I am sorry to think that Mr. Jones, of Bagdad, should have thought it necessary to trouble you with a communication of my opinion on his late dispute with the Pacha of that place. The line between his situation and mine is far too distinctly drawn for any idea to have occurred of my interference in any way with him. But, when he urged me to deliver my sentiments, I stated not only what I thought to be right, but what the uniform instructions of Government pointed out to me to be their wishes. I beg you, however, to understand that I did not write in allusion to his instructions, with which I am totally unacquainted; and that I should be extremely mortified, were the partial judgment I had to pronounce to go at all beyond the points to which it was directed, or call in question the ability and extreme attention which I have ever observed on the part of Mr. Jones in the execution of his duty.

The complaint made to me by the Pacha required my immediate interposition, as the Pacha took occasion, from this circumstance, to deny our right to employ at Bagdad any other than a subject of his Government, and expressly to refuse a permanent residence there to any Englishman hereafter. It was necessary to set aside at once a pretension which might prove in the highest degree inconvenient to the Company, and which would certainly find support from the French interest. Accordingly, I had the satisfaction of transmitting in my despatch above alluded to (dated August), an offer from the Sultan to his Majesty, to admit the permanent establishment of a British agency or consulship at Bagdad.

In regard to Bussorah, your Honourable Committee no doubt know that, soon after my arrival here, an arrangement recommended to my assistance by Mr. Secretary Dundas and Mr. Duncan, did enable me to erect Bussorah into a regular and avowed Residence.

I need hardly observe, that such formalities on the part of the Porte do not regulate the rank or the functions of the

Resident; but they confer, as a matter of right, what otherwise is liable to be continually disputed or withdrawn by caprice or intrigue. The Porte, resting upon opinions sanctioned by long custom, systematically and politically feels the greatest reluctance to grant a consular appointment; because it admits into their country a Frank, with immunities and rights highly obnoxious to Mussulmans. Still no European power ever does place an accredited agent in any part of this empire unprovided with this authorization.

In a word, I flatter myself with the hopes that every opportunity during my embassy at Constantinople has been carefully improved towards impressing on the minds of the Turks how very essentially they are indebted for the recovery of Egypt to our East India interests; how immediately it is become an object of national policy for them to favour those interests, as forming a security for our prosecution of the same line of conduct towards Turkey, as long as the Porte remains friendly to us; and, above all, I have brought to their understanding that the concerns of the East India Company respecting Turkey, though beneficial to the public and gratifying to individuals, have still the peculiar recommendation of neither occasioning a sacrifice from the Porte, nor creating a rivalship with any other power.

It remains for me only further to add, that if, in reference to the above subjects, or any others which might occur, my interference at the Porte can be conceived to be of any use, I shall have great satisfaction in executing your commands.

ELGIN.

Translation ad Sensum of a Letter dated May 8th, and received June 15th [1801 or 1802].

I have now to inform you that both letters and persons are arrived from Reshd, all which agree that the whole of the Russian craft at Enzellee have been ordered to return to Derbend and Baku, and that they are preparing for their depar

ture.

Various conjectures are made on this circumstance, which will probably, in a few days more, be cleared up; and when I know anything certain, I will immediately communi cate it to you.

There are persons arrived from Baku in twenty-three days, who openly say that there are 14,000 Russian troops at Derbend, and that others are following them, and these persons also say that there is a considerable number of vessels belonging to Government coming from Astrachan to Derbend and Baku. When the troops above-mentioned arrived at Derbend, the inhabitants of Shirwan deserted the place, and took a station about three days' march therefrom. It seems the general opinion that all this country will be in trouble during the course of this year.

It is necessary also to acquaint you that the Armenian merchants at Astrachan and Moscow have agents at Baku, Enzellee, Ghilan, and Tehran ; and they have written to them in the most pressing manner to finish their affairs, and to hold themselves in readiness to depart, since the places where they are now residing will soon be thrown into trouble. Several of the agents stationed at Ghilan and Enzellee are my friends, and, to my certain knowledge, they have all some way or other finished their affairs, and sent all their property on board the ships (at Enzellee). And of this one of those agents, more particularly my friend, informed me in the strictest confidence.

Sir Hugh Inglis's Queries to Mr. Harford Jones.

If the Turks are driven out of Europe, are they likely to become an Asiatic power able to take care of themselves? What is to become of Egypt! Should the Russians, the Mamelukes, or who else, have it?

What would become of the Pachalik of Bagdad? Would it be for the interest of this country that the Persians had it

that it remained with the Turks, or was erected into an independent State?

By what means can the French be kept out of Egypt and out of Syria, in the event of the dissolution of the Turkish Empire ?

Extracts of a Letter from Mr. Harford Jones to Sir Hugh Inglis, Bart.

Bagdad, November 29, 1802. My situation and the duties of my office have caused me to reflect on the probable consequences of the dissolution of the Turkish Empire; and the information I have obtained from channels not accessible to many makes me think a great revolution in the Turkish Empire is near at hand, unless, as you observe, the period of it shall be protracted by some fortunate and unforeseen event. In order to make myself more clearly understood, I shall class the accidents which to me seem probable soon to arrive to the Turkish Empire under separate heads.

Radical dissolution of the Empire, by the Turks being driven out of Europe by force-I am very far from considering that the latter case necessarily comprises the former. The manner in which the spiritual and temporal powers are blended in the person of the Ottoman Emperor has not been considered with proper attention; for it is by the intimate connexion of these powers that the Turkish Empire has been kept so long from falling; since every Sunny who rebels against the Imam (the Grand Signor) renders his marriage null. A Pacha, therefore, always affects to relieve the Imam from evil ministers, but never professes to take up arms against his person. The House of Othman can never lose the Imamet but by a renunciation forced or upheld in favour of some more powerful Mussulman family. As long as the House of Othman possesses this office, the allegiance of every Sunny being due to it, though the Prince may be changed, in consequence of certain canonical

disqualifications, real or pretended, there cannot be a radical dissolution of the Turkish Empire by any European power.

The Ottoman Emperor takes the title of Guardian of the Holy Cities (Mecca and Medina); and, as it was obtained by Selim at the same time with the Imamet, there are some doubts whether the loss of the former does not imply that of the latter. However, I consider it as most probable that, the guardianship of these cities being by force transferred to any other Mahomedan prince, would deprive the Ottoman Prince of so great a part of his sanctity, that he would soon be obliged to make a renunciation of the Imamet in favour of the victor. Here, then, would certainly be what I should call a radical dissolution of the Turkish Empire: but what bound the old Turkish Empire together would cement the new Tartar or probably Arabian Empire, which would start up in its place.

But, as the powers forming such a league will probably include in their designs a part of Asiatic Turkey, the change of manners and sentiments in those quarters may render the great Pachas negligent both of their spiritual and temporal obedience, when they find the Caliph Sultan too weak to save the Empire. In this case the head of the Ottoman House may become a mere pageant, and that part of the Turkish Empire unpossessed by the European powers may split into independent principalities.

It is to this situation of things my opinion inclines, because, in looking through Asia, I see no Mahomedan power or family to take the place of the Ottoman Emperor. Before, however, I offer my opinion on this subject, I will advert to your question of-What would become of Egypt? If we could not keep it ourselves, I should think it were better that any European power possessed it than the French or the Mamelukes (in the end, another name for a French Government), for, having means of supporting a communication with the Mamelukes greater than those of Great Britain, and near 4,000 having passed into France, who might be sent to their native