“And now, in the meanwhile, I receive from the Admiral of the British fleet, his Excellency Sir Robert Stopford, an official despatch written off Cyprus, on the 6th of December, and couched in the sense mentioned below. The Admiral sent to me, at the same time, a copy of the instructions which he had received from his Excellency Lord Palmerston. I see by this communication, that it has been stipulated that I must renew my submission to the Sublime Porte, restoring the Imperial fleet, and causing Syria, Adana, Candia, the Hedjaz, and the two Holy Cities, to be evacuated by the Egyptian troops.
“I perceive that the obtaining my pardon, that my re-admission into the good graces of my Sovereign and master, to whose service I take this opportunity of dedicating my fortune and my life, and the gracious acceptance by His Imperial Majesty of my most humble submission, are the effects of the noble efforts of the high Allied Powers; and thoroughly grateful for all this, I have taken measures for restoring the Imperial fleet. People are actively employed in putting the vessels into a good state; and on the receipt of a firman, making known in what manner it shall have pleased His Imperial Majesty that the fleet shall be delivered up and despatched, I will hasten to conform myself to the sovereign will by carrying the said firman into execution.
“In like manner, as I am ready to withdraw all the Egyptian authorities who are in the Island of Candia, in the Hedjaz, and in the two Holy Cities, on the arrival of His Imperial Majesty’s firman in that respect, the above-mentioned places shall be evacuated without delay by the Egyptian authorities.
“Thus, then, when your Excellency shall, if it please God, have taken cognizance of my prompt submission, carried into effect as above, you will be pleased to lay it at the feet of the clemency of my most august and most powerful Sovereign and Master, of whom I am so proud to be the faithful and submissive servant, and to employ your good offices, in order to cause a man advanced in age, and faithful, who has grown old in his service, to experience without ceasing the effects of his sovereign clemency.
“He who can ordain, will ordain.
(L.S.) “Mehemet Ali.”
The Admiral in the mean time, in consequence of an application from General Michell, who now commanded the English force in Syria, (Sir Charles Smith having returned to England,) sent Captain Stewart, in the Benbow, and several small ships, to Beyrout, with instructions to suspend hostilities until the result of Mehemet Ali’s submission was known; and also authorized the Pacha to send steamers to Caiffa to bring away the sick and wounded; thus putting into execution a part of the rejected Convention.
CHAPTER III.
Captain Fanshawe’s Arrival at Constantinople—Interview with the Grand Vizier—Conference of Ambassadors and Rechid Pacha—Conduct of Lord Ponsonby; his Letter to Lord Palmerston—The Porte accepts the submission of Mehemet Ali—Letter of Rechid Pacha to the Ambassador and of the Vizier to Mehemet Ali—Captain Fanshawe returns to Marmorice.
It has already been shown, that notwithstanding the rejection of the Convention communicated to Mehemet Ali by Captain Fanshawe, he, on the 11th of December, in a letter to the Grand Vizier, sent his unconditional submission; that letter reached Constantinople on the 16th of the same month. Captain Fanshawe, on his arrival, gave in a report of his proceedings to the Ambassador, couched in much the same terms as that to the Admiral already given, and on the 18th he had an audience of the Grand Vizier.[[1]] The Captain was accompanied by Mr. Pisani, and by Captain Codrington and Captain Williams, and he informed the Vizier that he had been ordered by the Admiral to convey to Alexandria a summons to Mehemet Ali to make his submission; this submission he now conveyed to him in an open letter, which he begged to deliver. The Grand Vizier, after having read Mehemet Ali’s letter, said, “The Porte is already aware of these conditions, as is known; but I can tell you nothing upon this great question which the Sublime Porte is treating with the Allied Courts, and which consequently has become a question of foreign policy, belonging entirely to the department of Foreign Affairs, which is acquainted with all the circumstances relating to it better than I am. The Porte will take this question into consideration with the representatives of the Allied Courts, and his Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs will make known the intentions of the Porte to the Allies; I beg you, M. le Capitaine, in the mean time, not to consider my acceptance of this letter from you as an acceptance of its contents.” Captain Fanshawe replied that he also was in nowise authorized to enter into the details of this affair, and that he would learn the result from Lord Ponsonby. The Captain said that Mehemet Ali had given him his word that he would deliver over the Turkish fleet to whatever officer the Porte shall direct to conduct it hither. The Vizier replied, “The fleet is ours; Alexandria is our country; we are perfectly sure of having the fleet sooner or later.” The Captain took the opportunity of speaking of peace between the Sultan and Mehemet Ali. The Grand Vizier replied, “Peace is made between two governments, and not between a sovereign and one of his rebel subjects.”