Views on the Russian Plans for the Eastern Black Sea Shore, as Seen in the Correspondence of the British Consul in Odessa (1839-1841)
Views on the Russian Plans for the Eastern Black Sea Shore, as Seen in the Correspondence of the British Consul in Odessa (1839-1841)

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this study is to analyse Russian policy in Circassia during the time when Palmerston was attempting to organise the London Conference of 1840, followed by the Straits Convention of 1841. The study is based on James Yeames' correspondence. Yeames was British Consul General at the Black Sea, with his headquarters in Odessa, appointed by the Foreign Office in 1819, after the death of his father and predecessor, William Yeames. Our main goal is to highlight Russia’s inability to harmonize its policy between Europe and the Orient, as Mehmet Ali, the viceroy of Egypt, was on the brink of declaring his independence from the Sultan. Russia was committed to defending the Ottoman Empire under the Hünkâr İskelesi Treaty of 1833, and therefore, the fleet led by Nicholas I had two objectives: to be ready to depart for the Bosphorus in case of an emergency caused by Mehmet Ali and to maintain the blockade on the Circassian coast. At this point, the correspondence of James Yeames, British consul-general in Odessa, was crucial for our analysis. The methodological approach in this study is based on the classical study of international relations, specifically Russia’s policy as reflected in diplomatic history. James Yeames’ correspondence, held by the National Archives in Kew, London, helps us understand the political decisions taken by Nicholas I between 1839 and 1841, as Odessa was the capital of New Russia and Yeames was the closest British diplomat to observe the Russian approach to conducting foreign policy.

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