Interview of the Author with the Admiral and Sir Charles Smith—Returns
to Beyrout—Urges various enterprises upon the Admiral, which are
disapproved of—Correspondence with the Emir Bechir Cassim—Surrender
of the old Emir Bechir—Retrospect of the Successes of the
Expedition—Speculations as to the Attack upon Acre—Visit to the Emir
at Ammanah—Scenery of Lebanon—Reconnoissance of Ibrahim’s
Position—Letter to the Admiral—Conduct of the Turkish
Authorities—Visit to the Emir’s Palace at Ibteddin—Accident to the
Young Prince—Departure of the Squadron for Acre.
The day after the action of Boharsof I had an interview with the Admiral
and Sir Charles Smith on board the Princess Charlotte. I then stated my
opinion, that Ibrahim should be followed up to Zachle, but this opinion
was ill received, and I retired with the determination of mixing no
further with the military affairs.
After being confined for two days on board the flag-ship with a slight
illness, the natural consequence of the excitement I had been in for a
month too rapidly subsiding, I proceeded to D’Jounie Bay, where the
Powerful and Admiral Walker were still at anchor, and after embarking
all the troops and stores, returned to Beyrout. The weather had been
threatening for some days, and after a few heavy squalls and a slight
gale, which proved to us the insecurity of the anchorage, it again
became fine. The troops were now stationed at Beyrout, Sidon, and Tyre,
and everything indicated a cessation of active measures for the present;
but Acre was still within the reach of the British fleet, and every
officer looked forward with great anxiety for an attack on that
celebrated fortress.
Tripoli was also in the hands of the Egyptians, as was Latakia, and I
repeatedly urged the Admiral to allow me to proceed there, which was
declined; he seemed to have resigned the military authority entirely,
though I never understood that the firman given by the Porte to Sir
Charles Smith, which was merely an authority over the Turkish officers,
in any way superseded the power of the Commander-in-Chief of the allied
forces by sea and land, as he styled himself.
On the 13th October, the Grand Prince arrived at Ammanah with the
mountaineers, to watch Ibrahim and Souliman Pachas, who had intrenched
themselves at Zachle and El Malaka, with upwards of 6000 men and seven
field pieces; they had sent the sick, amounting to 1000, to Damascus.
The advanced posts of the Grand Prince had fallen in with, and made
prisoners, the Emir Meshud and two of his horsemen.
On the 16th the Emir wrote to me as follows:—
“Many of the mountaineers come in for arms. I gave the chiefs of the
village letters to you, and I beg you will give arms to all the people
who have notes sealed by me, and I will drive them from the country.
Please to send me provisions.
“Scheik Dahir Dalhook, with a few men, was coming over, but lost the
road, and Ibrahim Pacha took them and put them to death.”
To this I replied:
“Princess Charlotte, Beyrout,
October 25, 1840, at 5, P.M.
“Prince,
“I no longer command, therefore your communications must be addressed to
Sir Charles Smith, who brought a firman from Constantinople to command
the troops. I long to see you, to congratulate you on all your
successes. I shall be happy to hear from you, and assist you in all your
demands. I am pressing the Admiral to send me to take Tripoli; this will
finish all Lebanon.
“Yours truly,
“CHARLES NAPIER.”
The old Emir Bechir now considering the game up, quitted his palace at
Ibteddin, and came into Sidon with a good escort. Captain Berkeley sent
him to the Admiral at Beyrout. His property was guaranteed to him; and
he was conducted, at his own request, to Malta, with his family. This
Prince was very rich; and had managed to keep his place through all
revolutions for many years; and if he lives, I have no doubt will
succeed in regaining his authority.
A few days after this we received information that the Egyptian force at
Tripoli, consisting of 4000 men, had evacuated the town and blown up the
magazine in the castle, without, however, damaging the city. It was soon
after taken possession of by the mountaineers, and the Egyptians retired
by the road of Balbeck, destroying the villages in their retreat. About
the same time, Latakia and the passes of Adana were abandoned, the
garrisons retiring on Aleppo. Had a little more energy been used by us,
the greater part of these troops must have fallen into our hands.
I believe history does not record such unexampled successes gained in so
short a time by so small a force. We landed on the 10th of September, at
D’Jounie, with 5300 Turks, 1500 marines, and about 100 Austrians; by the
10th of October we had managed to storm and take Sidon, defeat the
Egyptians at Ornagacuan, Ibrahim Pacha at Boharsof, and what between
prisoners and deserters, get possession of 10,000 men, had freed all
Lebanon, and forced Ibrahim to withdraw his troops from Tripoli and
Latakia, abandon the passes of the Taurus, and concentrate the whole of
his army at Zachle and Damascus.
Seeing no further prospect of active operations, I turned my attention,
in common with my brother officers, to the propriety of an immediate
attack on Acre, which I had thoroughly reconnoitred, and felt satisfied
that the ships, in a very short time, would drive the Egyptians from the
guns, if there was a possibility of approaching within a moderate
distance of the walls. The subject was frequently raised on board the
Princess Charlotte and discussed; but whether the Commander-in-Chief was
restricted by orders from home, or was afraid of the lateness of the
season, I am not aware, but certainly much valuable time was lost. The
weather is generally, throughout the Mediterranean, good during the
month of October; and after the little breeze we had, there is what is
called on the coast of Syria, an autumnal summer for six weeks. On the
24th, Admiral Walker was despatched off Acre with several Turkish
ships-of-war to make a demonstration, and I believe to summon the place;
he was there joined by the Revenge, Thunderer, and Pique; they refused
to receive the flag of truce, and Admiral Walker stood in and fired a
few broadsides; but whether the Egyptians either did not think it worth
while to return the fire, or had still some respect for the Sultan’s
flag, they took no hostile notice whatever of this movement. Admiral
Bandeira, who commanded the Austrian squadron, I believe was also
anxious to attack Acre, and thinking it possible that the Egyptians
might surrender to Admiral Walker, very wisely followed him with his
small squadron. I had obtained leave to pay a visit to the Emir Bechir
at Ammanah, and set out at daylight of the 25th, quite convinced that
all hope of attacking Acre was at an end; but when I got half way up the
mountain, to my utter astonishment I observed the Princess Charlotte,
and all the squadron under weigh, with the exception of the Powerful.
This sudden movement, I presume, was occasioned by the Austrian Admiral
starting without orders; and, I suppose, the same reasons that induced
Bandeira to follow Admiral Walker, induced the Commander-in-Chief to
follow Bandeira; but feeling convinced that nothing serious was
intended, I pursued my ride through the beautiful mountains of Lebanon
to the Grand Prince’s head-quarters.
I have travelled in Switzerland and in the Tyrol, and admired the
romantic scenery that you meet with in these fine countries; but still I
give the preference to Mount Lebanon. The whole country is one mass of
rocks heaped one on the other; and every spot of land, capable of
cultivation, is supported by terraces, and irrigated by streams of water
from springs, which are abundant in the mountain. On these terraces the
mulberry-tree is cultivated with great care, and grows with much
luxuriance. Fruit and vegetables of every description are grown in great
abundance. The mountains produce only a sufficient quantity of grain for
three months’ consumption; the other nine months are supplied either
from the plains of the Bekaa, or by importation. The roads throughout
the mountain are purposely bad, to render the passage of artillery
impracticable. This assists the mountaineers in the defence of their
country. The mountain passes are strong, and if bravely defended by
peasants alone, no army, ever so well-disciplined, could obtain
possession of them without immense loss. On approaching Ammanah, we
descried armed peasantry stationed on the various heights to prevent
surprise; and on our arrival at the court-yard of the château in which
the Grand Prince was lodged, some hundreds of men were lounging about in
the gay attire of the mountains, armed at all points. Many horsemen were
also in the court-yard, ready to be despatched to any point whence an
attack might be apprehended.
On entering the château, which certainly had not much the appearance of
the residence of a Prince, I was immediately ushered into his presence.
The old man was sitting cross-legged smoking his pipe, but immediately
rose and embraced me with much warmth, calling me his friend, his
protector and master; praising, with much apparent warmth, the English,
who had come to release the mountaineers from the oppression of Mehemet
Ali. Pipes and coffee were then produced, and after puffing away for a
few minutes, the room was cleared, and an interpreter sent for. The
Prince informed me that he had with him 3500 men; that he was
ill-supplied with provisions and ammunition; that he had constantly
written to the Pacha, but received neither answer or supplies; that the
mountains were too poor to victual his men; and that they would shortly
be obliged to go to their homes, and leave the country exposed. Ibrahim
Pacha, had collected 15,000 men, including 3000 cavalry, at Zachle and
Malaka, the former above the plain, the latter in it, and he could again
enter the mountains when he pleased. He wished to be reinforced by three
Turkish battalions, and he would then answer for preventing Ibrahim
coming again into Lebanon; or if he were supplied with 5000 stand of
arms, he could arm the Druses, and would require no more troops.
As I was anxious to see Ibrahim’s position, the Prince supplied me with
fresh horses and an escort, some of whom had just come over from the
enemy; and we proceeded over the mountain, which was well guarded by
men, both on horseback and foot, perched in different positions, to give
notice of Ibrahim’s movements. An hour brought us in sight of Zachle,
which is on the edge of the hill. There appeared a few intrenchments
thrown up, but I did not think it prudent to descend, not being provided
with the best horses, and having reason to believe that Ibrahim’s
cavalry would have no difficulty in cutting us off, should we approach
too near his den; besides, I was not sure of my escort, who could very
easily have delivered me up to Ibrahim, and as many of them had only
been a few days in the service of the Prince, I did not feel myself
particularly comfortable. After a pleasant ride of a couple of hours we
returned to the Emir’s quarters, where there was a very tolerable repast
prepared for us; we found a good appetite, far preferable to the best
sauces supplied by Gunter in London, or the gourmand at Paris. We
retired at an early hour, but neither to sleep nor rest; our bedfellows
were troublesome, and seemed to think they had a good right to a share
of the dinner furnished us by the Prince.
At daylight we started on our return, and taking the road of Corneille,
passed the coal-mines at which Mehemet Ali obliged the poor Syrians to
work, almost without pay, and proceeded to Salima, a town situated in a
rich valley, the capital of the province of Mitten; we then ascended the
mountain to Brumanah, and got back to Beyrout before sunset.
I was still anxious about the movements of the Commander-in-Chief, and I
desired the Medea to get her steam up, and wrote to him the following
letter:—
“Powerful, Beyrout,
October 26, 1840.
“My dear Admiral,
“As I was going over the hill yesterday morning, to my great surprise, I
saw you and the Edinburgh under weigh; I, however, continued my route to
the Prince, at whose quarters I arrived at two o’clock, at Ammanah, a
small town on this side of the highest mountain of Lebanon. He has with
him 3500 mountaineers, who guard all the passes. He says Ibrahim Pacha
has collected 15,000 men, including 3000 cavalry, at Zachle and Malaka,
the one a little above the plain of the Bekaa, the other in it.
“I got fresh horses, crossed the mountain pass, from whence I saw
Malaka, Zachle, and Balbeck. The Bekaa is a plain separating Lebanon
from Anti-Lebanon; it could not be entered without cavalry, unless our
force was far superior to the enemy. Ibrahim’s intention is evidently to
cover Damascus, but if it is true what a chief has written to the
Prince, who had reconnoitred from the Haouran to the gates of Damascus,
Ibrahim cannot stay where he is, and we ought to be ready to harass his
retreat; if this is not true, the Prince has not a sufficient force to
prevent his penetrating into the mountains, and doing much mischief. If
the Prince had 5000 muskets to arm the Druses, who are all with him, he
would not require troops, but it is absolutely necessary, till arms
arrive, that he should be reinforced by three battalions and four guns.
He is about a day’s march from Beyrout, and it could be done with great
ease in a day and a half. There are many other things which he has
spoken to me about, which I will not trouble you with now, but I have
taken notes, and shall try to get all he wants done either with the
Pacha, or Sir Charles Smith. On my return I found the Benbow, Carysfort,
and Zebra; they have filled up their provisions, and I have desired them
to water. Stewart has sent by this conveyance an account of the stores
on various parts of the coast; it seems important to place them in a
state of security. I feel very uncomfortable at being left behind
without a line from you; my inclinations lead me to follow you this
moment, as I hope you will find Powerful in her place at Acre, but as I
see you are not far off, I send the Medea with letters that have
arrived, and to acquaint you with the arrival of Benbow, Carysfort, and
Zebra, and of my anxious desire to be with you if anything is to be done
at Acre. If I stay here it will absolutely appear as if you were
displeased with my proceedings, taking every ship with you but Powerful.
“I shall anxiously look out for the return of Medea, and probably shall
be under weigh, ready to join you.
“The Austrian steamer Marianne found 265 Turks at Rhodes, landed from a
vessel making water, and very properly embarked them; he has provisions
on board for the Admiral, and wishes to know whether he is to stay here
or go to him.
“Believe me, &c.,
“CHAS. NAPIER.
“P.S.—Two hundred and fifty irregular cavalry have come to-day from the
Haouran; active measures would finish everything in one month.
“C.N.”
“Admiral Sir Robert Stopford,
&c., &c., &c.”
The Admiral only proceeded as far as Sidon, where he fell in with
Admiral Walker and the Austrian squadron. The former went back to Acre
for a day or two, and the two admirals returned to Beyrout.
The Turks had already began their old practices, of treating the
mountaineers with the most perfect contempt; and they were beginning to
doubt very much whether their condition would be changed for the better.
Old Izzet Pacha did not conceal his desire to get rid of the Grand
Prince, and place himself in his palace at Ibteddeen.
As active operations seemed now entirely at an end, notwithstanding the
reinforcements which were constantly arriving, some of whom were sent to
Sidon and Tyre, but none to the mountains, I obtained leave from the
Admiral to pay a visit to the Grand Prince’s palace, and was accompanied
by his nephew, a fine young man of about twenty-two, and next heir to
the government of Lebanon. After a long ride of eight hours, through a
most beautiful mountainous country, we arrived at Deir el Kammar, the
capital of Lebanon, a tolerably well-built small town; as the plague was
said to exist there, we passed on without entering it, and on rounding a
projecting cliff the palace of the Prince opened to our view; it is
situated half way up the mountain, and has a very grand appearance;
above it stands another palace, smaller than the first, and the houses
of two of the Emir’s sons,—they were all in an unfinished state; the
large palace had been, originally constructed in wood, but the late Emir
had been many years employed in converting it into a more solid shape.
The entrance into the courtyard is very strong, and capable of resisting
anything but artillery, which could not easily be brought against it;
the court-yard is large, and surrounded by a high wall, and in the time
of the late prince several hundred armed men were constantly kept in the
barracks adjoining, and a body of horse, richly caparisoned in the
Eastern style, were always ready in the yard. Some of the rooms are
handsome, particularly those of the harem, but mostly unfurnished, the
Emir having removed everything he could to Sidon, and from thence to
Malta. The stables were large and capable of containing five hundred
horses, the greater part of which were gone; the Emir’s stud had been
magnificent, and although the whole of his property was guaranteed to
him, many of the best horses fell into the hands of the Turks. We were
well received by some of the family who remained, and tolerably well
entertained, but even in the palace of the Grand Prince of Lebanon our
slumbers were much disturbed by the occupants he had left behind. After
dinner we visited the small palaces, which were also in an unfinished
state, though built in a tasteful style. On looking at these palaces it
was easy to account for the fidelity of the Emir Bechir to Mehemet Ali;
the fact is, the old man plundered the inhabitants in the most atrocious
manner, confiscated the estates, and put out the eyes of the Emirs he
did not like; Mehemet Ali knew well the importance of keeping him
faithful, and allowed him to do as he pleased in the mountain, and was
content with a very small tribute, not exceeding 30,000 dollars a year.
After breakfast we took leave of our friends and proceeded to Beyrout,
but a sad accident clouded our otherwise pleasant journey. The
mountaineers are good horsemen, and fond of showing off whenever a
little flat ground allows them to exhibit their dexterity in firing off
their muskets and pistols and throwing the d’jerred at full gallop,
reloading in an incredible short time. The young Prince and several of
his attendants, seeing an opportunity for a display, set off at full
gallop; one of his men, close behind him, amused himself by throwing his
musket in the air, to show his dexterity in catching it; it unexpectedly
went off, and shot out both the Prince’s eyes. The poor lad fell
instantly from his horse, and when we came up he was, indeed, in a most
pitiable condition: his eyes hanging out of their sockets, and streaming
with blood; he himself, unconscious of what had happened, was pulling
them out with his fingers, and it was with the greatest difficulty I
could persuade him to desist, and allow them to be bandaged. What an
awful visitation was this! a few minutes before, this youth was full of
life and spirits, the heir to the ruling Prince, in one moment plunged
into eternal darkness; it was a cruel sight. His poor attendant, who had
accidentally done the deed, hung over him more dead than alive; the poor
fellow seemed to suffer more than the Prince himself, who was nearly
unconscious. We were three leagues from the first village, and with
great difficulty succeeded in getting him there, carried in one of our
cloaks. I rode on to Beyrout, and despatched an English surgeon to his
assistance. His sight, as I expected, proved to be gone for ever; but
youth, and the strength of his constitution, in a few months healed his
wounds, and otherwise restored him to perfect health.
On my arrival at Beyrout, to my great astonishment, I found a steamer
had arrived from England with orders to attack Acre. This was, indeed, a
change for the better; there was now no further room for indecision.
Orders were sent to Sidon to march 2000 Turks to the pass of the White
Mountain, about eleven miles from Acre. Want of cavalry limited the
operation of the land force to that movement, as it would not have been
prudent to have exposed the Turkish troops to the Egyptian cavalry in a
country where they could act. 3000 Turks, under Selim Pacha, small
detachments of artillery, of sappers and miners, under Major Higgins and
Lieutenant Aldrich, were embarked in the squadron. On the 30th the
steamer started, and in the night, a breeze springing up, the squadron
followed.