The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-16 00:00:00

assistance desired would have been considered a symptom
of armed interferenco and would have prolonged ahopeless
struggle, and indirectly caused ten times the injury that has
been inflicted. (Hoar, hear.) And there are such things as
duties of neutrality. No one would overstrain those duties
where humanity comes into consideration. Still there is the
obligation. To send troops in the rear of an insurrection to
take off non-combatants, or the families of those in arms,
is to give aid and comfort to one of the belligerents, and it
is a breach of neutrality. (Hear, hear.) It would not be
allowed in a war between two strong Powers ; and we
should not have one rule for stronger and another for
weaker Powers. (Hear, hear.) On the general question
there were only three alternatives. One was to let the
whole matter alone, and carry out the principle of non-in-
tervention in the strictest and most literal sense. That
may be dismissed at once. Another was to advise the ces-
sion of the island to Greece. The state of the Greek king-
dom is not at present satisfactory. That alone should not
have stood in the way. The Greeks are a most intelligent
and patriotic nation, who labour under immense difficulties,
and have had a very limited time for exercising their un-
fettered energies ; and we should not bear too hardly upon
them. But the advice would not have been listened to by
the Porte. The Porto would not surrender any part of
its dotninions except under coercion, which was not the
policy of this or any other European Power to employ. If
wegave advice to the Turks, we must look at the question
from a Turkish as well as a Cretan point of view. The
Porte might fairly say whether or not it would be an advan-
tage to be rid of this one disaffected province—the prece-
dent would be almost fatal to the Empire ; because if in-
surrection were to be the signal of a recommendation to
cede a province, there would in time be further disaffec-
tion and dismemberment of the empire. The right hon.
gentleman opposite hinted that the advice might have been
more strongly pressed, and mentioned the treaty rights of
1856. Ido not deny the treaty obligations. But in re-
commending a separate administration for Candia we were
asking a great deal more than could be claimed under the
treaty—(hear)—and could be offered only as advice. There
was a double danger, that of advising what was only to
satisfy our consciences, without caring about the result ;
and that of pressing for that for which the Porte would
hold us responsible. It would not hare been in our power or
right to do more than we have done. In the present state
of nations it is impossible to form plans of a remote con-
tingency. The Turkisk Empire is in a state of transition.
Advice good now may not be good five or six years hence.
12.. t fro oholl n wta la carefully the chute of ',outs ana
hope the house will believe our sympathy with the Chris-
tian races is not less real and sincere, because we have not
given a semblance of encouragement to a hopeless insur-
rection, or to compromise ourselves or them by precipitate
and premature proceedings. (Cheers.)
The motion was withdrawn.
The House then adjourned.