The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-30 00:00:00

WIZ CRETAN CoNFLICT.

eve4lArgening, toanhe.rd I.aiselreonafbrolemamudr.iejn.ceE.,Hinilaycludingsk:,
tLshiindeeor:aeo:grs7:ri2nh:caoknlingpotalitifcoGrereentananksdoo,
p:eiceinliaricttinandWtiesiltherso'sf
pßoceeitire:awm4;
adbitoiwingon of Crete. The Thwue lecturer
eapile coofmmbee.r.:6l byondeserie
of
thic4l
the
richest islands in the world, were it properly governed and
scientifically cultivated. Unhappily, however, with all lie
beautiful scenery and natural gifts, there was at present
very little civilisation, and what little there was a you
ago bad been almost entirely obliterated in the course of
the present struggle. The history of the island
was next glanced at from the Roman conqueet
and the Venetian colonisation down to the middle
of the seventeenth century, when the island
was conquered by the Turks. From that period the pope.
Lotion had rapidly decreased, so that from a million they
soon dwindled to one-fourth that number. Coming tome
present conflict, the lecturer wished it to be unit
rstood
that the statements made by some that the movement we,
entirely • foreign one were not correct. To no appreciable
extent, although a few Greeks sympathising with the
struggle went over as volunteers, was the movement*
Greek one. It bad begun among the Cretans themselves,
and few among them were so well educated es to think of
nationality ; all they knew was that they were fighting for
personal deliverance from Turkish rule. He Olin.
self, in his recent visit, was smuggled ime
Crete in a blockade runner that bad gained some little
fame—the Arkadi. (Cheers-) The Cretan Inn) now m
gallantly fighting for deliverance from the Turk was sot
what the term "army" usually implied; it was composed
of
patriotic men willing to fight for their freedom, and ready
to sacrifice their lives and their all in a holy cause,
and it presented the spectacle of a ooliseriec
of little bands of volunteers—suffering patriots--
(cheers)—marobing over the mountains from one valley
to another, fighting always in inferior numbers, but with
dauntless energy, against the organised forces of the
Pasha, There Wall something very striking in the pintas
of these bands of ragged men, living upon a few scraps of
rye bread or biscuits brought to them by the blockade
runners, and contending with noble enthusiasm for the
freedc , of their island. The false reports that reached
this country from time to time were not necessarily inlet-
tionally so, because the nature of the conflict rendered
it difficult to obtain full information of any particuhr
event. At the same time it could not be denied that the
Turks were the greatest adepts at invention. (Cheers.)
The atrocities that had been committed by the Tubule
horribly cruel, but the charges that had been made
against the Cretans of a similar character generally meant
nothing more than • stern and almost necessary
treatment of the enemy. They bad in fact not the oppor.
tunity of perpetrating the worst outrages of which the
Turks were guilty, for their opponents had no women or
children exposed to danger,wbile the Cretan villages wets
subject to be captured, and their inhabitants submitted
to every horror by the Turkish soldiery. The lecturer drew
• vivid sketch of the nude life and simple
habits of the Cretans, and of the chief incident., of
the straggle now going on between Christians and Musul-
mano in the island—apassing reference to the rescue of the
500 women, children, and aged and wounded men by au
English gunboat being received with loud cheers. Equally
anthwrisatic was the audience when the lecturer said that,
although the Christian powers of Europe had beet*
" prudent" to allow their vessels of war to take away free
the southern coots the hundreds of poor people who had
long been waiting for the approach of a friendly ship, the
little Greek blockade runners bad left the island mon
than once almost sinking with freights of refugees. Some
10,000 persons who were incapable of resistance had
already escaped, but in a very little while, unless chaii-
table aid were forthcoming, they would be compelled to
suffer every kind of hardship. He did not intend to
inflict a collection upon his hearers, or to send the
plate round, but he intended to place • hat a
box at the door to receive any mite which
ladies and gentlemen might he inclined to give I*
e
exaggerated) he felt convinced the Cretans would cocain*,
thethe reixemenr t Cretanunfavourable refugees.
nfavonrable intelligence(Cheers.)
Efwvehinchinhetbknefiaraurai
the struggle, although the warfare must necessarily be of
• guerilla nature, where regular strategy could not be fob
lowed, or set principles in the art of war be acted nem.
Many persons, not understanding all these things., had
visited Crete, and coming away had made an evil report of
the people. His own experience was that the Cretan,
although rough and ragged, were earnest patriots, suffer.
lug much and fighting bravely for their independence.
(Cheers.) He had seen the villagers at the alarm, "The
Turks are at hand," leave their ordinary occupations,
throw down the implements in the field or the tools in the
house, snatch the rifle from the shelf, and fix the long
knife in the girdle, and hasten out to meet the foe
as if it were their every-day business, as in.
deed it was. He had seen old men tottering on their crutch
to the fray, and lads so young joining in the movement
that they were compelled to rest their rifles on a rock ;
and he had seen them returning, to languish from wounds
which under other circumstances might be cured, but

which with the insufficient medical aid from which the
Cretans suffered often proved fatal. In conclusion, Mr.
Skinner said all that be bad seen during his sojourn is
Crete convinced him that the Christian islanders wore is
earnest, rind that no man who went amongst them arid as
their sufferings and devotion to this cause in which dui
were engaged could failto sympathise with them, whatever
he previously might have beard. The Turkish erten
of warfare was of the most barbarous kind, alma;
a■ it dill at the total destruction of the Christian popuir
tion, and un►ble to defeat them or break their patriot
spirit, it sought to weaken them by desolating 6.:
island. The Turks would make a desert, and cdl it peat
(Cheers.)
On the motion of Alderman Corms, who hoped tht
diplomacy would soon begin its work and interfere a
behalf of the deserving Cretans, a cordial vote of shuts
was awarded to the lecturer.

The leettner's appeal for funds in aid of the Crew
refugees was liberally responded to.

DEATH or MR. MACAFLAT, Q.C. LATE M.P. rot
CAMBRIDGE—The death of this gentleman took plo
at his residence, Shaftesbury-road, Ltrooklands,Camteldta
about eight o'clock yesterday morning.

A BENEFIT "AT MANCHESTER. —The drawat::
performance which was given at the Theatre Koval, )lu'
chaster, last night, by the authors and artists s.c•
posing the staff of Punch, for the horst at
the widow and children of the late Mr. C. IL
Bennett, was, we are happy to learn from its
local Examiner, a magnificent success in all mope'
Mr. Tom Taylor's drama, A Skep in Wars ChsAis'• is*
traduced nearly all the actors who took part in thee'''.
lag's performance. " Mr. Mark Lemon (says our wean.
), bluff and lusty in the character of Colonel Pert?MarZ, was moat heartily greeted for the sake of hisownehas
meter as the editor of Punch, as one of our nest probbe
dramatists, and as an old frietd„ even as on sooner
actor. As Colonel Kirke, however, be by "
means so dreadful and ferocious as Miss Anne Cur'
seemed to think him. Mr. Lemon tried to be
as savage as Jeffr, but only succeeded in being
as unctuous as Falstaff, and, as everibmil
gone to the theatre more to see what Mr. Moak Leta,
was like than to make acquaintance with Kirk, of Kirke sr
Lambs, everybody was doubtless very well satisfied. Er.
Tom Taylor took the part of Mester Jasper Carew, of
which he acquitted himself with perfect as:1(.110W
though he failed to hit the pathos of t).
while, Mr. Burnand really acted the lion
ratter of Kester Chedzoy, and made it one of
features in the performance. The honour,
ing, however, so far as reception by the an&
fell to the lot of Mr. John Tennich who had v.
do as Colonel Lord Churchill, but whose el
the stage was immediately seized upon as
tunity for the audience to show its appn,
one of the greatest of living arti'ts. Mr. thi
appeared as John Zoyland, the locksleith, and
part admirably. With the Anne Carew of Miss
Manchester audience has already been mallets,
repetition of the performance last night was a c 1
beginning to end. The strength and gentleness of
ter and the light and shadow of the part were ble
a delicacy and a power upon which it is lint
imagine an improvement, and the actress, nil
anguish to assumed gaiety, and from the deep
to counterfeited harshness, not only with an late
was something wonderful in itself, but with a rc
that nothing short of the highest drama* gel
command. Sybil was prettily played by Mini
Terry, Keziah Mapletoft by )fir Ellen Tel
Carew by Mir Sara Lewis and Mr. Borer,
Mr. Henry Silver, and Mr. It. T.
filled minor Darts in the drama. /zx Do's, A
Offenbach, which followed, and was played i
afforded Mr. Du Maurier an opportunity of it
displaying his versatility, and introduced Mr.
who also spoke French as if be had been born
whose acting and singing were both full of character.

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