The English Fleet winters at Smyrna—Summer Cruise—Insurrection in
Lebanon—Opinion on the proper course of the English Fleet—The
Powerful and Edinburgh sent to Beyrout—Murder of a Frank; conduct of
the French Consul—Insignificance of the Insurrection—Mission of Mr.
Wood—Grievances of the Mountaineers—Author’s Letter to the Egyptian
Admiral—Letter from Souliman Pacha—Suppression of the
Insurrection—Ignorance of the Allied Consuls—Visit to
Tripoli—Excursion into the Mountains—Appearance of the Country—Ships
ordered to Vourla Bay—Author’s Report to the Admiral.
The squadron now consisted of six sail of the line[11], which, by
degrees, were moved up to Smyrna, a much more agreeable anchorage than
Vourla.
Footnote 11:
Benbow, Powerful, Edinburgh, Implacable, Hastings, Belleisle, and
Castor.
I had been confined to my cabin for six weeks with a severe cough, and I
took up my quarters at Boujar, a small village a few miles from Smyrna,
which very soon re-established my health; there was very good English
society at both places, and the time passed agreeably enough.
While the squadron lay at Vourla the sulphur dispute with Naples
commenced; their ports were blockaded, and the Admiral proceeded to the
Bay with three or four sail of the line; this decided measure brought
the King to his senses, and the question was settled through the
mediation of France. On the 4th of June the squadron left Smyrna for a
summer cruise; the French preceded us by a few days. We visited the
beautiful island of Mitylene, which possesses one of the finest harbours
in the world, completely land-locked, and capable of containing any
number of ships; from thence we proceeded to Scio, which had not
recovered from the ravages of the Turks during the Greek insurrection.
The town was still in ruins, and there appeared little probability of it
ever recovering its former splendour. From Scio we returned to Mitylene,
from thence to Mosconisi, and, after visiting the ruins of Assos, passed
between Mitylene and the Main, and anchored in Besika Bay on the 24th.
Here the Gorgon joined, with the intelligence of an insurrection having
broke out in Lebanon; of Mehemet Ali having offered to give up the
Turkish fleet, and of his preparing an expedition to put the
insurrection down. This expedition was chiefly composed of Turkish
frigates, manned with mixed crews, and carrying an army of from 12,000
to 15,000 men, of which 4000 were Turks; thus employing the Sultan’s
ships and troops to put down the Sultan’s subjects, who were anxious to
shake off the yoke of Mehemet Ali. Hosrew Pacha was disgraced about this
time, and a daughter was born to the Sultan; like an expert politician,
Mehemet Ali sent Sami Bey to Constantinople, to compliment his master on
the birth of a daughter, and to express his readiness, now the Grand
Vizier was disgraced, to enter into negociations, and give up the fleet.
This was evidently a blind; and it so far succeeded that a part of the
squadron had actually sailed before his intentions were known; so
secretly and so actively had he carried on the embarkation of the troops
at the arsenal.
Colonel Hodges, the British Consul-General at Alexandria, had given
every facility to the Turkish soldiers and sailors to desert, and when
his conduct was brought before Parliament, Lord Palmerston declared that
though he had no instructions to that effect, he perfectly approved of
his assisting, by every means in his power, the Sultan’s subjects to
return to their allegiance. On that declaration of Lord Palmerston I
founded my opinion that the squadron ought immediately to proceed to the
coast of Syria, seize the Sultan’s ships and troops, and carry them to
Rhodes, till further orders, or allow them to act on the coast of Syria
in assisting the insurrection, as circumstances might point out. Sir
John Louis had no orders on the subject, and did not think proper to
take the responsibility on himself. He, however, sent the Castor and
Cyclops to Beyrout, for the protection of British subjects and property,
and the Gorgon to Malta for instructions; the squadron returned next day
to Vourla, and the Powerful to Smyrna.
In a few days orders arrived from Sir Robert Stopford for the Powerful
and Edinburgh to proceed to Beyrout, but on no account to interfere in
any way with the Egyptian squadron; the Commander-in-chief having taken
the same view of the question as Sir John Louis. The French admiral was,
however, not so certain of our intentions, and he despatched a steamer,
with directions, it is generally supposed, to advise the immediate
return of the Turkish ships to Alexandria. On the 1st of July we sailed
from Vourla, and arrived at Beyrout on the 7th. The Turco-Egyptian
squadron, with the exception of two frigates and several corvettes, had
sailed two days before, on their return to Alexandria, after landing
their troops. The Castor, which was cruising off the port, had seen them
the day before my arrival.
It would have been easy to have come up with this fleet before they
reached their destination, but as my orders were positive not to
interfere, I anchored at Beyrout. Had we sailed from Besika Bay the day
the Castor did, we should have found them at anchor, and it would not
have been difficult to have caused a movement amongst the Turks, which
would have furnished me with an excuse for carrying out my own views,
and I may add, the policy of the Government; but at sea it could not
have been done without a direct interference, from which I was
interdicted; and here I may remark, an officer’s taking responsibility
on himself, and acting without orders, is very different to acting in
direct disobedience of orders, even when satisfied they are erroneous,
and it must be a strong case to justify such a breach of discipline.
On my arrival at Beyrout, I was visited by Mr. Moore, the British
Consul, who gave a most alarming account of the state of the country,
and of the want of discipline and insubordination of the Albanian
troops, who formed part of the Egyptian army under the immediate command
of Souliman Pacha.
The servant of a French nobleman had been murdered, and the Consul of
that nation had rather hastily struck his flag because the murderer was
not immediately executed. He had been tried and condemned, but nothing
would satisfy the Consuls short of his immediate execution, however
contrary to the military law of Egypt, which required the sanction of
the Viceroy. A deputation was sent to Alexandria to demand his
execution, which took place on board the flag-ship there; and on the
return of the deputation the French Consul rehoisted his flag, under a
salute. The French Government disapproved of his conduct, and he was
recalled.
On making inquiry, I found there had been one or two persons murdered by
the Albanian troops, an occurrence not very extraordinary in Eastern
countries, and not to be wondered at when we consider an army of nearly
15,000 men was collected in the neighbourhood of the town. I ascertained
that the French Consul on striking his flag had put his countrymen under
the protection of the Sardinian Consul, except this nobleman, whom Mr.
Moore took charge of, and as it did not appear to me the British Consul
had any authority to make a selection and give protection to this
gentleman, I declined interfering; and a little more experience showed
me that the outrages of the Albanians were as much exaggerated as the
strength and respectability of the insurrection undoubtedly was. Mr.
Wood, one of Lord Ponsonby’s dragomen, had been sent by the ambassador
into the mountains of Lebanon, to ascertain the real strength of the
mountaineers, and at his instigation a petition was signed and sent to
the British Ambassador by five chiefs, one of whom, a sheik of inferior
note, was styled the Seraskier[12]. In fact the insurrection was never
of any consequence. The mountaineers were justly dissatisfied at being
obliged to work in the coal mine of Corneille, and on being required to
deliver up the arms which had been supplied them to assist in putting
down another sect. An attempt was also made to introduce the
conscription, which is quite at variance with their ideas, and is viewed
throughout the whole district of Lebanon with horror and detestation;
moreover, they were oppressed with heavy taxes, the greater part of
which went into the coffers of their own prince, the Emir Bechir; the
odium, however, was thrown on Mehemet Ali, who only received 30,000
dollars annually from the mountains. They were unprovided with either
arms or ammunition, were headed by no chief of note, and never could
assemble, even for a few days, a force of a thousand men; nevertheless
with that number they showed a considerable degree of boldness, and
occasionally advanced to the walls of Beyrout, and fired a few shot into
the town. Mehemet Ali, seeing the danger of a rising in Syria, should
the mountaineers succeed, with his usual promptitude and decision, at
once sent a powerful army to Beyrout; on their arrival, pacific
proposals were sent to the mountaineers, who submitted. The following
morning the greater part of the Egyptian camp was struck, and they
marched to the neighbourhood of Deir el Kammar, the capital of the
mountains; a little resistance was shown by small parties on the first
advance, and the Albanians were sent to disperse them; in accomplishing
this, several villages were destroyed, and they penetrated to the
heights of Brumanah, and burnt the village and convent of Betmarie.
Observing this from the Powerful, I sent the following letter to the
Egyptian Admiral, to which Souliman Pacha replied.
Footnote 12:
See their Petition, in Appendix.
“H.M. S. Powerful, Beyrout,
July 14, 1840.
“Sir,
“I observe with pain and regret that a general conflagration began in
the mountains a few hours after the march of the troops from this place.
Without at all entering into the question of whether the inhabitants of
Lebanon are right or wrong in rising in favour of the Sultan, I do not
conceive that the generals of the Pacha of Egypt can be justified in
carrying on the war against them in the barbarous manner I now see in
operation.
“I write to you, Sir, as an Egyptian admiral, and the officer holding
the highest office now in Beyrout, to request you will immediately
communicate to his Highness Abbas Pacha the horror I feel at witnessing
such acts of useless barbarity, which must lead to the destruction of
thousands of women and children, who can take no part in the
insurrection.
“His Highness Abbas Pacha may rest assured that the five great Powers of
Europe, who are now treating the Eastern question, will not view with
satisfaction the manner he has adopted of putting down the insurrection.
“I have the honour to remain,
“Your obedient servant,
“CHARLES NAPIER.”
“To the Rear-Admiral
Commanding the Egyptian squadron at Beyrout.”
_Souliman’s Reply, translated from the Arabic._
“The letter which has been sent to us in English, with its Arabic
translation, from the senior officer, Captain Napier, commanding the
English vessels in the port of Beyrout, has reached us, and from its
Arabic translation we have understood its meaning.
“On our arrival at the place called Ain-el-Haj-mige, we there found one
or two hundred insurgents, not originally from this place, but from
Balbeck, and from the parts inhabited by mountaineers, who had come
since the insurrection of this mountain, which has since submitted;
they, therefore, knowing themselves guilty, and feeling the hand of
punishment, in order to stir up the inhabitants, set fire to the
different villages, saying, ‘Why have you submitted, and have given up
your arms? we therefore choose to serve you in this manner,’ and to
which the Christians of the mountains can attest and affirm. The
above-mentioned insurgents, being at a place called Mulay, opposite the
camp, some Albanians were sent against them, and drove them away after a
fight; when pursuing them, the aforesaid insurgents, according to their
promise, burnt the villages which they passed through in their flight
and so gained the heights of the mountains; two of these individuals
were caught, and brought in armed, but no injury was done them, and they
were allowed to go after being furnished with a pass. The villages of
Haded, Babda, Soafet, and other large villages like them, besides others
near them, which are under us, have asked for security, which has been
granted, and they have submitted peaceably and given up their arms;
nothing has been done to them, only at the expulsion of the
above-mentioned insurgents, they took from them their animals, arms, &c.
The cavalry of Kabal, being like us troops, know very well the laws of
war, and therefore those who are led astray, must expect to be killed,
destroyed, &c., which they deserve, as they are not children. Still
quarter is given them, as they may have been misled by the insurgents,
and those who are found wounded after a battle are not destroyed.
“But if his Excellency the above-mentioned senior officer intends making
any observations with regard to the movements or actions of the camp,
then it does not appertain to us to answer; we cannot naturally but
follow the instructions of his Highness our Master, the Viceroy. In
consequence, all such answers can be given only by our Master the
Viceroy to the Consuls-General at Alexandria; they alone are competent
to do it, and which we beg to notify to your Excellency.
“(Signed) SOULIMAN PASHA.”
Whether this was well translated or not, and whether what is stated here
is correct, I am not able to say, but I must do them the justice of
observing, that after that remonstrance I had nothing to complain of.
The Egyptian troops marched to the neighbourhood of the Emir Bechir’s
palace, Osman Pacha advanced from Balbeck, and the Emir sent his own
troops to disarm the mountaineers. There were no executions, and only
seven Emirs, at the instigation of the Grand Prince, were sent into
Egypt, and from there were banished to Sennaar.
So badly informed were the allied Consuls, who felt a great interest in
the mountaineers, and believed everything they wished, that for upwards
of a week after the insurrection was put down, they fancied it in full
force, and it was from a French merchant, who showed me a letter from
Souliman Pacha’s secretary, I first learnt the actual state of the
Mountain in the neighbourhood of Beyrout.
I sent the Edinburgh to Tripoli to learn what was passing there, and I
followed on the 18th. On my arrival I found the mountaineers in that
district, with few exceptions, had laid down their arms, and all was
quiet; both ships watered, and returned to Beyrout. The exaggerated
statements of Mr. Wood and Mr. Moore to the ambassador at
Constantinople, who was ready to believe anything to the disadvantage of
Mehemet Ali, had, however, their effect, and no doubt very much
accelerated the signing the Treaty of the 15th of July.
At the very time I was writing to the Admiral that the insurrection was
at an end, he was receiving letters from Constantinople, that it was in
full force. On our return from Tripoli, we made an excursion into the
mountains, on the road to Deir el Kammar, and there we saw nothing like
the ravages of war; the country was beautifully cultivated to the tops
of the highest mountains, and had we not known to contrary, we should
have supposed from the appearance, that it was well governed. Nothing
can be more beautiful than the mountains and villages of Lebanon,
inhabited by a hardy and honest race of beings, and not a spot capable
of cultivation is allowed to lie fallow. Terraces to support the soil
are built up at great expense, and water conducted for irrigation
throughout the mountain. The mulberry-tree is cultivated with great
care, and produces two crops of leaves; the first goes to feed the
silkworms, and the second the cattle in autumn. All kinds of fruit and
vegetables are also produced, and the vine flourishes in great
luxuriance nearly up to the summit of the mountain. As we were winding
along the difficult passes we observed a steam-ship at sea, several
thousand feet below us, making the best of her way to Beyrout, and
before we had finished our repast, which the kindness of Mr. Moore had
provided, we were agreeably surprised by the appearance of Captain
Henderson, of the Gorgon, who had arrived from Alexandria, with orders
to join the Commander-in-chief in Vourla Bay; this was a great
disappointment, as we had projected excursions to Damascus and Balbeck,
and also to the most interesting parts of these beautiful mountains. The
subjoined is my report to the Admiral.
“H.M.S. Powerful, Beyrout,
July 20, 1840.
“Sir,
“A column of the Egyptian army marched to Sidon on the 8th, and returned
on the 12th with a couple of squadrons of cavalry, whom they escorted to
this place. On their march there and back the Albanians committed all
sorts of disorders, burnt three or four villages and two convents, and
even shot the muleteers who carried their baggage, in order to possess
themselves of their animals.
“On the evening of the 13th, the Emir Hallid, second son of the Emir
Bechir, ruling prince of the Mountain, came into Beyrout with 30 horse,
leaving, it is said, 800 men in the neighbourhood, and next day the
Egyptian army was put in motion and marched to the mountains; scarce two
hours had elapsed ere the country was in a blaze, up to the tops of the
highest hills; even the convents did not escape the fury of the
Albanians. I thought it my duty to write on the subject to the Egyptian
admiral, a copy of which letter I have the honour to inclose, together
with Souliman Pacha’s reply. I only received positive information last
night, that the insurrection was nearly put down; in fact, the chiefs,
on seeing the imposing force Mehemet Ali sent against them, gave up the
contest without a struggle. There are still men in arms in the mountains
near Tripoli, but I fear all hope of Syria being relieved from the
oppressive rule of Mehemet Ali by their own exertions is at an end. The
Egyptian admiral sailed from here on the 15th, and was joined off Sidon
by another frigate. There are lying here two Egyptian corvettes and
three brigs; the town and neighbourhood is as quiet as can be expected,
though attempts have been made to excite the Arabs against the
Christians.
“Rejoicings are going on, and are to continue for seven days, in
consequence of the birth of a Sultana, and I hope they will pass off
quietly. However, at any moment, a feeling may be stirred up against the
Franks and Christians, and no one can tell what would be the
consequence; and as they are intermixed in the town there would be no
means of protecting them, or of intimidating the Arabs. Should anything
unpleasant occur I shall do all I can to preserve order.
“The Cyclops joined me on the 14th, and the Alecto on the 20th, to wait
for the India Mail. The Turco-Egyptian squadron arrived at Alexandria on
the 16th, to the great joy of Mehemet Ali. I have every reason to
believe that the French steamer which arrived here the day after the
Cyclops, brought the intelligence of our coming down, which hurried off
the fleet. The French appear to be in favour of Mehemet Ali, and in that
follow the views of the Government. The convents are under French
protection, and their flag is flying in a dozen different places in the
mountains; this gives them great influence. The greater part of the army
is expected back daily, and I presume a part will be sent to Tripoli,
should the insurgents be there in any force; they will also be pressed
by Osman Pacha, who is at Merge.
“There are two French corvettes and a brig here; they appear very busy
in their communication with the convents in Lebanon.
“I have the honour to remain, &c.,
“CHARLES NAPIER.”
“Rear-Admiral Sir John Louis, Bart.”
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