§ MR. F. A. CHANNING (Northampton, E.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether it is true, as stated in the Dispatch of Colonel Vassos, that Turkish troops sallied from Canea to attack the advanced positions of the insurgents or to defend positions held by Turks; and, whether this was done by the orders or with the approval of the representatives of the Powers at Canea?
§ MR. F. S. STEVENSON (Suffolk, Eye)also asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in view of the fact that the Powers made arrangements to prevent an attack upon Canea, what steps they took to prevent a sally of the Turkish troops from that town for the purpose of attacking the Cretan position?
§ MR. STEVENSONasked the Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs who gave the signal for the bombardment of the Cretan position by the combined fleet of the Powers.
§ MR. STEVENSONThe right hon. Gentleman was then unable to state who gave the signal. He said he had no information.
*MR. CURZONI beg pardon. I said I believed the signal was always given by the senior Naval officer, who in this case was the Italian Admiral.
GENERAL SIR HENRY HAVELOCKALLAN (Durham, S.E.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government, with a view to the earlier cessation of hostilities in Crete, will give orders to the British Fleet pending reply from the Five Powers to the Circular Note addressed to them by Lord Salisbury, to prevent the landing in Crete of provisions for the Greek forces and the Cretan insurgents, which provisions, equally with munitions of war, cannot fail to prolong the duration of the struggle?
*MR. CURZONThe British Admiral having instructions to act in concert with the other Naval commanders, no separate orders can be sent to him to act in independence of his colleagues.
MR. HERBERT ROBERTS (Denbighshire, W.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Government have received any confirmation of the telegram that owing to the encouraging effect of the bombardment of the Cretan position by the allied squadron on Sunday last, the Turkish cannon were firing upon the Christians both on the Suda and on the Galata side of Akrotiri; whether it is a fact thas the outposts of the Greek army in camp at Platania were also fired upon repeatedly by the Turks, and that they (the Greeks) did not return the fire; and whether he will state whether the instructions issued to the British Admiral in command orders the prevention by bombardment of the advance of Cretan Christians, but allow the Turkish troops and Mohammedan irregulars to continue without interference warlike operations against the Cretan insurgents and the Greek army.
§ MR. H. J. WILSON (York, W.R., Holmfirth)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the attention of Her Majesty's Government has been called to the statements to the effect that the encouraging effect of Sunday's event upon the Turks 1146 is already visible, and that both on the Suda Bay side and on the Galata side of Akrotiri the Turkish cannon have been busily firing upon the Christians, who had not replied, fearing lest they should be shelled by the foreign warships; and whether Her Majesty's Government will forthwith send orders to the Consul General and the Naval officers that the Turkish officers must be warned to desist from these operations, and that the English fleet will take steps to prevent by force any further attack by Turks upon Christian positions?
§ MR. DILLONI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Turkish cannon, both on the Suda and Galata side of Akrotiri, have been busily firing on the Christians since Sunday, the Christians not replying fearing lest they should be shelled by the Foreign war ships?
*MR. CURZONThe only information that we possess with reference to the points raised in these three Questions is to the effect that throughout Monday desultory firing continued to the south of the town, and that yesterday fighting was going on on both sides of Suda Bay. It is clear that this information applies to both combatants.
§ MR. H. J. WILSONThe right hon. Gentleman has not replied to the latter part of my Question.
*MR. CURZONWell, Sir, I have already replied to it in answer to another Question. So far as we know, these operations have not taken place.
§ MR. CHANNINGI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether representations have been made by the Greek Minister in this country protesting against the action of the fleet in shelling the Cretan positions, and conveying the substance of the resolution adopted by the Greek Chamber to the effect that a protest be sent to the Powers concerned against the bombarding of Christians as an act unparalleled in the history of the world; and what reply has been given to the Greek Minister?
§ MR. D. F. GODDARD (Ipswich)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the statement that the Turks opened a brisk fire on the Cretans 1147 while they were picking up their dead and wounded; and what steps have been taken to prevent a recurrence of such a practice?
§ MR. DILLONI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the statement is true that, immediately after the British ships had ceased firing on the Cretans, and as the Cretans were picking up their dead and wounded, the Turks at the nearest outposts opened a brisk fire, to which the Cretans, disheartened by the fire of the warships, did not reply?
§ MR. DILLONThe question is whether, after the British ships ceased firing, the Turkish troops opened fire on the Greeks while they were carrying away their wounded?
*MR. CURZONAs I have already said, we have received no information that there were any wounded. ["Hear, hear," and laughter.]
§ MR. DILLONIs it not a fact that the admirals offered to send on shore medical officers to attend the wounded? [Cheers.]
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURYBecause there were no wounded.
§ SIR ELLIS ASHMEAD-BARTLETTI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government and the Governments of the other Great Bowers have decided to send the armed European force of 300 men necessary, in the opinion of the Consuls of Italy, Russia, and England, to save from massacre 3,000 Mussulmans now beleaguered at Kaudamos and Selinos?
*MR. CURZONNo reply has yet been received to a telegram of inquiry which was addressed to the British admiral on the subject, but we know that on the 23rd the admirals were concerting measures for the relief of the beleaguered districts.
§ MR. H. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) whether he can inform the House what is the distance between Canea and the 1148 Cretan village bombarded by the fleets of the Great Powers; (2) whether any Turkish vessel joined in that bombardment; (3) whether any Turkish vessel fired on the insurgents before or after that bombardment; and (4) whether any Turkish forces have moved from the towns occupied by the Great Powers in Crete since that occupation, and have attacked outside these towns the Cretan forces?
*MR. CURZONSo far as we can gather, the position taken up by the insurgents on the heights commanding the town must have been between one and two miles from the walls of the latter. We have no reason to believe that the statements in paragraphs 2 and 3 are correct. In answer to paragraph 4, no troops, as I have previously said, advanced from the town, nor have the Turks advanced beyond their former outposts.
§ MR. CHANNINGIs the right hon. Gentleman in a position to state whether the insurgents have artillery which can command the town?
*MR. CURZONI think so. It was from the fear that they were going to plant that artillery in a position to command the town that the action of the fleets took place. [Cheers.]
§ MR. BRYCEI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Turkish transports, carrying Turkish troops from one part of the coast of Crete to another, have been escorted by British ships of war?
§ MR. BRYCEAs I put this Question down last Tuesday—[cheers]—and as we have still received no information, I give notice that I shall repeat the Question. [Cheers.]
§ MR. FLYNNI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, on Monday and Tuesday last, the Turkish cannon on the Suda and Galata side of Akrotiri fired upon the Christian troops, who did not reply for fear of being shelled by the warships of the Powers; and whether a protest has been sent by the Cretan Christian troops to the Foreign admirals complaining of such action?
§ MR. DILLONI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether a formal protest has been received by the Foreign admirals from the 1149 insurgents; and whether, in that protest, the insurgents state that they are afraid to reply to the Turkish fire for fear of being annihilated by the Christian guns, and that on Sunday the Turks were aggressors in firing.
*MR. CURZONWe have not yet received a reply to inquiries that have been made on the first point. The second question is identical with No. 55 standing in the name of the hon. Member for East Mayo. We know nothing of any such protest.
§ MR. DILLONI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether on Sunday several shells were thrown into the gardens of the Convent of the Prophet Elias, and three women, of whom one was a nun, were wounded; and whether the Government can yet state how many were killed and wounded by the fire of the ships?
*MR. CURZONThe only information we have on the first point is that the insurgents had taken up a position at Prophet Elias, and that the fire of the squadron obliged them to haul down their flag. We do not know how many were killed or wounded, the Greek Commodore having declined to allow medical officers from the fleet to make inquiry on the spot. No wounded, however, were seen.
§ MR. DILLONI wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether the admirals took any steps to inform themselves as to whether there were women in the convent before they opened fire, and what period of notice they gave before the guns opened fire? [Cheers.]
*MR. CURZONI do not think it is at all certain that the convent was fired on at all—[cheers]—and if I may judge of the accuracy of this statement by that of many others proceeding from the newspapers which I am called upon to comment on, I should say that it was, on the whole, probably inaccurate.
§ MR. DILLONI respectfully ask the right hon. Gentleman to make inquiries, as the statement is taken from the Correspondent of The Times at Canea. [Cheers.]
§ DR. TANNER (Cork Co., Mid)May I ask whether it is not the fact that even if the medical officers were not absolutely consulted—
§ *MR. SPEAKEROrder, order. If the hon. Member continues to interrupt the business of the House I shall be compelled to request him to leave the House for the remainder of the sitting. [Cheers.]
§ DR. TANNERQuite right. Certainly. I would sooner leave it than be in it.
§ MR. CHANNINGWhat steps have the Government taken to ascertain the accuracy of a statement made by The Times Correspondent and other persons?
*MR. CURZONIt is quite impossible for Her Majesty's Government to be telegraphing out every five minutes of the day to test the accuracy or the inaccuracy of the various statements emanating from foreign correspondents that appear in the newspapers of the United Kingdom. [Cheers.]
§ MR. THOMAS BAYLEYI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether the Government have had any official Report from the British Admiral in Cretan waters of what took place on Sunday last?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURYAll the information at the disposal of the Government from the Admiral has already been given to the House in answer to questions addressed to my right hon. Friend the Under Secretary. I have nothing to add.