The Express.
London, England, 1850-05-21 00:00:00

(No. 4 )

Y. DSO CTX D 1 LICTI TO Tlii =MT= Or POlllatoll
MAIM.

London, Feb. 5, 1550.
General—la answer to the demand for an interview, Lord
Pali:tante' had proposed to me a meeting, at ten o'clock at
night, or this morning at eleven o'cloek. Yesterday I should
hare fond him fatigued or pre•oocupied with the debates
in parliament. To-day be would be more free. I therefore
preferred not toeing him till this morning. I have just left
him. Oar conversation lasted a long Use, and finished
well. The following is an account of it which I abridge, in
order that you may not have to wait:
I presented to Lord Pelmenton a very animated picture
of the unfavourable impression which the sews from Athens
had Median Franco, on the president, on the council, en
the diplomatic corps, on the whole of the sseenably, and on
public opinion. I pointed out how painful it was to us that
such sudden and violent resolutions should be taken without
our knowledge against ea allied nation ; how very exor-
bitant were the means of execution; and how strange and
contradictory the new petition would be which then' events
would create in the But. • • • •
I pass rapidly over the explanations which the principal Secre-
tary of State gave me to justify the pretensions of England.
I told him that I had seen, with satisfaction, in the cor-
respondence of M. Thouvenel, and in the words pronounc d
by the Marquess of Lansdowne in the House of Lords, that
at all evens the question of the two small islands was not
among those which Admiral Parker would treat in a milt-
manner.
Palmerston replied, that if that point was not com-
prised in the demands of Mr. Wyse, it was, nevertheless, in
the instructions of Admiral Parker, who had been autho-
rised to deprive the Greek authorities of Sapienza of the
posses ion of the place.
I fremoutrated strongly against this. I reminded him
that France had guaranteed the integrity of the Greek ter-
ritory, and that a seizure of that kind could not in any case
be carried out without bringing us into the field. I added,
that if a blockade was one of the meseares which Admiral
Parker had the choice of taking, it might lead to grave com-
plications, by engaging tie interests of third parties in the
discussion. On these two points I made the most express
reserves.

Returning to the surprise which the explosion of Britirh
esrsplaists against Graeae Lad occasioned to us, I opposed
to than ptacmdings ths extreme cars with which we had
loyally associated, or at least informed England, with
nearly allow resolations. I added soms maiminations re-
Wire to the affair of La Plata, commeaced with us and ter-
minated without us.

Lord Palmerston, attenuating the importance of what bad
taken place at Athena, replied that that affair appeared
to him so simple, and of so little importance, that he had
net thought it worth while to mention it to the French
government. He then added, with precautions of language,
that beside., if Mr. Wyse did not linen to the advice of 11.
Thouvenel, it wee because he had reason to believe that in
this discusei.a the repneentative of France in Greece had
roads up his mind on the subject in a manner which ren-
der= the rOie of mediator or arbitrator impossible. I de-
fended M. Thouvenel with great energy, giving him full jus
ties ter his impartiality, and, without waiting uselessly to
discern the grievanes of England, I seised upon the open-
ing which Lord raiment= had given me. " It the little in.
portaace which yea attached originally to this affair, and the
swarition which you had with respect to M. Thouvenel, are
the may motives which have made you neglect or decline
the !deadly (o.fficieteee) mediation of France, then two
reasons must disappear today. The gravity of the conflict,
and the impartiality of the rench agent in Greece, can no
longer be objects of doubt ; sad besides, there is no rea-
son why the accordance which did not take place at
Athens should not be established at London or Paris.
There is no reason why Ragland, in order to arrange
the coaerqueness of this difference, should not accept the
good oases of Franc" Lord raiment= agreed to this
observation. We wronged that I should address to him
a note,* of which I have the honour to address you the
draft. After having reminded him of the entirely special
character of the question of the islands, the dangers of a
blockade, and the necessity of not telling, if there was cc-
erasion, say of the property of the Greek government which
might at the pout time have fallen into the hands of
Admiral Peens, before the amount of the British claim
engaged in the discussion had been fixed by a regular
settlement, I add= that the intervention of France would
be almost useless if the offer and suntan* of our good
°Moss shoald not have a suspensive effect, and if I
did got receive the emanate that the British cabinet
would recommend to Mr. Wyse and to Admiral Parker
to lupe= the employment of cmorein measures Lord
Palmerston promised me to address immediately to thee,•
two yenta private inns= ,ons conceived in that sense, and
to reiterate them la an°Maid manner as soon as I should
have e finally seat the note of whisks I days just spoken.
It is of importanes than, general, that I should remise, as
promptly as possible, the authority to mad that not.. I did
net wish to take upon myself the =possibility of sending it,
but I have expressed to Lad Psimerston the confidence I
felt that it would be signed to by the President of the Re-
public sad by you. DIIOUTN Dl LUCTIS.
(No. 5.)