The Sun.
London, England, 1848-03-03 00:00:00

ISLE OF MAN.

Dr. BOWLING rose to bring forward his motion
on the subject of the grievances of the inhabitants of
the Isle of Man. The inhabitants of that island had
seen the vast reforms which had been carried
on in this country, while no benefits whatever
had been conferred upon the Isle of Man, and
there had been a total disregard of the interests
of that portion of her Majesty's subjects.
The persons who had charge of the interests of that
island were self-elected and perfectly irresponsible.
In the House of Keys there was an union of the
legislative and judicial functions, and the greatest
possible inconvenience and injustice arose from this
combination. There were no precedents to guide
the decision of the courts, no written laws, and
decisions were given, according to the most
perfect whim and caprice of the Supreme Judge.
Besides being subjected to heavy taxation, the inha-
bitants of the Isle of Man, who numbered upwards
of 50,000, were denied the privileges of constitu-
tional representation, while the improvement,
the drainage, and lighting of their towns
was left to parties who grossly neglected
their duty.—(Hear.) It was, therefore, high time
that some remedy was applied to the state of things.
The feeling of the island was strongly in favour of a
reformed system of government, and Ministers
could have no excuse for not stepping ill
and applying the pruning knife to the taxes extorted
from the people by the Government of the island.
That Government, as at present constituted, was irre-
sponsible, and the natural result was, that the poor were
taxed at a much heavier rate than the rich. He did
not, however, ask for the total abolition of the pre-
sent system of government ; all that he wanted was,
that the benefits of electoral representation, which
were not even withheld from New Zealand, should
be applied to the Isle of Man, and in
order to facilitate the application of those benefits
he now called upon her Majesty's Ministers to in-
stitute an inquiry into the state and condition of the
various institutions of the island.—(Hear, hear.) It
was unfair to deny to so large a body of her
Majesty's subjects as those who inhabited the Isle of
Man the right of citizenship, and he, therefore,
should move that a commission be appointed to in•
quire into the present mode of governing the island.
Mr. E WART could see no reason why the rights
which were freely granted to distant colonies should
be withheld from the inhabitants of the Isle of Man,
and he had much pleasure in seconding the motion of
his Hon. Friend.

Sir GEORGE GREY said the Jsle of Man
was situated at so short a distance from the
British coast, that it aright to be considered as
a portion of the electoral area of England. He
did not deny the existence of the evils com-
plained of, but very much doubted whether an
improved internal government would get rid of them.
The remedy was only to be found in allowing the
island to send representatives to that llouse, but the
people did not appear to be favourable to a remedy of
that nature, Ile could not, therefore, see what good
the appointment of this Commission would produce,
and he felt himself constrained to oppose its appoint-
ment.—(Hear, hear.)
Sir R. INGLIS doubted much whether the island
would be benefited by being incorporated with this
country. Such a measure would impose on the islanders
the income-tax and many other imposts inflicted upon '
the people of this country, and it was quite clear
that, so far as taxation was concerned, the
adoption of the Right Honourable Baronet's
suggestion would place the 50,000 inhabitants
of the Isle of Man in a worse position than they stood
in at present. HL trusted, therefore, that the Hon.
Gentleman who had brought this subject before
them would not think it advisable', to take the opinion ,
of 04 House upon it,—(Near, !war.)

Dr. BOWBANG said he bad recently had rnteli
intercourse with the inhabitants of the island, and he
could assure the House that the majority of
them were favourable to the introduction of
some of the institutions which this country en-
joyed. Still, :f :er what had fallen from the
the Right Hon. Baronet the Secretary of State for the
Home Department, he did not feel himself justified
in going to a division on his motion, and, with the
permission of the House, he begged leave to with-
draw it.

The motion was accordingly withdrawn.
GREECE.

Mr. B. COCHRANE then rose to move, pursuant
to notic,, for copies of certain dispatches which had
passed between Sir Edmund Lyons and the Noble
Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, re'
lative to Greece. He considered that the time at which
he brought forward this motion was most apposite for
the purpose. It was a time when every country wss
asserting its rights to constitutional liberty, and it would
well become this nation—the first to teach the lessons
of constitutional freedom—to demand on behalf of Greece
—which it had taken under its special protection—that
the tyranny and oppression under which the Greeks aro
now suffering should cease, so fur us the remonstrances
of England could effect that object. There were pecu-
liar circumstances which gave them the right to interfere
' in the affairs of Greece, and he would briefly state the
po.ition in which they stood in relation to that kingdow.
The treaty of London was signed in 1827, and it was on
that treaty that all the subsequent policy of the Three.
Great Powers—England, France, and Russia we°
based. The treaty of London was followed by the battle
of Navarino, and it was subsequently arranged that
an independent monarchy should be established In
Greece on the following conditions :—First, that a free
constitution should be granted to Greece ; and, next.
the Three Powers were to advance a sum of 2,400,0001.
to Greece as a loan; the first revenue of the Greek state
was to go for payment of interest, and a sinking fund
was to be created. Those promises were never fulfilled,
the interest was very rarely paid. and a free constitution
was not given to that country. In the year 1644 a de-
mand was made for a constitution by the Greek nation.
and a constitution was obtained, and the Noble Viscount
at the head of Foreign Affairs could bear him (Mr.
Cochrane) out when he referred to the admirable
manner in which the Greek nation behaved on that
occasion. He could also refer to a letter addressed,
after tee event had taken place, by the Earl of Aber-
deen (then Secretary for Foreign Affairs) to Sir Ed-
mund Lyons, in which he expressed the feeling of ap-
probation with which the English Government viewed
the conduct of the Greek nation. He stated that--
" Her Majesty's Government have learnt with the greatest
satisfaction, by our dispatches of the 30th ultimo, the
termination of the labours of the Constituent assembly,
and the final and solemi acceptance by the King of the
ratification of the constitution. They have viewed with
no less satisfaction the admirable temper which appears
to have generally prevailed in the Constituent assembly
thoughout the whole of their deliberations on the deeply
interesting and important act on which they have been
engaged. Such self.consmand in a popular assembly,
convoked under very exciting and critical circumstances
is highly creditable to the Greek nation. Nor is the re-
sult of their labours, as a whole, less entitled to credit
for the general soundness of the constitutional principles
therein established." Since the constitution was gua-
ranteed he could bring the testimony of many persons
to prove what a miserable state that country had
been in. It appeared that outrage and torture
had been practised there under the authority of
the Government, and the revenue was diminishing
while the expenses were increasing. He would now
proceed to show that this state of the country was is
perfect violation of the guarantees entered into, and that
it was the bounden duty of England to intertere—as
indeed the Noble Viscount had most nobly interfered—
to do all they could do in the way of representation to
put down this infamous system.—(Hear, hear.) A paper
had been laid on the table of the House the other day.
setting forth the sums of money they had paid for that
country, and from which it appeared that in the year
1843 they paid 33,5831 17s. ld., as the interest of the
loan; in the year 1844, 46,784/. 4s. Bd.; in 1845,
46,4971. 45.; in 1846, the same sum; and in 1847,
47,188/. 9s. 7d ; and there was repaid in 1847 by the
Greek Government, with the aid of a gentleman (M.
Eynard), who was a great lover of Greece, 23,8441.
13s. sd. He would now call attention to a communica•
tion addressed by that gentleman, who took such an
interest in that country, to M. Coletti. He says—" Now
let us come to that which is most important to Greece.
Your financial administration must absolutely be or-
ganized with greater regularity. I myself, who am so
sincerely attached to your country, cannot avow that
your public revenue should diminish every year whilst
the country has made a positive progress, and whilst
your agriculture and home and foreign commerce have
been prosperous in every way. It is therefore evident
that there have been abuses and disorders of all kinds,
which you ought absolutely to put a stop to. If you
• restore order in your finances, you may easily make
your payments without injury to the prosperity of the
country." The following communication was from M.
Poniroponlos, Minister of Finance, in Feb., 1847 :—"
cannot conceal from you any longer the truth. The rob-
bery of the public treasury has surpassed all measure,
and is carried on with an insane imprudence ; but is
this the fault of the Minister ? I hardly know any of
the employes out of the thousands who belong to my
department. If each steals a small portion of the re-
venue the diminution must naturally become consider-
able. 'Things have arrived at such a pitch that it is int•
possible for the Minister of Finance to put a check to the
abuses." This same Minister boasted in the Chamber of
Deputies that he had falsified the public accounts, in
order to cheat the Three Powers out of the into.
rest of the money advanced by them. A COM-
mission was appointed last year to inquire into the
matter, and the following was their report:—" The
Commission appointed by the Chamber to examine into
the frauds committed in the corn averages, decided by a
majority of 9 to 1 that the Minister of Finance had been
guilty of gross frauds in making out the returns; as also
f the embezzlement of vast sums of the public money
in various and specified ways, for which acts the Corn-
mission recommends his impeachment before the
Senate." On another occasion three of the Ministers
were accused of drawing out much more than their pay.
When one of them was questioned in the Chamber about
thee matter, all he said was, that if the extra pay drawn
was not approved of, he and his colleagues would
refund the difference. He (Mr. Cochrane) proposed
in the next place to show the tyranny and torture
that were practised in Greece, and it was almost
incredible that such a state of things could
exist. A man in Greece, named Zeno, for a long
.ime had been in the employment of the Government.
Ile had 300 light troops under his command, and amused
himself by going about the country and torturing the de-
fenceless people. A petition presented from Patras, and
authenticated by all the leading inhabitants, states :
" The members of the family Dimeoi, arrested by the
Mirarque (the Government officer), wore subjected to
the torture for three days, and all their effects sold.
Dimetri Nicalocopulo, accused of an insignificant rob-
bery three years ago, was put to the torture, and expired
soon after. This unhappy man was denounced to the
Mirarque as having stolen a cow three years since; the
Mirarque ordered an;ordeal by torture, the gene-d'arimes
bound him hand and foot, threw him down and placed
enormous stones on his breast and stomach, and then
jumped upon them. In the last extremity, and in
the hope of sieving his life, he pleaded guilty,
but it was too late ; when the stones were
removed he died e his young wife, who was on the
eve of her confinement, was carried to the grave a few
days afterwards." In a petition from Messenia to the
King, the following statements were contained:—" 50
citizens dragged without excuse from the bosem of their
familes, and thrown into a damp and loathsome dungeon,
deploring their loss of liberty, that last worldly bleas-
big, cast themselves on your mercy. Sire, the tortures
: we have undergone are unheard of and horrible; some
of us suspended by the feet, others with their legs and
arms bound aro laid upon the ground, and blocks of
stone placed on their chests, their flesh torn and limbs;
mutilated. . . A robbery had been committed in our
village in the month of October. On the 22d of Novem-
ber, D. Soulis, lieutenant des garde froutiiTes, at IMP
bead of a detachment of soldiers, and without any in-
struction from the magistrates, desired them to seise
eighty of us, and throw us into the cellar of a house of s
priest named Papajanopulos. Not obtaining any leo?.
matiun, notwithstanding all the violence, some were
released, and the others conducted to their re-
spective houses, where the most horrible tortures
were inflicted upon us during the nights of the
22d and 23d; then, not having succeeded in
making us admit ourselves guilty, we were
taken to a lonely spot named Divari, thrown down,
bound and gagged, with enormous stones heaped upon
us. When we lay at the point of death the stones were
removed, and we were set at liberty."l He would trouble
the House with one instance to show what a gross vio-
lation of the constitution had taken place. The Senate
having presented an address to his Majesty, in which
they expressed their horror at the state of the country,
and implored him to take measure; to put a stop to it,
his Majesty refused to receive the address. The King
subsequently appointed nine senators, and on this being
objected to, the Government insisted that the Chamber
of Deputies should pass a law empowering the King to
increase the number of senators to an unlimited extent.
He (Mr. Cochrane) would next call the attention of the
House to a letter addressed by the Earl of Aberdeen to
Sir E. Lyons at the period of the constitutional movement
in Greece, in which he laid down a line of policy which ho
(Mr. Cochrane) believed had been adopted and admirably
carried out by the Noble Lord at present Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs. He says:—" It will of course
be of high importance that the three guaranteeing
Powers, who have hitherto acted in such perfect unis(
in their proceedings with regard to Greece, should con-
tinue to preserve the same unanimity of counsel and
action ix the changed circumstances which have arisen.
You will constantly exert
yourself to maintain that union which has hitherto so
happily prevailed between your colleagues and yourself ;
and you will especially impress upon them the necessity
of persevering in the honourable and correct principle
which ought to guide the Three Powers in their relations
towards Greece, and by which Great Britain, at least, is
fully resolved that her conduct shall be invariably
governed ; that is, to set aside all views of separate or
individual interest, to discourage all party distinctions,
and to look to the national welfare and prosperity of
Greece alone, as the object of our united care." He
(Mr. Cochrane) imagined that it was scarcely necessary
for him to call for the interference of this country. Ye
submitted that the Noble Lord the Secretary for Foreign
Affairs was justified in writing as he had done to the
Greek Government, and he did not think his dispatch
was too strong for the occasion. It was said that al-
though the Noble Lord had addressed that dispatch to e
weak Government, he would not dare write such a
dispatch to a great power ; but the dispatch which the