The Birth of Modem Egypt	55
almost beyond endurance. Any other people would have
risen against the exactions of Mehemet All. The fella-
heen only died, fled, or mutilated themselves by
thousands to escape the hated conscription.
Mehemet Ali, if left to himself, would very possibly
not have renewed the struggle. But the British did not
want a strong Oriental State blocking the overland route,
and Mehemet Ali, fearful that if he gave an inch they
would take an ell, had refused them the concession of
a trans-isthmian railway (1837). The extension of
Egyptian authority right across Arabia to the Persian
Gulf was highly disapproved at London, which became
an ardent supporter of the integrity of the Ottoman
Empire, and itself occupied Aden as an outpost and
0. P. against Egypt. The French, on the other hand_r
encouraged Egyptian expansion. The crisis came when
the Anglo-Turkish Treaty of Commerce of 1838
threatened the whole Egyptian system of State trading.
Mehemet Ali, in view of the fact that Ottoman treaties
were applicable to Egypt, demanded commercial in-
dependence from the Empire, to which Mahmoud re-
plied by proclaiming him a rebel and invading Syria.
Ibrahim repeated his former victories, in spite of the
great von Moltke being with the Turks. Mahmoud
opened negotiations with Mehemet Ali, but died, pro-
bably poisoned by Khosrew, who thereby recovered
the Vizierate under the new Sultan Abdul Medjid,
Khosrew's rival, the Capoudan Pasha, at French instiga-
tion, then declared for Mehemet Ali and took the Otto-
man fleet over to the Egyptians, while the Ottoman
armies wavered in their allegiance (July, 1839). The
Empire seemed to have become an easy prize for the
all-powerful Pasha.
It was as unfortunate for Mehemet Ali's imperial