The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-05 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY _ EVENING,

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, Feb. 4.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat upon the
Woolsack at Five o'clock.
ANSWER TO THE ADDRESS.

The LORD CHAMBERLAIN brought down her Majesty's
most gracious answer to the Address. It was as follows:
"My Lorde,—l thank you for your dutiful and loyal
Address. It is highly gratifying to me to receive
such an assurance of your feelings en the loss
which the Royal Family and the whole nation have
sustained in the death of her Majesty Queen Adelaide.
It will be my study to promote the welfare of my people,
aad to watch over the important interests confided to
my care.
AFFAIRS OF GREECE.

Lord STANLEY rose to put a question of which he
had given notice to the Noble Marquis opposite. He
little thought that within twenty-four hours after
the announcement in her Majesty Speech that
this country was on terms of peace and amity
with other natione, they should have received an account
cf an armed attack against a friendly state, and one the
weakne: s of which should, he thought, have been an in-
ducement to forbearance on the part of a great power like
England, and astate,the peculiar position of wh:ch rendered
such an act precipitate and imprudent. It appealed that
on the return of the fleet under Sir W. Parker from an ill-
advised expedition to the Dardanelles, that fleet had
proceeded to Greece, and on the arrival e f Sir W.
Parker off Athens the British Minister had waited on
the Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs, and categorically
demanded a compliance with certain demands within 24
hours, and that on the refusal t ) comply with the se demands
acts of hostility had taken place. It was also said that the
mediation of Russia and France had been refused. He
wished to ask if the intelligence which had been reported
in the public rapers were true; and if, when the assu-
rances of peace and amity %ere made in her Majesty's
Speech, this attack had been ordered; and if the Go-
vernment would have any objection to lay the papers
relating to this matter before the House?
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE would have no ob-
jection to lay all the papers before the House, and
those papers would be found to afford an ample justifica-
tion of the conduct of the British Government, in
taking those steps which were substantially correctly
describedpublic papers, to enforce claims
w
a urged for years, and had
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theee
been neglected, or the liquidation of which
had been promised by the Greek Government,
which promise had never been kept. Advantage had
been taken of the return of Sir William Parker from, ho
would venture to say, a not ill-advised expedition to en-
force those claims. Every means had been ex-
hausted before Sir William Parker had had
recourse to coercive measures. No blockade had been
declared, and he would remind the Noble Lord that the
Government with which he had been connected had had
recourse three times to an actual blockade
against weak stater; to enforce British claims.
The Greek ship seized had had notice to quit before the
seizure. It was true the Ministers of Russia and
France had offered mediation, but they Lai not been
authorisei so to do by their respective Courts, and a
refusal by France ef a similar mediation offered by this
country had been refused without disturbing the friendly
relations subsisting between the two nations. He would
pro luce the papers, and they would amply justify the
course adopted by the English Government.
The Earl of ABERDEEN admitted that the conduct
of the Greek Government with respect to the repayment
of the lean bad been very bad upon many occasions,
and that, perhaps, we might be justified in pro-
ceeding to extremities in demanding repayment of
the loan; but with regard to many of the indi-
vidual claims, they were matters of dispute.
And, with regard to the demand of territory,
considering that the integrity of the Greek territory had
been guaranteed by France and Russia, we certainly
had no right t ) expect the cession of these islands
by Greece without the consent of France and
Russia, whatever might be our claims, because the
map signed et the time of the formation of the Greek
kingdom included those islands within the Greek States,
and it was net to be expected that France and Russia
would consent to the cession of those islands until it
could be proved that the powers had been
wrong in including those Wanes in the Greek States.
The island of Sapienza was within a few hundred yards
of the coast, and at the time the lonian Islands were
placed under the protection of the British Government,
it was agreed that all islands situated so near the
Turkish shore as to give rise to apprehensions on the
part of the authorities should be considered as Turkish
territory. No blockade had been declared, but a blockade
existed defacto agaimst Greek ships of war, and be thought
great rashness and imprudence had been exhibited by
her Majesty's Government.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said that the Noble
Earl had taken advantage of his answer to the Noble
Lord's question to fasten upon the Government a re-
sponsibility which they had not incurred. The
Noble Lord had said nothing about the de-
mand of the cession of the islands, and the
answer to that demand was not required to be made by
the Greek Government categorically and immediately.
The dery and for the cession of those islands stood upon
a focting totally different from the demands which Mr.
Wyse had categorically made, which were fa- repay-
ment of the loan, and for compensation to British sub-
jects for the injuries inflicted on them.
The Earl of ABERDEEN said if the demand made
by Mr. Wyse for these two islands had not been cate-
gorically made, then the observations which he had
made regarding that demand did not apply. With re-
gard to the demand for compensation for injuries to
British subjects, probably those demands might be too
high; the only thing indisputable was that some com-
pensation was due, but the amount was mater for ne-
gotiation.
The Marquis r f LANSDOWNE explained.
Lord BROUGHAM was not aware that in addition to
establishing a summary Court of Chancery in Ireland
they were about to establish a summary court of com-
mon law in the Mediterranean to try ejectment cases in
twenty-four hours. Ho should like to know the value
of the two islands in dispute. Nothing was more t) be
deprecated then ecting energetically against a weak power
when we would net so act against a strong one. If an
outrage had been committed against the person cf a
British subject we were bound to protect it ; but, with
respect to a debt, he would be loth to in..
terfere—he would leave the persons to the re-
medy at law, or they might go to war with the
repudiators of America and the Spanish States.
Lord STANLEY asked if the proceedings of Sir T.
Wyse had been adopted in consequence of instructions
sent from this country ?

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said tbat the papers
to be laid before the House would give every inf.gmatlon
necessary tone complete understanding of the subject. lie
completely agreed wit't the Noble and Learned Lord
in the distinction which he had drawn between cases of
outrage committed on the persons of British subjects by
foreign powers, and cases of mere debt due to British
subjects from foreign powers.
ECCLESIASTIC AL COMMISSION.

The LORD CHANCELLOR introductd a Bill to
amend and consolidate the laws relating to the Ecclesi-
astical Commission, which was read a first time, and
Their Lordships adjourrel

HOUSE OF COMMONS, Feb. 4.
The SPEAKER took the Chair shortly before Four
o'clock.

PRIVATE BILLS.
A vast number of private Bills were brought in and
real a first time.
____

FEBRUARY 5, 1850