File of printed papers marked 'Egyptian negotiation' between Curzon and Adly Pasha and the Egyptian delegation [‎58v] (116/178)

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Majesty's Government to go to the capitulary Powers and invite them to surrender their
exterritorial privileges as being no longer necessary, having regard to the fact that
Egypt was comparable to any civilised country in respect of the conditions of security
and comfort which she ottered to foreigners who were her guests. Now, however, the
Egyptians were most anxious that His Majesty’s Government should, by abolishing the
protectorate and in a great measure renouncing all the control hitherto exercised by
them in Egypt, completely alter the situation as compared with 1 ( .)15. If His Majesty s
Government were to meet the wishes of the delegation in full, they could no longer go
to foreign Powers and invite them to surrender their capitulary privileges without
offering them something very substantial in return.
1/r. Lindsay said that he thought both the delegation and His Majesty s
Government were agreed that it was highly undesirable to leave the Capitulations in
force for ever.
Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. said that what seemed to be wanted was some sort of guarantee which
would meet the case whether the regime was capitulary or non-capitulary, but what he
feared was that a fresh guarantee would be required by the capitulary Powers when
the question of the abolition of the Capitulations should come to be raised.
Mr. Lindsay pointed out that the conventions hitherto concluded had all been on
the basis of the existing protectorate.
Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. said that he understood that Mr. Lindsay’s point was that the protec
torate had in fact given foreigners a supplementary guarantee.
Mr. Murray said that this was the case ; admittedly, the existing regime supplied
the necessary guarantees for foreign interests, if, therefore, without abolishing the
Capitulations, and as a result of a political agreement between England and Egypt, the
same guarantees could be furnished when it came to be a question of altering the
status of the Mixed Courts and doing away with the capitulary privileges, the
instrument setting up the new courts would have to be itself of such a nature as to
ensure to foreigners the same safeguards that they had hitherto enjoyed.
Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. endeavoured to summarise his point of view as follows Mr. Lindsay
said that the foreigners were now contented because of the measure of British influence
exercised over the Administration, but Adly Pasha’s contention was that, when the
Capitulations were abolished, the capitulary Powers would then have got accustomed
to the regime under the treaty and would require safeguards before consenting to the
relinquishment of their privileges. What in effect, this came to was that His Majesty’s
Government were asking the Egyptians to concede something to the foreigners
now without Egypt getting anything in return, and at the same time laying the
Egyptian Government open to the possible necessity of having to concede further
safeguards when the question of the abolition of the Capitulations should come to
be raised.
Mr. Lindsay after a pause reverted to the question of the Financial Commissioner
dealt with in the seventh reserve of the delegation. He said that they had already
suggested a formula, but he noticed that this formula depended entirely on the
Financial Commissioner inheriting the functions hitherto fulfilled by the Debt
Commissioners, but they were now discussing the question on the basis of the
continuance of the Debt Commission. He thought that both parties were agreed in
their desire that this commission should eventually be abolished.
Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. pointed out that the Debt Commission was, in the eyes of the Egyptian
public, the sole justification for the existence of the proposed Financial Commissioner.
Mr. Lindsay reminded him that, if the Debt Commission disappeared, the essential
part of it would, none the less, have to remain.
Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. said that there was no real objection to the powers of the Debt
Commission passing into the hands of an English official.
Mr. Lindsay said that he, personally, did not much mind whether the powers of the
Debt Commission were concentrated in the hands of one Englishman or in the hands of
the three present Commissioners. His Majesty’s Government had, however, felt
obliged to assign other functions to the Financial Commissioner; for one thing, the
functions of the Debt Commissioners were not really enough to keep him employed,
but the formula suggested by the delegation would expressly limit the Financial
Commissioner to the functions of the Debt Commissioners.