The War in Syria, Volume 2 (of 2)

CHAPTER III.

Captain Fanshawe’s Arrival at Constantinople—Interview with the Grand Vizier—Conference of Ambassadors and Rechid Pacha—Conduct of Lord Ponsonby; his Letter to Lord Palmerston—The Porte accepts the submission of Mehemet Ali—Letter of Rechid Pacha to the Ambassador and of the Vizier to Mehemet Ali—Captain Fanshawe returns to Marmorice.

It has already been shown, that notwithstanding the rejection of the Convention communicated to Mehemet Ali by Captain Fanshawe, he, on the 11th of December, in a letter to the Grand Vizier, sent his unconditional submission; that letter reached Constantinople on the 16th of the same month. Captain Fanshawe, on his arrival, gave in a report of his proceedings to the Ambassador, couched in much the same terms as that to the Admiral already given, and on the 18th he had an audience of the Grand Vizier.^[1] The Captain was accompanied by Mr. Pisani, and by Captain Codrington and Captain Williams, and he informed the Vizier that he had been ordered by the Admiral to convey to Alexandria a summons to Mehemet Ali to make his submission; this submission he now conveyed to him in an open letter, which he begged to deliver. The Grand Vizier, after having read Mehemet Ali’s letter, said, “The Porte is already aware of these conditions, as is known; but I can tell you nothing upon this great question which the Sublime Porte is treating with the Allied Courts, and which consequently has become a question of foreign policy, belonging entirely to the department of Foreign Affairs, which is acquainted with all the circumstances relating to it better than I am. The Porte will take this question into consideration with the representatives of the Allied Courts, and his Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs will make known the intentions of the Porte to the Allies; I beg you, M. le Capitaine, in the mean time, not to consider my acceptance of this letter from you as an acceptance of its contents.” Captain Fanshawe replied that he also was in nowise authorized to enter into the details of this affair, and that he would learn the result from Lord Ponsonby. The Captain said that Mehemet Ali had given him his word that he would deliver over the Turkish fleet to whatever officer the Porte shall direct to conduct it hither. The Vizier replied, “The fleet is ours; Alexandria is our country; we are perfectly sure of having the fleet sooner or later.” The Captain took the opportunity of speaking of peace between the Sultan and Mehemet Ali. The Grand Vizier replied, “Peace is made between two governments, and not between a sovereign and one of his rebel subjects.”

The letters given clearly show that Mehemet Ali could do no more. He promised to deliver up the fleet, Candia, Syria, and the Holy Cities. The Grand Vizier replied, as has been shown: “The fleet is ours; Alexandria is ours;” and when Captain Fanshawe talks to him about peace, he said, “Peace is made between two Governments; and not between a sovereign and one of his rebel subjects.” This indeed was talking big; the Grand Vizier forgot that Mehemet Ali had twice nearly knocked at the gates of Constantinople, and had he not been interfered with, would have dethroned his Master.

What does the Ambassador do? Though he was quite aware that every hour the Eastern Question remained unsettled, a European war was imminent—though he knew that France had intimated that we were not to touch Egypt—though he knew the British fleet had left the coast of Syria and Egypt in consequence of bad weather—yet the Ambassador, acting on his own responsibility, to gratify his dislike of Mehemet Ali, did all he could to keep the question open, though he must have known the Allies were anxious to bring it to a close; and if he had had the power, I know, would have risked the whole British fleet to ensure the Pacha’s destruction. Annexed is his letter to Lord Palmerston, furnishing an account of the Conference which the arrival of Mehemet Ali’s letter gave rise to.

“My Lord,

“Therapia, December 28, 1840.

“I received this afternoon the Protocol of the conference held at the house of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the 20th instant, at which were present Rechid Pacha, and the Representatives of the Four Allies, and the dragomans of Austria and England, and M. Francheschi, who made the Protocol which I have now the honour to inclose^[2].

“I have little need to explain to your Lordship the grounds upon which I acted; submission is the first mentioned of the conditions, upon which I am ordered to give advice to the Sublime Porte, and it is also the most important, the others being insignificant, as things have turned out. My duty is to see that submission has been made by Mehemet Ali—real submission, and there are many things to make it very doubtful if Mehemet Ali has submitted, and has not taken this matter as concessions forced upon the Sultan by the Allies for the purpose of establishing him in Egypt with indefinite power. Your Lordship’s instructions would not authorize me to say that such a submission is the submission contemplated by Her Majesty’s Government, and as I do not think it proper for me, under the circumstances in which I am placed, to declare that it is not a submission, I have declined giving any opinion at all on the point, and said I would await the decision of it by the Sublime Porte, having stated what counsel I shall have to offer in the name of my Government, if the Sublime Porte accept the submission.

“Your Lordship has always declared that the Sultan is the sole judge and arbiter of his own interests; and you will see, in the Protocol, that the Representatives united cordially in disavowing intentions to act upon the Sultan except by counsel alone. I saw this with satisfaction, because endeavours have not been wanting to inspire the Ottoman Ministers with some jealousy of the prepotency of the Four Powers.

“It will appear, I think, in the Protocol, that I am not alone in thinking the submission may be subject to doubt, for the Internuncio says that Mehemet Ali has made a commencement of submission. This may be so, for the interest of Mehemet Ali is to accept the boon offered him, as he gives nothing for it in return; but my orders from my Government are not subject to be modified by me, and I cannot take upon myself the responsibility of acting without the most positive authority in a question like the present.

“I will send a messenger to acquaint your Lordship with the determination of the Sublime Porte whenever I am informed of it.

“I send the copy of the Protocol which was sent to me by his Excellency the Internuncio.

“The Protocol is substantially correct in statement of what passed, but there are errors in its report of expressions.

“I have, &c.,
(Signed)“Ponsonby.”

The reader will observe, without my pointing it out, from his own letter, and still more from the Protocol, with what diplomatic art the British Ambassador, in opposition to the opinion of the other Ministers, endeavours to gain time. Had he been instructed so to do, he would have shown himself a good diplomatist; but the contrary was the case. Rechid Pasha writes from Constantinople, under date of the 26th of November, to Chekib Effendi at Paris, “That Lord Palmerston was favourable to the reinstatement of Mehemet Ali, and that instructions had been sent to the Ambassador at Constantinople on the subject.” Besides that, he knew of the instructions that Captain Fanshawe had communicated to Mehemet Ali, and which he accepted.

And no Minister of Foreign Affairs could have shown his want of confidence in his Ambassador more distinctly than Lord Palmerston did, by sending his instruction of the 14th of November direct to Sir Robert Stopford, thus completely throwing the Ambassador overboard. And well he did; for he decidedly would have found some means of putting it aside, as he did my Convention. In fact, his Lordship was the cleverest of Ambassadors for evading orders, and, indeed, managed to transfer Downing-street to Constantinople.

The Sultan, however, appeared to be satisfied with Mehemet Ali’s submission; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs wrote to Lord Ponsonby, thus:

“Monsieur l’Ambassador,

“The Sublime Porte,

December 27, 1840.

“I have lost no time in laying before the Sultan the Protocol of the Conference of the 20th of this month; and I am commanded to acquaint your Excellency, that His Imperial Majesty, wishing to prove by a fresh act the moderation of his sentiments, is disposed to acceptaccept the submission of Mehemet Ali, and only awaits the fulfilment of the conditions imposed upon him by the Memorandum of the 14th of November, to consider that submission as complete, and to confirm Mehemet Ali in the Pachalic of Egypt.

“With the view of hastening that fulfilment, and of thus proving more clearly his desire to lend himself, as far as is in his power, to the views of his august Allies, the Sultan has decided that Yaver Pacha (Admiral Walker) and Mazloum Bey shall proceed immediately to Egypt as his Commissioners to receive the Ottoman fleet, and to ascertain that the places described in the Memorandum of the 14th of November are evacuated by the troops of Mehemet Ali.

“I am commanded at the same time to request your Excellency will have the goodness to instruct Her Britannic Majesty’s Admiral to assist according to the 4th paragraph of the Separate Act of the Convention of the 15th of July, at the restoration of the fleet to the said Commissioners.

“Receive, &c.,
(Signed)“Rechid,
“Minister for Foreign Affairs.”

The Vizier, too, at the same time, wrote as follows to Mehemet Ali:

“I have taken cognizance of the contents of the good despatch which you addressed to me dated the 17th Chewal, (the 11th of December11th of December,) and which has also been laid before His Imperial Majesty.

“It appears, from your Highness’s communication, that you intend really to make your submission to his Highness, and that in proof of this you have decided immediately to restore the Imperial fleet, and to surrender, without delay, certain places situated out of Egypt.

“The intentions and good disposition which you have thus evinced, being a happy omen that the good system and the good proceedings which are desired, will be adopted and carried into execution, his Highness has duly appreciated them.

“In all its affairs, in all its proceedings, the Sublime Porte, guided by feelings of justice, makes it a rule never to exceed the bounds of moderation.

“On this account his Highness is disposed to accept your submission with favour, and to grant your Highness his full pardon.

“As soon then as, in conformity with your engagements, the Imperial fleet shall have left the harbour of Alexandria, and shall be despatched with all its officers and crews, some well-known persons excepted, and with all its equipments and stores, and the places already known shall have been made over without delay to the Commissioners of the Sublime Porte, and when these acts shall be accomplished, that is to say, when positive intelligence of this shall have arrived here, it is decidedly resolved that then his Imperial Majesty will deign to reinstate your Highness in the Government of Egypt. These views of his Highness, and the pacific and benevolent opinions of the Great Powers, being quite in accordance upon this point, this resolution has been officially made known to the representatives of the Allied Courts.

“His Excellency Mazloum Bey, one of the principal servants of the Sublime Porte, Member of the Council of Justice, and formerly Mousteshar of the Admiralty, is charged with the execution of the necessary instructions; and the Ferik of the Imperial navy, the most distinguished Yaver Pacha, is charged to receive the Imperial fleet and bring it here.

“We leave to your wisdom to do what is necessary.”

On the 30th of December Captain Fanshawe wrote as follows to the Admiral from on board the Stromboli, off Tenedos, and soon after joined him at Marmorice.

“Sir,

“With reference to your orders to me to proceed to Constantinople, and to my letter to you of the 18th instant, I have now the honour to acquaint you that I had no communication from his Excellency Lord Ponsonby from that date until the 27th, when I received a letter from him, relative to the conveyance of Turkish Commissioners in this vessel to Alexandria; and I beg to inclose you copies of the correspondence that in consequence passed between his Lordship and myself, through Mr. Doyle, on the subject; and also to state, that, in pursuance of the intimation from his Lordship, that he was ‘not aware of anything within his competency’ which could be the cause of my detention at Constantinople, and having yesterday afternoon received the accompanying despatch from him for you, I quitted the Golden Horn in the Stromboli, at 9 P.M. yesterday, and am proceeding in her to rejoin you at Marmorice.

“I have, &c.,
(Signed)“Arthur Fanshawe, Captain.”

The despatch referred to inclosed a copy of the official note from the Porte^[3], announcing the appointment of the Commissioners, and requesting the assistance of the British ships to bring home the Ottoman fleet from Alexandria.

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