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| “In haste, “Yours very faithfully, (Signed) “Houston Stewart.” |
“To Commodore
Sir Charles Napier, K.C.B.”
The Turks, not aware of the strength of the Egyptians, seemed to await a good excuse to attack them, and this I feared would be afforded them, by the fact that many of the Syrians had accompanied the Egyptian army; the Turks had orders to demand them, and it was stoutly refused by the Egyptians, who had no orders on the subject.
I had before spoken to Mehemet Ali about these people, and he objected, under the plea that it would disorganize Ibrahim’s army even more than the retreat, and if they were allowed to join the Turks they might be turned against him. This was much more than probable, and I in consequence consented that they should be delivered up at Gaza. Mehemet Ali in this case did not keep his word.
Colonel Napier, accompanied by Capt. Ward, had seen Boghos Bey and also the Pacha, on the subject of these despatches. Mehemet Ali declared to them that he had settled with Masloum Bey that they were to come into Egypt, and be sent back from thence. This was not true. I do not believe any such arrangement was entered into with Masloum: on the contrary, he demanded them, and on the Pacha appealing to me I consented to their coming as far as Gaza. The Turks had shown so little good faith since the commencement of the retreat that I am not at all surprised that Ibrahim should put no confidence in them.
On my return to Alexandria I brought the subject of the Syrian troops before the Pacha, who expressed a great unwillingness to leave them behind; and as there was no way of obliging Ibrahim to do this but by violence, and as it is more than probable the Turks would have had the worst of it, I thought it much better, under all circumstances, not to proceed to this extremity, and I wrote as follows to Captain Stewart, and General Jochmus, inclosing a copy of the Convention, in order that the Turks might have no pretext whatever to use force; which I have no doubt they would have done when Ibrahim’s army was weakened by the detachments that were embarked, and sent across the Desert, had it not been for the presence of the British officers, who, however, though with difficulty enough, managed to keep them quiet till the evacuation was completed.
| “Sir, | “H.M.S. Carysfort, Alexandria, Feb. 2, 1841. |
“I beg to inclose you the copy of a Convention entered into by myself and the Egyptian Government, which Convention has been approved of by the British Government and the Allies, and I have been sent by Sir Robert Stopford to carry it into execution.