THE IONIAN ISLANDS.—OBSERVATIONS. (Hansard, 27 February 1863)

§ LORD WILLIAM GRAHAM
called the attention of the Secretary of State for War to the increased expenditure for the Ionian Islands in the Army Estimates of this year—the sum set down being £189,000 against £158,000 last year. He did not wish to go into the question of the cession of the Ionian Islands—a dependency concerning the surrender of 944 which the noble Lord at the head of the Government seemed to think very lightly. A time would come for discussing that subject. But, at the same time, he did wish to know why, under such circumstances, we were called upon to pay a larger sum on account of those Islands, than we had paid in preceding years. The Government had certainly clogged the surrender of the Protectorate, by the introduction of so many "ifs" that it was nearly impossible to know under what combination of circumstances the cession was to take place. What were the conditions which had been laid down? If the new Assembly of the Greek nation should prove faithful to their declaration, if they should maintain constitutional monarchy, if they should refrain from all aggression, if they should choose a Sovereign against whom no well-founded objection could be raised, Her Majesty would wish to see the Ionian Isles united to Greece; and if this wish should also be expressed by the Ionian Parliament, and if the parties to the treaty were willing to agree, why then the detailed arrangements could be the subject of future communication. The fulfilment of all these conditions appeared to be exceedingly remote, for there was no King, no Republic, and whatever semblance of a Government did exist had been destroyed within the last few days. The addition of the Ionian Isles to the kingdom of Greece, so far from promoting a desirable settlement, would only add one more item to the anarchical mass.

SIR GEORGE LEWIS
—A communication was made by Her Majesty's Government to the Provisional Government of Greece to the effect which the noble Lord has just stated; but that communication was only of a preliminary nature, and no negotiation has been hitherto entered into with any of the great Powers who signed the Treaty of Vienna, without whose consent it would be impossible to take the first step for transferring the Ionian Islands to the kingdom of Greece, When the time arrives for making this communication, there will be ample opportunity afforded to this House to express their opinion on the subject, and it would be premature to enter into any detailed discussion of the subject at the present moment. I shall therefore confine myself to the question which the noble Lord has placed upon the Notices. The portion of the Estimates to which he refers is a document appended to the Estimates, giving 945 an account of the military expenditure on each Colony, as calculated for the present year, and compared with a similar Return appended to the Estimates of last year. These figures do not represent the amount voted by the House, but are calculations based on the best information in the possession of the War Department at the beginning of each year. It appears that the expenditure last year was not altogether taken from precise data, and fell short of the outlay actually incurred. The Estimate for future years will be rectified upon the information afforded by the Comptroller of Military accounts, and the sum put down for the financial year beginning the first of April next will correctly represent the expenses necessary to be incurred if the present number of troops should continue in the island for the whole year. The expense for the present year will be substantially similar to that of last year, as no alteration will be made in the number. There is no Estimate for public works or fortifications in the Ionian Islands for the present year.

§ LORD WILLIAM GRAHAM
said, that the expense of the four battalions had been greater than was calculated in the Estimate of last year.

SIR GEORGE LEWIS
would admit that the expense was under-calculated in the document appended to the Estimates.

COLONEL DUNNE
asked why, if the Government had determined to cede these Islands, they should go on incurring the present expenditure, which was not confined to the maintenance of four battalions of infantry. And as to these four battalions, they must be kept somewhere, and therefore it was not fair to charge the expense of them to the Protectorate of these Islands. What was to be done with the fortifications, upon which, within his knowledge, a great expenditure had been incurred? They were placed eighty miles to the north of the boundary of Greece; and, from his own survey of the country, he did not hesitate to say that the Power that possessed Corfu could turn the whole position of the line of Turkey. Would the Government, then, place in the hands of Greece the best point for an attack upon Turkey? No foreign Prince could go to Greece without being a party to a policy of aggression, and the military point of aggression would be Corfu. What he wanted to know was, whether Her Majesty's Government meant, to blow up the fortifications of Corfu, or to hand them over to 946 Greece? If they wished to destroy the Turkish empire, they would adopt the latter course, although he did not think the Corfiotes would benefit much by being handed over to Greece. Had the Government taken any measures with the four Powers who were parties to the Treaty of Vienna, for the arrangement of the cession, and were they likely to agree to it?

SIR GEORGE LEWIS
Her Majesty's Government have not entered into any negotiation with the other Powers who were parties to the Treaty of Vienna about the cession of the Ionian Islands.

§ SIR GEORGE BOWYER
thought the statement just made rather extraordinary, because Her Majesty's Government ought, out of mere courtesy, to have communicated with those Powers in order to ascertain their views. He wished to ask whether Her Majesty's Government had received at any time any intimation of the views of the other Powers who were parties to the Treaty of Vienna, as to the cession of the Ionian Islands? He asked this question with especial reference to Austria, because he believed that Austria was peculiarly interested in the matter.

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
The case anticipated in the Queen's Speech has not occurred, and there has therefore been no communication with any other Power.

§ MR. ROEBUCK
I am rather surprised at that answer of the noble Lord, because, being at Vienna at that time, I made inquiry of the Austrian Government whether they knew anything about the matter. I was told that Her Majesty's Government had communicated with them on the subject, and a member of the Administration of Austria showed me the reply to that communication. I saw that reply. It was exceedingly well reasoned, and I should like to see it on that table.

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
My hon. and learned Friend saw a despatch which was read to my noble Friend (Earl Russell) but which was not given to him.