The War in Syria, Volume 2 (of 2)

CHAPTER XVIII.

Delay in forwarding the Firmans to Mehemet Ali—Instructions to the Commissioner—The Author’s Visit to the Egyptian Flag-ship—Substance of the Firmans—Objections of the Pacha—The Author’s Advice—Letter to Lord Palmerston—The Author’s last Interview with Mehemet Ali—Return to Malta—Correspondence with Sir Robert Stopford—Return to England.

Although it had been distinctly stated to Mehemet Ali in the Vizier’s letter of the 12th of January, (in consequence of the remonstrance of the Allies)^[103], that he should be confirmed in the hereditary government of Egypt after the delivery of the fleet and his complete submission, still the confirmation was delayed for a considerable time, and the firman did not arrive at Alexandria until the 20th of February, and was brought by Said Muhib Effendi, who was instructed to read the firman^[104] in full divan, and if rejected by the Pacha, he was to exhort him to receive it. He was also the bearer of the fez and the nisham of the Vizier, which Mehemet Ali was to wear on the day the firman was read. He was to inform him, that in consequence of his advanced age, the Sultan did not require him to go to Constantinople to receive his investiture, but that one of his sons was expected to thank the Sultan in person for the signal favour conferred on his father. He was further instructed, in the event of Mehemet Ali’s remonstrating against any part of the firman, to send back the steamboat for further orders; but in the event of the Pacha’s rejecting the firman, he was to demand that the rejection should be in writing.

The day after the arrival of the firman, Mehemet Ali visited the Liverpool steamer, and from thence invited me on board the Egyptian Admiral’s ship. The old man appeared in low spirits, but nevertheless, he seemed proud of pointing out the cleanliness and order that reigned in every part of his ship. On entering the cabin, the whole of the guns were fired at once, and the rest of the squadron followed the example of the flag-ship. He conducted me through every part of this magnificent vessel, and it was quite impossible to conceive any ship better fitted in every respect. After the inspection the drums beat to quarters, and in less than three minutes she was ready for action. The men were well trained, and the guns exercised with great alacrity, though not quite in the style of the Excellent. The magazine was opened, the powder-boxes handed up, the rigging stoppered, fire-engines and buckets at hand, and large tubs full of water were placed along both the lower and main deck in great abundance. After the gun exercise, a party were paraded with their cutlasses and muskets, and it was altogether surprising to see how well the poor Arabs went through their exercises. The yards were then manned; but in this part of their manoeuvres they were not quite so expert.

After the exercises were over, we retired into the cabin, and I ventured to ask if he was satisfied with the news from Constantinople, at which he shook his head, and expressed a desire to see me in his palace. On arriving there he begged me to sit beside him on the divan, pipes and coffee were called for as usual, and through the medium of his interpreter, he communicated the substance of the firman^[105], which he also gave me in writing; it is as follows:—

“Egypt within its ancient limits is granted to you and to your male descendants on the following conditions:

“1st. When there shall be a decease of the incumbent, the Porte shall select among his heirs the person who shall best suit it, who will be summoned to Constantinople to receive the investiture. The present concession does not involve any precedence over the other Viziers, and the Governor in whose favour it is made shall, as regards the title and the other prerogatives, only enjoy the advantages which are assigned to him.

“2nd. The Hatti Sheriff of GulhanÉ, and the other fundamental laws of the empire, as likewise the treaties present or future with foreign Powers, shall be executed in Egypt.

“3rd. All the duties and all the revenues of Egypt shall be collected in the name of the Sultan; and as the Egyptians form a portion of the subjects of the Grand Signior, the rules adopted in the rest of the empire for the collection of the taxes shall be observed in Egypt. In order that the Sultan may be well assured that the people are not over-taxed, a fourth part of the gross revenue arising either from customs-duties, tenths, or all other duties, shall appertain to the Sultan, and be in the place of tribute; the other three-fourths shall be applied to the liquidation of the charges of collection and of the expenses concerning the internal administration, the maintenance of the troops, the household of the Viceroy, and the contributions in kind allotted every year to the Holy Cities. The preceding arrangements shall take effect from the first day of the year 1257 (the present time), and be carried into execution for five years, at the expiration of which term, provision will be made according to the circumstances and condition of Egypt. In order that the duties may not be levied arbitrarily, and in a manner prejudicial to the people, the Sultan, having undertaken to watch over the interests of his subjects, considers that the presence of a comptroller of finance is necessary in Egypt: you will conform yourself to the order which shall hereafter be sent to you on this subject.

“4th. Measures are about to be taken at Constantinople in order that the money may be coined of the same die, as likewise of the denomination and weight corresponding with its value; the money coined in Egypt in the name of the Sultan must be so at the rate adopted.

“5th. During peace, Egypt can be protected by 18,000 soldiers; this number shall not be exceeded; and as the land and sea forces of Egypt are at the disposal of the empire, the Porte, in case of war, will fix the augmentation which it is requisite to give to them. In the other parts of the empire, the soldier, after a service of five years, is free; this rule shall be enforced in Egypt. Consequently, there shall be chosen from the existing army, and according to the periods of service, 20,000 men, of whom 18,000 shall serve in Egypt, and 2000 shall be sent to Constantinople. Every year a ballot shall be had, in conformity with the rules of equity, and in proportion to the population of each district, for the levy of 4000 men, of whom 3600 shall be incorporated into the troops of Egypt, and 400 shall be sent to Constantinople, the whole to replace those who are discharged. The soldiers liberated from service shall not be re-enlisted. It is possible that as regards the material, the troops cannot be clad in Egypt as they are at Constantinople, but as regards the shape of the clothing, the badges, and the standards, they shall be wholly alike. The same is the case with regard to the naval forces.

“6th. The Viceroy of Egypt cannot confer ranks except up to that of Solkal-Aghassi (adjutant-major); as regards the superior ranks, they must be applied for to the Sublime Porte.

“New ships of war shall not be built without the permission of the Porte.

“The continuance of the hereditary succession being subject to the execution of each of these fundamental dispositions, in case of non-execution, the concession of hereditary succession will be revoked.”

Another firman conferred upon the Pacha the government (not hereditary) of the provinces of Nubia, Darfour, Kordofan, and Sennaar. This firman forbids the incursion of the troops into these provinces, who had been permitted to seize the inhabitants, male and female, and retain them as slaves in lieu of pay. He was also prohibited from reducing the slaves to the state of eunuchs, a common practice in Egypt.

The Pacha pointed out to me how impossible it was to comply with the firman relative to the hereditary title. That in the first place, with respect to the Porte choosing his successor from any of his family, that it was a blow directed against Ibrahim Pacha, which was both unjust and impolitic. That he was his eldest son, and well worthy of succeeding him; besides which, even if he consented to such a condition, it was by no means clear that Ibrahim would, and even if he did, it would sow the seeds of dissension in his family. That as to the appointment of his officers, it had always been the practice to allow the Pacha of Egypt to appoint them up to the rank of General, and that the proposed restrictions would dissatisfy the army, and probably cause a mutiny. The 3rd Article, stipulating that he was to pay a fourth of the revenue of Egypt to the Porte, appeared to him oppressive to Egypt. He asked my advice how to act in his present position. This was a delicate question; I had no instructions from home, nor from the Admiral, who was at Malta, and no communication of any description from Lord Ponsonby, and simply a letter from Colonel Hodges, stating the fact of the firmans having been sent, and his opinion that the conditions would not be accepted by the Pacha.

The reasons the Pacha gave for rejecting parts of the firman were so just and so strong, that I did not hesitate to express my opinion that they ought not to be accepted, and I advised him to write to the Porte, and respectfully point out the impossibility of his accepting such terms.

I knew in doing this I was taking a good deal of responsibility on myself, as it was probable these terms had been suggested to the Porte by some of the Ambassadors, if not by all; but, being on the spot, and seeing that should Ibrahim, who was at the head of a large army, resist, and be supported in his resistance by the officers of the army, which was pretty certain, the whole country would be thrown into confusion, I knew I should incur censure for not taking upon myself the responsibility of advising the Pacha to adopt what I thought was the safest course. Had the British and the other Consuls been at Alexandria, I should have left it entirely to them.

The following is my letter to Lord Palmerston, relating the whole occurrence:—

“My Lord,

“Stromboli, Alexandria,

Feb. 23, 1841.

“I have the honour of inclosing the translation of the Hatti Scherif, which was brought here by the Turkish Commissioner on the 21st.

“The Pacha has accepted the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Articles, and the part of the 6th which regards the construction of men of war; he begs the Sublime Porte to modify Article 3 as being oppressive to Egypt.

“The first article he considers quite inadmissable, as it would not be acceded to by Ibrahim Pacha, would cause discord in his family, and a civil war at his death. He also objects to the part of Article 6 which relates to the appointment of officers; hitherto they have all been appointed by him, with the exception of General of Division, and a sudden deviation from that system would disorganize the army, and bring his authority into contempt.

“The Pacha has repeatedly consulted me on this subject; and it is a most delicate situation to be placed in, as I cannot know what instructions your Lordship may have given to Lord Ponsonby; but judging of the intentions of the Allies from the Treaty of the 15th July, I cannot think it was contemplated by the Allies to attach such a condition to the hereditary title, and I did not hesitate to tell His Highness as much. It is true I might have preserved silence; but placed as the Pacha at present is, he is sure of turning to some one for advice, and that person would have been the French Consul-General, out of whose hands I have kept him since my arrival here; in fact, he looks up to England for protection and advice, and I believe I am the only person he consults.

“There is a separate firman giving him the pachalic of Nubia for life, with the condition that the chase should be suppressed, and no more eunuchs made. This he has no objection to; and he regrets the Sublime Porte has not taken the initiative and abolished slavery. I have urged him strongly to do this at once; but he says it is surrounded with so many difficulties, that the people’s minds must be prepared before he can venture on such a measure.

“Mr. Larking goes home in the Liverpool in bad health; and he will explain to your Lordship the position of this country, and the anxiety of the Pacha for the friendship of England. The Consuls are not yet arrived from Constantinople, which is to be regretted. I don’t know that I have any right to stay now my mission is finished. Syria is entirely evacuated, and many lives have been lost in consequence of the rejection of the Convention, and the menacing attitude of the Turks, which obliged Ibrahim Pacha to go round the Dead Sea, instead of marching straight on Gaza.

“After the honourable manner the Pacha has behaved about the fleet, it is to be regretted the Porte should have pressed him so hard, particularly as I do not see how they can enforce their demands, and I do not apprehend the Allies will risk another armament to enforce them.

“The Scheiks and Emirs are arrived at Cairo; and they will be sent to Syria immediately on their arrival here.

“February 24. I saw the Pacha last night; he had a very long conversation with the Turkish Minister, who seems to be aware of the impossibility of imposing such terms on the Pacha, and he has sent his steamer to Constantinople for fresh instructions. I do hope they will be more reasonable at Constantinople. I do not think it would have been possible to have concocted a better plan to throw discord and confusion into a country, than the terms they have proposed to him. Egypt is making rapid strides to improvement, and is now beginning to feel the advantages of Mehemet Ali’s system. He is, it is true, an Oriental, and has many mistaken notions; but he must be treated with kindness and consideration.

“A good many Syrians have come into Egypt with the Egyptian army. I have demanded their immediate release; and for the first time, had rather a warm discussion with him on the subject. He promises to send them to their homes; but not till he hears from Constantinople. I regret this, because it will furnish his enemies with weapons against him; but I cannot wonder at his being irritated, because he has not been treated well. He behaved so honourably about the fleet, that he deserved some consideration. Imposing such a heavy tribute on him, will have either the effect of stopping improvement in Egypt, or if he goes on with his public works, he will have to oppress the people, and he was on the point of reducing the poll-tax, when the Hatti Scherif arrived.

“I have, &c.,
(Signed)“Charles Napier.

“To Viscount Palmerston.

“P.S. I have this moment received a letter from Boghos Bey, promising the release of the Syrian troops.”

My last interview with the Pacha was not of a very pleasant nature; for the first time, he neither offered me a pipe, nor took one himself, and was in very ill humour. I pressed him hard about the Syrians, which he evaded; and I told him I should speak to him no more on the subject, but should address an official letter to Boghos Bey; this I did, and he answered, promising their immediate release.

Next morning the Pacha set out for Cairo to see Ibrahim, who, for some reason or other, had declined coming to Alexandria. Seeing that I could be of no further use here, I made up my mind to proceed to join the Powerful in Marmorice Bay, and accordingly paid a parting visit to Boghos Bey. The old man was very civil, and informed me he had orders to present me with a snuff-box set in brilliants. Boghos Bey had before pressed me to receive a large present as a souvenir from the Pacha, which I declined, as being contrary to our rules and regulations; but in this instance he pressed the box, saying it was an Eastern custom, and the grand souvenir should be given at a later period. I replied that I should have had no objection to have taken a small keepsake of little value from the Pacha; but that in my last interview, I did not think he had behaved well, and evaded giving me any answer about the Syrian troops, in which I thought he had not kept his word. I added that he might rely upon it the British Government would insist on the performance of his promise.

I then took leave of Boghos Bey, left Alexandria on the 1st of March, and arrived at Marmorice Bay on the 3rd. I there found orders to proceed to Malta, where I arrived on the 22nd, and was placed in quarantine. The day after my arrival I received a letter from the Commander-in-Chief, which left me in doubt whether the Government had repented their approval of my Convention or not. The letter and answer I insert, together with the Admiral’s further reply:—

“Sir,

“Princess Charlotte, Malta,

March 15, 1841.

“I am desired by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to acquaint you, that whatever may have been the political considerations which induced Her Majesty’s Government to sanction a Convention entered into under the circumstances in which you felt yourself placed, their Lordships fully concur in my opinion of the injury and inconvenience to which Her Majesty’s service may be exposed by a junior officer taking upon himself such a responsibility, which can only be justified by the event as in the present instance.

“I am, &c.,
“Robert Stopford, Admiral.

“Commodore Sir Charles Napier, K.C.B.,

H.M.S. Powerful.”

“Sir,

“H.M.S. Powerful,

Malta, March 28, 1841.

“Had I not received a letter from the Admiralty direct, together with private ones from Lords Minto and Palmerston, approving of the Convention I entered into with Mehemet Ali, which Convention was based on the Treaty of the 15th of July, and approved of by the great Powers of Europe, who are now carrying it out, I should have considered your letter of the 15th of March, communicating their Lordships’ opinion, as intended to convey a sort of censure.

“I am quite aware, when an officer takes upon himself the responsibility I did, there must be strong reasons to justify him; I took the same responsibility at Sidon and Boharsof, and had I been defeated I incurred the same risk of censure, and I trust, as long as I can benefit my country by incurring responsibilityresponsibility, I shall always possess strength of mind to do it.

“I take this opportunity of observing how much I regret that you should have found it necessary, in disapproving of my Convention, to have expressed yourself in such harsh terms of me to Mehemet Ali, which placed me in a most unpleasant situation at Alexandria.

“I have, &c., “Chas.
Napier,

“To Admiral the Hon. Sir Robert Stopford,

G.C.B., G.C.M.G., Malta.”

“Sir,

“Princess Charlotte, at Malta,

March 23, 1841.

“I do not intend to enterto enter into the political merits of your Convention with Mehemet Ali, which has been subsequently sanctioned by Her Majesty’s Government, but as Commander-in-Chief upon this station I think I should have signally failed in my duty if I had not represented to the Admiralty any act of an officer under my command which I considered to be contrary to the rules and customs of the naval service.

“I am not aware of any harsh expression towards your proceedings, in my letter to Mehemet Ali, as I consider the words ‘hasty and unauthorized’ perfectly justifiable under the circumstances of the case, and which accounted for my refusing to ratify the Convention.

“I am, &c.,
“Robert Stopford, Admiral.

“Commodore Sir Charles Napier, K.C.B.,

H.M.S. Powerful.”

On the 31st of the same month, having obtained a month’s leave of absence, I hauled down my broad pennant, and proceeded to England in the Oriental steamer, and arrived at Liverpool in the middle of April.

Clyx.com