No. 659.
Mr. Beardsley to Mr. Fish.
Cairo, July 10, 1875. (Received August 9.)
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that the court of appeal and the courts of first instance, of the new judicial tribunals in Egypt, were officially organized at Alexandria on Monday June 28, 1875.
[Page 1346]The judges of all the tribunals and the chief officials of the military and civil service assembled at the palace of Ras-el-Tin, at 9 o’clock in the morning, where they were received by Prince Tawfick Pasha, minister of the interior, and Cherif Pasha, minister-of justice. A few minutes later they assembled in the audience-chamber of the palace. The minister of justice took his place at the upper end of the chamber, with the magistrates on his right extending in line down the entire east side of the room. At the left of the minister of justice stood Prince Tawfick Pasha, with the chief military and civil officials of the government, in full uniform, extending in line down the west side of the room.
The Khedive made his appearance without delay, and walking up the center of the room, to the ministers of justice and of the interior, addressed the body of magistrates as follows:
Gentlemen: The powerful support of His Majesty the Sultan, and the generous assistance of the powers, permits me to inaugurate the judicial reform and to install the new tribunals.
I am happy to see gathered around me the eminent and honorable magistrates to whom I confide, in perfect confidence, the task of administering justice. Every interest will find in your care complete security, and your decisions will thus obtain, on the part of all, respect and obedience. This date, gentlemen, will be marked in the history of Egypt, and it will be the point of departure of a new era of civilization. With the aid of God, I am persuaded that the future of our great work is assured.
At the termination of this address the Khedive retired to another room of the palace, where, in a short time, the body of magistrates, with Cherif Pasha at their head, presented themselves for the purpose, of presenting to His Highness their respects and felicitation. Cherif Pasha, on behalf of the magistrates, addressed the Khedive as follows:
Highness: Permit me, in my quality as minister of justice, to be the organ of the corps of magistrates and to present to Your Highness, on this solemn occasion, my most sincere felicitations. To-day, by the installation of the tribunals, a great work of progress is accomplished.
I pray the Khedive to be pleased to accept the gratitude of the magistrates for the confidence which he places in their devotion to the great interests of this country, as well as to its future. In investing them with the authority of administering justice in his name, the Khedive intrusts to the wisdom, to the loyalty, and to the honor of the magistrate, one of the most important attributes of power. Gratified by this noble and generous confidence, and inspired by the civilized ideas of the Khedive, the new Egyptian magistrate will accomplish courageously his high mission, and will lend his effective assistance to your persevering efforts. His ambition will be, I am sure, to attain the honor of engraving his name in the heart of future generations, as having contributed to the foundation of a great work, which henceforth will be inseparably connected with the happiness of Egypt, and which will constitute one of the glories of your reign.
At the close of this address the magistrates retired, and the Khedive received, in a body, the chief officials of the army, navy, and civil service, who presented their felicitations in a few appropriate words and withdrew. The consuls-general were next received individually. The Khedive received me most cordially, and at once, and while still standing, addressed me in French. His remarks, translated, were to the following effect
I thank you, sir, for your kindness in coming to congratulate me on this auspicious occasion, and I beg you will do me the special favor of transmitting to the Government of the United States my sincere and earnest thanks for the valuable assistance it has, from the beginning, lent to the project of judicial reform in Egypt, and for the frank and loyal manner in which it has accepted the reform. You will also do me the favor of expressing to the Government of the United States my hope that it will continue to extend to the reform its powerful support and sympathy, and thus assure the complete success of the great work. I am confident that to-day will mark the commencement of a new era of progress and prosperity for Egypt, in which, I hope, the Government of the United States will always take a friendly interest. Will you be pleased, also, to transmit to your Government my thanks for having designated such honorable and eminent magistrates to assist in the work which has been inaugurated to-day?
I responded to the Khedive as follows:
I congratulate Your Highness in the name of the Government of the United States, on the organization of the new tribunals for the administration of justice in Egypt, and I earnestly hope that all Your Highness’s anticipations in regard to the great good to flow from them may be realized. The Government of the United States, as well as its people, are deeply interested in the reform so auspiciously inaugurated to-day, and will watch with solicitude its operation and development. I will be most happy to transmit to my Government the sentiments which Your Highness has been pleased to express to me.
After a short conversation of a general nature, I took leave of His Highness.
After the reception of the consuls-general, a large body of the citizens of Alexandria and Cairo were presented and offered their congratulations, after which the ceremonies of the day closed.
I am, &c.,