50 OIUGIN OF THE WAR OF 1S53 ment. chap, 'ply a key — an emblem;'* but Diplomacy an- iir ' swered that the key was really a key — a key for opening a door; and its evil quality was — not that it kept the Greeks out, but that it let the Latins come in. increased M. tie Lavalette's demand was so urgently, so the French violently pressed, that the Porte at length gave way, and acknowledged the validity of the Latin claims in a formal note : "f but the paper had not been signed more than a few days when the Eus- sian Minister, making hot remonstrance, caused the Porte to issue a firman,:}: ratifying all the existing privileges of the Greeks, and virtually revoking the acknowledgment just given to the Latins. Thereupon, as was natural, the French Government became indignant, and to escape its anger the Porte promised to evade the public read- ing of the firman at Jerusalem ; § but the Russian Minister not relaxing his zeal, the Turkish Gov- ernment secretly promised him that the Pasha of Jerusalem should be instructed to try to avoid giving up the key to the Latin monks. Then again, under further pressure by France, the Porte engaged to evade this last evasion, and at length the duty of affecting to carry out the conflicting engagements thus made by the Porte was entrusted to Afif Bey. This calm Mahometan went to Jerusalem, and strove to temporise as well
- See Count Nesselrode's Despatches, ibid. p. 79.
+ Note of the 9th February 1852. J The firman of the mi-fevrier 1852. § Col. Rose to Lord Malmesbury. 'Eastern Papers,' part L p. 46. Afif Bey's Mission.
