The Basha, after seeing the wounded man, sent to inquire what manner of sword Mr. Hay had employed which produced such a peculiar and dangerous wound—and was much astonished when shown a light but strong cane with a silver gilt head, formerly the property of Sir Walter Scott, by whom it had been given to Mr. Hay’s father.
The attitude Mr. Hay had adopted in dealing with the barbarous Moorish Government, his firm, upright, and frank policy, began to bear fruit, and in 1850 he writes to his cousin, Mr. R. W. Hay, then Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies:—
I am glad to find that the straightforward course I have always pursued with this Government—though often not very flattering to their vanity and fanaticism—begins to be understood and appreciated, rather than the cajolery they are accustomed to meet with from others.
On the other hand, to Sir Stratford Canning in February, 1851, he says:—
In this country there is nought of interest passing. Our Sultan is a fanatic, and is guided by a set of ignorant and venal ministers, who are doing all they can to ruin the commerce of the country by a system of monopolies. It is no use talking or writing to those who, it appears, won’t or can’t understand.
Their disputes with the French, about frontier, &c., have ceased for the moment, but there are difficulties we must expect to the end of the chapter—or rather, until Algiers becomes Morocco or Morocco part of Algiers.
The difficulties he anticipated were not long in abeyance. In the following December, in a letter to Mme. Marcussen, he tells her:—
The French bombarded Salli on the 25th ult., without giving any notice to us here or to the Sultan or his Government. Not much harm is done to the town: some thirteen persons killed in all, and the French have five killed and thirty wounded. One of their steam frigates was compelled to retire from the combat. After the bombardment they came here, and all the petty affairs they had to settle were settled at once—as they would have been before the bombardment if they would only have been inclined to arrange matters amicably. They saluted the town and peace was concluded. A reference was then made to the Sultan. His Majesty accepts the peace, but asks for explanations about bombardment; so B.[22] has taken umbrage and embarks with all the French subjects, or most of them, leaving the French flag flying and the Sardinian Consul-General in charge. It has been mere bullying; the strong trampling on the weak.
In the midst of these difficulties Mr. Hay continued to press upon the Moorish Government the necessity of a more liberal policy in matters of trade; but French schemes of political aggrandisement and the natural apathy of the Sultan, combined with fear of France, for the time rendered his best endeavours fruitless. In 1853 Mr. Hay seemed as far from his object as ever. Writing in that year to Mme. Marcussen, he says:—
I have been very busy, and have been compelled to suspend all relations with the Moorish Court—though I do not strike my flag. I have given them ten days in which to give way, and have no doubt they will. My demands have reference to our rights in trade in this country, which we are anxious to place on a better footing, not only for Great Britain but for Morocco itself and all countries.