lui rappeler les intentions que le Sultan avait spontanément annoncées lui-même dès l'origine de la crise du Levant, intentions qui ont servi de base à la Convention du 15 Juillet.

De plus, les Quatre Cours, en adressant à la Sublime Porte le conseil que la présente communication est destinée à lui réitérer, ont la conviction de ne lui suggérer ni un arrangement dérogatoire aux droits de souveraineté et à l'autorité légitime du Sultan, ni une mesure contraire aux devoirs qu'il appartient au Pacha d'Egypte de remplir, comme sujet du Sultan nommé par Sa Hautesse pour gouverner en son nom une province de l'Empire Ottoman.

Cette vérité se trouve confirmée non seulement par les Articles 3, 5, et 6 de l'Acte Séparé annexé à la Convention du 15 Juillet, mais encore par les instructions que les Quatre Cours ont adressées à leurs Représentans à Constantinople à la suite de la délibération du 15 Octobre.

En effet, par l'Acte susmentionné § 5 il est stipulé que tous les Traités et toutes les loix de l'Empire Ottoman, c'est-à-dire tous les Traités et toutes les loix qui sont aujourd'hui ou qui pourront à l'avenir être en vigueur dans l'Empire Ottoman, s'appliqueront au Pachalic d'Egypte comme à toute autre province de l'Empire.

Cette condition, que les Quatre Cours regardent comme indispensable, constitue à leurs yeux l'un des liens les plus solides pour rattacher l'Égypte à la Turquie comme une partie intégrante de l'Empire Ottoman.

Le § 6 du même Acte porte que les forces de terre et de mer qui pourront être entretenues en Egypte, fesant partie des forces de l'Empire Ottoman, seront toujours considérées comme disponibles pour le service général de l'Etat.

Finalement, par l'instruction concertée à Londres le 15 Octobre, et confirmée par le Mémorandum rédigé le 14 Novembre dernier, il a été formellement reconnu, que si Méhémet Ali ou l'un de ses descendans venait à enfreindre les conditions auxquelles le Gouvernement héréditaire d'Egypte lui aurait été confié, ce titre serait sujet à être révoqué.

Les Soussignés aiment à croire que la complète mise en vigueur des conditions susmentionnées répondrait pleinement aux intentions du Sultan, réaliserait tous les vœux des Quatre Cours Alliées, et accomplirait heureusement l'œuvre de pacification qui a fait l'objet de leurs engagemens mutuels consacrés par la Convention du 15 Juillet. Čar, en effet, par l'accomplissement de ces conditions, les objets sur lesquels s'est fixée la sollicitude et la prévoyance des Hautes Parties Contractantes, se trouveraient atteints.

Le Sultan serait désormais assuré de l'obéissance et de la soumission de son Pacha, Gouverneur d'Egypte; les populations de cette province seraient mises à l'abri de l'oppression, dont elles ont eu à souffrir durant ces dernières années par les abus de l'administration locale; enfin, Méhémet Ali obtiendrait pour lui-même et pour sa famille une position qui assurerait paisiblement son avenir, sans toutefois porter la moindre atteinte aux devoirs qu'il aura à remplir comme sujet de Sultan.

Les Soussignés, en portant ces considérations à la connaissance de son Excellence Chékib Effendi, le prient de les soumettre sans délai à sa Cour, et d'engager le Gouvernement de Sa Hautesse à y vouer son attention la plus sérieuse.

Ils ont l'honneur d'offrir en même tems à M. l'Ambassadeur de la Sublime Porte Ottomane l'assurance renouvelée de leur haute considération.

(Signé)

ESTERHAZY.
PALMERSTON.
BULOW.
BRUNNOW.

NEUMANN.

Londres, le 30 Janvier, 1841.

(Translation.)

THE Undersigned, Plenipotentiaries of the Courts of Austria, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia, have attentively considered Rechid Pasha's despatch, dated Constantinople, Chewal 13, 1256, (December 8, 1840,) which his Excellency Chekib Effendi, Ambassador of the Sublime Porte, received orders to communicate to Her Britannic Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in order that it might be brought to the knowledge of the Representatives of the Courts who signed the Convention of the 15th of July.

This communication expresses the hesitation which His Highness the Sultan felt to grant Mehemet Ali the hereditary Government of the Pashalic of Egypt.

The Undersigned, after having given to the object of this communication the most serious attention, have unanimously determined to invite his Excellency Chekib Effendi to lay before the Sublime Porte the following considerations in this respect.

They make it their duty, in the first instance, to point out that at the date of Rechid Pasha's above-mentioned despatch, the Representatives of the Four Courts had not yet collectively taken towards the Sublime Porte the step agreed upon in London, on the 15th of October. And it appears from the most recent intelligence received from Constantinople up to the 27th of December, that even at that time, the Representatives of the Four Courts had not yet thought themselves called upon to address to the Ministry of His Highness the advice which they were commissioned to offer it.

In the interval, the intentions of the Allied Courts have remained invariably the same. Separated from each other by great distances, and without having had occasion again to concert together, they have forwarded to their Representatives at Constantinople instructions which bear the character of perfect unanimity.

Her Britannic Majesty's Government addressed to its Representative at Constantinople, instructions to this effect, dated the 17th of December, which serve expressly to confirm those of the 15th of October.

The Court of Vienna forwarded to the Internuncio, on the 29th of last December, positive orders on this same subject.

The Court of Berlin entirely concurred in the instructions concerted in common in London, on the 15th of October, and 14th of November.

The Court of Russia, on the 23rd of December, addressed to its Chargé d'Affaires at Constantinople, orders conceived exactly in the same sense.

The Undersigned, in adverting to these circumstances, allow themselves to believe that the advice which will thus have been given on the part of the Representatives of the Four Courts, will have exercised an essential influence on the opinions which Rechid Pasha has set forth in his above-mentioned despatch of the 8th of December, and will have caused to disappear the doubts which that Minister had expressed, as to the ulterior course to be followed by the Sublime Porte.

Nevertheless, to remove these doubts, and to avoid all loss of time, the Undersigned have deemed it useful not to wait for further reports from Constantinople; and without delaying any longer to reply to the communication of his Excellency Chekib Effendi, they have considered it their duty to express once again to the Ottoman Ambassador, and to record in writing, the opinion of their respective Courts, such as they have already had the honour verbally to communicate it to him.

This opinion invites the Sultan to manifest his Sovereign clemency and generosity so as not only to revoke the Act of deprivation pronounced against Mehemet Ali, but also to promise him that his descendants in the direct line shall be successively named by the Sultan to the Pashalic of Egypt, every time that that post shall become vacant by the death of the preceding Pasha.

In counselling the Sublime Porte to grant this favour to Mehemet Ali, the Four Courts, far from suggesting to His Highness a new idea, only remind him of the intentions which the Sultan had himself spontaneously announced from the commencement of the crisis of the Levant,-intentions which have served for a basis to the Convention of the 15th of July.

Moreover, the Four Courts, in addressing to the Sublime Porte the advice which the present communication is designed to repeat to it, are persuaded that they do not suggest to it either an arrangement derogatory to the rights of sovereignty and to the legitimate authority of the Sultan, or a measure contrary to the duties which it belongs to the Pasha to discharge, as a subject of the Sultan, appointed by His Highness to govern in his name a province of the Ottoman Empire.

This truth is confirmed not only by the IIIrd, Vth, and VIth Articles of the Separate Act annexed to the Convention of July 15, but also by the instructions. which the Four Powers addressed to their Representatives at Constantinople, in consequence of the deliberation of the 15th of October.

In fact, by the fifth paragraph of the above-mentioned Act, it is stipulated that all the Treaties and all the Laws of the Ottoman Empire, that is to say, all the Treaties and all the Laws which are at present, or which may be hereafter, in force in the Ottoman Empire, shall be applied to the Pashalic of Egypt as to every other province of the Empire.

This condition, which the Four Courts look upon as indispensable, constitutes in their view one of the strongest bonds for reuniting Egypt with Turkey, as an integral part of the Ottoman Empire.

The sixth paragraph of the same Act imports that the land and sea forces which may be maintained in Egypt, forming part of the forces of the Ottoman Empire, shall always be considered available for the general service of the State.

Lastly, by the instruction concerted at London on the 15th of October, and confirmed by the Memorandum drawn up on the 14th of November, it was formally admitted, that if Mehemet Ali or one of his descendants should infringe the conditions on which the hereditary Government of Egypt should have been entrusted to him, that title would be liable to revocation.

The Undersigned are fain to believe that the complete enforcement of the above-mentioned conditions would fully answer the intentions of the Sultan ; would realise all the wishes of the Four Allied Courts; and would happily accomplish the work of pacification which forms the object of their mutual engagements recorded in the Convention of July 15. For, in fact, by the accomplishment of these conditions, the objects on which the solicitude and the foresight of the High Contracting Parties has been fixed, would be attained.

The Sultan would henceforth be assured of the obedience and submission of his Pasha, Governor of Egypt; the populations of that Province would be secured from the oppression from which they have had to suffer during these latter years, in consequence of the abuses of the local administration; lastly, Mehemet Ali would obtain for himself and for his family, a position which would peaceably ensure his future existence, without, however, impairing in the least degree, the duties which he will have to discharge, as a subject of the Sultan.

The Undersigned, in bringing these considerations to the knowledge of his Excellency Chekib Effendi, request him to lay them without delay before his Court, and to urge the Government of His Highness to give them its most serious consideration.

They have the honour at the same time to offer to the Ambassador of the Sublime Ottoman Porte the renewed assurance of their high consideration.

My Lord,

Viscount Palmerston to Viscount Ponsonby.

Foreign Office, January 30, 1841. I TRANSMIT to your Excellency a copy of a Note which has been this day addressed by the Plenipotentiaries of the Four Powers to Chekib Effendi, who will send the original of it to his Government this day; and I have to instruct your Excellency to show this note to such of your Colleagues of the Conference of the Four Powers as may not have received it from their Colleagues here.

I am, &c.,

(Signed)

PALMERSTON.

Sir,

No. 147.

Sir John Barrow to J. Backhouse, Esq.

Admiralty, February 1, 1841.

I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit to you the accompanying copy of a letter from Admiral the Honourable Sir

Robert Stopford, Commander-in-Chief of Her Majesty's ships and vessels in the Mediterranean, and of its inclosures, reporting that the Sultan's flag is flying on the Turkish fleet in the harbour of Alexandria, the recall of the Egyptian Army from Syria, and the entire submission of Mehemet Ali to the Sultan; and I am to request that you will lay the same before Viscount Palmerston.

WITH reference to my letter of yesterday, I have great satisfaction in acquainting you for their Lordships' information, that the Sultan's flag is now flying on the Turkish fleet in the harbour of Alexandria, having been hoisted on the 11th instant by Admiral Walker, and saluted by all the shipping in the port. The Pasha has offered him every assistance, and he is now occupied in preparing the ships for sea, putting in here on their way back to Constantinople.

Orders have been sent by the Pasha, with my sanction, for the recall of his army from Syria; and by his entire submission to the Sultan I hope I may now congratulate Her Majesty's Government that this painful and embarrassing Eastern Question is at length happily brought to an end.

For a more particular statement of the circumstances attending the event, I refer you to Commodore Sir Charles Napier's letter of the 11th, which reached me by the "Stromboli" a few hours only after I had despatched the "Hydra" so as to be at Marseilles by the 20th; and to one from Admiral Walker with a procès verbal by Boghos Bey of the conversation between the asha and the Commodore previous to the surrender.

Considering this event of such infinite importance, I am anxious this should reach Her Majesty's Government at the earliest period possible, and have despatched the "Gorgon" with it to Malta on account of the quarantine, with orders to Rear-Admiral Sir John Louis to forward a steamer to Marseilles with Lieutenant Edward Stopford, who has orders to proceed with it to the Admiralty with all possible despatch.

Sir,

Sub-Inclosure 1 in No. 147.

Commodore Napier to Admiral Stopford.

Her Majesty's Ship "Carysfort," Alexandria,
January 11, 1841.

I ARRIVED here in the afternoon of the 8th, and on anchoring, an officer came on board to compliment me in the name of Mehemet Ali, and to say his Highness would be glad to see me as soon as convenient.

I gave the officer to understand I was charged with despatches to Boghos Bey, and after I had delivered them I should have the honour of paying my respects to his Highness.

Between seven and eight in the evening, I repaired to the Palace and delivered to Boghos Bey your letter, and also put into his hands an extract of Lord Palmerston's instructions of the 15th of December, beginning with the words, "Now it is necessary that Sir Robert Stopford."

Boghos Bey, after some explanations on my part, did not seem to be much disappointed at the refusal of the Allies to give a guarantee, but he expressed his dissatisfaction at the word "Hereditary" not appearing in the letter of Rechid Pasha to the British Ambassador, and observed that there would be some difficulty with the Pasha, as he fully expected on his submission the "Hereditary Pashalic of Egypt" would be conferred on him.

On being introduced to the Pasha he was by no means in good-humour, and was evidently disappointed at the communication Boghos Bey had previously made to him.

I acquainted his Highness that I had directions to allow vessels to proceed to Kaiffa to embark the sick, wounded, women and children, and others of the Egyptian army, and that a British officer should accompany the person he sent with directions to evacuate Syria, to see his orders carried into execution; and that I should give every assistance to fit out the Turkish fleet, which I regretted to see in the same state that I had left it. He observed that it was not his fault, that after the agreement I had made with him, the officer had been sent back from Syria with the agreement disallowed. I remarked that the difficulty was now obviated, that the agreement had been approved of in London with the exception of the guarantee.

To this he replied that he did not care so much about the guarantee, but the word "Hereditary" had been left out, that Lord Palmerston's letter to Lord Ponsonby dated the 15th October, which had been made public, decidedly said the Porte would be strongly recommended to give him the Hereditary Pashalic; that in M. Guizot's speech to the French Chambers, he had declared that the Allies would recommend it; and in fine, that the agreement signed by Boghos Bey and myself stipulated that the fleet should be given up on receiving the Official Account that the Sublime Porte would confer on him the Hereditary Government of Egypt; that, notwithstanding this, in Lord Palmerston's instructions of the 14th November, communicated to him by Captain Fanshawe, the word "Hereditary" was left out. But nevertheless he had entirely submitted himself to the will of the Sultan, and asked for no terms, being convinced he would be confirmed in the fullest terms.

After some conversation on indifferent subjects, I took my leave, and was requested to see Boghos Bey the following morning, after the papers had been translated and considered by the Pasha.

At eleven the next morning I waited on Boghos Bey, who again expressed to me the disappointment and dissatisfaction of the Pasha, not so much at the refusal of the guarantee as at the word "Hereditary" being left out in Rechid Pasha's letter; he said the Pasha had done everything he could to gain the goodwill of England; that the interests of Great Britain and Egypt were identified; and he again recurred to the reasons he had to believe he should enjoy the Hereditary Title.

I said I was not without hope that the British Government would still use their influence with the Porte to obtain that point, and that I should do everything in my power to forward the Pasha's wishes, and I had reason to believe they would be complied with.

He requested me to read that part of Lord Palmerston's letter approving of my Convention, which I consented to do, but to be considered as a private communication and not to go further; this he received with much satisfaction, and said if I would read it to the Pasha he was certain it would go a great way to tranquillize him. In the evening I again waited on Mehemet Ali, and I read to him the other part of Lord Palmerston's instructions, which had some effect in putting him in good-humour.

He however still lingered after Syria, and talked a good deal about the impossibility of quitting it till the Spring without a great loss of life and stores, and was anxious that the women and children, and the sick, should be allowed to embark at Beyrout or Sidon, or the most convenient place, should the army be still at Damascus.

I observed on this, that the weather was better now than when the Convention was signed, and was improving every day. That I had no authority to allow any embarkation at Beyrout or Sidon, but that I should direct the officer in command of the Coast of Syria, to give every facility in his power; and that I felt satisfied the best way to ensure the British Government pressing the point of the Hereditary Government was, by throwing no difficulties in the way; that, whether or no, his son would succeed him; and as to a guarantee, he had shown it was more necessary to guarantee the Porte against him than him against the Porte. He was a good deal flattered at this observation, and at last consented to all I requested, and which I got in writing yesterday morning, a copy of which I have the honour to inclose.

The Egyptian steamer started yesterday afternoon, and I send copies of