XXXII. ambassador, Sir Hamilton Seymour, declared his willing- CHAP. ness, in the event of a partition of the Turkish Empire being agreed to by the European Powers, to permit Egypt and Candia to be ceded to Great Britain. 1833. 41. of views on between the Cabinets of London and These considerations, which suggested themselves so naturally to the statesmen of the two countries that they Divergence may be considered as unavoidable, of necessity led to a the Eastern divergence of views between the Cabinets of France and Question England on the Eastern Question, as soon as the termination of domestic strife, and the stilling of political passions in the two countries, permitted public attention to be turned to foreign affairs, and the lasting national interests of the two countries, rather than their fleeting passions, to be pursued by their respective Governments. France sought to counteract the predominance of Russia at Constantinople by establishing a similar sway at Cairo ; England endeavoured to regain her influence with the Divan by abetting the cause of the Turks in the quarrel with the Egyptians, and making use of her maritime superiority to overawe the government of Mehemet Ali, and secure the means of transit through his dominions to her possessions in the East. These opposite views went far to disturb the entente cordiale between the two nations, and break up that alliance between these ancient rivals which had sprung from identity of political feeling, and had for the time rendered them all-powerful in Western Europe. These tendencies had subsisted for some time without producing any other effect than an increasing coldness between their respective diplomatists, when a series of events occurred which again lighted up the flames of war in the East, and all but brought France and England into open collision. The immediate or at least principal cause of this coldness between France and England, was the cessation of the revolutionary action in Western Europe, and the general calming of the passions which arose from the undisputed triumph of the Conservative principle in Germany, 1838. 42. the coldness of France and England. Commercial treaty be latter and Turkey. June 7, 1838. CHAP. the termination of the civil wars in Spain and Portugal XXXII. by the final defeat of the Carlists, and the establishment of a firm government, based on force and corruption, in Causes of France. These events, by calming the passions, gave room for the revival of differences from interests; and France and England are too near neighbours, and both too powerful, not to have many such causes of discord, tween the when the temporary alliances arising from common feeling come to an end. The East ere long furnished abundant matter for the revival of the old jealousies: England, sensible at last of the immense advantages which Russia had gained in the Euxine during the eclipse of British intellect, under the influence of the Reform delirium, by rendering that succour to the Porte which the Cabinet of St James's had refused, made the greatest efforts, by separate negotiation, to recover its lost ground with the Divan, and these efforts proved in a certain degree successful. In June 1838, Lord Palmerston, then Minister of Foreign Affairs, concluded a treaty of commerce with the Turkish Government, which contained important stipulations in favour of British industry, and in some degree neutralised the advantage gained by Russia by the treaty of Unkiar-Skelessi. By this treaty it was stipulated "that the English ships should enjoy in the Turkish harbours all the advantages accorded to the most favoured nations; that the English merchants should be permitted to purchase every article of rude produce in the Ottoman dominions, subject only to the same duties as the Turkish subjects; free transit and exportation were permitted without paying any duties, and the Dardanelles was thrown open to British commercial vessels, and every facility given to their navigation of the Black Sea." This was the nearest approach yet made in modern Europe to the principles of free trade; and it appears singular, at first tin's Sup., sight, that it should have taken place between the greatest Cap.ix.438. manufacturing and a semi-barbarous State. In reality, however, there was nothing surprising in this: between 1 Treaty, June 7, 1838; Mar iv. 437; XXXII. 1838. such States, free trade is always beneficial, because the CHAP. industry on the opposite sides does not come into collision. It is when they are both in the same line, as both agricultural or both commercial, that the divergence appears, and the danger is experienced. 43. Austria. 1838. This great step towards the re-establishment of British influence in the Levant, was soon after followed by an- And with other hardly less important. This was a treaty of com- July 7, merce with Austria, concluded on terms of entire reciprocity, and which promised to open, in the most advantageous manner, the markets of each country to the staple articles of the other. By this treaty it was provided that the ships of each of the contracting Powers should pay the same duties in their respective harbours; that the goods of the two countries, whether rude or manufactured, should be reciprocally admitted on the same terms, whether passing northward by the Elbe, or eastward by the Danube; and that all merchandise not the produce of the inhabitants of the contracting parties, but brought in by the vessels of the latter, should be charged no higher duties than if they were native produce. This treaty, also, was an application of the principles of free trade to a case in which there could be no doubt of their wisdom; for the Danube and the Elbe were not likely to interfere with any important branch of industry in Great Britain ; and the opening of the markets of the two countries to 1 Cap. ix. their mutual industry was an obvious and reciprocal ad- 442, 444. vantage.1 coldness of with These important treaties, so likely to augment the in- 44. fluence of Great Britain in the Levant, by largely increas- Increasing ing its commercial relations, excited no small disquietude the Porte in the Cabinet of the Tuileries, to whom the ascendancy France. of England in the East was ever more an object of jealousy than that of Russia. Naturally, as the ascendant of Great Britain increased at Constantinople, France endeavoured to find a counterpoise to it in cultivating the closest relations with the Pacha of Egypt. Insensibly XXXII. 1838. CHAP. there arose a kind of tacit and understood accord on the two sides; on that of England with the Sublime Porte, on that of France with the Government of Cairo. The influence of Louis Philippe was visibly declining at Scutari; that of Victoria as evidently at Alexandria. Among other causes of discord between the two former Powers, was a demand on the part of the Porte of an annual tribute from France for Algiers, as coming in place of the Bey, one of the vassals of the Turkish Empire, or the payment of a large sum at once in lieu of it. This was made the subject of a special embassy to Paris, which, as might be expected, when such a demand was addressed to so great a power as France, met with a very cool reAnn. Hist. ception, and was entirely unsuccessful. The very fact of its being advanced at all, proved on what distant terms France and Turkey already were.1 1 Cap. ix. 437, 438; xxi. 332, 341. 45. Mutual recrimina tions of the Porte and Mehemet Encouraged by the prospect of being supported respectively by such great Powers as France and England, the half-smothered animosity between Mehemet Ali and the Porte now broke out afresh, and threatened instant hostilities. Both sides, it must be confessed, had sufficient grounds of complaint. On the part of the former, it was urged, in a diplomatic communication addressed to the consuls of France and England at Alexandria, that it was high time that his ambiguous situation should be terminated, and his just rights openly recognised by the Western Powers; that the best, and in fact the only way to effect this object, was to emancipate him from the sovereignty of the Porte, and put an end to the humiliating tribute, which, without adding to the real strength of Turkey, was a perpetual source of discord between them; and that if France and England understood their real interests, they would, instead of opposing, strongly support such an arrangement. On the other hand, it was urged by the Divan, that the only way to accommodate matters was to restore the sovereignty of the Porte over Egypt, and reduce Mehemet Ali to his proper rank as a CHAP. XXXII. vassal of the Grand Seignior; that as long as Egypt was of 1 1838. Cap. ix. Ann. Hist. 435, 437; xxi. 341, France and avert hos Feeling assured of the support of England in any 46. contest which might take place, the Porte now openly Efforts of made preparations for war. The banks of the Euphrates England to were crowded with troops, the Turkish fleet in the Dar- tilities. danelles was equipped for sea, and large bodies of men were assembled at Constantinople ready to be put on board. The Pacha, on his part, strongly reinforced his forces in Syria, and every preparation was made to put the fleet and batteries of Alexandria in a respectable posture of defence. France and England, however, were still so far united as to be desirous to avert hostilities, and their interposition for a short period prevented them. Admiral Roussin intimated to Redschid Pacha that he had positive orders from his Government not to permit the Turkish squadron to leave the Dardanelles ; * and Lord Palmerston intimated to the Pacha, through the British consul at Alexandria, that if he put in execution his avowed threat of commencing hostilities, the English xxi. 344, squadron would take part with the Turkish to prevent x. 438, 440. the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire.2+ These * "L'Amiral Roussin déclara à Redschid Pacha, d'après les ordres positifs du Gouvernement Français, que la flotte Ottomane ne pourrait sortir des Dardanelles, et que l'escadre de l'Amiral Gallois bloquerait le passage, si on tentait de le forcer."-Note de l'Amiral Roussin, July 27, 1838; CapefigUE, Europe depuis 1830, x. 437. + "Veuillez déclarer au Pacha que, s'il exécute ses projets hautement avoués, et si les hostilités éclatent entre lui et le Sultan, la Grande Bretagne prendra part pour le Sultan, afin de lui faire obtenir la réparation d'une insulte aussi flagrante, et empêcher le démembrement de l'Empire Turc. Le Pacha se * Ann. Hist. 347; Cap. |