A Perspective on Russian Plans for the Eastern Shore of the Black Sea as Reflected in the Correspondence of British Consul in Odessa (1839-1841)
A Perspective on Russian Plans for the Eastern Shore of the Black Sea as Reflected in the Correspondence of British Consul in Odessa (1839-1841)

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this study is to analyze 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. We rely on the correspondence of James Yeames, British consul general at the Black Sea, with his headquarters in Odessa. He was appointed in 1819 by the Foreign Office after the death of his predecessor, William Yeames, his late father. 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 of 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, became crucial for our study. The methodological approach in this study is based on the classical study of international relations, specifically the policy of Russia as reflected in diplomatic history. The correspondence of James Yeames, held by the National Archives in Kew, London, will help us understand the political decisions of Nicholas I between 1839 and 1841, as Odessa was the capital of New Russia and Yeames was the closest British diplomat to observe the Russians’ approach to conducting foreign policy.

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