The Sun.
London, England, 1840-12-28 00:00:00

Zbg /411+

LONDON:
MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1840.

IMPORTANT NEWS FROM EGYPT.
The subjoined intelligence from Alexandria,
dated the 12th inst., and published in Second and
Third Editions by our Morning Contemporaries,
created a great stir in the City this morning, as the
first impression made by it was that Admiral n'or-
FORD'S refusal to ratify Commodore NAPIER's
Treaty with MEllEm ET ALI, was tantamount to
a total rejection of the Treaty by the Four Powers.
This impression was happily erroneous ; for
scarcely had Admiral STOPFORD, acting upon his
individual sense of duty, refused to ratify
the Treaty, when Lord PALMERSTON, evi-
dently without being aware of the existence of Com-
modore NAPIER'S Convention, authorised the
Admiral to propose a Treaty for MEHEMET
ALPS acceptance, the same in tenour and in sub-
stance as that already signed by the Commodore
This is a most flattering testimony of the wisdom
of the course pursued by Commodore NAmEn.
In fact, the only difference between
.the Treaty of
Lord PALMERSTON and the Treaty of Commodore
NAPIER is, that the former allows only three days
for the restmation of the Turkish fleet, while the
latter permitted the VICEROY to retain it till the
Porte had revoked the sentence of deposition and
confirmed his Highness in the government of Egypt.
MEHEMET ALI has accepted Lord PALMER
STOWS Treaty, and thus the Eastern Question is
happily in a state of speedy and amicable adjust-
merit. This affords us the greater pleasure, as for
the last ten days the war party in France, and the
Tory press of the Metropolis, have been circulating
rumours of the rejection of Commodore NAPIER'S
convention by the Four Powers, and of their
secretly abetting the determination of the Porte to
carry out the sentence of deposition. These rumours
were repeatedly contradicted in our columns, and
our readers will now see on better authority than any
of the mysterious correspondents of the Times, the
Post, and the trietydd.
It is to be regretted that Admiral RTOPPo an,
who Was a.vare that Commodore NAPIER'S
Treaty was disratthed direct to England from
Alexamitia the day it was signed, anti consequently
would be in the hands of Lord PALMiltte't Oia al-
most as soon as in 144 tuVil) uitt not think it pro-
per to alvsit itratrOctions from England, before !'e-
fusing to ratify it. His abrupt rejection of the
Treaty was a severe censure of the Cohjltct %rine
of the bravest ()Meets that ner trod a quar-
ter-deck; mid at Inc same time was calculated
to utiptess the VICEROY with a COllViaiotl
that he was shamefully trifled with by England.
That Admiral Stot,kottti pLrformed what he
cot stientiotisly believed to be his duty, no person
itiOWing anything of that gallant officer can doubt
for an instant ; nevertheless it may be permitted to
express regret that he did not take a ditierent view
of the line of conduct to be followed on so impor-

tart an occasion,
At the same time that NittlEMltt Ati learned
the refwsal of Achniial 'l=bliVotti) to ratify the
treaty., lte received an overland despatch from his
son li3nAirlllt, statin4. he ‘3.A aitnY
in i;tl,O divisions were in full retreat on Egypt.
(The PActrA says it consists of 30000 men.)
They had kept tol.ltthek• till tho.' at Me.,a-
reib, '80140140A of Lake Tiberias, when one column,
led by himself, crossed rive Jordan and marched
through the Naplais (a dangeieiiS thiotigh
hostile rnpulation), passing between Jaffa and Je-
rusalem, both now in the hands of the SULTAN,
and pursuing the coast Mad to 6a7,a and El
He expected to arrive at the former on the
11th, without baggage or provisions, each man at
starting having only taken a supply for nine days.
The second column was marching by the longer
but safer route, due south, through Batanan, and
the ancient territories of the Ammonites and Moa-
.—qt of the Dead Sea. Want of food and
ulf3?