Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-02-17 00:00:00

GLADSTON

's mission has brought out, only go to

how important it was that its settlement,
one way or the other, should be undertaken, as it
now has been, by some statesman of the requisite
ability to grapple with them fairly and judiciously ;
and it can never with any reason be denied, we
think, that in the whole range of our public men,
no one could have been selected better qualified in
all respects for so onerous a task, than he whose
brief but perplexing career as Lord High Com-
missioner has just been brought to a close.

shew

That Mr. GLADSTONE has overcome, all at once,
the difficulties of the question, we do not mean. to
say. But that he has paved the way for their
being surmounted, at some period near at hand, is
very evident from the state of the case as it stood
at the date of the advices, which have come to hand
this week. Had nothing more been done, than to
convince the majority of the lonian Assembly that
they had taken up a false position—that the
object they sought was an unconstitutional, and
therefore a forbidden one,—great good, would,
doubtless have resulted from it. But when, in
addition to this, they have had laid before them,
by the Lord High Commissioner, measures of
careful and well-considered reform in the working
of their political institutions, with, the view of
redressing the real grievances of which they have

reason to complain, a confident hope and expecta-
tion may be entertained that the. Government of
the Islands may now be so adjusted as to give
satisfaction to the people, and, eventually to pro-
mote their permanent interests.,
They had had transmitted for them to this
country, as our readers were already aware, their
petition to the Queen for union with Greece; and
they have now received her Majesty's reply, to
the effect that she can neither consent to abandon
the obligation she has undertaken as protectress of
the lonian State, nor can convey or permit any
application to any other Power in furtherance of
such or any similar design. This is, in fact, just
what Mr. GLADSTONE had given them to under-
stand would be the case. Her Majesty has been
constituted sole organ of that State in the Coun-
cils of Europe, and cannot be expected to
abandon the duties to which she is committed. As
protectress of the State, she has adopted, on her
part, measures which she deems most conducive to
the good of the lonian people, and she asks for the
enlightened co-operation of their Parliament in
carrying them into successful effect. But at the

same time, her Majesty considers it right to
inform them, that though she " does not desire
to impose new fetters," she will yet " enforce,
' wherever it is placed in her charge, the sacred
duty of obedience to the laws." Such was the
reply which Mr. GLADSTONE read to them, in
obedience to his Royal Mistress' commands, that
he should " make it known, without loss of time,
and in the most solemn manner, to the Legislative
Assembly and to the lonian people, in order that
both the one and the other may fully and clearly
comprehend their actual position."
And this having been done, Mr. GLADSTONE has
next proceeded to state, in detail, how it was pro-
posed to improve, "up to their highest capability,
and according to the circumstances of the times,
the existing lonian institutions." This iFs tsot, beas
~ First, done, he set forth to them, in two ways----
between the lonian and the British element of the
Government, by extending the Sphere of the for-
mer, and by cautiously contracting the agency of
the latter. Secondly, as between the different
lonian elements, by dissociating powers that can-
not conveniently be exercised by the same instru-
ment, and by establishing the guarantees which
experience has proved to be most effective for the
rights and the liberties of all the classes of the
community." Mr. GLADSTONE, speaking, it ap-
pears, in good Italian, described very circumstan-
tially, the provisions to be made for carrying this
out ; and having performed this duty, it is said in
a most impressive manner, entreated them " to con-
tradict, by the testimony of facts, the imputations

of those who declare that in these Islands the spirit
of restless demagoguism on the one hand, and the
inveterate traffic in place on the oilier, render goocl
and free government impracticable.' The Assenl
bly, through their President, gave iv' return an
assurance that they would devote their best "atten-
tion to the grave and momentous subjects °I. `—
address.

Iletx Now, whatever may be the result ofd
im or
portant proceedings, it cannot with vO4

fairness be denied, that her Majesty's Mhisteri
have but discharged a bounden duty in

them, under the most unsatisfactory circumstance
lared
of the State in quesition, as having been p
They selected, f°l'