The Sun.
London, England, 1840-10-03 00:00:00

THE TREATY OF LONDON.

dente.

which included the employment of coercive measures Powers, on the other hand, considered that the further j submit to the arrangements which are to be:pioinittn e 4 • .4----
, _ , I • .1, , , ,:. b—Ar
against Mehemet Ali, continuance of the present state of military occupation him ; and it is obvious that there are many teenca id) .- 1 erne-en.e— -*.e
But the French memorandum states that, "in the of the Sultan's provinces by Mehemet Ali, would be might be urged, and many prudential consiiteiitieneti 1-----4-'4 ;%ses'e,
last circumstances no positive proposition has been destructive of the integrity of the Turkish Empire, and which might be pressed upon the Pacha vrithn'inore j._,
made to France, upon which she was called upon to ex- fatal to its independence. They thought, therefore, effect by France, as a neutral Power, takint rid Iseere rig IQ ~ 7-",
pain herself ; and that, consequently, the determine- that it was necessary to confine Mehemet Ali within those affairs, than by the Four Powers, varo are actively ' ''' '-.
tion which England communicated to her in the memo- narrower limits. engaged in executing the measures of colli4cion. ;nen..
randum of th 17th of July, no doubt in the name of the France, after nearly two months' deliberation, had not But be this as it may, her Majesty's Government '
Four Powers, must not he imputed to refusals which only refused to agree to the plan proposed by the Four feels confident that Europe will acknowledge the inte-
France has not made." This passsee renders it neces- Powers as an ultimatum of concession on their part, but grity of purpose which has actuated the Four Powers
sary for me shortly to recapitulate to you the general had again declared that she could be no party to any on this occasion ; for their object is disinterested and
course of the negotiation. arrangement to which Mehemet Ali should not of his just. They look to reap no selfish advantage from the
The original opinion entertained by her Majesty's own accord, and without coercion, consent. The Four engagements which they have contracted ; they seek to
Government, and which was made known in June, 1839, Powers, therefore, had no other alternative, but either establish no exclusive influence, and to make no terri-
to the other Four Powers, France included, was, that to adopt the principle of settlement pressed upon them tonal acquisition ; and the ends they aim at must be as
the only arrangement between the Sultan and Mehemet by France, and which consisted in recommending to the beneficial to France as to themselves, because France,
AU which could ensure permanent peace in the Levant, Sultan entire submission to the demands of Mehemet like themselves, is interested in the maintenance of the
would be that which should confine Mehemet Ah's de- Ali ;or else to act upon their own principle, which was, balance of power, and in the preservation of general
legated authority to Egypt alone, and should re-esta- that Mehemet Ali should be compelled to agree to peace.
Wish the direct authority of the Sultan in the whole of some arrangement consistent in its form with the rights You will transmit officially to M. Thiers a copy of
Syria, as well as in Candle. and the holy cities ; thus of the Sultan, and compatible in its substance with the this despatch. I am, Fee.,
interposing the Desert between the Sultan's direct autho- integrity of-the Turkish empire. By the first course, (S:gned) PIL MERSTON.
rity and the Province to be administered by the Pacha ; the co-operation of France would have been obtained ;
and her Majesty's Government proposed that, as a by the second course, that co-operation must be fore-
compensation for the evacuation of Syria, Mehemet Ali gone.
should receive the assurance that his male descendants The earnest desire of the Four Powers for the co-
should, succeed him as Governors of Egypt under the operation of France had been sufficiently manifested by
Sultan, the persevering efforts they had made to obtain it dur-
To this proposal the French Government objected, ing me.ny months of negotiation. They well knew its
saying that such an arrangement would undoubtedly be value, not only in regard to the particular object at pre-
the best, if there were the means to carry it into effect, sent. in view, but with reference to the general and per-
but that Mehemet Ali would resist it, and that any manent interests of Europe ; but that which they
measures of force which the Allies might employ to com- wanted, and that which they valued, was the co-opera-
pel him to yield, would produce consequences which tion of France for the purposes of peace ; for the at-
would be more dangerous to the peace of Europe, and tainment of future security to Europe ; for the practi-
to the independence of the Porte, than the present cal execution of principles, which all the Five Powers
state of 'things between the Sultan and Mehemet Ali had concurred in declaring. They valued the co-ope-
could be. But though the French Government thus ration of France, not for its own sake alone, nor for the
declined to agree to the British plan, yet for a consider- advantage and convenience of the moment, but for the
able time afterwards it had no plan of its own to propose. good it was to accomplish, and for the future cense-
However, in Sept., 1839, Count Sebastiani, the quences that were to result from it. They were
French Ambassador at the Court of London, proposed anxious to co-operate with France in doing good ;
that a line should be drawn cast and west, from the sea but they were not prepared to co-operate with
somewhere near Beyrout, to the Desert near Damascus, France to do evil. Therefore, believing, as they
and that all to the south of that line should be adminis- did, that the policy recommended by France
tered by Mehemet Ali, and all to the north of that line, was injudicious, was unjust towards the Sul-
by the direct authority of the Sultan ; and the French tan, was pregnant with future dangers to Europe, was
Ambassador-gave her Majesty's Government to under- at variance with the public engagements of the Five
stand that if such an arrangement were agreed to by all Powers, and inconsistent with the principles which the
the Five Powers, France would, in case of need, unite Five Powers had deliberately professed, the Four
with the other four in the employment of coercive mea- Powers felt that they could not make the sacrifice which
sures to compel Mehemet Ali to submit to it. was required at their hands, as the price of the co-
' But I pointed out to Count Sebastiani that such an operation of France ; if, indeed, that cin be called co-
arrangement would be liable, though in a somewhat less operation, which was to consist in letting events take
degree, to all the objections which apply to the present their own course. Unable, therefore, to adopt the
relative position of the two parties, and therefore could views of France, the Four Powers determined to carry
not be agreed to by her Majesty's Government ; and I into execution their own.
observed that it appeared to be inconsistent that France But this determination had not been unforeseen, nor
should be willing to employ coercive measures against hod its probability been concealed from France.
Mehemet Ali to compel him to subscribe to this arrange- Oa the contrary, at various times during the negotia-
went, which would evidently be incomplete and insuffi- tion, and as early as October last, I had stated to the
cient for its professed purpose, and yet that Prance French Ambassador at this Court, that our desire to
should refuse to employ coercive measures to compel remain united with France on these matters must have
Mehemet Ali to consent to the arrangement proposed a limit ; that we were anxious to go forward with
by her Majesty's Government, which even France her- France, but that we were not prepared to stand still
self admitted would, if carried into execution, be corn- with France ; and that if France could not find the
plete and effectual for its purpose. means of coming to a common understanding with the
To this, Count Sebastian; replied, that the objection Four Powers, she must not be surprised if the Four
felt by the French Government to employ coercive Powers were to come to an understanding together, and
measures against Mehemet Ali; was founded upon do- were to act without her. .
mestic considerations; and that those objections would To this Count Sebastiani replied, that he foresaw
be removed if the French Government were able to that we s'aould do so, and that he would foretell the re-
show to the public and to the Chambers, that it had suit. That we should try to accomplish our own ,:r-
-procured for Mehemet Ali the best terms which could rangement without the participation of France, and that
be obtained for him, and that he had refused to accept we should find our means insufficient ; that France
those terms. . t would remain a perfectly quiet and passive spectator of
This suggestion not having been adopted by her Ma- events ; that after a year, or a year and a half, of un-
jesty's Government, the French Government, on the successful efforts, we should acknowledge that we had
.27th of September, 1839, communicated officially its failed, and should then address ourselves to France ;
own plan, which was, that Mehemet Ali should whole ade and that France, as friendly after our failure as she had
Hereditary Governor of Egypt, and of the of been before our attempt, would give her good offices to
Syria, and Governor for life of Canal, giving up no- arrange matters, and would probably persuade us then
thing but Arabia and the district of Adana. The to agree to things which we declined to consent to now.
French Grovernment, however, did not say that it knew S;inilar intimations were also made to M. Guizot as
that Mehemet Ali would consent even to this arrange. to the course which the Four Powers would probably
['rent , nor did it declare that, if be should refuse to pursue, if they should be unable to come to an agree-
accept it, France would join in coercive measures to went with France. Therefore the French Govern-
compel him to do so. went having declined the ultimatum of the Four
To this plan, of course, her Majesty's Government Powers, and having, in declining it, again laid down a
could not consent, because it would be even more ob- principle of conduct which it knew that the Four Powers
jectionalele than the present state of things ; inasmuch could not adopt, the principle, namely, that no settle-
as by giving Mehemet Au a legal and hereditary went ought to be made between the Sultan and his subject
title to a third of the Ottoman empire, which he now except upon such conditions as the subject might
only occupies by force, it would at twee be a choose spontaneously to accept, cr, in other words, to
virtual, and would at no dis .Int time lead to a real, dictate, the French Government must have been pre-
dismemberment cf that empire. But her Majesty's Go- pared to see the Four Powers determine to act without
vernment, in older to prove its anxious desire to come to France, and the Four Powers, in determining so to do,
an understanding with France on these matters, stated, could not justly be represented as separating themselves
that it would waive its well-founded objection to any cx- from France, or as excluding France from the settle-
tension of Mehemet Ale's authority beyond Egypt, and mrnt of a great European affair. On the contrary, it
would join with the French Government in recommend- was France who separated herself from the Four
ing to the Sultan to give to Mehemet Ali, in addition Powers. For it was France who had laid down for
to the Pachalic of Egypt, the administration of the herself a principle of action, which rendered her co-
lower part of Syria, bounded to the north by a line operation with the other Four Powers impossible.
drawn from Cape Carmel to the southern end of Lake And here, without wishing to indulge in controver-
Tiberias, and to the eastward by the Jordan, the western sial observations on the past, I feel it indispensably ne-
shore of the Dead Sea, and by a line from thence down cessary to remark that this voluntary sepration of ,
to the Gulf of Akaba ; provided that France would France from the Four Powers was not merely evinced
engage to co-operate with the Four Powers in coercive by the course of the negotiations in London, but, un-
tneasures, if Mehemet AL should refuse this offer. les3 her Majesty's Government has been greatly misin-
This proposal, however, was declined by the French formed, it had also taken place in a still more decided
Government, and that Government now declared that manner by the course of the negotiations at Constan.
it could not possibly co-operate in any coercive measures tinople.
'against- Mehemet Ali, and could not therefore be a party The Five Powers had, by the collective note which
to,any:attamtensent; to which, Mehemet Ali should not "was presented to the Porte on the 27th of July, 1839,
.spontaneously consent. by their representatives at Constantinople, declared to
- During the time that this discussion had been going the Sultan that their union was assured ; and they had
on with Frrinee;:a separectsi,negotiation-had.been carried requested him to abstain from any direct negotiation
on between Great Britain and Russia, with every detail with Mehemet Ali, and to make no arrangement with
and step 'of which, however, the French Government the Pacha without the concurrence of the Five Powers.
was regularly made acquainted. The negotiation with And yet her Majesty's Government have good reason
France was suspended for a time in the early part of to believe that for many months past the French re-
this year, first by an expected, and afterwards by an presentative at Constantinople has, with respect to the
actual change of Ministry in , France. But in the be- matters to which that note referred, distinctly separated
ginning of May, the Baron de Neumann and myself France from the other Four Powers, and has earnestly
determined, on the part of our respective Governments, and repeatedly pressed the Porte to negotiate directly
to make one more attempt to bring France to an agree- with Mehemet Ali, and to make an arrangement with
meta with the other Four Powers ; and we resolved to the Pacha, not only without the concurrence of the other
submit to the French Government, through M. Guizot, Four Powers, but under the single mediation of France,
another proposition for an arrangement between the and according to the particular views of the French
Sultan and Mehemet Ali. Government. It is France, therefore, that has sepa-
One objection which had been urged by the French rated herself from the Four Powers, and not the Four
Government to the last British proposal was, that, al- Powers that have separated themselves from France.
though it would give Mehemet Ali the strong defensive With respect to the course pursued by Great Bri-
position extending from Mount Carmel to Mount Tabor, tain, the French Government must admit, that the
it would deprive him of the fortress of Acre. In order, views and opinions of her Majesty's Government upon
therefore, to meet this objection, Baron de Neumann the affairs of the Levant, have never, from the cont-
end myself proposed to M. Guizot that the northern mencernent of these negotiations, varied in the slightest
boundary of that part of Syria which should be a'lmi- degree, except in as far as her Majesty's Government
nistered by the Pacha, should be drawn from Cape has offered to modify those views and opinions for the
Nakhora to the northern end of Lake Tiberias, so as purpose of obtaining the co-operation of France ; and
to include within its limits the fortress of Acre ; and those views and opinions have at all times been frankly
that the eastern boundary should run down along the and unreservedly explained to the French Government,
western bank of Lake Tiberias ; and thence, as before and have been :nest earnestly and constantly pressed
proposed, to the Gulf of Akaba. But we said that the upon that Government by arguments which, to her
Government of this lower pert of Syria could only be Majesty's Government, appeared to be conclusive.
given to Mehemet Ali for his life; and that neither In the early stages of the negotiation, the declara-
England nor Austria could consent to recommend the tions of principle made by the Government of France
grant of hereditary tenure to Mehemet Ali in regard to led her Majesty's Government to imagine that the two
any part whatever of Syria ; and I stated, moreover. Governments could not but agree as to the means of
to M. Guizot, that this proposal was the utmost extent carrying their common principles into execution. If the
to which we could go in the way of concession, in order intentions and opinions of the French Governtne t upon
to obtain the co-operation of .France, and that it was the means of execution differed, even in the outset
therefore our last offer. of the negotiations from those of the British Go-
The Baron Neumann and myself made this commu- vernment, then France has no right to represent,
nication to M. Guizot separately ; Baron tie Neumann as an unexpected schism between England and
on one day, and I upon the next. M. Guizot told me France, a difference which the French Government
ha would report to his Government the proposition I knew all along to exist. If the intentions and opinions
had made, and the statements with which I had accom- of the French Government as to the means of execu-
panied it, and would let me know their reply whenever tion, have undergone a change since the negotiations
he should receive it. began, then France has no right to impute to Great
Soon afterwards the Plenipotentiaries of Austria, Britain a divergency of policy, which arises front a
Prussia, and Russia stated to me, that they had rea- change on the part of France, and not from a change
son to believe that the French Government, instead of on the part of Great Britain. But in any case, when
deciding upon this proposal themselves, had trans- four out of the Five Powers found themselves agreed
upon one course, and when the fifth had determined
mitted it to Alexandria for the decision of Mehemet
Ali. That this was placing the' Four Powers in nego- to pursue a course entirely different, it could not rev.-
tiation not with France, but with Mehemet Ali. That, sonably be expected that the Four should, in deference
besides the delay which would be thereby occasioned, to the fifth, give up opinions in which they were daily
their respective Courts neither intended more and more confirmed, and what r
to a
this was what
consent to do ; and that tire h matter of vital importance to the great and p
to do nor couldaen
Government had thus placed the Plenipotentiaries in a interests of Europe.
very embarrassing situation. I replied, that I agreed But as France still holds to the general principles
which she declared at tbe outset, and
with them in all their objections to the steps which they d in-
still affirms that
bel eyed the French Government to have taken, but that
she considers the maintenance of the indtegr is present
ritty n
M. Guizot had said nothing to me. as to any reference
made, or to be made, to Mehemet Ali. That the dynasty necessary for the preserve i
dependence of the Turkish empiretitroon
oef
th
e balance
as Francea has
French Government was then much occupied by Par- of power, and for the security of peat
wee;hich the Four
liam. entary affairs, and might naturally require some never denied that thebetweenarran
time to give us its answer to our proposal ; and that Powers intend to effectcould
begementhe Sultan and the
executed, be the most
no great practical inconvenience could arise from some Pacha would, if it
trifling delay in this matter. Towards the end of complete and the best ; and
.as the objections of France
but to the means
June —I think it was on the 27th of that month—
haveh applied not to the end'
M. Guizot came to me, and read to me, from a hich that end is to hde,
bauctcotmheplimsheeadu,shinesrunnipieniieount
letter addressed to him by M. Thiers, the answer being that the end was g
of the French Government to our proposal. This or dangerous, her I‘. ajesftrls Gtohveerontmheenrt
Ftrouusrt tphaotwethrse,
Government most deeply regret,
answer was a positive refusal. M. Thiers stated— separation of
.Fran,sce
" That the French Government knew for certain that which her Maj 3_
all, in conjunction with the
Mehemet Ali would not consent to any division of cannot be of lotnheitdFuereartiosnh.
Syria, unless compelled thereto by force. That France For whenb ,
could not co-operate in the employment of force against Sultan, havebrought aboutsuch an arrangement
Mehemet Ali Ali for such a Purpose ; and, therefore, twcen the Porte and its subject as may be compatible
France could not be a party to the proposed arrange- with the Integrity of the Ottoman empire, and with the
future peace of Europe, there will no longer remain any
point of difference between France and the Allies ; and
went:'
r furtheran c e f from o
engage-
g con-age
..—EDIT ED BY
enevaersnu e h
France having thus refused the ultimatum of the p
British Government, it became necessary for the Ple- tnllicenreitsc,ria.onr i
ttlab thenetifrube
teurroneuo
as
Istir.nngol
may
yoe
rapsprpi
prevent
necessary, in Castle, Hampstead.
due
the
i e
er
Powers
nipotentiaries of the Four Powers to consider what cur rine wt
g
-- - eer
Barristers will hold their Courts this
course their Governments should then pursue. T o ART OF ...,EEDLEIVORIC
order to g
in favour of the Sultan,
stability to the good effects of the in- COUNTESSil'
WILT9N. --" Few persons," observes
elaer,r, beet JilaecvkittLahts
THE of
The position of the five Governments was this
ti;alll
in an able review of the above charming work,
five had declared their conviction that it it is essien la
anti to secure the Ottoman •
terpositionivoef
the Times,
history of needlework could
preservation of a empire from a recurrence of ~ would suppose that a be made
for the balance of power, and for the pr d .
de . danger. • • to any but a professed seamstress,
cntertaming . . or that a
the peace of Europe, that the integrity an In Perie ...... , sewing, stitching, darning, and hemming, could
deuce of the Turkish empire under its present. dynasty Her Majesty s Government will look forward "t 1 volume on .
wi ' tarnish intelligence almost as instructive as amusing even
should be maintained ; and all five had Pled deagerness to the
lodged
'nfi them-
liberty • moment when France will thus be at
to a general reader. That such a history can be written is
selves to employ all their means of action and i
Butu-
Powers again to take her plaCe in the union of the Five
proved by the contents of this volume, edited by a Noble
once to maintain that integrity and independen. ; and her Majesty's Government hope that the L.,1,-, well qualified for the task, the Countess of Wilton.
Fiance, on the one hand, contended that the best way arrival
.of that moment will be hastened by the full tier'Ladyship has put together an immense heap of facts,integrity
to of the exertion of !though ,d illustrated them with obe •
te maintain the independence and , the moral influence of France. A observations full of interest, and
de- a'. in live y -
Turkish itiPire.WaS to leave the Sultan to the mercy 1 0,,,e. Feenen Government has, for reasons of itsowne _ written so tve y a style, that what would strike many as
of Mehemet Ali, and to advise the Sultan to submiti clined to take part in measures of coercion against. M c- a dry sub,ect, becomes pleasing by the method in which it
might determine to ' cannot object to is treated. It is an admirable volume, and
to any terms which Mehemet Ali
the Paella to . eesied by ever l d "
insist upon as a sine qua 7lon of peace ; while
the Four I employ its means of persuasion to induce - y a y.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUZ.
SIR,—I have read in ycccrday's Standard, with
measureless indignation (but of course without astonish-
ment), an article in which the writer makes an effort to
infuse into the minds of readers an opinion that
O'Connell, the moral regenerator, whose primal princi-
ple in politics is—" The man who commits a crime
gives strength to the enemy," was the ilstigator to the
fire which has recently o-curred to Devonport.
In order to give something like a semblance of a cause
for O'Connell's being the instigator, the writer of this
piece of diabolism falsely affirms that O'Connell was the
only person in Ireland who would oppose the enlistment
of soldiers and sailors for the army and navy of England
in the event of a war.

This is a pure and gratuitous falsehood. It was I, a
Protestant, who first gave the advice to Ireland last
May, in a public document ; and there arc seven mil-
lions of the people of Ireland prepared to act in accord-
ance with my adjuration.
No man in. existence has the same practical know-
ledge that I have of the working of my great leader's
ethical and political system. as I have been, although a
Protestant, for the last eleven years his head pacificator
of the Catholic peasantry of Ireland.
With respect to what is called " the Repeal of the
Union," I beg to say that this is an utter misnomer ;
there is no Union to be repealed ; the act was perpe-
trated by means so accursed that it was void, ab origine.
I have the honour to be, Sir, with great respect,
Your most obedient humble servant,
THOMAS STEELE,
President of the Limerick Chapter of Liberators.
Saturday, October 3, 1840.

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