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Commissioner of Larnaca, the Qazi, the Sirdar and other Turkish notables joined them, and the next day they arrived at the camp where Khalil Agha received them all with every possible civility. He wrote immediately to the Governor, and on the 15th received his reply, inviting him to the city. He went there the same day with the four articles. The Governor's reply was given in general terms, that as the Sultan had confided to him the charge of the whole island and particularly of the fortress of Nicosia, the seat of the Government, he could not depart from his instructions without the express order of his sovereign, but if the rebels would retire, each to his own home, he offered them a general amnesty. On the 16th the consul brought out this answer to the insurgents, who held inflexible to the last two points of their demand. He abandoned the negotiations, and returned to the city, to take leave of the Muhassil and go down to Larnaca. But when he was on the point of starting the people resolutely opposed his departure, saying that since his arrival in Nicosia they were no longer annoyed by the insurgents, and this interval of quiet was due to the respect paid by Khalil Agha's followers to his person and character. This was on February 17, on which day the consul finding himself in this singular situation contrived that a letter should reach me, in which he conveyed a succinct account of what had happened, formally appointed me his deputy at Larnaca, and showed me how I might maintain with him a correspondence intelligible to ourselves only. I was pleased to think that Mr Turner could thus con-tribute towards the general peace of the island, but my pleasure was short-lived, for I saw every day my house full of rebels who demanded arms and ammunition, and knew on the other hand that I was watched to see if I favoured the insurgents to the detriment of the Government. I was anxious for his return, when on the 22nd, I heard that some Turkish xx] Insurrection of 1J64—6 103

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