ABSTRACT
Sultan Mahmud II had decided in the spring of 1839, against the advice of Ponsonby, to take the offensive against Mehemet 'Ali, and in late April he despatched an army into Syria. Mehemet 'Ali not only denied the existence of such designs but he also, despite Campbell's protests that it was unnecessary, put his denial in writing for transmission to Palmerston. Expressing surprise at Khurshid's action in appointing Sa'ad ibn Mutlaq his governor over Trucial Oman, in direct contravention of Mehemet 'Ali's assurances that he had no intention of expanding his influence in the Gulf region, Hennell asked for the agent's prompt withdrawal. Palmerston's suspicions of the Viceroy's ultimate ambitions in the direction of the Gulf, however, had not abated, and they were given fresh stimulus in late February by the receipt of Edmunds' report on the supplying of Khurshid Pasha by sea.
