 The liberation order was issued on August 28, 1840, and, as a compromise, it stated explicitly that it was an act of justice rather than a pardon granted by the ruler.After completing his mission to Muhammad Ali, Montefiore was returning to Europe by way of Constantinople.On October 15, 1840, in the Ottoman capital he had a meeting with Lord Ponsonby, to whom Montefiore suggested that following the precedent set by Suleiman the Magnificent, the sultan should issue a decree ("firman") formally denouncing the blood libel and effectively sealing the cases both in Rhodes and in Damascus.