Declaration. The undersigned Plenipotentiaries declare that the adhesion of the Powers to Art. XXVI of the Decree does not imply recognition of the legality of the use to which the sinking fund of the Egyptian Debt has been applied. Done at London, the 17th March, 1885. GRANVILLE. WADDINGTON. NIGRA. STAAL. [MUSURUS.] Disturbances of 1841. CHAPTER V. THE LEBANON. 1842-1883. AFTER the conquest of Syria in 1516 by the Sultan Selim I, the Lebanon was ruled by a succession of Mussulman Emirs, the most celebrated of whom, Beshir, governed with success from 1790 to 1840, latterly by the help of Mehemet Ali. The withdrawal of the Egyptian troops from Syria in 18411 was followed by anarchy in the mountain 2. Lord Palmerston, accordingly, on 15th June of that year, writes that-' Her Majesty's Government feel especially called upon to address the Turkish Government on this matter, on account of the oppression which Haji Nejib is said to practise upon the Christians. For England having, in conjunction with other Christian powers, succeeded in restoring Syria to the Sultan, she is entitled to expect that the Sultan, in return for such assistance, should secure his Christian subjects from oppresConference sion.' A Conference of representatives of Austria, France, at Constan- Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia met at Constantinople on 27th May, 1842, with the ultimate result that the Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs announced, on 7th December, that the Porte had conformed to the advice of the Five Powers, and would appoint separate Kaimakams for the Druses and Maronites respectively 3. This arrangement was in force, with tinople, 1842. 1 Vide supra, p. 98. 2 For a description of the state of the country in 1841, see the Annual Register for that year. 3 Parl. Papers, 1843, vol. lx, contains the negotiations upon the subject from May 1841 to January 1843. Cf. De Testa, Traités, ii. p. 66. ances of 1860. but moderate success, for nearly twenty years1. In 1860 the DisturbLebanon was the scene of wholesale massacres of the Maronites by the Druses. Whereupon a Conference of the repre- Conference sentatives of the Five Powers and of Turkey was held at Paris, and on 3rd August two Protocols were signed by them to the following effect 2: at Paris. HIS Imperial Majesty the Sultan, wishing to stop, by Protocol prompt and efficacious measures, the effusion of blood in (1) of 3rd Syria, and to show his firm resolution to establish order August. and peace amongst the populations placed under his sovereignty, and their Majesties the Emperor of Austria, the Emperor of the French, the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, His Royal Highness the Prince Regent of Prussia, and His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, having offered their active co-operation, which His Majesty the Sultan has accepted, the Representatives of their said Majesties and of His Royal Highness have agreed upon the following Articles :Art. 1. A body of European troops, which may be increased to 12,000 men, shall be sent to Syria to contribute towards the re-establishment of tranquillity. Art. 2. His Majesty the Emperor of the French agrees to furnish immediately the half of this body of troops. If it should become necessary to raise its effective force to the number stipulated in the preceding Article, the High Powers would come to an understanding with the Porte without delay by the ordinary course of diplomacy, upon the designation of those among them who would have to povide it. Art. 3. The Commander-in-chief of the expedition will, on his arrival, enter into communication with the Commissioner Extraordinary of the Porte, in order to concert all the measures required by circumstances, and to take up the positions which there may be occasion to occupy in order to fulfil the object of the present Act. Art. 4. Their Majesties the Emperor of Austria, the Emperor of the French, the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, His Royal Highness the Prince Regent of Prussia, and His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, promise to maintain, on the coast of Syria, sufficient naval forces to contribute towards the success of the common 1 For notes exchanged between the Porte and the Powers, 1843-1845, see N. R. G. viii, 10, 28. 2 Parl. Papers, 1860; N. R. G. xvi, 2 P., 638, 640. Protocol Self-deny ing Clause. Reference efforts for the maintenance of the re-establishment of tranquillity on the coast of Syria. Art. 5. The High Parties, convinced that such a period will be sufficient to attain the object of pacification which they have in view, fix at six months the duration of the occupation of the European troops in Syria. Art. 6. The Sublime Porte undertakes to facilitate, as far as lies in her power, the furnishing supplies and provisions for the expeditionary corps. It is understood that the six preceding Articles will be embodied verbatim into a Convention, which will receive the signatures of the undersigned Representatives as soon as they are furnished with full powers from their Sovereigns, but that the stipulations of this Protocol will immediately come into force. The Chargé d'Affaires of Prussia, however, points out that the present distribution of the Prussian ships of war will not permit his Government to co-operate at present in the execution of Article 4. The Plenipotentiaries of, &c., desirous of establishing, in conformity with the intentions of their respective Courts, the true character of the assistance afforded to the Sublime Porte by the provisions of the Protocol signed this day, the feelings which have dictated the clauses of this Act and their perfect disinterestedness, declare in the most formal manner that the Contracting Powers do not intend to seek for and will not seek for, in the execution of their engagements, any territorial advantages, any exclusive influence, or any concession with regard to the commerce of their subjects, such as could not be granted to the subjects of all other nations. Nevertheless they cannot refrain, in recalling here the acts The Plenipotentiary of the Sublime Porte takes note of this out that the Sublime Porte has employed and continues to employ its efforts in the sense of the wish expressed above. The former of these Protocols was converted verbatim into Conventions of a Convention, on 5th September1, and the period of occupa- 1860 and tion allowed by it was prolonged by another Convention, of 1861. 19th March, 1861, to 5th June, 18612. In pursuance of these Conventions, a French army landed in Syria on 16th August, 1860, and, having pacified the country, re-embarked in June, 1861. In the meantime a Commission of the Five Powers, on which Lord Dufferin represented Great Britain, had been sitting at Beyrout (26th September, 1860, to 4th May, 1861) and had proposed two alternative schemes for the government of the Lebanon 3. These were considered at Constantinople by the Ambassadors The Règleof the Powers and by Aali Pasha, who, on 9th June, adopted 1861. a Règlement for the re-organization of the country under a single Christian governor; thus reversing the policy of the settlement of 18424. By a Protocol signed at the same time it was agreed that the Christian Governor should hold office for three years, and that the Porte should consult the Powers as to the appointment of a successor 5. ment of Daoud Pasha, an Armenian Catholic, was appointed Governor, and was re-appointed for five years more, from 9th June, 1864, in which year a Conference was held at The RègleConstantinople, which adopted, on 6th September, a new 1864. Règlement, superseding that of 1861, from which it however differed only in a few particulars 6. In May, 1868, Daoud resigned, and was succeeded by Franco-Nasri Pasha. A Protocol signed on 27th July, on behalf of the Porte and Five Powers, with the addition of Italy, agrees that he shall hold office for not less than ten 1 Parl. Papers, 1861; N. R. G. xviii, 224. 2 Parl. Papers, 1861; N. R. G. xvii, 2 P., 52-100. 3 Parl. Papers, 1861, Syria, Pt. 2, p. 112. Ibid. p. 127; N. R. G. xvii, Pt. 2, 101. 5 Ibid.; infra Texts, No. I. • N. R. G. xviii, 227; Texts, No. II.. P ment of |