The Sun.
London, England, 1850-06-18 00:00:00

carried off numerous copper stewpans—(Laughter)--
and various other utensils.—(Renewed laughter.) It
appears, however, that they left a precise inventory of
every item of furniture in the house, and of the value of
every such article, every saucepan and pudding-mould—
(A laugh) —and an account, too, of all M. Pacifico's
clothes, his coats, linen, stockings, jack-towels, and sheets.
—(Laughter.) But they left him also one sheet to his
bed, which he was enabled to produce for the purpose of
proving the excessive fineness of three other sheets
which had been taken away.—(Much laughter.) He
states that he had in his drawing-room--
" 1 large couch in solid mahogany, British work, with
double bottom, ono of which in Indian cane for summer,
701.; 1 bottom for the winter for the above, a cushion
in tapestry embroidered in real gold (Royal work), 25/.;
2 pillows and cushion also, for the back of the whole
length of the couch, i❑ silk and wool covering, em-
broidered in real gold, as the bottom of the above
couch, 751.;"
total for one couch, 1701 —(" Hear, hear," and laughter.)
Then the bedrooms were furnished on a scale of equal
magnificence. Their furniture is very minutely de-
scribed. M. Pacifico had

A double bed in solid mahogany, with four pillar'
richly carved, 21 yards long by 21- yards wide, with
the back and the end carved, the crown in carved ma-
hogany and carved frame, and a set of brass castors,
worth 1501.,"

and then ho explains, with the greatest minuteness, that
every utensil in the bedrooms was composed of the finest
porcelain.—(Great laughter.) In addition to these
items, there was the demand of M. Pacifico upon the Por-
tuguese Government to the amount of 21,0001., or, with
interest, of 26,0001.; but, unfortunately, all the papers
and vouchers for this claim have been destroyed.
The claim is for services alleged to have been ren-
dered t) the Portuguese Government, and the precious
document on which the British, or rather the Greek Go-
vernment, are called upon to pay this sum, is a protest,
signed by M. Pacifico, admitting that the Portuguese
Government absolutely and entirely repudiated every
one of his claims. The Portuguese Government de-
clared they did not owe M. Pacifico a shilling, and re-
fused to pay his demand; but because the mon who
destroyed his house luckily dropped this protest iai the
street. he puts forward a claim for 21,000/,, with
5,0001. interest, at 10 or 12 per cent. The British
Minister at Athens, however, declared under his hand and
seal that he believed that claim to be just and moderate.
—(Hear, hear.) When the claim was first made Lord
Palmerston directed Sir E. Lyons to state that the
Government would, as soon as possible, fix the amount
they intended to demand as compensation for the
sufferings sustained by M. Pacifico. In a previous
dispatch Lord Palmerston directed Sir E. Lyons to sup-
port M. Pacifico's claim if he considered it just and
moderate. Sir E. Lyons said, in reply, that he believed
the claim to be just and moderate, and that he had
sent it in ; and it was not till the February afterwards
that Lord Palmerston began to intimate a suspicion that
there might be some little exaggeration in the case of
the Portuguese claims, and called upon Sir E. Lyons to
send him word what was the particular nature of those
claims, and how they were supported. Sir E. Lyons re-
plied that M. Pacifico could give no further information
than he had already given—the list of his losses and
claims; but Sir E. Lyons again made a demand on the
part of England upon the Greek Government for the
payment of D.Z. Pacifico's claims, without the slightest
intimation that any deduction would be allowed. It was
matter of regret that the Greek Government were not
informed what amount we did intend to claim, for when
the demand was made at Athens, in January, 1850,
it was required that all claims that had been
sent in to the Greek Government, just or unjust,
should be paid in full, with interest, within the period
of twenty-four hours. Now, surely, that was the time
to have said, " We do not intend to press the Portuguese
claims, but we ask as compensation such reasonable sums
as the Greek Government can have no difficulty in
giving." But it was not till February, 1850, after the
French intervention had been accepted, that Lord Pal-
merston intimated to Mr. Wyse that some proposition
might possibly be made to diminish the gross amount of
M. Pacifico's claim, and that, in such a case, Mr. Wyse
was nut to consider himself precluded from entertaining
such a proposal. It was, then, in support of the exagge-
rated pretensions of M. Pacifico—fir with regard to the
other claims there was little or no difficulty—that a British
fleet was rent to demand compliance with an unreasonable
request in 24 hours, and on failure of compliance with that
request, to capture the vessels and injure the commerce
of a friendly power. M. Londos, the Greek Minister,
only came into office late in December, 1849, and on the
17th of January. when he had not been three weeks in
office, the demand which had thus been enforced was
made, without his having any opportunities of institut-
ing inquiries to ascertain its justice. He would call
their attention to what he considered the dignified,he might
almost say, the grand reply given by M. Londos to this
most extraordinary intimation that, without any attempt
at a reference to other powers, without any attempt at
any mediation whatsoever, the claims of the various
parties upon the Greek Government must be satisfied
within 24 hours, or hostile measures would be had re-
course to by the British Minister. A more becoming
protest from a feeble against the encroachments of a
mighty power he never read in his life.—(Hear,
hear.) The reply proved unavailing, on its receipt
the mediation of Faance and Russia being altogether
dispensed with. The vessels of the Greek State were,
in the first place, seized by our ships, and when these
were found insufficient to meet the demand, an embargo
was laid upon private vessels, and private commerce and
private interests were stopped, in the expectation that,
by the power of distress upon their commerce, the de-
termination of the Greek Government and of the Greek
people would be broken, and that thus violence would
exact the full demand.—(bear, hear.) The Greek
people nobly sustained the protest which their
Nfinister had delivered in their name ; the
sense of oppression rallied round the King of
Greece not only the sympathies of Europe, but the ear-
nest zeal of his own people. lie would now read an ex-
tract from one of Mr. I.Vyse's dispatches, detailing the
effect of the screw he is applying to Greek commerce
and to the Greek people, to force them to yield com-
pliance: the naiveté is absolutely amusing.
" The embargo, too, and seizures, are beginning slowly
to produce their effect. The irritation at first naturally
directed towards us and our prozeedinge, now that the
question is better sifted, is turned towards those who
have compelled us to such a course. A deputation from
Spezzia was to have been received yesterday. Others
will follow from Hydra, and probably Patras. Public
opinion at Athens—where the truth is now known,
and provisions are rising in price, will second their ap-
plications." _ _ _

The combined operation described of moral and physical
causes upon public opinion, and upon a rise in provi-
sions, was quito edifying, and quite in character with
the whole affeir.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) He was
bound to say, strongly as ho disapproved of the course
of our Government in the matter, that he did not find
that Sir W. Parker, or any of the officers engaged in ex-
ecuting those orders, overstepped in the slightest degree
the letter of their instructions; on the contrary, they
fulfilled their very painful task with filminess, of course,
but at the same time with temper and moderation—
(Hear, hear)—aud he was only doing bare justice to
that distinguished officer and to the officers acting under
him, when he expressed the belief that they %meld, one
end sU, rather have been engaged in deadly conflict with
the fiercest enemy this csuntry ever encountered,
than have seen the honour of the British flag thus
prostituted by attacking a weak, unoffending people.
The Noble Lord then proceeded to allude to the effect
which these proceedings had produced as regards our
relations with other powers. The Russian Government
had addressed to our Minister a protest as bitter, as im-
perious, and as offensive as the provocation had been.
The Russian Minister did not deny that England had
claims upon Greece, but he contended that, before the
ulttina ratio was resorted to by England as against
Greece, some intimation at least was due by England to
powers equally with herself concerned in maintaining
the independence of the weaker power; but not a word
about the matter had been vouchsafed either to the Court
of St. Petersburgh or to the Court of Paris. It was true
that shortly after this first dispatch from the Russian
Court another dispatch was communicated to Lord Pal-
merston, couched in terms of moderation, for which he
gave gn at credit to the Emperor; but that was a dis-
patch based upon the circumstance that the mediation,
the friendly offices of France, had been accepted. In
reply to that dispatch, a reply singularly illustrating
the difference of tone used by Lord Palmerston towards
powerful and towards powerless states, the Noble Vis-
count sought to withdraw from his original position on
the ground of some subsequent information. But to
that reply of the Noble Viscount there had been a re-
joinder. Did that rejoinder establish perfect amity be-
tween us and Russia? Does it satisfy the Noble Mar
(pis that there is not jealousy, alienation, almost hos-
tility in the mind of Russia towards us, hostility that
may not break out now, but which may seriously and
very alarmingly operate upon the condition of this coun-
try hereafter?—(Hear, hear.) Have no causes of alarm
arisen to us out of these circumstances with relation to
France?—(Hear, hoar.) What has been the course
pursued by our Government towards the Govern-
ment of France, in return for the most friendly course
they pursued towards us? Without a word of
complaint of the manner in which their rights in rela-
tion to Greece had been set aside by our Foreign
Arinister, the Government of France generously and
frankly tendered their good offices;
those good
were accepted, but upon conditions and within
mits
which, from the outset, promised very ill for their ulti-
mateo.ffices
success. On the 3d of February t! private offer
of mediation was made by the French Minister at our
Court; on the sth Lord Palmerston wrote to Mr. Wyse
thatf h
,e xtptehceteotTerovoefrntmheengt,
good
office.,
of
which'be should forthwith instruct him, and
instructions,
and neod
mediationtoreceive o f a
thefor French
meanwhile to be prepared to act upon those
and to suspend coercive measures. The formal offer was
formal offer
Government,
received by Lord Palmerston on the 7th of February, yet
on the Bth Lord Palmerston wrote to Mr. Wyse, no
notice of any such offer having been made. The good
offices of France, however, were accepted. A mis-
understanding occurred, and the French Minister
found it necessary to intimate that he should
suspend his functions ; but still this intimation
in no degree justified Mr. Wyse in describing the
mediation as at an end, for it had been expressly stipu-
lated that, in the event of any such misunderstanding,
the status quo should remain until reference had been
made to the respective Governments. In the meantime
it was felt by France and England that differences
might arise, and probably interfere to prevent any set-
tlement being arrived at, and therefore a convention
was proposed by M. Drouyn de Lhuys, which, with
very little alteration, was acceded to by Lord Palmers-
ton ; and the day alter the suspension of the negotia-
tion on the part of Baron Gros, Baron Gros received
from General de Lahitte, under date of the
12th, from Paris, an intimation that such a conven-
tion had been entered into. He then writes in haste
to Mr. Wyse, saying that an agreement had been en-
tered into that, in case of differences, they were to