304 HISTORY OF THE M'AHAEEES. 



soutli of Hejaz were suppressed by Halil Pasha, 

 who had been sent with a remforcement to Deraiah ; 

 but on finding that the place had surrendered he 

 directed his march on Abu-Arish, of which he took 

 possession ; and in reward for his services was made 

 governor of Mecca. It was at this time that the 

 British authorities in India, in consequence of the 

 depredations committed by the Wahabees on the 

 commerce of the Persian Gulf, made proposals to 

 Ibrahim, through Captain Sadlier, to co-operate with 

 the Egyptian army by sending an expedition against 

 El Katif, which relight produce a diversion in favour 

 of the Turks ; but, as the campaign had already been 

 brought to a favourable conclusion, the aid of an 

 English fleet was declined as unnecessary. 



It may appear surprising that a power so widely 

 extended and so firmly established as that of the 

 Wahabees should have been so rapidly overthrown. 

 Saoud had not only laid the foundation, but organ- 

 ized the political system of a great empire. He 

 would have made himself master of all Arabia had 

 not death arrested him in the midst of his conquests. 

 Bagdad and Bussora would have opened their gates 

 to him ; Syria and Egypt, torn by jarring factions 

 and weakened by revolution, might again have fallen 

 an easy prey to the hordes of the desert. 



Such was the splendid legacy which he bequeathed 

 to his successor ; and never, perhaps, had a^iy prince 

 greater facilities for securing the independence of 

 his nation than Abdallah. But, unfortunately, he 

 inherited not the qualities necessary for following 

 up the brilliant career which his father had pointed 

 out to him. He was brave ; but courage is not the 

 only virtue essential to a sovereign. His inflexible 

 severity alienated the aff'ections of his people ; and 

 his want of military tact was evinced in the numer- 

 ous errors he committed in the progress of the war. 

 Had he known to profit by his advantages, he might 

 have annihilated the Ottoman army, exhausted with 



