1-150-580 - The Cartoon Collector/Heritage-Images

'From The Great Pyramid. (A Bird's-Eye View of The Canal and Its Consequences.)', 1869. In November 1869 the Suez Canal was formally opened. Napoleon III's Empress, Eugenie, attended, as did the Austrian Emperor, the Crown Prince of Prussia, Prince William of Orange and many others. Punch however seems to share the misgivings felt by the late Lord Palmerston as to the potential political problems that may be caused by the Suez Canal. France claims success for the project, which linked the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. Britannia, with some foresight, points back towards France and Egypt, concerned at the possibility of friction between the two nations. From Punch, or the London Charivari, November 27, 1869.