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A French diplomat and engineer; born at Versailles, Nov. 19, 1805; died Dec. 7, 1894. He was employed several years in the French consular and diplomatic service. In 1854, on the invitation of Said Pasha, he visited Egypt to study the problem of canalizing the Isthmus of Suez: the results of his studies were stated in a memoir, "Piercing the Isthmus of Suez". He was made chief director of the works in 1856. The canal was opened to traffic Aug. 15, 1869. He published (1875-81) five volumes of "Letters, Journals, and Documents Relating to the Suez Canal"; and in 1887, "Recollections of 40 Years". His attempt to pierce the Isthmus of Panama resulted in failure, and in numberless discussions and papers, none of which have been embodied in a book.