 On 14 March 1840 Cumming was appointed mate on the frigate HMS Cyclops ( commanded by Horatio Thomas Austin ) , part of Commodore Charles John Napier 's squadron sent to intervene for Britain in the Syrian War , and reached the ship in April . The war had begun when Mehemet Ali , Pasha of Egypt , attempted to claim independence from the Ottoman Empire . Ali invaded Syria and took control of the Ottoman Fleet forcing young Sultan Abdülmecid I to request help from the European powers . Great Britain , Austria , Prussia and Russia agreed to assist and issued an ultimatum to Ali demanding his withdrawal from Ottoman possessions ( Arabia , Crete and Syria ) in return for being made hereditary Viceroy of Egypt . Cyclops was detached from patrolling to carry the ultimatum into Alexandria on 9 August 1840 . 
