DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5295#0045
26 TRAVELS IN EGYPT, NUBIA,
assisted in its defence ; and from that circumstance excited
the resentment of the prevailing party, by which he was
afterwards supposed to have been poisoned. On the sur-
render of the fort, the Pasha either escaped, or was sent off
to Constantinople; the troops elected another, who, after a
reign of twenty-two days, was assassinated, and another
chosen, who retained his authority for some time, made head
against the increasing power of the Mamelouks, and drove
them into Upper Egypt, where they had Girgeh for their
limit. Previous to this, Mahommed Ali had contrived to
conceal his ambitious views, and had been continued in the
command of his troops, neither exciting the suspicion nor
losing the confidence of the leaders. He derived his origin
from Thrace, became a soldier in the army of the Grand
Signor; and, from his good conduct, was raised to the rank
of Bern Bashee, answering to that of colonel with Europeans.
He and his followers formed part of the army of the Grand
Visir in Egypt, in aid of ours against the French; after
whose expulsion he remained under the first Pasha. Without
possessing the slightest rudiments of education, Mahommed
Ali had great natural talents. He was a politician of the
school of Machiavel, complete master of dissimulation, in
common with most of the Turks, whose gravity and self-
command, when any end is to be gained, seem to increase
with their rank: cool and designing, he found himself in a
assisted in its defence ; and from that circumstance excited
the resentment of the prevailing party, by which he was
afterwards supposed to have been poisoned. On the sur-
render of the fort, the Pasha either escaped, or was sent off
to Constantinople; the troops elected another, who, after a
reign of twenty-two days, was assassinated, and another
chosen, who retained his authority for some time, made head
against the increasing power of the Mamelouks, and drove
them into Upper Egypt, where they had Girgeh for their
limit. Previous to this, Mahommed Ali had contrived to
conceal his ambitious views, and had been continued in the
command of his troops, neither exciting the suspicion nor
losing the confidence of the leaders. He derived his origin
from Thrace, became a soldier in the army of the Grand
Signor; and, from his good conduct, was raised to the rank
of Bern Bashee, answering to that of colonel with Europeans.
He and his followers formed part of the army of the Grand
Visir in Egypt, in aid of ours against the French; after
whose expulsion he remained under the first Pasha. Without
possessing the slightest rudiments of education, Mahommed
Ali had great natural talents. He was a politician of the
school of Machiavel, complete master of dissimulation, in
common with most of the Turks, whose gravity and self-
command, when any end is to be gained, seem to increase
with their rank: cool and designing, he found himself in a