The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-12-11 00:00:00

EGYPT

Letters from Alexandria,-by iho Oriental, to the 26th of
November, informs us of two official communications ad-
dressed to the resident consul by the Bon. Captain Walde-
grave, of the Revenge. The second was made to M. Schulz,
consul of the Nctherlans in that city, (and now acting for the
British residents,) in which he declares—" I am directed by
Admiral Sir. R. Stopford, Commander-in-Chief of her Bri-
tannic Majesty's ships in the Mediterranean, to recall any
notice of the mercantile blockade of the port of Alexandria
as far as British men-of-war are concerned. This commu-
nication is dated Nov, 20, 1840, at which period the squadron
consisted of British ships alone ; the Austrians having joined
the fleet on the coast of Syria.

On the 21st dommodOreapier's broad pennant appeared
among the squadron, and on the 22d Captain Maunsell, of
the Rodney, landed with a flag of truce and a letter from the
commodore to the pasha, informing him that the sultan had
been prevailed upon to restore to him the pashalic of Egypt
en heridite", if he immediately withdrew his troops from Syria
and restored the fleet. Captain Maunsell had three inter-
views with the pasha, and returned to the squadron with the
pasha's answer on the night of the 23,
The result of these negotiation is said to be a convention,
by which the pasha promises to evacuate Syria, recail Ibra-
him, and deliver up the Turkish fleet, the commodore gua-
ranteeing to him the possession of Egypt. The official papers
have not yet been forwarded, but no doubt existed as to the
fact of a convention. . .

The Oriental steamer arrived in Alexandria on the morning
of the 18th November, after a voyage from Falmouth of fif-
teen days and sixteen hours, including stoppages. The net
time occupied in steaming on the three stretches was 318
hours ; less by 11 than on the first trip, and less by 37 than
the time allowed by contract. She spoke the Implacable off
the port, heard that all was tranquil ashore, entered the old
harbour amongst the vessels of war, and landed the same
evening the passengers and mails from England and Malta.
The latter consisted of those brought to Malta by the Great
Liverpool (both for India and Egypt), and those for Egypt
only, brought thither by the Acheron and Prometheus ; all
detained by the authorities till the arrival of the Oriental.
The Indian mail brought from Falmouth by the latter steam-
er, added to the liberated Indian mail of the Great Liverpool,
amounted to 108 boxes (27 camel loads), which were des-
patched to Cairo and Suez on the morning of the 19th Nov.,
by Messrs. Briggs and Co., agents of the Oriental and Pe-
ninsular Steam Navigation Company, acting also at present
for the post-office, in the absence of the offieers at Malta.
The pasha continued to afford every fability for the transit
of mails and passengers, and furnished the agents with a fir-
man, to insure a safe and speedy conveyance of the former.
His own cavass conducted the return mail from Suez. It
arrived there in the steamer Victoria on the 19th November,
after a voyage of 18 days from Bombay, and reached Alexan-
dria at two o'clock p.m. on the 23d day of November. On
the representation of Mr. Larking, the Oriental was detained
till noon the next day, November 21, to afford time to com-
plete the preliminary negociations with the pasha, and pre-
pare despatches to England. She was also detained two days
at Aden, where all was tranquil for the last month, by Cap-
tain Haines, in consequence of the alarming official accounts
transmitted to him respecting the state of Egypt. Captain
Ormsby, however, proceeded on his own responsibility, and
found " all right," as usual.

THE MEDEA STEAM-FRIGATE.
The following is an exact account of the accident which has
been already mentioned

" Her Majesty's ship Medea, Alexandria, Nov. 25.
" On the morning of the 20th November, according to the
custom of the squadron, at nine went to general quarters.
Soon after the first lieutenant, Mr. Harvey, the gunner's
mate, Mr. Austen, the gunner, Mr. Couzens, bombardier,
Mr. Buchanan, went into the steerage passage and opened
the shell-room for the purpose of examining six shells, and
to observe that the cap of the fuse was not corroded in the
screw. The had examined five, and were about the sixth and
last, when, upon slightly moving the screw, the fuse in the
most unaccountable manner ignited and blew the cap off, the
fuse being one to burn for ten seconds. Mr. Harvey imme-
diately threw himself down in the captain's cabin, and thereby
escaped the explosion. Austen tried to get up the ladder,
but before he had time the shell burst and blew him up
through the hatch, which was shut. The gunner went down
into the shell-room, but the deck burst in and squeezed him
very much ; and the bombardier it is supposed never moved,
for he was found quite dead close to where they were stand-
ing. The captain was wounded on deck, and the surgeon-
master, who was in the gun-room, and a servant. Those
were all that were hurt : all the bulkheads were blown down,
and everything in the way of fittings and furniture in the
cabins was destroyed by the explosion ; one beam broke, and
some planks blown out of the deck, and all the after part of
the ship very much shaken. The fire was soon extinguished ;
the shell-room and magazine drowned. Several shell-boxes
burst, but no other shells fortunately ignited, and it is almost
a wonder that the magazine was not blown up.
" William Martin, the captain's steward, and also Alex-
ander Murray, were in attendance ; the latter was severely
wounded."