“We leave to your wisdom to do what is necessary.”
On the 30th of December Captain Fanshawe wrote as follows to the Admiral from on board the Stromboli, off Tenedos, and soon after joined him at Marmorice.
“Sir,
“With reference to your orders to me to proceed to Constantinople, and to my letter to you of the 18th instant, I have now the honour to acquaint you that I had no communication from his Excellency Lord Ponsonby from that date until the 27th, when I received a letter from him, relative to the conveyance of Turkish Commissioners in this vessel to Alexandria; and I beg to inclose you copies of the correspondence that in consequence passed between his Lordship and myself, through Mr. Doyle, on the subject; and also to state, that, in pursuance of the intimation from his Lordship, that he was ‘not aware of anything within his competency’ which could be the cause of my detention at Constantinople, and having yesterday afternoon received the accompanying despatch from him for you, I quitted the Golden Horn in the Stromboli, at 9 P.M. yesterday, and am proceeding in her to rejoin you at Marmorice.
| “I have, &c., (Signed) “Arthur Fanshawe, Captain.” |
The despatch referred to inclosed a copy of the official note from the Porte[[3]], announcing the appointment of the Commissioners, and requesting the assistance of the British ships to bring home the Ottoman fleet from Alexandria.
CHAPTER IV.
Disinclination of the Porte to confer the Hereditary Pachalic on Mehemet Ali—Departure of the Turkish Commissioners—Their orders—Opposition of the Austrian, Prussian, and Russian Ministers to the views of Lord Ponsonby—Lord Palmerston’s opinion of his conduct—Rewards conferred on the Officers of the Squadron at Acre—News from England—Approval of the Convention—Instruction of the 15th of December—Lord Palmerston’s Letter to Lord Ponsonby—Prince Metternich and Count Nesselrode, in approval of the Convention.
Though the Porte accepted the submission of Mehemet Ali, it was in no hurry to act, and when it did get in motion, it was far from doing what, I presume, three out of the four Representatives wished and expected.
The Commissioners did not leave Constantinople till the 6th of January, and they had no power to confer the hereditary pachalic on Mehemet Ali; and instead of carrying orders to General Jochmus to suspend hostilities, they brought orders to demand the arms and guns of Ibrahim’s army; which demand was supported by Mr. Wood, the emissary of the Ambassador, and also by General Jochmus[[4]].