*x& 22 Lord Ponsonby, The answer of the Porte to Lord Ponsonby's representations K)8, May l' respecting Mehemet Ali, was given on the 28th of April. It began by referring to a communication from the Internuncio, having for its object to induce the Sultan to abandon his warlike preparations against Mehemet Ali, and to adopt some middle course to put an end to the question respecting him. The Sultan's reply was, that Mehemet Ali had been long making preparations, that he oppressed the people and country under his rule, raised fortifications and levied troops. The Porte, on the other hand, had only very lately raised fortifications, but as the conduct of Mehemet Ali was such as to leave no security to the Porte, the latter had been obliged to send troops and military stores to Sivas and Conia. It would be inconsistent with the relations between the Porte and the Great Powers that the latter should not raise their voice against the rebellion of Mehemet Ali, at the same time that they prevented the Porte from acting; and it was clear that if Mehemet Ali should commit an aggression, the Porte could not remain inactive; and it was equally clear that if Mehemet Ali remained within the limits of his allegiance, the Porte would not have recourse to war. What, however, was to be done to secure the Porte against the projects of Mehemet Ali ? As long as the present state of things existed, there was no security or tranquillity, and the Porte was obliged to maintain an army at a great expence. With regard to the middle course proposed by the Internuncio, that referred to the return of Mehemet Ali to his position as a subject; but that could only be by his delivering up Adanu, Damascus, Aleppo, Seyda, Jerusalem, and Naplous, and by his reducing his forces within the limits compatible with his position as a subject. If the Great Powers would endeavour to create such a state of things, the Sultan would acquiesce in it. With regard to the special communication of Lord Ponsonby, if the British Government was disposed to do an act of friendship and kindness in adhering to a Treaty of Alliance drawn up in the sense just stated, the Porte would accept it with pleasure.

The foregoing answer was contained in a letter from Sayd Bey, the Sultan's private secretary, to Nourri Effendi.

On the 24th of May, intelligence was received in London by telegraph from Marseilles, that Mehemet Ali on the 7th of May, stated to the Consuls of the European Powers in Egypt, that hostilities had commenced in Syria. . „ . ell Two days afterwards despatches were received from Colonel Camp-No.'ae! May 4, bell, by which it appeared that intelligence up to the 27th of April, had 1839. reached Alexandria from Damascus, stating that the forces of the Sultan Col. Campbell. had crossed the Euphrates at Bir, and having thrown up some fortifica-183927' May 5* tions there, had continued their advance. The Egyptian forces in Syria, under the command of Ibrahim Pasha, were being concentrated at Aleppo, sixty miles distant from Bir, but Mehemet Ali had sent orders to Ibrahim Pasha not to make any movement, unless he should receive certain intelligence of the advance of the Sultan's forces, in which case he was to take his measures accordingly.

Foreign Office, May 30, 1839.