There was absolute silence as the vote was declared: in favor of the resolution, 74; opposed, 8; abstaining, 16; absent, 38. Delegates were on their feet cheering; women were waving handkerchiefs. It was as if an astonishing victory had been won. De Lesseps stepped forward and promised success; Admiral de La Roncière-Le Noury declared that the day marked the beginning of one of the greatest undertakings of modern times. “It seems to me that nothing could have been more glorious . . .” Henri Barboux, attorney for Ferdinand and Charles de Lesseps, would recall years later before a packed
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