s at once
invested. On this, a bloody struggle began between the two pashas.
Khorshid, being informed of the insurrection, immediately prepared to
stand a siege in the citadel. Two chiefs of the Albanians joined his
party, but many of his soldiers deserted. Mehemet Ali's great strength
lay in the devotion of the citizens of Cairo, who looked on him as a
deliverer from their afflictions; and great numbers armed themselves,
advising constantly with Mehemet Ali, having the sayyid Omar and the
sheiks at their head, and guarding the town at night. On the 19th of the
same month Mehemet Ali began to besiege Khorshid. After the siege had
continued many days, Khorshid gave orders to cannonade and bombard the
town; and for six days his commands were executed with little
interruption, the citadel itself also lying between two fires. Mehemet
Ali's position at this time was very critical: his troops became
mutinous for their pay; the silahdar, who had commanded one of the
expeditions against the Mamelukes, advanced to the relief of Khorshid;
and the latter ordered the Delis to march to his assistance. The firing
ceased on the Friday, but began again on the eve of Saturday and lasted
until the next Friday. On the day following (May 28th) news came of the
arrival at Alexandria of a messenger from Constantinople. The ensuing
night in Cairo presented a curious spectacle; many of the inhabitants,
believing that this envoy would put an end to their miseries, fired off
their weapons as they paraded the streets with bands of music. The
silahdar, imagining the noise to be a fray, marched in haste towards the
citadel, while its garrison sallied forth and began throwing up
entrenchments in the quarter of Arab al-Yesar, but were repulsed by the
armed inhabitants and the soldiers stationed there; and during all this
time the cannonade and bombardment from the citadel, and on it from the
batteries on the hill, continued unabated.

Mehemet Ali granted the pashalic.

The envoy brought a firman confirming Mehemet Ali and ordering Khorshid
to go to Alexandria, there to await further orders; but this he refused
to do, on the ground that he had been appointed by a _hatt-i-sherif_.
The firing ceased on the following day, but the troubles of the people
were rather increased than assuaged; murders and robberies were daily
committed by the soldiery, the shops were all shut and some of the
streets barricaded. While these scenes were being enacted, al-A