" " * ' " ' " " i i i — — M M H - y r i j f f i ,„•„,„ fitrtmmnii-i«r»ii. , «, . M I . „ , I 10 would reply ; but that England did not appear to understand his position, and how impossible it was for him to leave his family unprovided for: and in reply to some observations of Colonel Campbell, he said that the uncertainty of his position had compelled him to keep up large establishments, and exact heavy imposts; for this the Powers, who kept him in that position, were in some way to blame j and the only remedy was, that he should declare his independence. Colonel Campbell On receiving the despatch No. 19, Colonel Campbell waited on No. 47, July a, ' the Pasha to communicate it: and in reply to his inquiry as to the 1838. meaning of one passage, Colonel Campbell said, that he conceived Great Britain would regard as an act of hostility on his part, any attempt to throw off his allegiance, and would not acquiesce in it. The Pasha said, that this despatch was no reply to his communication of the 25th of May : till such reply was received he would commit no act of aggression. He went on to say, that he had reason to believe the Sultan would listen to his proposals for independence, and he wished to know, whether England and France would oppose such an arrangement. Colonel Campbell said, he thought not, if the act of the Sultan was voluntary ; but he thought that England would not recommend it. The general opinion of all the Consuls at Alexandria, except the French, is, that Mehemet Ali will not forego his views of independence. The late Russian Consul thought otherwise, but Count Medem considers that the Pasha will sooner or later risk everything to obtain it. Mr. Alton, No 10, The French Consul-General appears to have expressed the contrary July 27,1838. opinion to his Government, as the result of a conversation which he had with Mehemet Ali, before he received any instructions from his Government corresponding with those contained in No. 19, to Colonel Campbell. Colonel Campbell, Those instructions indeed did not reach M. Cochelet till the 15th No. 50, July l/, of July, being dated the 23rd of June. He was desired in them to tell 1838. Mehemet Ali, that any attempt to throw off his allegiance would be a direct collision with all Europe, and that France and England specifically were resolved to use coercion to keep him within his allegiance. M. Cochelet told Colonel Campbell that he inferred from Mehemet Ali's language, on receiving this communication, that the Pasha would not commit any unprovoked aggression on the Sultan; that he would not declare his independence, relying upon the good will of France and England ; and that his fleet, after a short cruise on the Syrian and Egyptian coasts, would return into port.

The version, however, of this conversation with M. Cochelet, which the Pasha gave to Colonel Campbell and Count Medem, was far different. It appears that Mehemet Ali, having entered at length into the motives of his conduct, went on to say to M. Cochelet, that he would wait for the answers of the other Crcat Powers, and would, in the interval, engage in no unprovoked hostility with the Sultan: that even, if the answers were negative, he would make a further appeal to the Powers, but if he found he had nothing to hope from them, he would declare himself independent.

The Pasha then said to Colonel Campbell and Count Medem, that, if he chose, he could raise up all Turkey in his favour ; but, that he had reason to hope, that the Capitan Pasha, who he understood was coming from Constantinople, would be the bearer of propositions from the Porte, which would arrange all difficulties. I'o Lord Ponsonby, The Turkish Government having alleged that one of the objects of No. 146, July 23, sending their ileet to sea, was to exercise the crews, Lord Ponsonby was IS38> instructed to offer, that a division of the Turkish fleet might cruise with the British squadron : and in the instructions on this point given to the To Adu'iralty, Admiralty, it is said that the Admiral of the British squadron must bear l838USt a" ' u l m m ( l that the Turkish squadron, while in company with him, is not to commit hostilities with any other vessels; must use his influence, but not force, to prevent such hostilities; and, failing to do so, must separate and take no part in them. Moreover, he must not proceed with the Turkish ships to the coasts of Egypt or of Syria. Lord Ponsonby, The Turkish Government having accepted this proposal, Sir Robert No. 192, August Stopford was directed to make arrangements for acting upon it. 21, 1839.

11 Lord Ponsonby, in a despatch written before he received a copy of To Admiralty, the instruction to Colonel Campbell of the 7th of July, insists upon the September 14, necessity of the British Government using actual force against Mehemet JJ8. Ali, and thereby effecting a cordial union with the Sultan, who his Ex- N°* 18i°nju?y a'u, cellency says, is ready to contract the closest alliance with England, but 1838. who, if England does not act, will undoubtedly throw himself into the arms of Russia, as he will prefer submission to Russia to submission to Mehemet Ali.

Subsequently Lord Ponsonby communicated to Reshid Pasha the Lord Ponsonby, instruction to Colonel Campbell; on which the Pasha expressed the No. 194, August gratitude of the Porte for the friendship manifested towards it by the |?> *,838' „ .. British Government. (The Turkish Minister at Berlin, Kiamil Pasha, N o S " expressed to Sir George Hamilton the same sentiment, with reference to August 29, 1838. this despatch.)

Reshid Pasha told Lord Ponsonby that the Russian Mission had Lord Ponsonby, informed the Porte, that the Emperor had advised the British Govern- * * ° - ] ' A u g u s t ment to send a fleet to Alexandria, as the best means of opposing Me-' hemet Ali, adding, that, if England failed to check Mehemet Ali, Russia had a fleet and army ready to give aid and security to the Sultan : but Reshid Pasha told Lord Ponsonby, that the aid of Russia would neither be asked nor accepted.

A communication was in fact made to Her Majesty's Government C m m t Wi-odc by Count Pozzo di Borgo on the 8th of August, of a despatch from t 0 Count Pozzo di' Count Nesselrode, stating, that the Russian Government was pleased to Borgo, July H> find the views of the British Government correspond with its own 1838, respecting Mehemet Ali. The Russian Government were resolved to discountenance the projects of the Pasha; to keep him within the bounds of his obedience ; and to prevent every thing which might lead to an alteration in the relations between Hie Porte and Egypt. All the Powers, Count Nesselrode says, concur in the opinion, that it is necessary to preserve the affairs of the East in their present position ; to this end all their efforts must be directed; and, with this view, they must seek to destroy the hopes which Mehemet Ali may have formed of being aided in his projects by the jealousies of the Powers;—by declaring to the Pasha that the Powers would not recognize the independence of Egypt, but would consider it as still forming an integral part of the Ottoman Empire, and the relations of Mehemet Ali to the Sultan as still those of a vassal to a Suzerain.

The instructions given to the Russian Consul-General at Alexandria, were to the above purport; but he was desired not to act upon them until the Agents of the other Powers at Alexandria had received instructions ; for the Court of Russia laid great stress upon the communications to Mehemet Ali being simultaneous.

In order, however, still further to satisfy Mehemet Ali that he had no reason to expect a difference of opinion arising between Russia and England on this matter, Count Pozzo cli Borgo was instructed to say « that Russia would see without distrust the appearance of a British naval * force on the coast of Egypt, with the avowed object of retaining the viceroy within the bounds of his allegaince: would approve of the measures which Great Britain might take for that purpose, the rather because the success of those measures would relieve Russia from the imperious necessity of interfering herself in the affairs of Egypt, which she will defer doing as long as possible, but which, at the demand of the Sultan, she will not hesitate to do, if Mehemet Ali commits an unjust aggression.

The knowledge of these sentiments on the part of Russia would prove to the Pasha of Egypt, that it would not be in his power to disturb the unanimity of the Powers with reference to the affairs of the Levant; and the communication thus made to the Court of London would offer a new guarantee for the general peace, in the evidence which it supplied of the confidence which Russia placed in England.

The Russian Government moreover considered it important that the same unanimity which prevailed in the language of the representatives of the Powers at Alexandria, should be exhibited at Constantinople : that friendly language should be addressed to the Sultan ; that it should be announced to him that the whole of Europe would continue to respect *