HC Deb 31 January 1828 vol 18 cc86-93
Lord Palmerston

presented, by command, the following Protocol and Treaty—

PROTOCOL relative to the Affairs of Greece. Signed at St. Petersburgh, April 4, 1826. (TRANSLATION.)

His Britannic Majesty having been requested by the Greeks to interpose his good offices, in order to obtain their reconciliation with the Ottoman Porte; having, in consequence, offered his Mediation to that Power, and being desirous of concerting the measures of his Government, upon this subject, with his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias; and his Imperial Majesty, on the other hand, being equally animated by the desire of putting an end to the contest of which Greece and the Archipelago are the theatre, by an arrangement, which shall be consistent with the principles of religion, justice, and humanity;

The Undersigned have agreed:

1. That the arrangement to be proposed to the Porte, if that Government should accept the proffered Mediation, should have for its object, to place the Greeks to wards the Ottoman Porte, in the relation hereafter mentioned:

Greece should be a dependency of that Empire, and the Greeks should pay to the Porte an annual tribute, the amount of which should be permanently fixed by common consent. They should be exclusively governed by Authorities, to be chosen and named by themselves, but in the nomination of which Authorities the Porte should have a certain influence.

In this state, the Greeks should enjoy a complete liberty of conscience, entire freedom of commerce, and should, exclusively, conduct their own internal government.

In order to effect a complete separation between individuals of the two nations, and to prevent the collisions which must be the necessary consequences of a contest of such duration, the Greeks should purchase the property of Turks, whether situated on the Continent of Greece, or in the Islands.

2. In case the principle of a Mediation between Turks and Greeks should have been admitted, in consequence of the steps taken, with that view, by his Britannic Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople, his Imperial Majesty would exert, in every case, his influence to forward the object of that Mediation. The mode in which, and the time at which, his Imperial Majesty should take part in the ulterior nego- tiations with the Ottoman Porte, which maybe the consequence of that Mediation, should be determined hereafter by the common consent of the governments of his Britannic Majesty and his Imperial Majesty.

3. If the Mediation offered by his Britannic Majesty should not have been accepted by the Porte, and whatever may be the nature of the relations between his Imperial Majesty and the Turkish government, his Britannic Majesty and his Imperial Majesty will still consider the terms of the arrangement specified in No. 1 of this Protocol, as the basis of any reconciliation to be effected by their intervention, whether in concert or separately, between the Porte and the Greeks; and they will avail themselves of every favour able opportunity to exert their influence with both Parties, in order to effect their reconciliation on the above-mentioned basis.

4.That his Britannic Majesty and his Imperial Majesty should reserve to them selves to adopt, hereafter, the measures necessary for the settlement of the details of the arrangement in question, as well as the limits of the Territory, and the names of the Islands of the Archipelago to which it shall be applicable, and which it shall be proposed to the Porte to comprise under the denomination of Greece.

5. That, moreover, his Britannic Majesty and his Imperial Majesty will not seek, in this arrangement, any increase of Territory, nor any exclusive influence, nor advantage in commerce for their Subjects, which shall not be equally attainable by all other Nations.

6. That his Britannic Majesty and his Imperial Majesty, being desirous that their Allies should become parties to the definitive arrangements of which this Protocol contains the outline, will communicate this Instrument, confidentially, to the Courts of Vienna, Paris, and Berlin, and will propose to them that they should, in concert with the Emperor of Russia, guarantee the treaty by which the reconciliation of Turks and Greeks shall be effected, as his Britannic Majesty cannot guarantee such a Treaty. (Signed)

WELLINGTON.

NESSELRODE.

LIEVEN.

St. Petersburgh, April 4—March 23, 1826.

TREATY FOR THE PACIFICATION OF GREECE, between his Majesty, the Most Christian King, and the Emperor of all the Russias. Signed London. July 6,1827 (TRANSLATION.)

In the name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity.—His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, his Majesty the King of France and Navarre, and his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, penetrated with the necessity of putting an end to the sanguinary struggle, which, while it abandons the Greek Provinces and the Islands of the Archipelago to all the disorders of anarchy, daily causes fresh impediments to the commerce of the States of Europe, and gives opportunity for acts of piracy which not only expose the Subjects of the High Contracting Parties to grievous losses, but also render necessary measures which are burthensome for their observation and suppression; —

His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and his Majesty the King of France and Navarre, having moreover received from the Greeks an earnest invitation to interpose their mediation with the Ottoman Porte; and, together with his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, being animated with the desire of putting a stop to the effusion of blood, and of preventing the evils of every kind which the continuance of such a state of affairs may produce;

They have resolved to combine their efforts, and to regulate the operation thereof, by a formal Treaty, for the object of reestablishing peace between the contending Parties, by means of an arrangement called for, no less by sentiments of humanity, than by interests for the tranquillity of Europe.

For these purposes, they have named Their Plenipotentiaries to discuss, to conclude, and sign, the said Treaty, that is to say:—

His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Honourable John William Viscount Dudley, a Peer of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, a Member of his said Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, and his Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs: —

His Majesty the King of France and Navarre, the Prince Jules, Count de Polignac, a Peer of France, Knight of the Orders of his Most Christian Majesty, Maréchal-de-Camp of his Forces, Grand Cross of the Order of St. Maurice of Sardinia, &c. &c. and his Ambassador at London: —

And his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, the Sieur Christopher Prince de Lieven, General of Infantry of his Imperial Majesty's Forces, his Aide-de-Camp General, Knight of the Orders of Russia, of those of the Black Eagle and of the Red Eagle of Prussia, of that of the Guelphs of Hanover, Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword of Sweden, and of that of St. John of Jerusalem, his Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to his Britannic Majesty:

Who, after having communicated to each other their Full Powers, found to be in due and proper form, have agreed upon the following Articles:—

Art. 1. The Contracting Powers shall offer their Mediation to the Ottoman Porte, with the view of effecting a reconciliation between It and the Greeks.

This offer of Mediation shall be made to that Power immediately after the Ratification of the present Treaty, by means of a joint declaration, signed by Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts at Constantinople; and, at the same time, a demand for an immediate Armistice shall be made to the Two Contending Parties, as a preliminary and indispensable condition to the opening of any negotiation.

2. The arrangement to be proposed to the Ottoman Porte shall rest upon the following bases: —

The Greeks shall hold under the Sultan as under a Lord paramount; and, in consequence thereof, they shall pay to the Ottoman empire an annual tribute, the amount of which shall be fixed, once for all, by common agreement. They shall be governed by Authorities whom they shall choose and appoint themselves, but in the nomination of whom the Porte shall have a defined right.

In order to effect a complete separation betwen the individuals of the two Nations, and to prevent the collisions which would be the inevitable consequence of so protracted a struggle, the Greeks shall become possessors of all Turkish Property situated either upon the Continent, or in the Islands of Greece, on condition of indemnifying the former proprietors, either by an annual sum to be added to the tribute which they shall pay to the Porte, or by some other arrangement of the same nature.

3. The details of this arrangement, as well as the limits of the territory upon the Continent, and the designation of the Islands of the Archipelago to which it shall be applicable, shall be settled by a nego- tiation to be hereafter entered into between the High Powers and the Two Contending Parties.

4. The Contracting Powers engage to pursue the salutary work of the pacification, of Greece, upon the bases laid down in the preceding Articles, and to furnish, without the least delay, their Representatives at Constantinople with all the Instructions which are required for the execution of the Treaty which they now sign.

5. The Contracting Powers will not peek, in these arrangements, any augmentation of territory, any exclusive influence, or any commercial advantage for their Subjects, which those of every other Nation may not equally obtain.

6. The arrangements for reconciliation and peace which shall be definitively agreed upon between the Contending Parties, shall be guaranteed by those of the Signing Powers who may judge it expedient or possible to contract that obligation. The operation and the effects of such guarantee shall become the subject of future stipulation between the High Powers.

7. The present Treaty shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged in two months, or sooner if possible. In witness whereof, the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto the Seals of their Arms. Done at London, the Sixth day of July, in the Year of our Lord, 1827.

(L. S.) DUDLEY.

(L. S.) THE PRINCE DE POLIGNAC.

(L. S.) LIEVEN.

Additional Article.—In case the Ottoman Porte should not, within the space of one month, accept the mediation which is to be proposed to It, the High Contracting Parties agree upon the following measures: —

1. It shall be declared to the Porte, by Their Representatives at Constantinople, that the inconveniencies and evils described in the patent Treaty as inseparable from the state of things which has, for six years, existed in the East, and the termination of which, by the means at the command of the Sublime Ottoman Porte, appears to be still distant, impose upon the High Contracting Parties the necessity of taking immediate measures for forming a connection with the Greeks.

It is understood that this shall be effected by establishing commercial rela- tions with the Greeks, and by sending to and receiving from them, for this, purpose. Consular Agents, provided there shall exist in Greece Authorities capable of supporting such relations.

2. If, within the said term of one month, the Porte does not accept the armistice proposed in the first article of the patent Treaty, or if the Greeks refuse to carry it into execution, the high contracting powers shall declare to either of the contending parties which may be disposed to continue hostilities, or to both of them, if necessary, that the said high powers intend to exert all the means which circumstances may suggest to their prudence, for the purpose of obtaining the immediate effects of the armistice of which they desire the execution, by preventing, as far as possible, all collision between the contending parties; and in consequence, immediately after the above mentioned declaration, the high powers will, jointly, exert all their efforts to accomplish the object of such armistice, without, however, taking any part in the hostilities between the two contending parties.

Immediately after the signature of the present additional article, the high contracting powers will, consequently, transmit to the admirals commanding their respective squadrons in the Levant, conditional instructions in conformity to the arrangements above declared.

3. Finally, if, contrary to all expectation, these measures do not prove sufficient to procure the adoption of the propositions of the high contracting parties by the Ottoman Porte; or if, on the other hand, the Greeks decline the conditions stipulated in their favour, by the Treaty of this date, the high contracting powers will, nevertheless, continue to pursue the work of pacification, on the bases upon which they have agreed; and, in consequence, they authorise, from the present moment, their representatives at London, to discuss and determine the future measures which it may become necessary to employ.

The present additional article shall have the same force and validity as if it were inserted, word for word, in the Treaty of this day. It shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at the same time as those of the said Treaty.

In witness whereof the respective plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto the seals of their arms.

Done at London, the Sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord 1827.

(L. S.) DUDLEY.

(L. S.) THE PRINCE DE POUGNAC.

(L. S.) LIEVEN.