great emergency, numerous instances might
be related of him. His services in Egypt are
well known to all who dwell there, or have
travelled in that country. For the information
of such as may not have any personal
knowledge of these things, we may mention
a few of the most prominent. Lieutenant
Waghorn and his partners, without any aid
whatever, with the single exception of the
Bombay Steam Committee, built the eight
halting places on the Desert, between Cairo
and Suez; also the three hotels established
above them, in which every comfort and even
some luxuries were provided and stored for
the passing traveller—among which should
be mentioned iron tanks with good water,
ranged in cellars beneath;—and all this in a
region which was previously a waste of arid
sands and scorching gravel, beset with
wandering robbers and their camels. These
wandering robbers he converted into faithful
guides, as they are now found to be by every
traveller; and even ladies with their infants are
enabled to cross and recross the Desert with as
much security as if they were in Europe.

He neglected no means of making us
acquainted with our position and line of policy
in these countries. He wrote and published
pamphlets in England to show the justice and
sound policy of our having friendly relations
with Egypt, in opposition to the undue position
of Turkey (1837, 1828); also, to make his
countrymen conversant with the character
of Mehemet Ali, and with the countries of
Egypt, Arabia, and Syria (1840); another on
the acceleration of mails between England and
the East (1843); and a letter to Earl Grey
on emigration to Australia (1848). At this
time, in conjunction with Mr. Wheatley, he
had established an agency for the Overland
Route to India, China, &c., and had offices in
Cornhill, which are still in active operation.
The enormous subsequent increase of letters
to India by the mail, may be inferred from
this fact—that in his first arrangement,
Lieutenant Waghorn had all letters for India
sent to Messrs. Smith and Elder of Cornhill,
to be stamped, and then forwarded to him in
Alexandria: the earliest despatches amounted
to one hundred and eighty-four letters; this
number is now more than doubled by the
correspondence of Smith and Elder alone, on
their own business. They were the first book-
sellers who rightly appreciated Mr. Waghorn's
efforts; and they cordially co-operated with him.

"When he left Egypt, in 1841, he had established
English carriages, vans, and horses, for the
passengers' conveyance across the Desert (instead
of camels); indeed, he placed small steamers (from
England) on the Nile and the canal of Alexandria.
Every fraction of his money was spent by him in
getting more and more facilities; and, had the
saving of money been one of the characteristics of
his nature, the Overland Route would not be as
useful as it now is—and this is acknowledged by all.
Mr. Waghorn claimed for himself, and most justly,
the merit of this work: he claimed it without
fear of denial; and stated upon his honour, that
no money or means were ever received by him
from either Her Majesty's Government or the
East India Company to aid it. It grew into life
altogether from his having, by his own energy
and private resources, worked the 'Overland Mails'
to and from India for two years, (from 1831 to
1834) in his own individual person. 'Will it
be believed,' says he, 'that up to that time Mr.
Waghorn was thought and called by many, a
Visionary, and by some a Madman?'"

It may very easily be believed that this
was thought and said, as it is a common
practice with the world when anything
extraordinary is performed for the first time; and
though it may be hard enough for the individual
to bear, we may simply set it down as the
first step to the admission of his success. But
it is very clear the Pasha was wise enough to
recognise the value of the man who had done
so much, and not only accorded him his friendship
and assistance on all occasions, but sent
him on one occasion as his confidential
messenger to Khosru Pasha, Grand Vizier to
the Sultan at Constantinople, in 1839, as well
as to Lord Ponsonby, who was there as
Ambassador from England at this time.

Nor did his merit pass unrecognised in his
own country; first by the public generally,
though, perhaps, first of all by the "Times"
newspaper, the proprietors of which were
subsequently munificent in their pecuniary
assistance of his efforts in the Trieste experiments,
as indeed were the morning papers generally.
In six successive months he accomplished the
gain of thirteen days viá Trieste over the
Marseilles route. Lords Palmerston and
Aberdeen, as foreign ministers of England;
Lords Ellenborough, Glenelg, and Ripon, and
Sir John Hobhouse, as presidents of the India
Board, were also fully aware of his labours
in bringing about the "Overland Route"
through Egypt, and thus giving stability to
English interests in our Eastern empire.

And now comes the melancholy end of all
these so arduous and important labours.
Embarrassed in his own private circumstances
from the expenditure of all his own funds, and
large debts contracted besides, solely in effecting
these public objects, he was compelled, after
vainly endeavouring to extricate himself by
establishing in London an office of agency for
the Overland Route, to apply to the India
House and the Government for assistance.
His constitution was by this time broken up
by the sort of toil he had gone through in the
last twenty years, and he merely asked to have
his public debts paid, and enough allowed him
as a pension to enable him to close his few
remaining days in rest. He was still in the prime
of life; but prematurely old from his hard work.

In consequence of various memorials and
petitions the India House awarded Lieutenant
Waghorn a pension of 200l. per annum; and
the Government did the same. But they
would not pay the debts he had contracted in
their service. If he had made a bad bargain,