"دليل الخليج. الجزء الأول. المواد التاريخية والسياسية. ملخص عن التوسع التركي على السواحل العربية للخليج العربي وشؤون الأحساء والقطيف" [‎٢‎٥] (١٦٠/٣٧)

25
Grand Yizier. M. Pisani. in a letter to the Ambassador of tlie llfch May, wrote
that on receipt of this communication
His Highness stated that the Sultan being recognized by the whole Mohaiaedan popu-
ation as the only Khalir, as such he cannot allow the turbulent Sheikhs to become masters of
the keys of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina without prejudice to his dignity and
to the prestige of the Khalifat, and without losing his paramount authority over all the
Mussulmans.
" Aali Pasha declared again that the Porte entertains no intention nor harbours any
design over the independent tribes, but at the same time it cannot permit the Sheikhs to
deal with their posse?sions as they please, and quoted the instance of Sheikh Saecd, who
disposed of the port bearing his name in favor of a French Company for the purpose of get
ting a ftw thousand dollars, and thus placed the Porte in an awkward dilemma.
" His Highness contends that the information of Colonel Herbert that Abdoolah is an
independent Sovereign is erroneous and states that it can be easily proved by the date of
the Sultan's ordinance and the firman by which he holds his appointment of kaimukam that
he was named about eight years ago. it was not Midhut Pasha who offered to assist Abdool-
lah, but it is the latter who solicited the aid of the Porte.
<' The Algerin^s, he went en to say, have not on'y the apparent desire to shake off the
yoke of their present Kuler, but loudly proclaim their earnest, wi^h to return to their former
allegiance, though no n tice is taken of their demand.
" Russia has, and still continues to subjugate provinces in Turkistan without anv alleged
motive, and her troops a:e fat-t advancing towards the Indian frontier, and not a word is uttered
or any step taken t > prevent their progress, which sooner or later, said His Highness, will
give serious anxieties to the British Government.
" Finally, Aali Pasha observed, rather in an angry tone, that in his humble opinion it
does not behove a great power like England to avail itself of the pr tended weakness of the
Porte to endeavour to countenance the Arabs and interfere in the internal affairs of Turkey,
and which affairs are of vital importance to her. He repeated again that it may be reckoned
upon that not the slightest idea is entertained of making new conquests or subduing inde
pendent tribes. The Porte's sole desire is to restore peace and tranquillity in its dominions ;
but so long as foreign cjuntenance is given to those turbulent Arabs, the action of the
Porte, as a matter of course, is paralyzed, and the Arabs are encouraged in their illegal acts
against the Sultan's authority/'
96. In forwarding M. Pisani's letter
fp ffct* Earl of Granville, the Ambassador, ob
served :—
" I have sin- e alluded <o the subject in coversation with the Gr ind Vizier, and said that
as his language to M. Pi^am hud seemed to indicate a suspicion that, the disaffection of one
section of the Arabs was countenanced by Her Majesty's Government, i could assure him
that there were no grounds for any such suspicion."
ff All that Her Majesty's Government desired was that the existing state of things in
South Arabia should not be disturbed, and I had merely communicated to him Colonel
Herbert's despatch in order to show the opinion of an impartial and competent judge upon tht>
impolicy of lending the weight of the support of the Pone to the expelled Wahtbi Chief.
" Aali Pasha replied that the whole sympathies of the Porte being in opposition to the
Wahabis, bv whom they are looked upon almost as heretics, I would understand that tli«
support which it had been found necessary to extend to their Chief could only be due to the
importance of maintaining the influence of the Sultan over the Arab tribes undiminish> d/'
97. Wiih regard to the observations of the Grand Vizier, and especially
to the last two paragraphs, the Govern
ment of India, in a despatch to the Sec
retary of State, No.'40, dated 14th July, remarked :—
" Two points in this passage it would, in our opinion, be most inexpedient to pass hy
witho it not ce : i.?/, Aali Pasha's words that no steps are being taken t^ prevent the progress
of Russia towards the Indian frontier", and the implication that the British Government
avails itself of the pretended weakness of the Porte to countenance the Aiabs in their iliegal
acts against the Sultan's authority.
*
" As regards the first point, we have much reason to fear that the false impression enter
tained by Aali Pasha is not confine 1 to the Turkish Minisler, but general!)- prevails in
Europe ar.d Asia. This circumstance adds much to the importance of bringing to an early
and satisfactory conclusion the negotiation^ with the Kussain Government i n the subject of
the boundaries of Afghanistan, to which we drew attpntion in our despitUi No. 33, of 16th
June. We would therefore again ur^e upon Her Majesty's Government the desirability of
asking the Russian Government to commuDicate as soon as p)ssible the purport of General
[C967rD] G