§ MR. LEVESON GOWER (Stoke-upon-Trent)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information which confirms the statements of the correspondent of the Times, in the issue of 4th July, that disorder and outrage are generally prevalent in Crete; whether Her Majesty's Government can inform the House as to the truth of the reported murder and mutilation of a Christian of Kuma, named Ciklahi, the killing of a child of 18 months in the arms of its mother, and the killing of one Andrea Ghiparis, by a detachment of gendarmery; whether they have any knowledge as to the alleged prolonged torture and murder of two Cretan Christians, within a few minutes' walk of a Turkish military post at Caro Crios, in the South-West of the Island; whether rifles and ammunition have been landed on the Coast of Kissamos, and hostilities have already taken place between the Albanians and Sphahiotes; and whether, with a view to preventing a repetition of the massacres perpetrated in time past at Scio, Batah, and in Crete itself, by the Turkish troops and auxiliaries, Her Majesty's Government will consider the advisability of ordering some portion of the Mediterranean Squadron into Cretan waters, as some protection to the Christian population of the Island?
§ *SIR J. FERGUSSON(1) Murders of both Christians and Mussulmans are, unfortunately of common occurrence, but, Her Majesty's (Consul reports that since June 17th public tranquility has not been disturbed. (2) The Christian and Mussulman accounts of this incident differ, but Her Majesty's Consul reports that the following facts are admitted on both sides: A squad of gendarmes, under a native Major, going their rounds, met an armed Christian, who, refusing to stop when challenged, was shot at and killed. The deceased proved to be a certain Russo Tsichlaki, of the village of Kourra. His body was removed to his house. A crowd assembled, and three of the dead man's companions fired on the gendarmes. The latter returned the fire, one bullet passing through the arm of a woman, killing her child whom she was carrying, and another bullet through the neck of a man named Andrea Ghiparaki, who has since died of his wound. The gendarmes subsequently retired from the village. The Major in command on this occasion has been recalled, (3) Towards the end of May two Christians were murdered, it is believed by soldiers, in the district of Selinos. This is probably the case referred to. The murderers have not been discovered, but the commanding officer has been imprisoned for neglect of duty. (4) Early in June some armed outlaws landed in Crete. They are being hotly pursued, and have not been joined by the population. (5) Her Majesty's Government do not consider that the slate of Crete calls for the despatch of a British Squadron to Cretan waters.