and five thousand fighters. The French state learned of this and sent to the Sultan, threatening to assist the Egyptian army if he made any agreement with the Russians. At this time, General Murray, the envoy of the Khedive, arrived in Alexandria. Muhammad Ali Pasha was concerned with peace, so he tried to delay and procrastinate, showing severity and speaking harshly and rudely to General Murray. General Murray became angry and resorted to threats, giving Muhammad Ali Pasha a deadline. Muhammad Ali Pasha feared the consequences and wrote to his son, Prince Ibrahim, saying, "If you receive my letter in any land, stop until my messenger arrives, then inform Murray of what I have written." Murray, upon hearing this news, spread it far and wide. The Sultan rejoiced, and the Russian state did not doubt its promises to the Sultan thereafter. At this time, they were able to contract with him for mutual defense of all the Ottoman Sultanate's possessions and to occupy any territory they wished with their cavalry, men, or warships at any time. This treaty was named the Treaty of Hunkar Iskelesi. When the powers learned of this treaty, they were displeased, especially France and England, and they strove with all their might to annul it, but they did not succeed, and their efforts failed. France feared that Russia would occupy some of the Ottoman Sultanate's possessions due to this treaty, so it began to watch for opportunities. The Sultan's resolve was strengthened by this treaty, and his back was fortified. He began to prepare and make ready, using trickery to prolong the time of back-and-forth negotiations so that he could gather his scattered troops and unite his banners from those distant lands. It happened that at this time, Zahra Hanem, the widow of Prince Ismail, the third son of Muhammad Ali Pasha, and the daughter of Arif Effendi, the Qadi of the Army of the province of Asia, who was the Sheikh al-Islam at the time in the Sultan's court, arrived at the Sultan's court, intending to visit her father. Some news writers said that the lady's trip to the Sultan's court was not merely for a visit, as many people thought, but rather she was Muhammad Ali Pasha's envoy to gain favor with the Sultan's dignitaries and the state's leaders, and to win over the influential people of the 'Ahl al-Hall wa al-'Aqd' (those who bind and loose) through her father's influence and respected word. She strove and exerted herself, and her father also strove. She remained in this state for days, during which nothing of her actions was hidden from the Sultan's eyes. During this time, the Sultan frequently consulted with the powers about returning Muhammad Ali Pasha to obedience and urged them to support the right and vanquish the false. Whenever the powers presented him with an opinion, he would try to engage them, delay, and respond to them with a beautiful reply, asking them to be more expansive in their advice. (The narrator said) All of this was so that he could seize opportune moments for his purposes. Shortly thereafter, the warship named "The Nile" arrived from Alexandria to transport Princess Zahra Hanem. She sent to ask the Sultan's permission for this, and he granted it, gifting her a precious gift and bestowing some money upon the ship's crew for expenses. He also sent with her Ahmed Fawzi Pasha, one of the warship's officers. When "The Nile" anchored, and Muhammad Ali Pasha learned of Fawzi Pasha's arrival, he feigned ignorance and showed no interest in him. He instructed Habib Effendi to receive him and honor his stay. Habib Effendi provided him with a spacious dwelling and arranged...