After the fall of Preveza, Ali Pasha was eager to conquer Parga, a “deserted rock, the only spot in his realm where the rays of freedom still shone” according to the English traveller Thomas Hughes. He attacked the town but its residents managed to repulse him. Then the devious Ali found another way. In 1815 he convinced the British to return Parga to the Ottoman Empire in exchange for a vast sum of money. The deal also stated that the people of Parga had to abandon the town, so they were forcibly removed to Corfu. This shameful story caused a sensation in Europe and it was extensively debated in the British House of Commons. In 1831 approximately 100 families were able to return to Parga, but without any rights to their old properties.