of two conversations between a Turk in Cairo, a
senior aide to Ottoman Egyptian emissary Gazi
Ahmed Muhtar Paşa, and the Egyptian Khedive
Tevfik Paşa, in 1888.
In the end, the Turk realizes that the Khedive is
playing games with both the English and the
Ottomans, although the English are clearly in
the driver's seat and 'our Egypt' is becoming a
lost Ottoman remnant. The British occupation
of Egypt would continue for another 68 years,
until 1956, and even Istanbul would spend 5
years under British occupation from 1918 to
1923.//
Here is the other conversation on this topic that I
reported to Muhtar Paşa:
I met with the Khedive at 1630 at the Abidin palace today
in order to convey the ministers’ examination regarding
customs. Our conversation proceeded as follows:
Fakir ((your humble servant)) – Nubar Paşa has still not
come but regardless of whether he comes or not,
essentially, although Your Excellency has promised to
rescind the related decision of the Council of Ministers,
by confirming its corruption, there has as yet been no
action taken. Rumor has it that some merchants will come
from Alexandria ((to Cairo)) this evening, so this indicates
that Your Excellency has still not issued the order. Since
this matter lies with you, the wish is that you will issue
an order on this matter.
Khedive - Yes, I’ve heard about the merchants who’ve
come from Alexandria. In fact, they sent a telegram before
coming. Nubar Paşa came in the morning. I said to him I
understand you still haven’t gone to see Muhtar Paşa. In
response he said out of excess caution, ‘Sir, I’m afraid to
go because I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.’
Yesterday he spoke with English Commissar Wolff and
Consul Baring. Wolff will go to see Muhtar Paşa today.
Let them work it out so we’re rid of this matter. //Bravo!
He’s expecting us to nullify a corrupt decision of the
Government of Egypt.//
F - It is for you to confirm or change a decision of the
Council of Ministers. There’s no need to leave this to the
confusion of them and the English. We trust that today
you will issue an order to end this thing.
K – Ah! Sir, you don’t know the situation I’m in?
F – This matter is strictly an internal one that is in your
purview. External interference cannot be tolderated.
The issue is essentially corruption, as you have said.
That being the case, there’s no need to be distracted by
Tom, Dick and Harry!
K – Our you leaving us to our own devices?
F – Sir, how is it possible that the decision of an English
Consul on such an important matter can be allowed to
cause political difficulties and inflict harm and injury on
your government.
K – There is no doubt, certainly it ((harm and injury)) will
persist.
F – So in order for that not to happen I want to call your
attention to the fact that it is desired that you use your
legal authority.
K – For goodness sake! Don’t let them leave me alone.
Let them make an effort. Have them talk to ((Sir Henry
Drummond)) Wolff and the other Englishmen. I’ll do my
part, as well! According to what I’m hearing, Wolff is
accommodating on this issue, whereas the opponents are
the Consul and the Finance Advisor ?Vinson?.
F – Their opposition and espousal mean nothing
compared to your power to guard the interests of the
country, because the matter is strictly one that is based
on internal law.
K – Well, have Muhtar Paşa show perseverance and I
will, too.
Gazi Ahmed Muhtar Paşa, center, with fellow
scientists in Egypt in 1882, to observe a solar
eclipse.
F – The noteworthy aspect of this matter is that ?Vinsen?
or Baring are behind it, to the detriment of Egypt.
Without keeping a close eye on the details, the Council
of Ministers made this decision. I wonder whether if
you had rejected the proposal or issued a decree
beforehand, would all this be necessary?
K – You’re talking as though you don’t understand our
Council of Ministers.
F – Actually, even if matters in the Assembly are being
depicted accurately, administration and law are in your
hands. How would it be possible not to know this?
K – Let me tell you about an absurd thing. Recently, the
matter of the 20,000 lira salary vacated by the death of
the mother of the former Khedive, İsmail Paşa, came up.
This issue is entirely in my purview alone. And there
was 300,000 lira included in the budget and liquidation
law //which the Europeans imposed on Egypt// for my
family (Muhammed Ali’s family) ,but the English didn’t
want to give even this to me. Just now, before you came,
I flew into a rage. I kept on rejecting it but Wolff
persisted in asking how this money should be shared in
the family and how much each person should get.
//Wolff’s interference in this matter was aimed at getting
an increase in salary for Nazlı hanım, the sister of
Mustafa Fazıl Paşa, because he ((Wolf)) has a legal tie
to Nazlı hanım.// They won’t let me act on my own.
What right do they have to interfere in a matter that
belongs to my family and my uncle? //Again, he wants
to paint himself as the victim.//
F – They have no right, of cours. But even though they
don’t have the right, they still do it. Do you have any
additional orders for me?
K – Wolff will come to see Muhtar Paşa. Let them put
some effort into all of this.
Our conversation ended here. One of the noteworthy
aspects was Nubar Paşa claiming to be caught between
two sides and another was that the other day the Khedive
told his staff not to pressure Nubar Paşa, indicating that
the Khedive was asked about this matter beforehand and
gave his approval. In any case, as soon as I left the
Khedive I wrote down my notes and related them exactly
as shown above. 13 Ramazan 1303 ((1888))
The first is that the Khedive is making fools of us and that,
with his camel-like and cat-like gestures, together with his
Council of Ministers, he is in the odd position of opposing
both us and the English. Secondly, the English, who are
attacking the Ottoman legal sovereignty, want to put a 4.5
kuruş import tax on our imports as part of a 9 % duty on
goods and trade from European countries.
So as we continue to talk somewhat pretentiously about
defending our nationality, sovereignty and the community
of Islam, the more I think about the perversions of this
issue ((Egypt)) the more outraged I become. And yet we
poor fellows keep writing meaninglessly about ‘our Egypt’
in the Salname ((Ottoman Empire yearbook)) and official
documents!
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