CHAPTER XII.
Conduct of Mr. Wood—His Letter to the Seraskier examined—His Advice disregarded by the British Officers—Mission of Colonel Alderson to Gaza—Colonel Rose’s Account of the State of Ibrahim’s Army—Colonel Alderson’s Character of Ibrahim Pacha—Death of General Michell.
I do not think blame can be attached to General Jochmus for having done all he could to cripple Ibrahim, if he was acting under proper authority; but whether his orders were from the English Ambassador or the Sultan is not clear: both General Michell and Captain Stewart speak of the Ambassador’s orders[53]. If so, I do not think he was justified in obeying them; on the other hand, if his orders were from the Sultan’s minister, or from the the Seraskier, he was quite right. I think, however, he put too much reliance in the reports that were made to him of numerous loss inflicted on the Egyptian army, which he speaks of with much complacency, and which I hope and believe was very much exaggerated.
As to Mr. Wood, he was quite in a different capacity, and what right he had, as a British subject,to put the interpretation he did on Sir Robert Stopford’s orders, I do not know.
In the first paragraph of his letter[54], he says the women and sick were to be embarked, and that Ibrahim Pacha must provide other means of withdrawing his army; now the despatches say, women, sick, and others of the Egyptian army, which meant any portion that Ibrahim thought proper; but even if the term was not clear, as Syria was to be evacuated without delay, why was Mr. Wood to take upon himself to point out the way in which it ought to be done?
In the second paragraph he says that it is “understood that Ibrahim must re-enter Egypt by the Desert, or by El Arish, which is the direct road, and the easiest; and by leaving the road free, we act in conformity with the desire of Mazloum Bey and of the Commodore, to offer every facility for his retreat without compromising our military position.”
Mazloum Bey, in his letter to the Seraskier, read before the council, according to Mr. Wood, says the impression at Constantinople was that the Egyptian army was disorganized; but that CommodoreNapier undeceived him, and pretended that it was in a situation to resist the Imperial army, and that he did not venture to insist on Mehemet Ali giving up the Syrian conscripts, and his arms, guns, and military stores, agreeably to the orders of the Porte; but as they were on the spot, they must be the best judges whether or no they ought to insist on these two conditions. I do Mazloum Bey the justice of saying that he was much wiser than the Divan, for had he proposed those terms, Mehemet Ali would not have given up one ship.
Mr. Wood then goes on to advise, that in consequence of the complete disorganization of the Egyptian army, the want of provisions, and the small number of men capable of resistance, the destruction of Maan, the passage over the Desert of Souliman, and the retrograde movement of Ibrahim Pacha with a handful of men without artillery, and as there was now nothing to fear from their antagonist, he should be obliged to ask permission to come to Gaza, which should only be granted on condition of giving up the Syrian troops, his guns, stores, and arms.
According to Mr. Wood’s reasoning, this would be, affording him “the facilities required by MazloumBey and Commodore Napier;” and “if he persisted in coming to Gaza without those conditions, he would be the aggressor, and must trust to the consequences.”
He finishes by saying, this is his humble opinion, founded on mature reflection; and he cannot conceal from himself the danger of Ibrahim coming to Gaza, where he might recruit his army, and allow his father to negotiate more advantageously. “Even now,” he adds, “his General at Gaza has instructions not to attack us, but to deliver up Gaza only with his life. From such facts, your Excellency may judge of the bad faith of the vassal who refuses to surrender his arms on the demand of his Sovereign, which renders his submission incomplete, and even doubtful.” Really, Mr. Wood is a true disciple of the Ambassador’s school; he does not perceive that not the Egyptians, but the Turks, were guilty of bad faith from beginning to end; and that, if the officer at Gaza had delivered it up, Ibrahim’s army would have been compromised.
Fortunately for the honour of the Porte there were wiser men on the spot who decided to follow neither the advice of the General nor that of the Diplomatist, and I should like to have seen thefaces of these latter when they heard of the arrival of Ibrahim’s cavalry, and the near approach of the infantry.
Next day the accounts came in of the arrival of the Egyptians, and Captain Stewart most wisely sent Colonel Alderson, at the desire of General Michell, with instructions[56], very properly saying nothingabout the advance by columns of 3000 men. The mode in which Colonel Alderson acquitted himself of his delicate mission may be best told in his own words[55]:—
“Being selected for this duty, I left Jaffa on the afternoon of the 22nd, with my instructions, and arrived the following day at Gaza. I immediately waited on the commanding officer, Achmet Menekli Pacha, the General of Cavalry, who had arrived two days previous, with eight regiments ofcavalry, after much fatigue and suffering, and annoyance also from the attacks of the Arabs in the interest of the Turkish authorities.“On my first interview with the Egyptian General, I urged the necessity of their immediately commencing their retreat, so as not to assemble a large force in Gaza. At first this was stated to be impossible till the arrival of Ibrahim, or orders from him to that effect, but the following morning, on going to see the General at the camp, he agreed to commence the retreat on the 26th, if Ibrahim did not in the mean time arrive, and that a brigade of cavalry, (two regiments) should march daily.“On the 25th, five regiments of infantry arrived, and on the day following, five more, each consisting of four battalions; they were evidently much fatigued and reduced in numbers, and stated that they had not had rations for the last seven, nor water for the last three days.“This day Captain Houston Stewart arrived in the Hecate, with Colonel Rose, who came to go in search of Ibrahim, Rechid Pacha, and Lieutenant-Colonel Napier. We all went to the General Achmet Menekli Pacha’s quarters, to urge the propriety of not obliging the Syrians to return to Egypt, but, as he said he had no powers to interfere, it was determined on sending off a letter to Commodore Napier[57], for an order from Mehemet Ali to this effect, as well as to order Ibrahim toretire in columns of 3000 men, and not assemble a large force at Gaza.“On the 28th a council was held, at which Captain Stewart and myself attended.“We requested that a pledge should be given that Ibrahim would, on his arrival, carry into execution the orders of his father, Mehemet Ali, for the evacuation of Syria. This was at once done without the slightest hesitation. Indeed Hourschid Pacha, a fine old man, with a magnificent white beard, who commanded the irregular force, stated he had been forty years in Mehemet Ali’s service, and during the whole of that period had never once known Ibrahim to refuse to obey his father’s orders.“On receiving this guarantee we, in the name of the united forces of Great Britain, pledged ourselves that no molestation or obstacle should be put in the way of such evacuation, nor any advance of the Turkish troops at Medjdel take place, until I had reported the evacuation complete.“This pledge was approved and confirmed by the Seraskier at Jaffa[58], and the evacuation went on afterwards with confidence.“This measure had become absolutely necessary from the Egyptians’ evident want of confidence in the Turks; they feared that as soon as they had so far weakened their force at Gaza as to be incapable of resistance, the Turks might attack them.“Colonel Rose having been also sent in searchof Ibrahim, with a copy of the Convention, and a letter from General Michell and Captain Stewart, after much disappointment, arising from the determination on the part of the Arabs not to conduct any one to Ibrahim, if indeed they knew where to find him, fell in with him on the 31st (January), in the Desert, about four hours from Gaza, which town he entered with him between 4 and 5P.M.the same afternoon.“The General-in-Chief appeared much fatigued, and very unwell, and had no doubt suffered much on the journey round the east and south sides of the Dead Sea. He brought with him about 5000 troops.”
“Being selected for this duty, I left Jaffa on the afternoon of the 22nd, with my instructions, and arrived the following day at Gaza. I immediately waited on the commanding officer, Achmet Menekli Pacha, the General of Cavalry, who had arrived two days previous, with eight regiments ofcavalry, after much fatigue and suffering, and annoyance also from the attacks of the Arabs in the interest of the Turkish authorities.
“On my first interview with the Egyptian General, I urged the necessity of their immediately commencing their retreat, so as not to assemble a large force in Gaza. At first this was stated to be impossible till the arrival of Ibrahim, or orders from him to that effect, but the following morning, on going to see the General at the camp, he agreed to commence the retreat on the 26th, if Ibrahim did not in the mean time arrive, and that a brigade of cavalry, (two regiments) should march daily.
“On the 25th, five regiments of infantry arrived, and on the day following, five more, each consisting of four battalions; they were evidently much fatigued and reduced in numbers, and stated that they had not had rations for the last seven, nor water for the last three days.
“This day Captain Houston Stewart arrived in the Hecate, with Colonel Rose, who came to go in search of Ibrahim, Rechid Pacha, and Lieutenant-Colonel Napier. We all went to the General Achmet Menekli Pacha’s quarters, to urge the propriety of not obliging the Syrians to return to Egypt, but, as he said he had no powers to interfere, it was determined on sending off a letter to Commodore Napier[57], for an order from Mehemet Ali to this effect, as well as to order Ibrahim toretire in columns of 3000 men, and not assemble a large force at Gaza.
“On the 28th a council was held, at which Captain Stewart and myself attended.
“We requested that a pledge should be given that Ibrahim would, on his arrival, carry into execution the orders of his father, Mehemet Ali, for the evacuation of Syria. This was at once done without the slightest hesitation. Indeed Hourschid Pacha, a fine old man, with a magnificent white beard, who commanded the irregular force, stated he had been forty years in Mehemet Ali’s service, and during the whole of that period had never once known Ibrahim to refuse to obey his father’s orders.
“On receiving this guarantee we, in the name of the united forces of Great Britain, pledged ourselves that no molestation or obstacle should be put in the way of such evacuation, nor any advance of the Turkish troops at Medjdel take place, until I had reported the evacuation complete.
“This pledge was approved and confirmed by the Seraskier at Jaffa[58], and the evacuation went on afterwards with confidence.
“This measure had become absolutely necessary from the Egyptians’ evident want of confidence in the Turks; they feared that as soon as they had so far weakened their force at Gaza as to be incapable of resistance, the Turks might attack them.
“Colonel Rose having been also sent in searchof Ibrahim, with a copy of the Convention, and a letter from General Michell and Captain Stewart, after much disappointment, arising from the determination on the part of the Arabs not to conduct any one to Ibrahim, if indeed they knew where to find him, fell in with him on the 31st (January), in the Desert, about four hours from Gaza, which town he entered with him between 4 and 5P.M.the same afternoon.
“The General-in-Chief appeared much fatigued, and very unwell, and had no doubt suffered much on the journey round the east and south sides of the Dead Sea. He brought with him about 5000 troops.”
Colonel Rose, soon after this, went to Constantinople, and upon his arrival at Therapia, made a report to Lord Ponsonby on the state of Ibrahim’s army, which differs a good deal from that of the other officers. I give a short extract from the document[59].
“When I came up with Ibrahim Pacha’s column, there were two lines of videttes flanking it towards the Syrian side,—mounted and dismounted cavalry—to prevent desertion. I rode for several miles along the column, which was in great disorder—in fact it was quite broken up; groups of men in twos andthrees, some armed, some not, others hardly able to walk. I saw two standards, one without any escort, the other with a guard of two men: they must have belonged to battalions which had been broken up on account of their casualties. Ibrahim Pacha’s own horses had had no barley that day; the troops had been three days without water, and had subsisted chiefly on mule and donkey flesh, which sold at a high price: 200 determined cavalry might have swept away all that part of the column which I saw (I entered it at about two-thirds of its length,) with great ease.“Ibrahim Pacha did not appear pleased when I gave him Mehemet Ali’s letter. He was agitated, and it took him five minutes to read it, although it only consisted of four lines. Whilst he was thus employed, his camel-rider and chief groom were also endeavouring to read it over his shoulder. I rode with him for about four hours, and accompanied him to Gaza; he spoke with considerable bitterness of the Turks. He said, ‘Why have you turned out the Seraskier[60]?’ I said that the Turkish Government had, I believed, recalled him, because they were not satisfied with his conduct. He answered, ‘Oh! they are all alike; they smoke all day, and have people to wash their hands.’ I said, ‘The present Seraskier is a very good man and soldier.’ ‘Oh yes,’ he replied, ‘as long as he is in the saddle; as soon as he sits down he will rob likethe rest’—on which he laughed very much. ‘I am the only man,’ he said, ‘to manage the Arabs and Bedouins, who never had any master before me. I could and did cut off their heads, which the Turks never will do. Lord Palmerston from London, and Lord Ponsonby from Constantinople, will have to come here to manage Syria.’ I said, that certainly they had done so much without coming to the country, that there was no knowing what they might effect, were they actually to do so. He did not look pleased. It appeared to me that he was either affecting high spirits, or that he had been drinking too much. He drank frequently from a bottle which hung in front of his saddle, and I was informed by an Egyptian Colonel of Artillery that it was filled with claret. He talked and laughed constantly with his servants. He is now suffering under a very bad attack of the jaundice, his eyes and head being quite yellow.“His reception at Gaza was remarkable: the people flocked from curiosity to see him, but his entry formed a singular contrast to that of the Turkish troops into the different towns and villages which they had occupied for the first time. In the latter case, the reception was enthusiastic, the men lining the roads and saluting us with all the varieties of an Eastern welcome, and the women crowding the house-tops and making with their tongues that extraordinary noise which is meant to denote extreme pleasure; but with Ibrahim Pacha there wasa look of deep-rooted dislike on the faces of the people, which even their dread of him could not conceal. He, contrary to the Eastern fashion, saluted no one,—not one saluted him; certainly, as an inhabitant afterwards said to me, ‘Not a tongue nor a heart blessed him.’”
“When I came up with Ibrahim Pacha’s column, there were two lines of videttes flanking it towards the Syrian side,—mounted and dismounted cavalry—to prevent desertion. I rode for several miles along the column, which was in great disorder—in fact it was quite broken up; groups of men in twos andthrees, some armed, some not, others hardly able to walk. I saw two standards, one without any escort, the other with a guard of two men: they must have belonged to battalions which had been broken up on account of their casualties. Ibrahim Pacha’s own horses had had no barley that day; the troops had been three days without water, and had subsisted chiefly on mule and donkey flesh, which sold at a high price: 200 determined cavalry might have swept away all that part of the column which I saw (I entered it at about two-thirds of its length,) with great ease.
“Ibrahim Pacha did not appear pleased when I gave him Mehemet Ali’s letter. He was agitated, and it took him five minutes to read it, although it only consisted of four lines. Whilst he was thus employed, his camel-rider and chief groom were also endeavouring to read it over his shoulder. I rode with him for about four hours, and accompanied him to Gaza; he spoke with considerable bitterness of the Turks. He said, ‘Why have you turned out the Seraskier[60]?’ I said that the Turkish Government had, I believed, recalled him, because they were not satisfied with his conduct. He answered, ‘Oh! they are all alike; they smoke all day, and have people to wash their hands.’ I said, ‘The present Seraskier is a very good man and soldier.’ ‘Oh yes,’ he replied, ‘as long as he is in the saddle; as soon as he sits down he will rob likethe rest’—on which he laughed very much. ‘I am the only man,’ he said, ‘to manage the Arabs and Bedouins, who never had any master before me. I could and did cut off their heads, which the Turks never will do. Lord Palmerston from London, and Lord Ponsonby from Constantinople, will have to come here to manage Syria.’ I said, that certainly they had done so much without coming to the country, that there was no knowing what they might effect, were they actually to do so. He did not look pleased. It appeared to me that he was either affecting high spirits, or that he had been drinking too much. He drank frequently from a bottle which hung in front of his saddle, and I was informed by an Egyptian Colonel of Artillery that it was filled with claret. He talked and laughed constantly with his servants. He is now suffering under a very bad attack of the jaundice, his eyes and head being quite yellow.
“His reception at Gaza was remarkable: the people flocked from curiosity to see him, but his entry formed a singular contrast to that of the Turkish troops into the different towns and villages which they had occupied for the first time. In the latter case, the reception was enthusiastic, the men lining the roads and saluting us with all the varieties of an Eastern welcome, and the women crowding the house-tops and making with their tongues that extraordinary noise which is meant to denote extreme pleasure; but with Ibrahim Pacha there wasa look of deep-rooted dislike on the faces of the people, which even their dread of him could not conceal. He, contrary to the Eastern fashion, saluted no one,—not one saluted him; certainly, as an inhabitant afterwards said to me, ‘Not a tongue nor a heart blessed him.’”
Colonel Alderson had necessarily some intercourse with Ibrahim Pacha, and his character of that renowned personage is well worth quoting.
“From the frequent opportunities I had of seeing and conversing with Ibrahim Pacha, (if asking questions through an interpreter deserve that name,) it may be expected of me to give some description of this extraordinary man. His appearance fully corresponds with his known character, a voluptuous despot; one who, to all the vices of the East, adds that of great indulgence in the table.“He is considerably past his prime, being I believe fifty-six or fifty-seven years old, and very fat, with a large full projecting eye, a handsome nose, (like all natives of the East,) a broad forehead projecting over the eyes, then suddenly retiring very much, strongly-marked eyebrows, and a thin gray moustache.“He is evidently a man of considerable talent, and when called for, of great energy, and appeared to have the most unbounded control over those by whom he was surrounded, partly from fear, partlyfrom the known energy and cruelty of his character, and the confidence they had in his succeeding in what he undertakes.“His smile was anything but agreeable, and would, I think, have sat on his features, whether ordering an execution or welcoming a guest.“When amongst his generals, if in a good humour, he showed it by practical jokes, pulling the beard of one, hitting another with his fist, or pushing them about; they seemed to bear it as you would the fondling of a tamed lion or tiger whelp which his master assured you was quite safe, but which you felt might end in something less agreeable if you resented any of his rough jokes.“He has, however, the character of possessing considerable personal courage, and is counted a good soldier, though many think he owes much of his success to the talents of Souliman Pacha.“I did not pay him many gossiping visits, because he was deficient in the usual forms of Eastern courtesy, seldom offering coffee, never pipes; besides, having been so lately in arms against him, I felt I had no right to intrude myself excepting when required to do so in the execution of my duty. This he remarked, and sent his German physician to me to complain of my avoiding him, with some flattering compliments about me as a soldier, and the regard he had for the profession.“I consequently waited on him next day with Lieutenant Loring, R.N.; he received us with loudexpressions of joy, made us sit down, ordered coffee, and, asking if we liked music, sent for an Arab band, consisting of a violin, like a tenor, but with five strings, a dulcimer, and guitar, with two men who sang; the music itself was bearable, but when the men commenced singing at the top of their voices it was anything but harmonious. His Highness certainly has no very refined taste in music.“He was, when we entered, surrounded by his generals playing vingt-un for handfuls of gazees (dollars); he showed his character here too, always ready to back his own play, and was loud in his expressions of delight when successful. He apologized for being found so employed, but said, they had nothing else to do there, but that when at Cairo they had their farms to attend to and plenty of business to occupy their time.”
“From the frequent opportunities I had of seeing and conversing with Ibrahim Pacha, (if asking questions through an interpreter deserve that name,) it may be expected of me to give some description of this extraordinary man. His appearance fully corresponds with his known character, a voluptuous despot; one who, to all the vices of the East, adds that of great indulgence in the table.
“He is considerably past his prime, being I believe fifty-six or fifty-seven years old, and very fat, with a large full projecting eye, a handsome nose, (like all natives of the East,) a broad forehead projecting over the eyes, then suddenly retiring very much, strongly-marked eyebrows, and a thin gray moustache.
“He is evidently a man of considerable talent, and when called for, of great energy, and appeared to have the most unbounded control over those by whom he was surrounded, partly from fear, partlyfrom the known energy and cruelty of his character, and the confidence they had in his succeeding in what he undertakes.
“His smile was anything but agreeable, and would, I think, have sat on his features, whether ordering an execution or welcoming a guest.
“When amongst his generals, if in a good humour, he showed it by practical jokes, pulling the beard of one, hitting another with his fist, or pushing them about; they seemed to bear it as you would the fondling of a tamed lion or tiger whelp which his master assured you was quite safe, but which you felt might end in something less agreeable if you resented any of his rough jokes.
“He has, however, the character of possessing considerable personal courage, and is counted a good soldier, though many think he owes much of his success to the talents of Souliman Pacha.
“I did not pay him many gossiping visits, because he was deficient in the usual forms of Eastern courtesy, seldom offering coffee, never pipes; besides, having been so lately in arms against him, I felt I had no right to intrude myself excepting when required to do so in the execution of my duty. This he remarked, and sent his German physician to me to complain of my avoiding him, with some flattering compliments about me as a soldier, and the regard he had for the profession.
“I consequently waited on him next day with Lieutenant Loring, R.N.; he received us with loudexpressions of joy, made us sit down, ordered coffee, and, asking if we liked music, sent for an Arab band, consisting of a violin, like a tenor, but with five strings, a dulcimer, and guitar, with two men who sang; the music itself was bearable, but when the men commenced singing at the top of their voices it was anything but harmonious. His Highness certainly has no very refined taste in music.
“He was, when we entered, surrounded by his generals playing vingt-un for handfuls of gazees (dollars); he showed his character here too, always ready to back his own play, and was loud in his expressions of delight when successful. He apologized for being found so employed, but said, they had nothing else to do there, but that when at Cairo they had their farms to attend to and plenty of business to occupy their time.”
The second day after the departure of Colonel Alderson, that good and gallant officer General Michell fell a sacrifice to the climate and the fatigue he suffered on the Gaza expedition, and Colonel Bridgeman succeeded to the command.
Colonel Alderson remarks, “The cold caught by General Michell, that wretched night of incessant rain, that followed the affair of Medjdel, under single canvass, acting on a delicate frame, arising from repeated wounds received in an hundred fights,together with, I firmly believe, the mortification he felt at the result of the movement on Gaza, brought on a fever, under which poor Michell sank in a few days. He died at Jaffa on the 24th of January, at noon.
“It falls to the lot of few soldiers to earn so high a reputation in the profession as Brigadier-General Michell had done; fewer still, who to these high military acquirements have united a mind so highly cultivated. He was too well known in the military world to enable me to add anything to his well-earned reputation. I may, however, be permitted, as a friend, to say that, having been his constant companion since we left Spain together, I deeply felt and deplored his loss; and that a life so valuable to his country should have beenthusso prematurely cut off.
“His remains were deposited in a vault hastily constructed by the British sappers, in what is called the English, or South-Eastern Bastion, at Jaffa, for which a marble slab is now preparing at Malta, as a slight memorial of the great respect and esteem in which he was held by his brother officers.”