§ The Earl of Aberdeenrose to put a question to the noble Earl opposite; but before doing so, he wished to observe, that if he had hitherto refrained from bringing under the attention of the House some matters connected with foreign affairs, he had not adopted that course from not feeling the deepest conviction of 659 the importance of those matters. On the contrary, the House must have seen quite sufficient in the aspect of foreign affairs to justify the anxiety and serious attention of every man. There was, indeed, much that required, and he had no doubt would receive, full explanation. He knew, however, what was due to the situation of the noble Earl opposite; the honour and safety of the country was confided to his hands, and he (the Earl of Aberdeen) should be very sorry immaturely to interfere in any course of proceeding in which the noble Earl and his colleagues were engaged. But the point to which he was desirous of drawing the attention of the noble Earl was not liable to any such objection, for it was not immediately connected with the safety of the country. It would be recollected by the House, that in the course of last Session he had the honour of laying upon the Table of that House, by command of his Majesty, certain papers explanatory of the pacification and final settlement of Greece. Among those papers was a protocol, by which the limits and condition of Greece were settled. When, by the decision of the illustrious person destined to be the sovereign of that country, part of that arrangement remained incomplete, he (the Earl of Aberdeen) in formed the House, that the first measure adopted by the plenipotentiaries of the allies was, to assure the Turkish and Greek Governments, that no change should take place in the arrangement as to the limits of the country, but that every thing as respected them should remain immutable. Now, he should not have thought it in the least necessary to call their Lordships' attention to this subject, and would have been willing to leave to the leisure of the noble Earl who was now engaged with more important, perhaps, certainly more urgent duties, than the selection of a Prince for Greece, had not his attention been called to a report of a speech spoken by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs in France. In answer to an attack, in the Chamber of Deputies, on the French Government, by a Member who objected to the contracted limits of Greece, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs at Paris stated "That the affairs of Greece had engaged the attention of Government, and he did not suppose that the hon. Gentleman could ever think that French intervention in this part of the world could have been without effect. It was to the intervention of France—to her arms—an omi- 660 nous expression,—to her sacrifices, that Greece owed her liberty and independence. The frontiers of Greece at first were narrowly circumscribed: they would, he hoped, be extended, and the new State find in them safety and prosperity." He (the Earl of Aberdeen) asked for no explanation on this subject, neither did he ask the noble Earl to state whether the speech he had just read was authentic or not; but he thought that statement justified him in desiring to know whether, after the long and painful investigation which took place on the subject, after the conclusion which was arrived at, and after the assurances given and repeated in the most solemn manner, that that conclusion should in no wise be changed, it was really possible that the noble Earl should have voluntarily opened this subject again, and entered upon another negotiation. The question, therefore, which he rose to ask was, whether any negotiation was now taking place, having for its object the extension of the limits of Greece?
§ Earl Greysaid, that to the question introduced with so much solemnity by the noble Earl, he should certainly have been better prepared to give an answer, if the noble Earl had done him the favour to communicate to him his intention of putting it. He (Earl Grey) did not hesitate to say, that, pressed by other matters of much greater urgency, he had not paid the same attention to this subject as he had to other subjects which were certainly of greater importance. All that he could say at present was, that he was not aware of any thing passing in the way of negotiation respecting that question to which the noble Earl had alluded. It was possible, notwithstanding this declaration, that some negotiation might be begun, and certainly he should have no hesitation in saying, that if limits of a better description could be assigned to Greece, consistently with good faith, such a result would be most desirable for the future independence and safety of that country, as well as for the general advantage of Europe. The noble Earl had read an extract from the speech of the Minister for Foreign Affairs in France, and then said that he did not call upon him (Earl Grey) for explanation. He certainly thought that the noble Earl could hardly call on him to explain a speech delivered by a Secretary of a Foreign Government, still less of a speech which he (Earl Grey) declared he had never seen. To say whe- 661 ther the speech was authentic or not, was completely out of his power. There was a phrase in the speech which he observed had particularly alarmed the noble Earl— namely, that to intervention by the arms of France, the Greeks owed all they enjoyed of independence and security. Now, however much the noble Earl might be alarmed by the intervention of France, it was unnecessary for him to remind the House, that that intervention, for which the French Minister claimed so much credit for the Government of France, as having thereby established a title to the gratitude of Greece, took place long before the present Ministers came into office. Whether that intervention was right or wrong, —whether it had lessened the credit of this country, or established the influence of France in Greece,—would be discussed when the question came before their Lordships; but, whatever might have been its effect, whether prejudical or otherwise, to the honour and interest of this country, for that the present Government were in no degree responsible. To revert to the question which the noble Earl had asked, he might, perhaps, be thought deficient in the discharge of his public duty, not to be prepared to give it a clear and satisfactory answer; but he pleaded guilty to thus much delinquency,—that being pressed by other and more urgent matters, he had not directed his attention to this subject, and was not, therefore, prepared to give the noble Earl an immediate answer.
§ The Earl of Aberdeensupposed, that the noble Earl would have no objection to give a decisive answer to the question when he should become acquainted with the subject. with respect to the French Minister's speech, he begged to say, that it had not excited the least alarm in him, nor did he object to the intervention of France; but he thought the term a little ominous after all the declarations which had been made of non-intervention; neither did he object to what had been done by France, seeing that it was done in concert with the allies. He would not now enter into the question whether it was desirable to extend the limits of Greece. But the question which he had put was, whether, after an arrangement had been completed, and solemn and repeated assurances that that arrangement should not be changed, the noble Earl had thought fit to open the question again, and enter into fresh negotiations.
§ Earl Greythought, that if, after mature 662 consideration, it should be found necessary to change any stipulations of the treaty, there was nothing to prevent such alterations being made as might be advantageous to the parties interested.