AbstractsHistory

This account of British interest in Egypt in the late 18th century, whilst not attempting to be exhaustive, aims to suggest the many-sided importance and interrelation of British interest in Egypt during 1775-1798. Topics include: British interest engendered by the Levant company; antiquarian research; British conceptions of Arab life and literature; British travellers’ impressions of Egypt (political and commercial interest); the Indian factor; the importance of Egypt on an envisaged new route to India; international competition for trade via Egypt; the decline of British interest in Egypt; and the growth of British policy towards the Ottoman Empire.