British consul ambiguity left Mehmed Ali ignorant of British intentions.

Evidence

M. Vereté, “Palmerston and the Levant Crisis, 1832,” Journal of Modern History, 24 (June 1952), p. 145. Vereté argues, not very successfully, it should be added, that Palmerston as early as 1832 did have a clear idea about where British interests lay regarding the Turco-Egyptian crisis. He fails to explain, for example, why Palmerston refused the Porte’s request for naval assistance. Be that as it may, the important issue is that even if he did have clear ideas about the Levant crisis, his Consul in Egypt did not know what these might have been, and Mehmed Ali was left in the dark regarding possible British moves. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 393

Categorization

• QUESTION: Why did Palmerston refuse the Porte’s request for naval assistance? This unexplained refusal could reveal early British strategic thinking about the Levant.
• XREF: Connects to the reader’s interest in British Lords’ performance during the crisis - Palmerston’s 1832 stance anticipates the later 1840 Convention.