10 THE FOURTH WAR : IN SYRIA. 



THE FOURTH WAR : IN SYRIA. 



1840. 



Her Majesty had not been three years on the Throne ere the vexed 

 Eastern Question first began to disturb the minds of her Government 

 and the general peace of Europe; and it arose from a declaration of 

 independence by the Pacha of Egypt, and his refusal to pay for the 

 future any tribute to the Porte at Constantinople. 



Mehemet Ali, Pacha of Egypt, had assumed such power in Syria, 

 that his position seemed to endanger the whole authority of the 

 Sultan of Turkey, where, as Viceroy in the government of Egypt and 

 Syria, he had been for some years arrogating to himself all the 

 authority of an independent Prince. 



The Sultan called upon the Great Powers to assist in a settlement 

 of the question between Turkey and Egypt, and between himself and 

 his Viceroy, who threatened to march on Constantinople with a large 

 army, a proceeding which, by the existing Treaty between England, 

 Russia, Austria and Prussia, called for their armed intervention. 



In consequence of this appeal of the Sultan, the Four Great Powers, 

 England, Austria, Prussia and Russia, signed a Convention on July 

 15th, 1840, with Turkey, for the pacification of the Levant. 



Russia viewed the existing War as a revolt of Mehemet Ali against 

 the authority of his Sovereign, the Sultan, and the Four Great Powers 

 were in complete accord as to the necessity of wresting Syria from 

 the hands of the Pacha, Mehemet Ali. 



The English Admiral in the Mediterranean, having received in- 

 structions from the Government, arrived off Beyrout in September, 

 1840, with the combined squadron of the Turkish and Austrian Navy, 

 and the Egyptian Commander was called upon to deliver up the 

 town. 



An amusing episode of this first summons was the reply of Suliman 

 Pacha : — 



" Ne sachant pas lire la language Anglaise, il lui est impossible de 

 repondre a moins que les amiraux ne vent bien lui faire traduire 

 en Francaise, et en Turque ou en Arabe leur communication.'' 



[Not knowing how to read the English language it is impossible to 

 answer, unless they would translate into French, Turkish, or Arabian 

 their communication.] 



The Pacha, refusing a peaceful solution of the matter, soon found 

 to his cost what the communications of the Allied Fleet were, while a 

 land force, under command of Charles Napier, confronted the army 



