 focuses on the Suez project, quoting extensively
from de Lesseps' correspondence, and also contains facts and
figures relating to the 'interoceanic canal', political essays, and
the speeches for his inauguration into the Acad mie fran aise.
The French diplomat and engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805 1894)
was instrumental in the successful completion of the Suez Canal,
which reduced by 3000 miles the distance by sea between Bombay and
London. This two-volume memoir, written towards the end of his life
and dedicated to his children, was published in this English
translation in 1887. In it, de Lesseps describes his experiences in
Europe and North Africa. He includes reflections on European and
colonial history and politics, a chapter on steam power, and a
report on the 1879 Paris conference that led to a controversial and
abortive early attempt to build the Panama Canal. Volume 1 focuses
on de Lesseps' diplomatic missions to Rome and Madrid in the late
1840s during a period of political and social unrest in Italy,
Spain and France, and the early stages of the Suez canal project.
In the early 1850s the French diplomat and engineer Ferdinand de
Lesseps (1805 1894) revived earlier French plans to build a canal
through the Isthmus of Suez. He saw the immense benefits such a
canal would bring, reducing by 3000 miles the distance by sea
between Bombay and London, and he was instrumental in its
successful completion. These letters, published in this English
translation in 1876, show how De Lesseps persuaded the Viceroy of
Egypt to allow construction, and how he overcame opposition from
Britain and Turkey. Letters to the Viceroy, Emperor Napoleon III,
Members of Parliament, diplomats, and politicians throughout
Europe, together with more personal letters to his wife, all
illustrate his resolute determination to see his project succeed.
This is an invaluable source, not only on the canal, but also on
the politics of the major powers and European attitudes towards the
Middle East and its people.
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