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:
“The Sublime Porte,
December 27, 1840.
“Monsieur l’Ambassador,
“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 accept 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 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.
Footnote 1:
See p. 22. The report is given in the _Levant Papers_, Part III., p.
138.
Footnote 2:
See Protocol in the Appendix.
Footnote 3:
See page 39.