“The standard ought to have been brought to me, and by me delivered to Sir Robert Stopford, and I have considered it necessary to write officially to him to request that he will order an inquiry into this mysterious affair. “Your Lordship must not be satisfied with the capture of Acre; the next attempt should be made on Damascus. I am ordered to Alexandria, and I shall see what can be done there. “The Sultan had better form the whole of the Egyptian troops who have been captured or deserted, give them their arrears of pay, promote the officers, and land them in Egypt, promising that when Mehemet Ali is put down they should go to their homes, and that the rest of his army shall have their arrears, and go home also, if they come over; let him do that, and he will get Egypt as easily as he has got Syria. “I have the honour to be, &c. “CHAS. NAPIER.” “Right Hon. Lord Ponsonby.” I also sent to the Admiral the following letter: “Powerful, off Acre, Nov. 7, 1840. “Sir, “Lord Ponsonby has inclosed me a speech made by his Lordship to the Sultan on delivering to his Majesty Ibrahim Pacha’s standard, taken by the troops under my command at the battle of Boharsof; it is a mystery to me how that standard fell into Lord Ponsonby’s hands. It was not sent to his Lordship by me who commanded the troops, and General Jochmus, the chief of the staff, declared that the standard had been lost. I have not now the power to officially inquire how this lost standard found its way to Constantinople, but I have to request you will take such steps as you see fit to clear up this mysterious affair. Had an inferior officer in the Duke of Wellington’s army sent a captured standard to the King of Portugal, unknown to the Commander-in-Chief, it may be easily answered what would have been his fate; and I do trust a severe example will be made of the person who committed this extraordinary breach of discipline and decorum, to give it the softest name. “I have the honour to be, &c. “CHAS. NAPIER.” “Admiral Sir Robert Stopford.” The Ambassador never thought proper to reply to either of my letters, and the only explanation I ever got was from Colonel Hodges, which I subjoin: