“The Protocol is substantially correct in statement of what passed, but there are errors in its report of expressions.
| “I have, &c., (Signed) “Ponsonby.” |
The reader will observe, without my pointing it out, from his own letter, and still more from the Protocol, with what diplomatic art the British Ambassador, in opposition to the opinion of the other Ministers, endeavours to gain time. Had he been instructed so to do, he would have shown himself a good diplomatist; but the contrary was the case. Rechid Pasha writes from Constantinople, under date of the 26th of November, to Chekib Effendi at Paris, “That Lord Palmerston was favourable to the reinstatement of Mehemet Ali, and that instructions had been sent to the Ambassador at Constantinople on the subject.” Besides that, he knew of the instructions that Captain Fanshawe had communicated to Mehemet Ali, and which he accepted.
And no Minister of Foreign Affairs could have shown his want of confidence in his Ambassador more distinctly than Lord Palmerston did, by sending his instruction of the 14th of November direct to Sir Robert Stopford, thus completely throwing the Ambassador overboard. And well he did; for he decidedly would have found some means of putting it aside, as he did my Convention. In fact, his Lordship was the cleverest of Ambassadors for evading orders, and, indeed, managed to transfer Downing-street to Constantinople.
The Sultan, however, appeared to be satisfied with Mehemet Ali’s submission; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs wrote to Lord Ponsonby, thus:
“Monsieur l’Ambassador,
“The Sublime Porte,
December 27, 1840.
“I have lost no time in laying before the Sultan the Protocol of the Conference of the 20th of this month; and I am commanded to acquaint your Excellency, that His Imperial Majesty, wishing to prove by a fresh act the moderation of his sentiments, is disposed to accept[accept] the submission of Mehemet Ali, and only awaits the fulfilment of the conditions imposed upon him by the Memorandum of the 14th of November, to consider that submission as complete, and to confirm Mehemet Ali in the Pachalic of Egypt.
“With the view of hastening that fulfilment, and of thus proving more clearly his desire to lend himself, as far as is in his power, to the views of his august Allies, the Sultan has decided that Yaver Pacha (Admiral Walker) and Mazloum Bey shall proceed immediately to Egypt as his Commissioners to receive the Ottoman fleet, and to ascertain that the places described in the Memorandum of the 14th of November are evacuated by the troops of Mehemet Ali.