ating one of the Sardinian
islands, had roused the indignation of Europe. Lord Exmouth demanded
nothing less than the total abolition of Christian slavery. "It
happened that at this very time Caroline, Princess of Wales, was
enjoying the splendid hospitality of Mahm[=u]d Bey in his city palace.
Neither party seemed inclined to yield, and matters assumed a very
threatening aspect. The mediation of the royal guest was invoked in
vain; Lord Exmouth was inexorable. The Princess sent the greater part
of her baggage to the Goletta, the British merchants hastened to
embark on board the vessels of the squadron, the men-of-war were
prepared for action, and the Bey did his best to collect all available
reinforcements. The excitement in Tunis was immense, and a pacific
solution was considered almost impossible. On the 16th Lord Exmouth,
accompanied by Mr. Consul-General Oglander and his staff, proceeded to
the Bardo Palace. The flagstaff of the British Agency was previously
lowered to indicate a resolution to resort to an appeal to arms in
case of failure, and the Princess of Wales expected every hour to be
arrested as a hostage. The antecedents of the Bey were not precisely
calculated to assuage her alarm, but Mahm[=u]d sent one of his
officers to assure her that, come what might, he should never dream of
violating the Moslem laws of hospitality. While the messenger was
still with her, Lord Exmouth entered the room and announced the
satisfactory termination of his mission. On the following morning the
Bey signed a Treaty whereby in the name of the Regency he abolished
Christian slavery throughout his dominions. Among the reasons which
induced the Bey to yield to the pressure used by Lord Exmouth was the
detention of the Sultan's envoy, bearing the imperial firman and robe
of investiture, at Syracuse. The Neapolitan Government would not allow
him to depart until the news of the successful result of the British
mission had arrived, and Mahm[=u]d felt it impossible to forego the
official recognition of his suzerain."[90]

The wife of George IV. was extremely angry at being interrupted in a
delightful course of entertainments, and picnics among the ruins of
Carthage and the orange groves, whither she repaired in the Bey's
coach and six, escorted by sixty meml[=u]ks. The Tunisians were, of
course, indignant at the Bey's surrender, nor did piracy cease on
account of the Treaty. Holland, indeed, repudiated the blackmail in
1819, but Sw