The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-10 00:00:00

TELE SUN,

that those persons who bad committed murder had been
executed, but that martial law should have been pro-
claimed, and the island placed in a state of blockade, in
order that the two persons—Vlacco and another—might
not escape. The Under-Sccretery had asked if they had
no commiseration for the High Commissioner? They
did commiserate him, for he evidently was in a fright.—.
(A laugh.) He had read the papers, and he must say
a more ridiculoas case for proclaiming martial law—for
employing 900 troops—for calling in ships of war, and
for blockading the islands, had never been made out.
In four chap from the breaking out of the insurrection
the number of parties in revolt bad dropped down
to forty.five, and yet for five weeks afterwards mar.
dal law was continued. The only fault in Sir H.
Ward's character which he could ever discover was,
that he was too much a man of impulse. On this oc-
casion it had led him, he feared, into acts of unneces-
sary eruelty.—(Elear.) He was glad his Hon. Friend
bad brought the question forward. The Under-Secre-
tary bad resisted the motion as he had resisted the Cey-
lon inquiry; hut for two years his Hon. Friend had per-
severed, and hod at last succeeded in developing such a
st ate of curruptien, cruelty, and ounecessary severity. as
no Government had ever exhibited. (Mr. flume dis-
sented.) The lion. Member was one of these who sought
to suppress the evidence. In regard to the present case
he thought inquiry was imperatively called for, and ho
should support the motion.
Lord J. RUSSELL thought the speech of the lion.
Member was one which called for remark, for the lion.
Gentleman had made an assertion from which he en-
tirely dissented. Sir H. Ward had informed the Go-
vernment that there had been outrages in Cepheionia,
that horrible murders had tern perpetrat- 0, and that the
insurgents had surrounded a house in which were the
master
.and his family; that they had set fire to the
house and murdered the inmates; that the insurgents
were armed, but that he had been able to suppress the
insurrectiou.—(Hear.) Hon. Gentlemen seemed to for-
get that Sir H. Ward had been successful in suppressing
an insurrection, and that was at once presumptive evi-
dence that he should be brought to trial for so great an
offence.—([Tear, hear.) That was generally the language
used there, whenever a governor of a colony or a depen-
dency had succeeded in restoring peace and tranquillity
to the districts over which he might he placed.
What were the proofs in the present case? Why
that Sir H. Ward, when he heard of that insurrection in
Cephalonia, at once proceeded to the spot, and exposed
himself to considerable danger and violence, when he
might have remained at his seat of government and
given his orders for its suppression. Hie (Lord John
Russell's) belief was, that Sir H. Ward had done what a
man of cease and spirit ought to do. If an insurrection
were allowed to take its course, that which commenced
with one murder would go on and be continued, and life
and property to a large extent would be sacrificed. But
if vigorous measures were adopted in time such evil
results would be checked. Sir H. Ward had endea-
voured to do that; he had striven to put down insubordi-
nation and insurrection, and in doing so the danger to
which he had exposed himself was not en imaginary or
fancied one. Hon. Gentlemen seemed to think that be-
cause an insurrection was being put down, and had been
put down, that an inquiry ought to be granted. They
asked, " How is this? you are putting down a
ninsurrec-
tion; why have you done so?—(Hear)—why have you
exposed yourself? We must have an inquiry into all
this."—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Gentleman seemed to
doubt that the persons punished were persons engaged
in the commission of murder, but if that was the case
there was no cruelty in their execution. Then, again, it
appeared that there was no outbreak, at all, notwith-
standing Sir H. Ward's evidence on the subject. There
was sufficient testimony of British officers to show thus
there had been an insurrection and a British force fired
on. On that point they had the evidence of Major King,
who stated that on the 31s1 he saw the hills of the
neighbourhood occupied by country people, and one
body consisting of some hundreds of men. Two or three
.hots had been fired from the steamer, but when the de-
tachment oisembarked they had proceeded for little
more than half an hour whets a shot was fired from the
hills, which seemed to be the signal for a general a•-
tack, which continued from the high grounds. Captain
Cooke, another officer of the service, had borne testi
mony to the same effect. The Hon. Gentleman had said
that the proceedings adopted had been a great interrup-
tion to the commerce of the islands. Sir Henry Ward
said the merchants connected with the trade of Cepha-
lonia were satisfied with what be had done. The per-
sons engaged in these disturbances were some of the
greatest miscreants that ever existed, and had been pre-
vion.ly engaged in unlawful attacks, outrages, and re-
bellion. One of Sir H. Ward's first proceedings was—
and if his conduct was to be called in question at all, it
might be for its leniency—to proclaim au amnesty. Yet
on the 28th of that month that attack had IN en made,
and that barbarous crime committed. Martial law had
been then proclaimed, and had continued for six
months. In October an amnesty had been again
granted. He (Lord J. Russell) could not think Sir H.
Ward to blame for the measures he had taken. lie had
acted with great determination, end had saved both life
and property by showing promptitude and decision when
attacks lead been made on life and property.—(flear,
hear.) If they allowed such attacks to be made without
attempting their suppression—if they allowed such in-
subordination to spread, they caused more loss of life
and property than they would by checking it in the
commencement. With respect to the general govern-
ment of the lonian Islands, be had only to observe that
the object had been to grant large and liberal institu-
tion., and he was only sorry that the representative
body had shown so little disposition to act practically for
their own benefit.—(flear, hear.) Ia the year 1829 he
had advocated the granting of free institutions to the
lonian Islands; but he regretted to see that when the
representative body was called upon to consider tee im-
provement of their country, and the general benefit of
their country, they devaeed themselves to the writing of
a long letter, which from beginning to end was nothing
bet violent language against Sir H. Ward. The Noble
Lord concluded by expressing his disapprobation of the
proposed Cummission, as nut calculated to assist the Go-
vernment of the lonian Islands, nor to be complimentary
to a governor who had succeeded in putting down an
insurrection there.
Lord Ds. STUART said it appeared when his Hon.
Friend demanded an inquiry into a subject about which
this country was
,anxious to be well informed, that he
was to be ranked on the side of those who had commit-
ted murder. He could assure the House and the Noble
L irti that they who acted with him had as little sym• ,
pa,hy for such miscreants as had been described as the
Noble Lord himself. But they did not wish to see
m artial law established in one of our colonies without
some inquiry into the subject. Tney thought some
reason ought to be shown for such an extraordinary pro-
ceeding, which would render it justify able. He cem-
feesel he could not see anything in the circumstances of
the present case to justify such severe measures. He
should not enter at large into that question. After the
speeches made by his Hon. Friends below him, and
which were still unanswered, it would not be necessary
for him to trespass on their attention for any length of
time. But there was one point to which he could not
avoid referring, which he thought materially affected
the character of the Governor of the lonian Islands.
He had no hostility to Sir henry Ward. He
could not boast of an intimacy with him, but he
had the honour of his acquaintance. He had known
him many years in that House, and had always respected
'him. He had supported the Hon. Gentleman in some of
the great motions which He had made in that House,
when he was one of the Liberal representatives of the
people. He had heard with pain of an act of his Go-
vernment which it was impossible to justify. He alluded
to a proclamation issued, as he was informed (he should
be glad if it could be contradicted), in which the Go-
vernor had offered a reward for the apprehension of cer-
tain criminals to be brought to him, "dead or alive."
He called on the Government to say whether that were
or were not true? He should be glad if it could be de-
nied. But if it were true, he stood there as a Member of
Parliament to record his detestation of the act. " Dead
or alive Ward," he might bo called. Was not that a
case more worthy the detestable Government of
Austria, of Metternich, or Haynau, than of a
British representative? It was not creditable
to a British Liberal. For his part, he said, shame
to the governor who had done so, and the Government
that had passed it by without censure. He was told that
statement could not be contradicted; that in a moment
of excitement that proclamation had been issued.
But it was said that though issued it had never been
acted on, and that uo one had been put to death in con-
sequence. Now that would not do. It was not the Go-
vernor's fault that it had not been acted 00. He thought
that solitary fact would be reason enough for the in-
quiry sought for by his Hon. Frend the Hon. Member
for Montrose; but unless there were a searching inquiry
into the matter, neither would this country be satisfied,
nor would the honour of the Government, nor of Sir H.
Ward be vindicated.

Colonel DUNNE said every one who had spoken on
that question had treated it as a. colonial affair, whereas
it was no such thing. The inhabitants of the lonian
Islands had their own laws; and it Sir H. Ward had
proclaimed martial law, it was under those laws. Having
done so, he had submitted his acts to the Senate of the
country, and had received their approbation. He was only,
as it were, an ambassador from this country, exercising a
kind of protectorate authority over the islands. He was
not responsible to Parliament for any act which he did.
He had received the approbation not only of the Senate,
but of various local bodies, for his exertions in
putting down the insurrection. With respect
to the number of troops necessary to put
down anything like an outbreak there, the
great inequality of the ground, its broken surface, and
general ruggedness, was such, that 900 men could not act
succesfully. Even 100 men could bo scarcely said to be
able to act together in many parts. Those who spoke
about the law there were nut perhaps aware that it was
the Venetian law which was in force. When Sir H.
Ward proclaimed martial law, he adopted the only means
he could have recourse to in the circumstances in which
he was placed. The very year previously a Mr. Parker
was murdered in the mountains by a gang, f which this
very Vlacco, of whom they had heard so much, %as at the
head. As to sending out a Royal Commission, it would
be useless, for those islands were, to all intents and
purposes, a foreign country, and not a colony, and the
Co ti would not. in C mscipienee, have rower to
soaraon a :sleek, exct pt Queen's
o::-de t.) effect au:Wainee 01,y dintilti learn
Lot only the Urgek leaguage, but the usages and ea&-
toms of the people; for, as would be seen in the papers
on the subject, one of the chief causes of the disturbance
Was the discontent of the peasantry with the enforce-
ment of the payment of debts which they contracted for
the purpo,es cf iheir racotte, or harvest.
Mr. UINDLEY opposed the motion. He had con-
versed with several inhabitants of Corfu on the subject.
and he found they entertained the highest opinion of
Sir H. Ward. He trusted the House would, by rejecting
the motion, show, that, however desirous they were of
preserving the liberties of the lonian Islands,- they would
not lend themselves to any course of the kind intimated
by the motion. Sir IL Ward had reduced thy civil list