“representing multitudinous Islam populations,” for his
“warm sympathy with a Christian nation” and that “such
sympathies, in all the genial charities of common humanity,
be cultivated and henceforth ever be maintained
between the followers of the cross and the crescent!”1
Furthermore, the sultan had made a promise he could
not fulfill out of diplomacy toward the British. He initially
promised to send £10,000 but was forced to reduce that
to £1,000. According to numerous sources, though never
confirmed in any archival document, he chartered three
ships to unload cargo full of food in the Drogheda harbor
off the River Boyne. At this point, three cargo ships did
appear on the harbor on May 15, 1847 shortly after the sultan’s
declaration to help the Irish people. As foreign ships
anchoring at the harbor was rare during the famine era,
these ships must have raised some interest into their true
mission. They had sailed from Ceylonica (Thessaloniki), a
port under Ottoman control carrying corn that was a major
Ottoman export.
It is most likely that the sultan had chartered these commercial
ships surreptitiously to avoid disturbing the peace
between the two great powers. Establishing underground
connections with the Irish, he was able to unload to cargo
and have the foodstuffs safely distributed among the
starving masses. The fact that there is little clear documentation
to prove this took place is the strongest evidence
that it happened. The sultan would clearly want to keep
the benevolent mission clandestine since the ‘Sick Man of
Europe’, as the Ottomans were known, was not in a position
to have a showdown with the British imperial power. But
word still got around even without a paper trail to implicate
the Ottomans that they had sent foodstuffs as promised by
the sultan. Therefore, even the American news weekly, The
Albion, said, on July 21, 1849, “The Sultan originally offered
to send £10,000 to Ireland, as well as some ships laden with
provisions.”
Robert Taylor in his biography on the British statesman Sir
Robert Peel states, “One of the most remarkable instances
of the universal interest and sympathy manifested on this
occasion, was in the offer of no less than £10,000 from the
Sultan, besides some ship-loads of provisions” (Taylor,
William, Life and Times of Sir Robert Peel, p. 4).
Despite his economic woes, the sultan stood out in a class
of his own among the ruling leaders, monarchs, statesmen,
presidents, and elite of the time, most from wealthier
nations who looked on smug and righteous as if the sultan
had represented the whole world, though his contribution
1 Verde, T. (2015, January/February). An Irish Tale of Hunger and
the Sultan. https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/201501/an.irish.
tale.of.hunger.and.the.sultan.htm
only represented his religious conscience as a Muslim.
Ireland was ever grateful for this supreme act of kindness
from an ailing empire. This was their address of appreciation:
May it Please Your Majesty,
We, the undersigned Noblemen and Inhabitants Resident
in Ireland, beg most respectfully to approach your
Majesty in order to justify our deep-felt thanks and
gratitude for the munificent act of benevolence and
attention lately displayed by your Majesty towards the
suffering and afflicted inhabitants of Ireland, and to
than your Majesty on their behalf for the liberal contribution
of ONE THOUSAND pounds, lately given
by your Majesty, to relieve the wants and mitigate
the sufferings of the Irish people… and our Majesty
has responded nobly to the call, displaying a worthy
example to other great nations of Europe to assist
their fellow-creatures in affliction (Kinealy, Christine.
Charity and the Great Hunger in Ireland, pp. 116-
117)
Later, the famous Irish poet, Denis Florence MacCarthy
(1817-1882) glorified the sultan in a lengthy poem; a portion
of which is reproduced below:
God bless the Turk! God bless the Turk!
God bless the Turk! for this Christian work, —
May his noble shadow never be less!
May Mahomed guard him,
And Allah reward him,
And Suleyman bless him,
And the Houris caress him,
When with years o’erladen,
To the bowers of Adhan,
His spirit in soaring
Shall hover adoring,
And rest with the lowly,
And kneel with the holy,
Who kiss the beryl
And moon-white pearl
continued on page 30
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