The Sun.
London, England, 1819-05-27 00:00:00

CESSION OF PARGA.

Sir C. MoNcx, in rising to make the motion. of
which he had given notice, said, that except the
deny which a care for the safety of his own coun-
try imposed on him, there was none which he
more willingly undertook, than that which he had
to discharge that evening. He had to call on the
House in behalf of a people who were to be de-
prived of ali that made civil society valuable, pro-
tection for person and property, and the free ex..
eteise of religion. The people of Perga were
now in possession of these privileges--be could
not say in the enjoyment of them, for by the im-
prudence of the Noble Lord at the Congress, they
were soon in danger of being slaughtered ignomi•
nionsly by their cruel enemies the Turks ;, or leav-
ing their country, receiving a compulsory and in-
adequate compensation-for the goods they left be.
hint! 'leaving their land to he shared amon, their,
foes, and their Christian churches to he polluted
with Mahometan ceremonies. If he -bad not
strength of mind to impress,on the House all the
circumstances which weigtiedie favour of the in-
labit ants of Parga , he hoped he should be able to
stale enough to persuade the llouse, that they
were called ie an especial manner by the ge-
nerosity and jes:lce which should- actuate tiient
towards other states, and ,-:,,oecrally-towards small
states, which at their haz,,,Tfri, 6.141 been. OW friends
in .War, to in:ertere to protert them from- the
errors'iat our Ministers. That House could never,
he thought, refuse its sympa7by of corhpassion to
a people stioggling for freedom, and therefore he
was encouraged to calculate that the object of his
motion' wog ld be graciously received, especially as
military possession was taken of'Parga in the year
1314, by a lit it ish force sent by General ,Camp-
bell, upon a specific engacemeut with the people
of that town that it 'was to foliose the fate at the
Tonian Islands,'whatever that fate might he. The
people of Parga thus confidently committed them-
selves to the prOtectiou of England, and was it
possible that it was intended, as he uedeistood, to
abandon this interesting people to the dominioo
of the Turks? tie assured the House that in,
bringine forward this motion be was not actuated
by any party motives, or by any desire to incul—
pate the Noble Secretary forPoreign Affairs,
was not, he sincerely believed, by any means
aware of the mischiefs liktly to r• suit float the
transaction to which he had given his nssent. Ott
-the contrary, indeed, he thought the Noblc Lord,
when apprized of the consequences of the course
upon which be had entered, would be ready to re-
' trace his steps. -He gaveohe Noble Lord full credit
.'tor a disposition to shrink from any Treaty that.
threateped to produde such misery as must result
• front the rim-render of the people of Pangs to the
I 667-Anion of the Torte, -Such a course would in-
deed he so abominable that be could :mot suppose

any British Minister would give it 'his
—(Hear, hear!)----liere the Hon. Baronet en—
tered into a history of the lonian Islands, and
their continental dependencies, including Parga,
from the 15th century to the year 1797,
they fell under the dominion of France, in conse-
quence of the conqueSt of Venice by that Power.
He next adverted to the transtur of those Islands
to the joint prof eetion of Russia and the Porte,
Hod the ineffectual endeavouts of the Pacha of
Albania to obtain military possession of the town
Parga. The arnitiary character of this l'aclia.
could not I. a tsnknowo to the lIou•e ; and his
promise to the people of Parga %VAS, that if they
surrendered to him; they should be what he call-
ed COnlpellSkited for their present possessions, by
being transferred to other places, while, truly,
their tow!' was to be occupied by Ttirks, and
their Christian churches converted into mosques.
WA, not such a proposi•ion peculiarly revolting,
he won't! ask, to every Br Itt li. to every Chris-
rim), to every generous taint}.---(Hear, hear,
near !)—The people of Parga revolted 'at it,
the iernts •letter in which they re-
jected the propOsitiou of the Pacha evinced a;
once the justice of their apprehension front such
a connection, and the manliness of their res.°.
ktioii to withstand it. The Honourable Haroilet
read a copy of this letter, and its tone and-terms,
Which elog,tently bespoke the spirit of freedom
and indep,lidence, were loudly cheered by !he
Hrmse. Upton the conduct of Russi.t, iii assent,
tog to the attempts of the PorteAo take-posses.
sion of Parga and of other towns connected with
the lonian isands, the Honourable Baronet Atli.,

mad e /tell with markefi pungency, (I'loll'g th e
1. o.s ;ge flour Mr. Canning's declaration otfort
re, point, when Secretary of State for the Fo-
eie.o Department. conduct of the Russian
t;,,ccrutuent Ott that occasion could not, indeed,
h e too severely cetwired ; still more, as that con-
d,,et gave birth to the claim of the Pacha of Al-
-1 atria to take military possession of Parga. To
eable the r•Opt., of Parga to resist that claim
in
1,-07, the French Comm:antler at Curl,' seta a
3..! inch garrison to Parga. The proceeding of
A)ntiral Coning wood and Genet al Si trait, in 1809,
to take po,se,siou of the lonian Islands, or what
was then called the Septennial Republic, must be
in the recollection of the House. It was known
that Admiral Coning wood's instructions to his
Otiieers was to mount the Septennial Flag in every
plate that they could rescue from the French, and
to assure the native population that the object
r.-as not to subject them to the dominion of this
country, hot to release them from the French,
who, after, promising to be their protectors,
had actually become their oppressors. The
people of the lonian Islands were thus, as well
as the people of Parga, encouraged by Bri-
tish Officers of the highest rank to calculate
upon British protection. They were, therefore,
prompt anti anxious, by all means in their power,
to second the views of the British Admiral, by
contributing to the reduction of the French power;
and none more forward on this occasion than the
people at Parga. These people, inflect!, contrived,
immediately upon receiving Admiral Colling-
wood's proclamation, to substitute the Flag of
Etoeland with that of the Septennial Republic for
the Flag of France. Tistts, the people of ,Parga
baring committed themselves to the protection of
Fanglaed, in compliance with the invitation of
British ()Meets, he could not imagine any excusa-
ble plea•for now abandoning them to the dominion
of a power which they habitually anti justly ab-
Lorreo. But the lonian lslaeds
,beiog placed by
treaty under the protection of England in 1814,
Low could the towin Of Parga be, with any sem-
blance of consistency, or even of common policy,
surrendered to the Turks, that town having been
alwao an appeodage of those Islands, anti being,
front its peculiar strength, essential to their
fence Jgaiust the Turks ? This town was indeed'
so strong, that it repelled the Pacha of Albania,,
at the bead of 20,000 men, on his last attempt to
take possession of ii. in-1814. Would it then be
allowed by •this, the greatest nation of Europe, to
ytthich the people of Parga naturally and justly
looked fof protection, that they who so gallant,ly
fought for their independence should be subju-
gated by their most inveterate enemy ? The
Honourable Baronet dwelt uporr•tbe instructions
of General Campbell to Lieutenant Brett, ution
his taking military occupation of Parga in 1814,
with regard to the cartteter of the people of that
town, as well as to the object of the occupation.
He also adverted to the conduct of Captain Hoste,
when with two British frigates he took posses-
sion of some of the 'oiliest) Islands. All the com-
munications made by the British Officers and
Agents, among whom was Sir G. Gordon and Mr.
Eorrestic, to the inhabitants of Parga, as an ap-
pendage of the lonian Islands, held out, he main-,
ltiitted, the fullest assurance of British protection.
He hoped anti trusted, then, 'that this protection
would n'ot now be withdrawn, and that ere it was

too late, measnres would be taken by Government
to prevent the melancholy consequence of that
act, into which the Noble Lord was unadvisedly
betrayed at Vienna. If that House declared in
favour of such measures, be could have no appre-
heusioo that the Noble Lord would close his heart
against any sympathy for a people anxious for
liberty and independence, or that he would assent
to the forcible transfer of such an interesting
people to the hostile dominion of the Ottoman
Poste. He endeavoured_ to he as short as he
possibly couid, consistently with the particular
parts of his narration. He bad next to
argue, that if the cession of Parga was found-
ed on the Treaty of Paris, such a view of
Treaty was a misconstruction of its provisions.
He understood there was no new Treaty since
that period, and in his judgment, by that arrange-
ment, the destiny of Parga was left at the dispo-
sition of England. It was trite that a reference
was made to the Treaty of 1800, between the
Ottoman Porte and Russia but that was merely
a teterenee for the purpose of description. But
even if the Noble Lord (Castlereagh) claimed a
justification for the cession on tkat very Treaty—
a Treaty which these two Powers only observed
es long as it was convenient, the Noble Lord
must feel that, even in that case, England was
bound, before it ceded Parga to the Paella, to
see that the whole of its provisions had been ob.
served by the Ottoman Porte. By that Treaty,
rarga, with the other four towns, were goaran-
teed the enjoyment of the most beneficial
How were these provisions fulfilled as-to
the fool' towns then ceded ? These towns, once
the seat of fertility and happiness, were reduced
to desolation. All the former traces of civiliza-
tion disappeared, and those who looked for them
now, could only find a tlesert. Where the
Christian Church had once flourished, and the
Class of Christ had been the object of religious
reverence, was now devoted to all the hor-
rors of Terkish persecution.—(Hear, bear !)
Would the Noble Lord then give up the last spot
in, the European provinces of the Greek Empire to
sirnil +r oppr'ession ? Would he doom the Christian
itiliabitants-ot Parga to the bard condition of being
the slaves of Turkish task-masters ? There was
nothing the Parganese apprehended so much.—
Against such a destiny they thought they possessed
a ieeurity in the fAth, the public virtue, and the
Teal for human freedom that Characterized Great
3tiritoin. If this country could not, consistently
'rich its view of policy, continue her protection,
L't it at least abstain from the act of surrendering
lien). Let it foilow the precedent of Russia,
when that power withdrew protection from
the lonian Islands, and suffered its inhabitants to
tisipte the experiment of defending themselves
against Fraoce. With the spirit the .Parganese
possessed, it would be even a consolation in
toe last extremity to risk a battle for their inde-
pendence. It was hnpossible to reflect on their
situation without feelings of sympathy. In this
,•ri, of • their destiny he was reminded of that
t'isaiviltil passage of the Roman Poet, when, on
sieking„of Troy, inneas remonstrated with

1)15 celestial parent on her advice, and looked for
gratificatioti eve') in a topless struggle—

" Hoc (-rat, alma parens, crloci me, per tell, per ignes,
" Etipis ? ut nueeliic hostem Hi penetralib us, tag;
" A:Acaniittol; patremq; menu), 311xt,11; Creiisam,
" Aiterorn in altcrio,maclatos sanguine cernam,
" Arula, viii, forte arroa; vocat lux oltnna victos.

. • •
came ; sinite instanral4 revisam
" Praelnt : °nines imdie worieinur
coucluded with moving for the production of
certain Correspondence hu!ween General Camp-
bell-and Sir George Gordon respecting Parga.
Mr. MAXWELL seconded the motion, and cnlll.-
mcnted with great feeling on the atrocious cha-
racte- of Ali Pacha, and ou the public spirit and
liberal character of the inhabitants of Parga. He
gave due credit to the Noble Lord for his sincere
solicitude to restore the Greeks to all the privi-
leges to which the descendants of that ancient.
empire, so calculated' to wtract the regards of
every enlightened. man, had such claims. t+e
(Mr. ALlNwell) had been .in Varga, he knew the
hopes which a confidence in British protection
bid inspired. It was the interest of the Govern-
ment, it was the interest of the Country, that such
a feeling should nat be compromised by their ces-
sion to a ruthless- and atrocious oppressor. If it
arose from au act of inadvertence, the Noble Lot d
would, he trusted, follow the example of a Right
Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Peel), and acknow-
ledge the error.

Lord CASTLEREAGH gave the Honourable Mem•
bers who brought forward the subject the fullest
credit for their motives."chey did him only jos-
tice,-when they expressed their impression of his
desire to restore the privileges and character of
the people of the Grecian Islands. As the
Honourable Baronet had confined his motion to
the correspondence in the year 1814, between the
several military officers, and did not comprehend'
within it the subsiapient discussions between (his
country and the Ottoman Porte, on a pending ne.•
gociation, he had no objection to their produc-
tion. lie must, however he might regret it, Val
obseeve, that from the very time of the Treaty of
1814, it nas held that this country was not en-
titled to hull Parga against the claims of the Oc-
tonian Porte, and that such an opinion was known
to its inhabitants. Tba:, however, was not to be
considered a bar to future negociation. Both at
Pa-is, and afterwards at Vienna, the state of thee
Grecian islands and of the Towns on the Conti-
nent, was considered as an open question on wlfich
the Ministers of the Powers assembled had to
deliberate, and to make such an arrangement as
was most expedient. The treaty of 1800 had
ceded [be sovereignty of the towns to the Otto-
man Porte, and therefore it was felt that all that
Great Britain could do for Pop, was the exertion
of its good offices. It could not be expected that_ this
country was ultimately bound by any incautious
arrangements of military officers to take under its
proteetton such distant dominions. Such a prit“-
elide would devolve upon the British Government
a most serious responsibility. What be told the
Hon. Baronet was strictly true, that there was- no,
subsequent. Treaty to that of Paris. There was a
Convention.subsequently between a Commissioner
of this Country 30d a Turkish Minister ; but that
was merely as to the arrangements for the evacu-
ation. There it was considered the good offices
'of this Country might be beneficially exerted.
The House Would perceive that, as far as this
Country was concerned, the Treaties entered into
were as favourable to Parga as it was in our
power to make them. Beyond what had been
done, they bad no more, power to interfere with
Parga than they had with anv other town tinder
the dominion of the Porte. He again repeated,
that Parga was. entitled to the good offiees of this
Country, as far as it "was ill our power to extend
them. If any motion should be grounded on the
Papers now moved for, it would be his duty to
state to the Howe his impressions on this subject,
and to explain the relation in which this Country
stood with respect to that fortress.

Mr. SCaRLETT said, he had taken some pains
to make himself acquainted with this subject,
and would not hesitate to assert that the surren-
der of Parga to Ali Paella was one of the most
gratuitous and cruel pieces of treachery that ever
was committed: The Noble Lord (Castlereagh)
,referred to the Treaties of 1800 and 1815..0n the
inspection of these documents., he (Mr. S.) could
see no pretence for making the cession in the
manner in which it took place : he doubted
much whether these Treaties required that it
should, be made at all. If they were to have the
Treaty of 1800, they should have the whole of It
carried into effect or none. By that Treaty,
Parga was to be independent of the Porte ; but
now, so far as it appeared, in place of being in-
dependent, it was entirely and unconditionally
surrendered. The fate of the inhabitants was so
completely reversed, that the Power to which the
place was given up would find nothing but a de-
sert. Not one ot the iuhabitants would remain,
there. Most of 'them had already left it for the
purpose of seeking an asylum, where, in all pro-
bability, they would find.tione, and On this arose
trom being under
,the protection of the British
Government. /
Sir JAMES MACKINTOSH ft:lt gratified at the
concession 4 the Noble Lord, as he conceived it
was an earnest that the liberties of a free people
would not be so easily sacrificed to the ,cruelty
and atrocity of a tyrant. There was no reason to
induce this country ro be guilty of such a con-
summate piece ot treachery. The Noble Lord
fwd said, that in entering on the Treaty of Paris,
they were bound by the Treaty of 1800. Ile wish-
ed to know in what school of the Law of Nations
the Noble Lord had ' learned this ? That treaty
was brOken by the subsequent war, and had never
since been renewed. It this was true, then the
cession of Parga was a wanton and barbarous sa-
crifice of the liberties of a free and a brave people
to the will of a Alahometan Tyrant. But sup-
posing the Treaty of 1800 had been revived by
the Treaty of 1815, the whole of the conditions
of that 'I reaty ought to be revived. Did the Noble
Lord'mean to say, that this Treaty was to be di-
vided, and that part of it supported li hich bore
in favour of a sanguinary Tyrant, while lie an-
nulled the part which was 'in favour of a suffering
Christian people ? ‘Vhen this question caner be-
foie the house in another shape, he should be
-•prepareA to -contend against the arguments or
plausible rcasonings wh;ch might be adduced in

favour of placing the free people of Parga under
the yoke of a remorseless Barbarian:
Mr. Gout:Butts did not mean to follow the ex-
ample of the two last speakers, by entering at
present into a discussion on the merits of this
question, with a warmth which he conceived
uncalled for at present. Those who attended to
the speeches of the Hon. Members must feel sur-
prised that they should first condemn the cession
of Parga as "an act of perfidy, and in the next
sentence admit that they were not in possession
of facts on which to ground their opinions. How
could Gentlemen, arguing in support of justice,
adopt such a line ,of conduct, without having
facts to go upon ? When the measure came to be
discussed,. as it must, if any motion was brought
forward upon it, he would be prepared to meet
the arguments of those who questioned the con-
duct of Ministers on this' question.
The motion was then pot and carried unani-
thously.

NAVY PRIZE-MONEY.
On the motion of Mr. LONG, leave was given
to hi ing in a Bill for the better regulation of the
distribution of navy prize-money.
IRISH CLERK OF THE PEACE BILL.
The Report on this Bill was taken inv.° further
consideration, and the Resolutions agreed to ; and
after a short conversation between Lord CAR-
HAMPTON and Sir J. NEWPORT, the 3d reading
was fixed for Wednesday next.

FRAME-WORK-KNITTERS' BILL.
On the motion that this Bill be read a second
time, it was argued by Mr. Mansfield, Mr. J.
Smith, Mr. T. Wilson, Mr. Ricardo, and Mr. P.
Moore, that great frauds were committed upon
the honest tradesmen, by the substitution of a
spurious article of hosiery to one of good manu-
facture ; that it threw 3 or 4000 men out of em-
ployment, and produced the greatest distress in
the rrade ; they therefore supported the Bill, as
going to prevent so great an evil. It was argued
ou the other side, by Mr. Hume, that the maim-
lactorcr of the species of hosiery which this Bill
vent to prohibit gave emplOythent to 3000 per-
sons, who would, if deprived of it, he left without
the means of subsistence. lic.had no objection
to its being distingoished from the other by some
particular and obvious mark, but he deprecated
the total abolition of the trade.
The Bill- was then read a second time, and was
ordered to he committed for to-morrow week.