Star. — London, England, 1819-05-27 00:00:00

'forks. At the saw* time he begged to assure ~hie Lord (Castlereagh) tjsat he dad not agitate iiestion from any party feelings, nor did he at lay, blame to the Noble Lord for the part he itherto taken in this transaction ; for he was iced that the Noble Lord, on entering on the w hich WAS now proceeding, had not been of the consequences to which it would lead.— lowever, it would be necessary for him, in de the particulars of the case, to explain the error Noble Lord. He gave the Noble Lord credit :ertaining sentiments of abhorrence to the con ices resulting from this measure ; and there hoped the Noble Lord would meet him in the t proposal, and retrace the steps which he had in this abominable course--abominable he must on account of its consequences. He should ,roceed to relate the transaction, in order to the House to , form an opinion on the subject. 1011. Baronet then gave a sketch of the political o n of the Grecian Islands and their continental !dcncies, from the 15th century down to the goo. In alluding to the conduct of Ali Pasha, present claimed the cession of Parga in the of the Porte, he said it was against this man to claimed the interference of Parliament—for abitants would rather perish than be given up cruel and perfidious tyrant. On this point, nien of his could have half so much effect as a W illi the people of Parga themselves, in answer to letter of Ali Pasha, calling on them to sub ) and to attack the French troops who were a Para. The Hon. Baronet then read the letter, was in the following words : ,tut PASHA.—We have received your two letters, and ce that you are well. The compliance which you re. f tit it is not easy for you to obtain ; because your conduct, ed to us in the fate of our neighbours, determines us all .rims and free death, and not ever to a base and tyranni .juvion. you write to us to fall upon and slay the not only not in our power to do, but if it were, wou ld dtll to do it ; for our country has bowled her good ist , h for four ce:ltoties past, and in that time often vindicated it with her blond. How, then, shall we now sully that glory ? Never. 7u threaten us again unjustly is in your power ;—but threats are r.Ot cluraeteristic of great men ; and, besides, we have D eter confessed to fear, having accustomed ourselves to glorious .tle for the rights of our country. - Goo is just—we are ready : the moment comes when he Wt.() conquers shall be glorified. So fare you well. Parga, October 16, 1798." la the year 1800, the Russians and the Turks entered into a treaty, by which the independence of the Gre cian blinds was recognized, under the name of the septinsular Republic. By an unfortunate clause in it treaty, which provided that the Porte should to power to take military occupation of Parga and :e other towns, the Parguinotes fell into his hands. Pasha took the inhabitants out of their own 'try, and placed them in distant parts of the .)hawick ; he deprived them of their own posses ins ; and on the pretext of allowing them a com :ion in terms of the treaty, he assigned them lers in distant parts ; and to complete their degra ion, he converted their churches into mosques.— , the Tre:ty of Tilsit, in 1807 the Grecian Islands .ere given up by the Russians to the French ; and it worthy of being remarked, that afterwards a ,ht Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Canning) in an icial note to the Russian Court, had charged them . a breach of faith in thus sacrificing to France the dependence of the Septinsular Republic. The Rus, having recommended to the Parguinotes to :are a good understanding with the French, com ely them. The Pasha, seeing that ante had obtained possession of the lonian Islands, ..erect into a negotiation with the French General for getting Parga ceded to itim, The Parguinotes sing these negociations between the French Gene ral and the Pula, prepared for their own defence, and at the same time made strong application to the French General for assistance. The French General, phone character did not stand high for generosity, refuse) to give them up--(Heav, hear)—and pro mised to report _to the Emperor that they were a free people, and every way worthy of favour, He at the same time sent them a French flag, and troops to Mind them. This was in 1807, and the cession was finally refused by the Emperor. In 1809 and 1810, Admiral Collingwood commanded in the Mediter ranean, and took measures to resist the further pro- Tess of the French. Sir John Stewart furnished Id forces, and Lord Collingwood ships, fOr an ex rdition to reduce the lonian - Islands. Here he must read extracts from Lord Collingwood's instruction the Captain who commanded this expedition : (he teal from a printed paper which had been laid upon the table two years ago, in consequence of a Inkitinn oflaifor that purpose). Lord Collingwood instructed fle Captain, that on their landing on any of those i,:ands, the Septinsular, and not the British flag, should be hoisted, the inhabitants should be required to take arms, and the fortresses should not be garri soned by British troops, their own troops being suffi cent for that purpose. Five of the islands were re d:ced. Corfu, the.heact of them all, was not reduced, tte:e not being troops sufficient to effect its reduction. 1. - e Commander of the expedition, in his dispatches, said, that he had great satisfaction in informing that their efforts were attended with complete success.— tie Government of the lonian Republic, it was now Bete mined, should be restored; but the British flag tas set up together with the Septinsular flag, and British troops were stationed to defend the several Fests till the various offices were properly filled up. Vv hen the Parguinotes, whose ancestors had bled for t.eir country, who themselves were ready to bleed tor their country, who had been respected by Russia by France, when they saw this example of Bri tish generosity, when they saw the islands reduced \y British valour, and restored to freedom b.y British !nerosity, could it be supposed that they did not unanimously throw themselves under British pro tection ? On the one side, they saw their friends' slaughtered by the Turks ; on the other, they saw the Septinsular Government restored in the most m laanimous manner. Could they hesitate as to the °lase to be adopted ?--(Hear, hear, hear.)—This to in the y ear 1809-10. W e were afterwards too mach engaged by the war in ether places to carry our successes further in this quarter, and it was in r ain to attempt the establishment of an independent Governme n t without Colin. • In 1.14, the Pasha' ean attack on Parga. The Pacgtitnoes applied' ',Jr aid t o the French General, 4 whei replied, Lim he 1 7 414 afford them no maistanst—that he. had no r 'qs for the purpose, and if laehadi he cOtild not, , It ithr at instructions tVom hii Gpvirtintent, "send theta t ° their assistance. They deters }and, no ithstand- . ' e ' ?t • ;4. - . . ing, to Make no cession. they made all dui tesist- Ince possible in the neighbourhood of Parga and at , its walls. The Pasha's army of 20,000 then was re pelled, and his nephew, who - commanded it, slain. Was this, tie asked, a contemptible people ?—(Hear, hear!) Should we, who were the freest nation in the' world, treat lightly a people capable of such strug gles in the cause of freedom ?—(Hear, hear, hear.)-- Could we, without fellow-feeling, regard the efforts of a people worthy of th'e freedom which we enjoyed? Was there a heart in the House that did not compas sionate the brave Parguinotes?—(Cheera.) The Pa sha retreated: he was repelled, not routed. They had not numbers enough to pursue him. He built a mausoleum to his nephew, an altar on which the blood of the Parguinotes must flow—(Kear, hear.) Seeing that they could get no assistance from the French, they sent a deputation to General Campbell, with an offer to withdraw their fortunes from France, and to place thems elves under British protection—to follow the destinies of the lonian Islands. He gran ted their request, and sent Mr. Foresty's (the English Ambassador's) son, and Sir Charles Gordon, with a strong detachment, to assist in forcing the French out of Paxu, which was opposite to Parga, on the terms that an English garrison should be received, and that Parga should follow the destinies of the lo nian Islands—{Hear.) Captain Hoste arrived there at the same time with two frigates. They sent a deputation to him who received them well, but re plied, that he could do nothing for them—that he could not attack the fortress; but that if they could get the British flag hoisted on Paxu, he would draw up his frigates under it at all hazards. They got the British flag conveyed into the fortress by an old woman, under her clothes. The inhabitants, who had formerly fought against the Pasha, at the same time attacked the sentinels, the British flag was hois ted, the frigates were drawn up under the fortress, and the garrison were made prisoners. The place was in tranquillity in two or three hours after the first =movements—(Hear, hear.) This brought him to the point. The Parguinotes were now under Bri tish protection—(Cheers.) The object of his Motion was to obtain the Paper which contained the Condi tions on which the Commanders by sea and land gave assistance to the Parguinotes. This document must (cave been sent home to Ministers. Ile also wished to obtain the answer of our Government, if there was any, authorizing what political Govern ment was to be placed over Parga by the Governor of the lonian Islands. Of the first Paper he had a copy, but a Motion could not be regularly founded upon it. He would read, however, from this copy, the instructions from General Campbell to Lieute nant Breton, respecting Parga. The date was May, 1815. Parga was to be considered as an appendage to the lonian Islands—{hear 1) and more particularly as an outwork of the garrison of Corfu. It was wisdom to retain it. Lieutenant Breton would attend to the wishes and feelings of a free people, who hated the Turks—(Hear, Aear.) They were a spirited and in dependent people, yet docile and mild when treated with civility. The great mass of the people might be depended on—they never would submit to the Ottoman Government—(Great cheering.) Such were the instructions then given respecting Parga—such was the character of the people, as described by Ge neral Campbell. These spirited, free, independent patriots, now saw themselves made a sacrifice of to their implacable enemy—(Hear, hear, heir!) They found themselves now driven to the alternative of making the seat of liberty their grave, or of going into exile—an evil scarcely less cruel, He could not, however, suppose that the Noble Lord opposite would proceed in his purpose—he could not suppose that a people, free, and resolved to preserve their freedom, should in vain rely upon the freest people in the world—he could not suppose that a people, whose independence had been respected by despotic Go vernments, should be deprived of their liberty, or driven from their country, Isf a nation on whom they had placed the greatest reliance, and had placed that reliance because they were themselves free—by a na don who had actually received them under their protection, and promised to retain them in the em braces of Freedom—(Hear, hear.) He hoped, that if the House would thew a proper feeling on the sub ject, the Noble Lord must retrace his steps—(Much cheerin4.) The steps taken were not irrevocable.— Could it be endured, that the last spot of Greece which retained freedom, which retained Christianity, should be surrendered to despotism and cruelty ? Could it be endured that the Cross should be sur mounted by the Crescent?--(Chess.) Could we neglecr the opportunity of uniting so free and brave a people in the bonds of fraternity with us? Could we fail to attach their hearts to us by gratitude for the preservation of their liberty ?—(Cheers.) He had now given the narration of the case. He was sorry that he had occupied so much time. He would now proceed to debate the case with the Noble Lord.— In answer to a question which he had asked, the Noble Lord was understood to say, that he consider-, .ed himself obliged by the Treaty of Paris, Nov. 1815, to make a cession of Parga to the Pasha. He was not sure that he had understood the Noble Lord ; if not, he should be happy to be now corrected. Since 1815, there had been no further Treaty on the sub ject. There had been a Convention since between a Commissioner from our Government and a Commis sioner from the Pasha; respecting the terms of the cession of Parga. He would, therefore, meet the Noble Lord on the Treaty of Paris, 1815. There were sever al Treaties then between the several Powers ; he selected the Treaty with Russia, but what effect it could have on the destinies of Parga he could not , conceive. Article fist set forth, that the several Islands (enumerating them by name), with their De pendencies, should form a free and independent State. If Parga was considered as included in this• Depe ndencies, then it must follow the lonian Islands, and be free and independent. Reference was made in , .this Treaty to a Treaty in 1800, between Russia and • the Porte, in this manner—" with their Dependen-• cies, small Ishulds, such as described in the Treaty between the Emplror of theßussias and the Ottoman Court, in 1800." That reference was only fur de scription-(Hear, dear),—and not for pointing out the destiny of Parga at this time. Its destiny could ' not be determiped by that Treaty, which, by the way, . I bad been observed only so long as was convenient. for the parties. We were bound•before 1815 in good faith, ingenerosity , (a parka( our character in the estimation of the Parguinotes), to protect the inhabi tants of-Parga. We were not to refer in a posterior Treaty contrary to a trusidtock taken them into our embraces. In the Treaty of 1800, Prevesa, Bucintro Volizio, and Parga were ceded to the Turks, Even if that Treaty were binding , upon us, we could unanswerably reply— ,, True, we engageil to give those places to you, and you en gaged to preserve their privileges inviolable. Where now are I'revesa, Bucintro, and Volizzo?—(Hear, hear).—They are in desolation. Those places, when delivered up to you, enjoyed peaceful tradquillity, the Cross stood in their Churches, Christianity flou rished among them, They were overrun by you ; • you broke all stipulations in their favour, and you spared the lives of any Christians only to do you menial offices--(Hear, hear).--Restore those places Ito their former condition, and then we shall consider it our duty to consign Parga into your hands : but we can never give up to you the last European place that erects the Cross of Christ, when 'w see Prevesa, Bucintro, and Volizzo, in the greatest desolation."— ( Much cheering).—England had as it were given to the Parguinotes a guarantee of future protection, by having the military occupation of their City for a long time. She ought not now to disappoint the hopes which her conduct had raised. Ile had no wish to take up the time of the House further— (Hear, hear).--but he could not but think that it was the intention of our Government to give up the Parguinotes to the power of Ali Pasha ; for by the Treaty of 1815, it seemed that the Treaty of 1800 was so far recognized, as that compensation should be allowed to those who might wish to leave their country. If the Noble Lord put that construction upon the Treaty of .1815, he ought at least to have gone the whole length of the 'I reaty of 1800, and not adopt part of it to the prejudice of those people, without giving them the benefit of the whole.— There was nothing which they dreaded more than to be given up to the power of the Turk : and here he would again ask, what right the Turk had to de. mand this cession? If he founded his claim upon the Treaty of 1800, he should shew that he had himself fulfilled that Treaty, that he had afforded protection to the other cities which were then placed under his Tare. What had he done towards them from which it could be hoped that he would act with justice to wards those unfortunate people ? He (Sir C. Monck) maintained, that from all which had transpired of the conduct of thi; cruel tyrant towards those peo ple—from the confidence they had reposed in this Government, and from the protection we had af forded them, that it would be unjust, and a breach of faith on our part, to deliver them up to their greatest enemy. The Honourable Baronet then re capitulated the substance of his leading arguments, and again maintained, that if we were not disposed to afford those people our furthef protection, we ought at least to place them in the situation in which they were when they applied to us for our assistance. We ought to allow them to struggle for themselves, and give them the same means they had before of defending their liberty. In looking to the condition in which those unfortunate people were placed, in remembering the situation in which they had been, in recollecting the bravery with which they had de fended themselves, and in considering the state to which they were now likely to be reduced, he was strongly reminded of that passage in which the poet described .lEneas as relating to Dido his departure, from Troy with his son and Father, at the destruction of that city :, " Hoc erat, alma parena, quod me per tab, per igniA 4 " Rripis, ut mediis hostem in penetralibus„ utque " Ascanium, patremque meum, juxtaque Creusam, " Alterum, in alterius mactatos sanguine censam ? " Arena, yin, ferte arma ; vocat lux ultima victim " Reddite me Danais ; sinite instauraia revisam Prz,lla. Nunquam omnes hodie moriemur multi!" The Honourable Baronet concluded, amidst loud cheers, by moving—" That an humble Address be presented to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, praying that he might be graciously pleased to give directions that there be laid before the House, a Copy of the Instructions sent by General Campbell to Colo nel Gordon, in 1814, respecting the occupation of Parga.; also a Copy of the Instructions sent to Lieu tenant Breton, on the same subject ; likewise a Copy of any Communications from British Officers to the Parguinotes, assuring them of protection, and the Communications of the Parguinotes to hich those were a reply.' Two other Motions were made to the same effect, in the shape of Addresses to his Uoyal Highness -for certain Papers : the first motion respected Sir W. Hoste, of the Naval Department ; and the other re spected an Officer in another department. Mr. MAXWELL rose to second the motion. He conceived, that if no other principle operated upon the British Government but gratitude to those people, that alone was a claim which should entitle them to protection. In looking to the present situation of the Grecian Islands, he felt that the Noble Lord (Castle reagh) had done a great deal for their regeneration, and as an individual he thanked him for it. Care had been taken to have prpper persons sent out from this country, whose constant attention watched over their best interests. He admitted that great benefits had already accrued to the Islands from this pro tection ; but while he did this, he should maintain, that we were called upon by motives equally strong to extend our protection to Parga. She had trusted to us for protection. In her confidence she had opened her gates to our troops, to the exclusion of those of another nation by which they had been pre viously occupied. We yielded to the wishes of the , people, in taking military possession of their city ; and the relationship which was established, was' one of dependence on the one side, and not only implied but avowed protection on the other. — That protection, he contended, we were bound in good faith not to withdraw. Parga was a small, but it was a free State. For three or four centuries it had cherished the spirit of liberty, while the countries around had been nearly enslaved by despotism. The liberty and independent spirit of ancient Greece were nourished here, he might almost say, upon this little spot ; but if the House did not now interfere, its last ray would become extinct. In looking to the situa tion in which this city had been placed by former treaties, he would maintain that we ought not to construe those treaties to the very letter, against a iloople whose liberty they might abridge. They ought to be construed in the most favourable manner pos- 1 sible. It would be a statp upona fie people, such as we were, to become thtin;truntents, in any de , however remote, of eon Signing a small but spi , Set of men, whose greatest ambition WAS 111:Cd0111, to the dominion of a tyrant-t- - -(ltear.j.-41.114014 should consider the character of the : man to_wboen. despotic sway this liple State was to** cOis:iipetaff4 he, was a rebel, and 44. d. been so all his .11 K acts were tolerated because it was noein...Over site Porte to subdUe him ;' his conduct kad been stained with acts so atrocious as no TUrlash i. nisier bad been foupd to be . guilty of—r(lligr;heirs") He (.'fii. Maxwell) had been in the cowl*, an4Wini acquainted with many of the evils which those pea pie bad to **re ; and he was aware that t4se in 4 'nothing_ which they dreaded more than beipg place 4 in the power Of a man from whose de;ipotlc sway they had every thing to dread and nothing hope. It. was, he . maintamed, the interest of thit.conutry td preserve the rights of those people--they had claims upon our protection which they deserved, au which he trusted the decision of this night wonl afford. He trusted the Members on both sides of chef House would see the justice of acceding to the motion % of his Honourable Friend; it was not by an indiscriA, reinato, support of Ministers that the affection of Men . bens was ,hewn for them. There might 1* instances and occasions when it might be for the advantage of the. Minister to oppose him, where it was seen, he had inadvertently fallen into error. If such had beer the case in the present instance—if, through some oversight or unintentional neglect, the interests of the, Pargumotes had been forgotten, he trusted that, before it was, too late, the error would be acknow- - ledged, and the evil to which it would lead prevented. After the manly avowal of error in another place, and" after the recent example of a Right Honourable Gen tleman in this House, in retracting erroneous opi nions, he trusted that there would be no difficulty on the part of his Majesty's Ministers in admitting that they had been mistaken in their conduct towards that 'brave and independent people—(llear). Lord CASTLEREAGH felt disposed to,give every credit to the motives ol' the Honourable Baronet in bringing forward this motion, and was glad of the mode in which he had placed it before the House. As the Honourable Baronet had only called &I:informa tion, he had no difficulty in acceding to his motion. If the motion of the Honourable Baronet had been for the discussions which b;ad taken place between this Government and'the Porte, he .should.have felt it his duty to have refused them, on the ground that a premature disclosure of pending negocrations might destroy their own end and object.' The motion of the Honourable Baronet had kept free from such discus sions ; he would therefore consent to it, and reserve his observations until such time as the Honourable Baronet should call the attention of the House to the information laid before it. It was but justice to his, Majesty's Ministers to have said, that they entertained the most liberal views with respect to the Greciars Islands. The question of their occupation, arose out of the treaty of 1800. It was very largely discussed, though not settled, at Vienna and at Pots during the r debates on the treaty of 1815: and it was then no., derstood that this Government had net right to hol4 Parga in favour of the inhabitants as against the Porte. This, however, would not be a bar to arty future regulation by which their interests might be better secured. It was the general . feeling of the Powers in 1815, that the most liberal policy should be extended towards that people, and this was sup ported by what he conceived was the duty of this Governinent, that they (the Parguinotes) should . have .as good a settlement as possible, consistently with the general regulations of the other Powers. Bat with Msts disposition tin the part of Government towards that people, he did still drink that they had no other claim on us than for our good offices., Every thing which could be done for them in that way, his Majesty's . Ministers felt disposed to do. On the subject of negotiation, he begged distinctly to state, that there was no Convention of any kind re specting this City since the Treaty of 1815. There was a species of Correspondence between a Commis sary of Great Britain and one of the Porte, but it did not refer to the possession of Parga. Any negotia tion which could be carried on would be with the Porte, and not with Ali Pasha. If the place were to be surrendered, it would be to the former. What use, he might afterwards make of it, the English Govern ment could not guarantee. The negociations of 1815 had been formed on the Bth Article of the Treaty of 1800, by-which the authority of the Porte over those Places had been acknowledged. As to the desolation and destruction of other towns, and the scenes of dis tress to which the Honourable Baronet had alluded, he deplored them as much as any man; but he would , not say that some part of the conduct of the P arg notes was not such as to justify Ali Pasha's hostility. —The object of his Majesty ' s (government was. to afford to t he , rarguiootes a free option of remaining in the country, or of leaving it if they chose; they getting a proper indemnity. To all those who left, that indemnity would be secured; and all who re mained would be entitled to the good offices of their country, and to enjoy all they would lave enjoyed under the Treaty of 1800. This was all they had a right to expect. Never till this night had he heard it maintained, that we had a right to maintain this place as against the Porte. He had thought it right to say thus much in explanation of some parts of the Hon. Barquet's speech, but would reserve himself to a future occasion for further detail s Mr. BCARLETT was happy to hear that the Noble Lord had no objection to the motion* of his Hen. Friend, as it was likely to lead to a more full discussion of this important question. He looked upon the surrender of Parga as an act as treacherous 'arid perfidious as had ever disgraced modern diplomacy. He was not aware of all - the circumstances of the Ease, and should therefore reserve his more detailed ppinion till the papers were laid before the House,— ' But he should say, that utiles: some ne w and eittaor s dinary light were thrown tiPonthe tilatterAe sbodld doubt whether Parga ought to be Ceded at idl. "Ohs thing he thought was cleate-that we were not bound by the Act of 1815, or that of 1800 between the Turks and Russians; or Tit *ere conceived that this latter were binding, we ought to have it all or none. The beneficial part of it ought'not to be taken from these to whom it applied, while that which operated against them was suffered to remain—( Hear, hear). According to the Papers to which his Honourable Friend had alluded, the Parguinotes themselves seem ed aware tht under the Would c onsign t h em to the povier of the Tart, they could cni§i- A o privileges, and all seemed deterMitisel to leave a country whore they coild not enjoy their former free dom. 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