The Sun.
London, England, 1850-06-25 00:00:00

for some time King of Naples, put there by Napoleon,
and he was deemed by legitimate Europe a usurper. He
se.zs and applies to his own purposes certain American
property, and in a short time afterwards he was expelled
and shot. The inevitable consequence ensued—the Ame-
rican Governmen t sent in its bill.—(A laugh.) 4, But," says
the legitimate Government of Naples, " he is a usurper;
we have turned him out and shot him." "We cannot
help it, pay us," and the money was paid under a threat
of sending the American fleet to Naples. j-low comes it
that the excitable disposition of the gentlemen on these
benches has not found out all this? how comes it that
they bore the bombardment of Vera Crua without a
murmur—that they allowed France to go to
Morocco
and demand satisfaction? How comes it that they had
no sensibility at all? Why, because it would not chime
in with their peculiar policy. The same thing has 09"
curred as regards England; and I may mention that to
1831, at the time of the Reform Bill, and while the
House of Commons was looking on, an Englishfleetwas sent to Portugal to demand the redress of injuries
received by some of her subjects in thqi, time of Dom
Miguel. That was refused, and hostilities were uctuellY
commenced. Now, for many years, and herein lies the
misfortune of the Noble Lord (Palmerston); for manY
years there were const Int cases arising with regard to
the Greek Government, and complaints were many on
behalf of English subjects resident in that country. The
whole tone and manner of that Government deserves to
be described. Letters written by our ambassador re-
mained sometimes six months, sometimes two years un-
answered; reiterations of one complaint after another,
and yet no answer. We forebore, knowing our owa
strength; but every time the demands became necessa-
rily more importunate, and in one case no less than 13
years passed without any attempt at redress. There is
the case of Mr. Finlay, and the fir,t letter I light upon
is one from Lord Aberdeen.—(Hear.) His first reply to
Mr. Finlay's application was in 1842, in which he de-
scribes his claim as arising out of a protocol entered into
between England, Prussia and France to enable certain
Turkish proprietors to sell their land, and among others $
part was purchased by Mr. Finlay. The rule or the law
in Greece is this: that the Government may apply the
land of a private person to public purposes, two condi•
tions being precedent—namely, that there should be en
ordinance describing the land, and that the value of the
land should be paid before they took possession. Two
more just and proper conditions could not be conceived.
What tteli place in Mr. Finlay's case ? His land was
taken possession of without any ordinance. He applies
to know how that can be, and he is told that the Go-
vernment has not yet taken possession of it. He there-
upon went to take possession of it, and he is very arbi-
trarily laid hold of and turned out, and then he write!
to the Greek Government again. "Yes," they say. "
it
is taken for public purposes." And by whom ? Not for
a great national purpose or interest, not to provide an
arsenal, or construct a mole—not for any great national
work, such as a railway, or even a poor-house, unless we
call the palace a poor-house. It is taken for the Per-
pose of the King's garden, in which he might disport,
himself at the expense of the people of this country.--
(Hear, hear.) They turned Mr. Finlay out of posses"
anon, and refused all payment whatever. At last, the,
man tired of making importunity, does what he is per
reedy entitled to do, and as he read the policy of Eng-
land so I read it—as ho read the duty of the Noble Lord
so I read it—he applied to Lord Aberdeen to intercede
with the Greek Government to obtain for him payment
of his land. The first thing Lord Aberdeen does is to
acknowledge the justice of his claim:—
"It appears from Mr. Finlay's statement that you are
already aware of the merits of his case, and that you have had
some communication with the Greek Government thereupon.
It is only necessary, therefore, that I should instruct you to
follow up your representations in favour of Mr. Finlay s
claim in such manner as you may deem best calculated to
obtain that compensation to which Mr. Finlay may appear to
be entitled."

What is the answer to that? The people of Athens
appear to have retained, at least, one quality of their an-
cestors—they are capital at a law suit, and they try by
quirks to get out of the difficulty. They say, " WhY
not try the tribunal?" The idea of trying a Greek
tribunal!—(A laugh.) What was the poor man to do?
One thing was quite clear—that there was no chance of
obtaining any satisfaction but by appealing to his court'
try. He said, "I came here to aid in advancing the
liberties of Greece and to resist Turkey—l gave you 511
I could in the shape of assistance, and you are now suc-
cessful. I bought this land under an English protocol,
' and I now demand that protection to which, as an Eng'
lishman, lam entitled." But the Grecian Government
found protectors here, and I find that great authorities
L have been quoted to sanction the refusal of the Greek
Government. The great name of Lord Mansfield bas
been brought forward to show that Mr. Finlay had done
wrong in appealing to this country. I ask those who
made use of that authority it they know the case ?
cannot believe that the Noble Lord who quoted it all
Lord Mansfield's could have known the circumstances
under which that opinion was given. It was
given, Pot
by Lord Mansfield, but by Mr. Murray—not that I era
going to do what others have done, to attribute to the
law-officers of the Crown that they would give an
opinion to suit the views of the Government with which
they were connected. The Noble Lord who made that
assertion judged by himself rather than fre:dewy higher
standard.—(Bear, hear, and cries of " - Another
instance may be cited. A loan was entered into by
the Empeuer of Germany; Maria Theresa sacceeeled-
him, and the King of Prussia took Silesia, whitalt.ebled-
been mortgaged, as it vet?elefor the debt; and witesol7,
to,.k possession of. Silesia. 4 engaged to
Afterwardspay 414
Afterwards 'certain injuries were done to some
subjects, by vessels being taken and brought to Ned.--
eided upon in our Admiralty Courts as prizes. What"
did the King of Prussia do ? He said—" I care not about
your Admiralty Courts. I assume that they are wrong.,
and will confiscate that debt because certain injuries have-
beea inflicted upon my subjects." What was the answer
made by Mr. Murray and Sir George Leigh ? They
said, as a matter of tact, "First, the injury you complain
of has not been done, for the vessels taken have gone
through the Admiralty Court, and have almost all been
released. They have gone fairly through these courts.
With respect to some there is a doubt, and by and by I
decision will be come to." But he went further, a"
said, " Here is a case in which the personal honour 01,
the King is concerned, and he, having entered into A
treaty with certain individuals to pay this debt, took the
idea of confiscating the debt because other individuals
of the same nation had done an injury to some of his
subjects."—(Hear, hear.) But is even that a parallel
case? Here is the case of an injury done by the Go-
vernment itself. The sufferer has no chance of redress;
and in that case he has a right to call in the aid of in-
ternational law, and appeal to his country. I must sup"
pose that the Noble Lord who referred to it never read
this case, otherwise he never would have said such a
thing. I beg pardon of the House, but I must refer to
one or two of the letters from our Ambassador. He says,
in one dated " Athens, Aug. 7, 1849—1 have not received
any answer from the Greek Government to my note of the
2d July, respecting the claims of M. Pacifico and Air'
Finlay." " August 20.—E am still without any,
answer from the Greek Government to my note.
I shall only trouble the House with one extract from the
letter of Sir Edmund Lyons to M. Coletti, which gives 5
clear, fair, and unequivocal statement of the nature 0f
Mr. Finlay's claim :
" With regard to that part of my note of the 24th October
in which I had the honour to inform you that I had been
instructed by Viscount Palmerston to call your attention t°,
the ether unsatisfied demands of her Majesty's Government,
and to request that they should be immediately settled, you
say that if any of those demands have remained unanswered
by your predecessors you wish that they may be pointed out
to you, in order that you may give your immediate attention
to'thein. In reply to your request I:beg leave to observe that
I have not had the honour to receive any answer to the nOt°
I addressed to you on the 7th October last [and, mark, this.'
written on the 6th of December—W. W.] by desire of Vis-
count Palmerston, reminding you that no answers had bell
returned to the demands of her Majesty's Government, which
were made in my notes to your predecessors of the 14th
March and 12th of April last on the important subject of i," n ,
fulfilment of treaty engagements respecting the Greek lean
60,t)00,000 of francs. Nor has any answer been returned t,
the note which I addressed to M. Coletti on the 20th
1847, requiring, for the third time, in the name and by dealtrde
of her Majesty's Government, that that of Greece shou:_
without any further delay, make good the loss sustained by
the masters of six lonian boats who had been plundered 5t
the Custom-house at Salcina in October, 1846. Nor has 31.1
answer been returned to the note I addressed to M. Glaralo9,
on the 21st October, 1847, by desire of Viscount Palmerston'
repeating the demand for compensation which I had sire u.
made oil behalf of two lonians who had been illegallY sat
rested and cruelly flogged by the police autheritiesie
Pyrgos, on the 15th of May, 1e47, and on behalf also of to
other lonians who had been arrested and ill-used by t„th
police at Patras, on the 30th of May, 1847, and stating, Tste
regard to those demands as well as to the others which oy
not been satisfied, that her Majesty's Government earnese,
hoped that the Greek Government would no longer de`"
r to
complying with them; for the Greek Government ough-eie
be aware that it must do so sooner or later, and that the c,ty,
effect of further procrastination must be to render it the riee
of her Majesty's Government to increase in proportiond for
such delay the amount of compensation whirla,it require eat
the injured parties, and adding that the Gredk,GoYernrtood
would act unwisely for i.s own interests if it mist:lders by
the forbearance which had been shown on these matter
her Majesty's Government, and if it were to infer f"nicleter-
forbearance that the British Government were not those
mined to compel the Greek Government to accede °sous!).
demands, if it should not be induced to do so spontan
by its own sense of justice and of right."
Now, I ask the House of Commons whether therels
anything in that language unnecessarily stringent or
uncourteous, or anything more than was due tothrfectlY
gencies of the case ? The language was ePe ex..
suited to the occasion; and if I were to seek tor an _
tahmeplttleeoe o
of
an
anf
pare it with that dispatch. Lord Abeedeenes leiteercevioes
imperious tone,
Aberdeen, I
and
house
to t o
cow' ts
probably not more insulting or offensiver more curt an
s than th
demanded, but I think the language is fa
rough than any language used by
Sir Edmund LYon_le,
Various dispatches were sentreiterating
and then comes at last a long reiteration of the whole t
th a
the demands, going over them step by step, showing e
the demander
09f
some of them had been 13 years unsettled. Vulgar o .
uee
pretextsnt aarreeliugrigoend,
baygatihnestwtahye, rferolimgiownhioefh
derive the
found
oM.
had Pa
bc
aJew,
owfrethtcehceld aimas—
described"'he as
nitwa
h
duced by our immortal bard. He might have said,' "", be,
ourbe
was own.
do you deal thus with me?" and the answer would
" Because you are a Jew."—(Hear.) It would seem tbe:te
being a Jew his demand must be excessive, and the' ie
fore they are entitled to dispute payment. Now' pre-
remembered that in this country there is a great oo
judiee against Jews, and, among other things, theYeeee
in the habit on aster Monday of burning one w dse.
they consider a fair representative of the Jews--Ju,tor,
But hark ye how the Christians deal with a rich
A rich Jew comes to Athens. " Oh!" say they, bO,,
rich Jew hash eyes. He may be conciliated because beat •
may affect or effect a loan. Rothschild to wile
.° bo
happens to be at Athens, therefore Judas is not ed to
burned.—(Laughter.) Such is the deference Piteae.)
wealth when belonging even to a Jew.—C-Hear,
goie.
Judas, it appears, was not then burnt. But the
,tgt
atructed GlGOlia did wiLizisia.sa;bo. depriveiLlelmr