Star.
London, England, 1830-02-18 00:00:00

TO LORD HOLLAND.

MT LORD,—At a moment when corruption, distress,
and misery unexampled, stalk over the land at home ;
when the dearth of patriots and firmness in public men,
were never more severely felt, it is consoling to reflect
that individuals are still to be found, willing to make
some effort towards diminishing the contempt and ob-
loquy brought on England by the foreign policy of
Ministers,—a policy, which could alone proceed from
the grossest ignorance on one side, and a total indiffer-,
ence to national dignity on the other. This reflection is
drawn from me by your Lordship's luminous speech on
the subject of Greece, and the excellent resolution by
which it was followed. In offering you my best thanks
for this new proof of political wisdom and sound patrio-
tism, I am enabled to say, from attentive observation of
the Greek struggle, and some personal knowledge of
the Greek people, that every point urged in your speech
with regard to them, is fully borne out by facts and the
real state of the question. Without entering into a
lengthened detail of those circumstances which give the
people of Greece a strong claim on the sympathy and sup-
port of England, it will be sufficient to name a few of the
most prominent. Viewing our policy when this coun-
try was cursed by the CASTLEREAGH ministry, it is
notorious that every possible effort was, short of actual
war, to put down the heroic attempt of the Greek
people—to shake off the yoke of ignominy which had I
oppressed them for three centuries. It was a me-
lancholy and disgraceful spectacle to witness the officers
and agents of a country owing all its power to free
institutions, and boasting to satiety of its liberties, resort-
ing to meanness and violence against those who were
engaged in a contest for freedom and existence. The
foul stain is indelible, and can never be effaced
from the page of British history. But while English
.diplomatists were united at Laybach and Verona to
those of other powers assembled for the purpose of
crushing the rising liberties of Europe as well as Greece,
what was the conduct of the people of Greece and their
leaders ? One of their earliest and most unanimous acts,
was to solicit the aid and protection of this country, which
they regarded, and with great justice, as their natural ally.
Although every overture was rejected with scorn or requited
by insult, the Greeks would never admit that the Mi-
nisters of England could long remain insensible so the
importance of the struggle, and the necessity of inter-
ference. Nothing was, however, farther from the thought
of the men who then held the reins of power here ;
and had it not been for the accession of Mr. CANNING,
it is my firm conviction that the people of Greece would,
at this hour, bo groaning under the iron sway of their old
masters ; that is to say, the remnant which the scymitars
of their oppressors had spared ! To prove my previous
assertion, relative to the constancy with which this un-
fortunate nation looked towards us, it is only neces-
sary to state the fact of an agent having
been secretly despatched to London the moment
the nomination of Mr. CANNING was known. When
a public meeting was subsequently held, and a com-
mittee formed in order to rouse public sympathy, till
then dormant, the pers on sent to represent that epheme-
ral body was received with flattering demonstra-
tions of attention and regard by all parties. Having
remained six weeks at Tripolitza, the seat of the
Provisional Government, he was requested to return
to England, with a view of representing the real
state of the contest, in reply to those calumnies, which
had been so industriously circulated, and above all to be
the bearer of a communication to Mr. CANNING, then
at the head of the Foreign Department : it was
an appeal from the provisional government in behalf of
their suffering country, and pointing out the advantages
which England could not fail to derive from encouraging
the independence of the new state.
Although the lamented Statesman whose loss may
well continue a source of sorrow and regret, was too
shackled both at home and on the Continent, to take any
decisive step at the time, there is no doubt but his com-
prehensive mind had already seised the whole bear-
ing of the question, and determined to make it
subservient to the best interests of his country. Hence
the mission of the Noble Dna now at the head of Ad-
ministration to St. Petersburgh, and the Protocol of /824,
in which the people of Greece were for the first time,
permitted to indulge a hops that this heroic struggle and
these innumerable sacrifices,were about to excite the atten-
tion of the Cabinets. As. the transactions which followed
require to be treated at greater length than the limits of
this letter will admit, I shall return to the subject on an
early day.—l have the honour to be, &c.
Febnary B.

Within the lest few days numerous interviews have
taken place between Prince Leopold and the Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs and the French and Russian
Ambassadprs. In the course of Monday and Tuesday
two Expresses arrived from Claremont to the Earl of
Aberdeen ; the French and Russian Ambassadors had
subsequently interviews with his lordship, and sent off
the same evening despatches fof their respective Govern-
ments. The Government of Glace I. considered to be
the subject of this frequent intercourse.