“To Sir Sydney Smith, K.S.,
“Senior officer of H.M. Ships and Vessels
“employed in the Levant.”
The French were quite ready to take possession of all that the predatory Arab germes were likely to leave on board the Turkish line-of-battle ship. There was of course much less difficulty in getting the Peterel into Aboukir Bay than in navigating the larger corvettes of the Turks; but, where Nelson had brought in his fleet, before the Battle of the Nile, there was water enough for any vessel, if properly handled.
The following letters give the conclusion of the matter:
“His Britannic Majesty’s Sloop Peterel, off Alexandria,
“August 16, 1800.
“Sir,—I avail myself of the present flag to set on shore with an unconditional release eleven Arabs, prisoners of war. Should it be not inconsistent with the instructions you may be acting under, the release of an equal number of the subjects of the Sublime Porte will be considered as a fair return.
“I have the honour to be, &c.,
“Your obedient servant,
“F. W. Austen.
“To General Lanusse,
“Commandant of Alexandria.”
“Peterel, off Alexandria, August 7.
“Sir,—The King George transport is this morning arrived here from Rhodes, and as I find, by the report of the master, that the object of his mission in landing the powder has not been accomplished, I shall send him off directly with orders to follow you agreeable to given rendezvous.... I enclose herewith a letter received five days ago by a Turkish transport from Jaffa; one from myself containing the particulars of the loss of the Turkish line-of-battle ship, a copy of my letter to General Lanusse, which accompanied the Arabs on shore yesterday (the first day since my leaving the Tigre, that the weather has been sufficiently moderate to admit of communicating with the shore), and lastly a letter from the Vizir, which I received yesterday from Jaffa by a Turkish felucca. As the weather becomes more settled I hope to annoy the germes, though I must not count on any support or assistance from the Turks, as Injee Bey, when I first joined him, declared he had received directions from the Capitan Pacha not to molest them. Two of the corvettes are gone to join the Capitan Pacha, but this I learnt only two days after they went. The officer who accompanied the flag yesterday could not obtain any certain intelligence of Captain Boyle and his people, for in answer to his inquiries he was told they were still at or near Cairo.
“I have the honour to be, &c.
“To Sir Wm. Sydney Smith, K.S.,
“Senior officer of H.M. Ships and Vessels
“employed in the Levant.”
This Capitan Pacha was a man of some note. His career is an example of the inefficacy of the greatest talents under such a government as that of Turkey. He was in every way an able man—strong and determined—considering all circumstances not to be called cruel—enlightened in his ideas. His chief lack was that of education, but he was anxious to learn from all. He had great respect for Europeans and sympathy with their outlook. Altogether, though he did a great work for the Turkish navy—improving the construction of the ships—taking care that the officers should be properly educated, and drawing the supply of men from the best possible sources, and all this in a country where reform seemed a hopeless task, yet, so great was the power of his personality, that one is more surprised that he did so little than that he did so much.