The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-08 00:00:00

lONIAN ISLANDS.

Mr. MAGUIRE moved an address for copy of papers
and 'correspondence relative to the mission of the Right
Hon. W. E. Gladstone to the lonian Islands, as Lord High
Commissioner Extraordinary, in Nov., 1858. The learned
member entered into different details relative to the present
political position of the lonian Islands, and con-
demned the conduct pursued by this country towards
these islands. He asserted that the result of
our policy, instead 'of attaching the people of
these islands to British rule had quite the opposite effect.
He cited different authorities to show that the inhabitants
of these islands were desirous of being annexed to Greece.
He did not believe that the Government of the day had
done anything wrong in sending Mr. Gladstone, as Lord
High Commissioner, to these islands to institute an inquiry
into the state of those islands, and to report thereupon.
What he wanted to know was the character of that inquiry,
the manner in which it had been conducted, the report that
was made, and the recommendations which that report
contained. The right hon. gentleman was hailed with en-
thusiasm by the islanders of all classes. He now
asked, was not the desire for nationality universal
amongst the community ? That statement had been denied,
and it had been asserted that that Peeling was not general ;
but he referred to the manifestations which had emanated
from the different islands in support of what he
alleged as to the strong feeling that prevailed for the re-
covery of national independence. The hon. member next
adverted to some of the replies of Mr. Gladstone to certain
addresses from the inhabitants of those islands, in which he
rebuked them for their desire for nationality. The right
hon. gentleman objected to the form in which they expressed
that desire, and they then addressed a most respectful
memorial to her Majesty setting forth their wishes. He
also alluded to a speech attributed to Mr. Gladstone in
the public journals.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER denied
that he had made the speech in question.
Mr. MAG DIRE said that was an additional reason why
the house should be placed in possession of what had really
taken place.
Mr. CONINGHAM seconded the.motion.

Mr. GLADSTONE said that on grounds which were per-
sonal to himself, and with the approval of his colleagues, he
should beg to be excused from voting on the motion if the
hon. gentleman went to a division—(Mr. Maguire : Most
certainly.) But he was desirous to commence what he had
to say by explaining to the hon. member that he thought
he was under some degree of misapprehension with respect to
the intention of the Government. It was not their intention
to accede to the motion, but the grounds upon which they
declined were not so extensive as the hon. gentleman sup-
posed. It was by no means because they regarded it as
within their view of their duty to withhold all information
on the subject. The information in point of fact which the
hon. gentleman required, divided itself into two classes.
There was a series of papers termed reports, which it was
his (Mr. Gladstone's) duty to send home from the lonian
Islands, and which bore immediately upon the constitutional

question. Those were documents which ran over a great
deal of history, and contained much free comment and detail
upon men and things. Some part of them were of a nature
which would probably make it inconvenient at any period to
produce them. Tho greater part might, perhaps, be pro-
duced, but on account of those containing comments of that
nature, and on account of the opinions entertained by those
who were now responsible for the peace and order and go-
o,n + of 1,. ch.,.6;.$ 44. El of:Ay-01,1P at Cho
present period that the reports should be laid before the
house. But it did not in the slightest degree follow that it
was necessary to withhold from Parliament all information.
For example, the hon. gentleman thought that this corres-
pondence must contain evidence with regard to the state
of feeling in the islands, and he likewise observed, with
great truth, that proposals of much importance were made
by him (Mr. Gladstone), in the name of her Majesty's
Government, to the lonian Assembly, and that Parliament
was entitled to be informed of that proposal. As to the cor-
respondence, his hon. friend the Under Secretary for the
Colonies would shortly, tell the house that he was perfectly
prepared—only exercising a discretion in regard to any par-
ticular part where reservation might be required—to pro-

duce the correspondence, and give all the evidence
power to supply in regard to the state of feeling in the
islands. As to the proposals which were made in the name
of her Majesty to the lonian Assembly, the hon. member,
great as bad been the trouble and pains which he had taken
to acquaint himself with the history and details of the sub-
ject, had been so unfortunate as to miss one great and im-
portant piece of information which appeared to him (the
right hon. gentleman) to be the most vital and material of
all. Because both the proposals which were made to the
lonian Assembly and a very full address delivered to that
assembly in the name of the British Government by him-
self, and containing the whole sum and substance of the re-
ports, that was as to the recommendations which they con-
tained, not only might be produced, but were published in
every journal at the moment when they were made known
to the assembly, and unless his memory deceived him, they
were the subject of free comment in the other House of Par-

liament. He thought the substance of the information for

which the hon. member was desirous, except the reports,
could be, and would be laid before the house. (Hear.) The
hon. gentleman had entered into many matters of interest
and importance. He agreed with him that we were not to
suppose—because the population of the Seven Islands occu-
pied but a very small space in the public eye, therefore we
could afford 0 deal lightly with their concerns. The cha-
racter and reputation of England must be dear to all alike,
in great matters and small, and small as were the islands
themselves and the immediate interests connected with
them, yet from a variety of circumstances a very consider-
able portion of hist mical interest attached to them and their
concerns. And undoubtedly their affairs were from tune to
time under the eyes of the people of Europe in a much
greater degree than might be supposed from a mere descrip-
tion of their position and' importance. (Hear.) The hon.
gentleman said that a protest was published in answer to
the despatch of Sir J. Young signed by 10 of the principal
men of Corfu, and that that protest was the origin of the
mission to which he had referred. There was, however,
one conclusive reason why that should not have been the
case, and that was that the protest was not published, nor
the despatch up= which the protest was grounded, until he
(Mr. Gladstone) had left for the lonian Islands. " Post hoc '
ergo propter hoc" was not always the best argument, but
certainly "ante hoc ergo propter hoc" would be a good deal
weaker still. (Laughter.) He referred to this, in point of
fact, because it would, he believed, have been absurd for
the hon. baronet the member for. Hertfordshire to have pr )-
jected, or himself (the right hon. gentleman) to have un-
dertaken that mission after the feeling of the people of the
islands had been vehemently excited on the subject of
of union with Greece by the publication of the despatch
and protest. But it took place not only after the mission
was arranged, but after he was far on his way to Corfu.
Having undertaken that mission, he could not easily with-
draw; nor did he repent of anything which had the effect
of placing him in close relationship with the hon. baronet
the member for Hertfordshire, of whom he was bound to say,
simply rendering that testimony which experience enabled
him to do, that even the brilliancy of his genius was in his
(the Chancellor of the Exchequer's) opinion, less conspicu-
ous than the thorough high-mindedness of his character
and conduct as a public man. (Cheers.) Apart from the plea-
sure which he had in dealing with the hon. baronet as the
representative of the Government—and, of course, when he
spoke of him he meant to make no invidious distinction be-
tween Sir E. Bulwer Lytton and the Government which
concurred in his proceedings—there was another and main
reason which appeared to him all important in such a matter.
He confessed it was not his opinion, viewing the state of the
institutions and government of the lonian Islands antece-
dently to this period—it was not his opinion that the position
or `1....t solintry was altogether clear and
hsatisfactory..l He was
nut
wouldsa i ' bg sanguine
iPill cintietahbel he
otr doth awthinatthmeigsutatteboef
desired,t o ts
banudtshiet
Was sanguine in the hope and expectation that, with the
support of the right hon. baronet and the Government then
in power, it would be practicable thoroughly to set right
the character of England by offering to the people of those
islands institutions founded on those principles of freedom
which were so inexpressibly dear to ourselves. (Hear.) That
was the object with which he ventured to undertake the
mission, and with what effect they might be able in time to
judge. The hon. member seemed to think that blame was
due to the late or to the
present Government for not pro-
ducing those papers, because papers of a similar character
had been produced in the case of Lord Durham, who went
out to Canada. But the case of Canada was quite different,
for Lord Durham did not go out to Canada to consult a
people possessed of free institutions, but to consider the I
case of a country whet e all institutions had been brought to
a stand-Mill byToitive rebellious The Work of recoustrAg•