§ LORD COLCHESTERrose to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, If any official information has reached him of the vote of the Cretan Assembly annexing the island of Crete to the Kingdom of Greece; and if Greece can accept such annexation without the consent of the Great Powers of Europe? The noble Lord said, that after the insurrection of 1867 a certain degree of autonomy had been given to Crete; that the population of Crete was four-fifths Christian and one-fifth Mussulman. The complaint of the Christian population, as contained in the representation of the Deputies to be found among the Eastern Papers published two years back, was that they had not the complete preponderance in the representation that their numbers might have given them; but he did not consider that they had made out a serious case against the Constitution. At any rate, they had appeared unwilling to risk the loss of whatever privileges this Constitution gave them by being merged in that granted to the whole Empire. If it were to pass out of Turkish hands, he agreed with those who would desire to see it in English hands. Ten years ago the noble Duke opposite (the Duke of Argyll) said that till Greece was better governed it was preposterous for her to annex fresh territory, and though Greece might have advanced since then, he doubted its fitness to deal with the difficulties which would be caused by the diverse character of the Turkish and Greek population of Candia. At the same time, he felt that the great concessions to be made to the Slav population, which in the case of Bulgaria went far beyond the administrative autonomy discussed at the Conference, the effect would be to cause a perpetual irritation on the part of the Hellenic subject-races tending to the disturbance of tranquillity elsewhere.
THE DUKE OF ARGYLLMy Lords, before the noble Earl the Foreign Secre- 1036 tary answers the Question, perhaps I may be allowed to say one word in reference to the course which I took in 1867 with regard to Crete. I have no wish to ask any inconvenient Questions just now in regard to the terms which the noble Earl may think fit to support in the settlement of peace at the approaching Conference. But it did appear to me 10 years ago, looking into the documents which I had then before me, that Crete had a very special claim upon this country and the other Great Powers of Europe. To-day I have again looked into the circumstances of the case. I have examined the Protocol which was signed by the Great Powers on the 20th of February, 1830; and the peculiarity of the case is this—that the inhabitants of Crete had at that time made a successful insurrection against the Turkish Government in the Island; and that insurrection was so far successful that at that date the Earl of Aberdeen, who was Foreign Minister, admitted that the insurgents were in complete possession of the whole of the Island excepting a small portion at one point of it, which was still held by the Turkish garrison. It was under those circumstances that the Great Powers of Europe determined that the Island should not be annexed to the Kingdom of Greece, and that was one of the great causes which led to the resignation of Prince Leopold. The Great Powers determined that the Island which had successfully overthrown the Turkish Government should be replaced under that Government, and at the same time they drew up the Protocol of February, 1830, stating that they considered themselves more or less bound to exercise a Protectorate over the people of Candia with reference to the immediate consequences of the insurrection. Subsequently a more general paragraph appeared in the Protocol, implying that the Powers were to look after the future condition of the people under the Turkish Government. Under these circumstances, I confess that 10 years ago I did feel that when an insurrection had again broken out the Powers of Europe were bound, at the very least, to interfere and prevent that war being carried on in a ferocious and barbarous manner. I only wish to say further that though the condition of the people 1037 of Crete may, in consequence of the last insurrection, be considerably improved, I believe that there was an agreement or sort of constitution given to Crete, yet the Papers which have been presented by my noble Friend (the Earl of Derby) to the House show that the Cretans still have great complaints to make against the Turks in regard to the manner in which that agreement has been carried into effect. I can only say that, if the Cretans have to a great extent succeeded in asserting their independence, I think it will be the bounden duty of the Powers of Europe to secure to them for the future their independence.
§ THE EARL OF DERBYMy Lords, in answer to the Question of my noble Friend behind me (Lord Colchester), I have to say that I have looked through the Reports recently received by the Government on the state of affairs in Crete, and that I do not find any information about the vote to which he referred as annexing the Island to Greece. I do not think that anything of that kind has taken place. What probably has taken place, and which has led to the Question of my noble Friend, is that some such vote has been passed by a revolutionary committee—of which there are more than one in the Island of Crete. The present state of the Island is, I believe, such that there is considerable excitement and discontent among the Christian population — but there has been, as far as I am aware, no violence or any armed and organized insurrection. With regard to the question as to whether Greece can accept the annexation without the consent of the Great Powers, I have no doubt as to the answer which should be given according to International Law. The Turkish Empire is guaranteed by the Great Powers, and the Greek State is a protected State; and I apprehend, therefore, that no transfer of territory from one to the other in a valid manner can take place without the sanction of the guaranteeing Powers on the one hand, and the protecting Powers on the other. In reply to my noble Friend the noble Duke (the Duke of Argyll), I beg to say that I have great respect for his opinions; but, if he will allow me to use a diplomatic phrase, I will take the matter to which he has called attention ad referendum.