CHAPTER XV.

Embarkation of the Egyptians—Mode in which it was conducted—Departure of Ibrahim Pacha—Retreat of Souliman’s Division—Complete Evacuation of Syria—Letter of Lord Ponsonby—Delivery of the Turkish Fleet—Anxiety of Mehemet Ali for the safety of his Army—Letter from Boghos Bey to the Author on the subject.

The season of the year was very unpropitious for embarking troops on the coast of Syria, nevertheless Mehemet Ali, who had no idea of difficulties or the risk he ran of losing his ships at Gaza, which is at the very bottom of the Mediterranean, and from whence there is no escape should the wind blow on the land, sent three transports, two steamers, two corvettes, and a brig of war, from Alexandria, with directions to carry the troops to Damietta. The surf is generally so high on the coast that six days out of seven embarking troops is attended with great danger. The Egyptian admiral and generals were indefatigable in their exertions; they seldom left the beach night or day, and Ibrahim himself, when he recovered, was frequent in his attendance. The poor Arabs, whether sick or well, were obliged to strip, take their clothes on their heads, and wade up to their armpits, and were then bundled into the boats like so much lumber; the women and children were treated in the same manner. Human life is little thought of amongst either Turks or Egyptians.

Ibrahim Pacha remained to the last, and embarked on the 18th of February on board the Hadji Baba, and landed at Damietta; the same day a regiment of cavalry or of cuirassiers, and two corps of irregular horse, marched for El-Arish, and the town was shortly after taken possession of by a Turkish regiment of cavalry.

As to the retreat of Souliman Pacha’s column I am not able to speak very particularly. Some documents that would have given the whole detail, had they arrived, have not reached me. I believe, however, that after parting from the main body at El-Mezereib on the 4th of January, the column reached Maan on the 13th, supplied themselves with provisions, and then pursued their route to Akaba, where the guns and stores were embarked and carried to Suez, to which port the troops repaired overland, and arrived there in tolerable condition and with very little loss, reaching Cairo about the middle of February.

Thus terminated the evacuation of Syria, and after comparing the different reports, the loss of the Egyptians could not have been less than 10,000 men, (besides women and children,) the greater part of whom most probably deserted, and were destroyed by the Arabs. The Turkish army never came in contact with them, except in the affair at Medjdel; they were, however, followed and harassed by irregulars, and also suffered from want of provisions; but under all circumstances the retreat seems to have been well conducted. Ibrahim’s crossing the Jordan was a masterly manœuvre; it alarmed the Turks, saved Gaza, and greatly facilitated his arrival there. The Turkish army appear to have followed a very prudent course by taking up a position to cover Jerusalem, Acre, and Jaffa, thereby securing those places against a breach of faith on the part of Ibrahim, had he entertained any notion of the sort; and it is just as well they never came in contact: Ibrahim was well provided with cavalry, and that is an arm of which the Turkish soldiers are very apprehensive, and I have no idea they could have maintained themselves steady enough in square to resist an attack of cavalry.

Had the Convention been adopted by Sir Robert Stopford in the first instance the loss of life incurred in this retreat might have been saved, and the country would have suffered much less than it did. Nothing has been gained by its rejection; it stipulated for the delivery of the Turkish fleet, the evacuation of Syria, and the confirmation of Mehemet Ali in the hereditary government of Egypt, all of which have now been obtained, with the loss, it is true, of some thousands of human beings, who were not at all interested in the war. General Jochmus thinks that the military question has been decided, and that the Turks drove Ibrahim out of Syria; it is very certain that Ibrahim marched out of Syria, harassed by the different tribes, but the Turkish army might just as well have been at Constantinople; in fact, they were just where they ought to have been, and the only fault committed by the Turkish authorities was giving directions to the different tribes to harass Ibrahim’s retreat, which was quite improper after the unconditional submission Mehemet Ali sent to the Porte by Captain Fanshawe. This submission, too, was well known in Syria at the time they were thus acting, for we learn from Captain Stewart that on the 9th of January the Gorgon arrived at Jaffa, bringing the news that the Pacha’s submission had been accepted by the Porte[[77]].

The British Ambassador, I find, has not hesitated to take upon himself the responsibility of the attempts made by General Jochmus to destroy Ibrahim’s whole army. The following is his letter to Lord Palmerston, for he shall speak for himself:—

“My Lord,

“Therapia, February 23, 1841.