12 DECEMBER 1840, Page 9

The Eastern question. it seems, is now settled. On the

21st of November, Connliodore Napier arrived off the port of Alexandria, and sent in Captain Maunsell with a flag of truce, to reopen negotiations.

Captain Maunsell's entry into the Palace was curious: he pulled into the harbour without molestation, and landed on the Pasha's Palace- stairs ; where, meeting nobody to question or impede hint, he walked right on till he found himself in the antechamber, among the inter- preters. Here, declaring himself the bearer of an amicable comunu• nication from Commodore Napier on state affairs, he was at once ushered into the presence of the Pasha ; who recollected him as the commauder of the Alfred, to whom he had presented a valuable sword eight years ago. The Pasha was very courteous ; and Captain Metal- sell was immediately placed in communication with Boghos Bey. The letter from Commodore Napier, of which Captain Maunsell was the bearer, represented to the Pasha the impossibility of further resistance; and informed him, that the Sultan, at the intercession of the Four Powers, had consented to revoke his deposition, and to ::rant him the hereditary Pashalic of Egypt, it' he gave up the fleet, and his pretensions to Syria, Candia, and the Holy Cities. The reply of Boghos By was decidedly pacific ; but meanwhile the warlike preparations of the Pasha were not stopped. Negotiations continued between Commodore Napier and Boghos Bey until the 26th; when Mehemet Ali is said to have yielded every point required of him. The correspondent of the Morning Chronicle, writing on the 26th November, gives the following account of the termination of the negotiations-

" The principal point at issue appears to have been the mode of evacuating Syria; Napier having insisted on being himself the bearer of the order to Ibrahim Pasha, and placing his fleet at the disposal of the Pasha to bring Ibra- him and his army here. Whether this arrangement will b,t entered into or not, I cannot say, 1 only know every thing is settled fully to Napier's satisfaction; and that the Turkish fleet is to be given up, and the other minor points ad- justed, so soon as a proper delegate arrives here to make all the final arrange- ments. this is naturally a great relief to us, as appearances yesterday were very warlike. The Medea steamer, under cover of a. flag of truce, was taking soundings close in-shore, from the Palace to the Lighthouse points. Pay and rations were issued to the national guards ordered to man the walls and bat- teries, both here and in Rosetta. Captains Warden, of the Medea, and Martin, of the Carysfort, accompanied Commodore Napier on his stroll about the town yesterday afternoon, whets inquiries relative to the position of the Pasha's powder-magazines were not neglected. The Pasha received a hint of the un- popularity of' war with the Infidels by finding about twenty or thirty guns in the new batteries spiked by the troops who were to serve them. After so clear a demenctration, he had certainly little to hope from the seal of his faithful fol. lowers."

On the 24th, two boats approached the English vessels. They were found to contain the Turkish Rear- Admiral, Emir Bey, the Emir Cap- tain, the Admiral's Flag-Lieutenant and Seer: eery, mal two barges manned and armed, in all about forty persons. They were transferred to the senior officer of the English fleet. They said that they had been waiting some time for an opportunity to escape, and that there were many other superior officers wailing for a similar occasion.

A dreadful accident occurred on the 23d, on board the Meden, off Alexandria. A bombardier was examining a shell which had just been taken out of the gun-room, when the fuze, cut for finny seconds, was ob- served to have accidentally ignited. It exploded immediately, blowing the bombardier almost to atoms, severely womeling the gunner, and in a most wonderful manner throwing the gunnery-officer (who was going up the ladder on to the upper-deck) some distance up, taking his coat completely off his back, with the exception of the sleeves, and not hurting him in the least. The captain was slightly wounded in three places ; the master so severely- that he was not expected to live; and Several other persons were more or less hurt. The whole of the bulk- heads front the afterpart of the engine-room to the captain's cabin were knocked down, the upper deck was forced up and one beam broken, and almost ever particle of property in the cabins and mess-places of the officers was destroyed.

Another powder-magazine exploded at Acre on the 6th of Novem• her-- "A (quint], at least five hundred yards in height, of thick yellow smoke and dust, with a loud and simultaneous report, suet:tailed by a white 8111sko, and the bursting of as many as a thousand deadly shells, spreading in all directions far beyond and all around the ships of the fleet, some of Bich were only about one bemired yards from the shore, announced the explosion of :meth; r powder- magazine within the fortress of Acre. In live oniony, after, the officers who landed from the shipping to the succour of the sufferers. encountered on the road those who ball fort tinatt.fly escaped, carrying to the boats for cony, yance on board for medical aid the anaimed and wounded; which, together m it Ii the killed, are said to atnonot tm 'lit), of whom at ItatNt rto are native women and children. We have been unable to ascertain how many are the sufferers in the British fleet ; but we understand that as many as tifoen Marines are killed ; mid had it not been the hour of dinner, the number would bare been con- siderably increased. Among the seamen there are several wounded: of the officers, Brigadier-General Sir Charles Felix Smith. R. E., very slightly ; Captain Collier, R.N., of the Castor, leg broken and other injuries and bruises;

and Lieutenant Johnson nod the Reverend Mr. Kitson, both of the Princess Charlotte, from which ship Mr. Warre, mate, with a marking-party, were ordered to clear out a magazine, full of powder and shells, which was on fire from the explosion. This perilous service was happily performed without any casualty." The cause of the explosion is supposed to have been purely accidental.