“It appears to Her Majesty’s Government that the fact that Mehemet Ali attached the first of these conditions to his restoration of the fleet, need not prevent the Porte from making to him that concession. For, in fact, those Articles of Agreement were substantially a complete surrender on the part of Mehemet Ali; and he was led to suppose, that in asking for hereditary tenure, he was only asking that which the Porte was willing to give. But the second condition, namely, the guarantee of the Four Powers, is one which cannot be complied with; and your Excellency should, on this point, give to the Porte the same explanations which Sir Robert Stopford has been instructed, in pursuance of my letter to the Admiralty of the 15th instant, to give to Mehemet Ali. “It has been reported, but upon what authority is not known, that the Porte was, towards the end of November, but before it had heard of the submission of Mehemet Ali, disinclined to revoke the decree which had deprived him of the Government of Egypt. It is not unnatural that such a feeling should have existed at that time in the mind of the Turkish Government, but Her Majesty’s Government hope that subsequent events, and the unanimous advice of the Four Powers, will have removed these objections on the part of the Porte, and will have led the Porte to accept the settlement effected by Commodore Napier’s arrangement, or by the subsequent more ample submission of Mehemet Ali.” Lord Palmerston’s letter to Lord Ponsonby, acknowledging the receipt of the Ambassador’s letter announcing the rejection of the Convention, as I have before said, has never been published; it would be a curious document, and I dare say will come to light some day or other; but Lord Palmerston’s despatch to Lord Ponsonby after receiving my despatches, is clear enough; he tells the Ambassador plainly, that it does not signify whether Sir Robert Stopford adopted my Convention or his subsequent instruction of the 14th of November; that the articles of agreement were substantially a complete surrender on the part of Mehemet Ali; and he was led to suppose, on asking for the hereditary tenure, he was only asking that which the Porte was willing to give; but that the guarantee could not be complied with. Prince Metternich also agreed with Lord Palmerston, and directed the Internuncio to co-operate with Lord Ponsonby in carrying out the instructions of the 17th; and moreover tells Lord Beauvale very plainly that in case the Porte hesitates to confer the hereditary Pachalic on Mehemet Ali, his Court will not admit that the Allies could be compromised by such hesitation. Count Nesselrode also states to Lord Clanricarde, that it is unfortunate that the Sultan had not been disposed, or advised, to concede the hereditary government to Mehemet Ali. Shortly before this (December 22,) Count Nesselrode wrote to Baron Brunnow at London, in terms that show his full approval of the Convention, except the guarantee[12].