Star.
London, England, 1828-04-04 00:00:00

AIIJOURNWENT .....AlrigAIRS OF THE EAST.

Mr. Secretary PEEL rose, pursuant to the notice he
had given, to move that the House at its rising should
adjourn to Monday, the 14th of April. He was aware
that upon late occasions it had been usual to have a
longer cessation trcm their labours; but in adverting
to the state of public business, and the number of Com-
mittees sitting. although he was aware that in the week
following the 14th of April many Members would
not be present. yet he thought it would not be proper
to defer their meeting later than that day.
Upon the qundon being put by the SPEAKER,
Sir R. WILSON said, he felt it to be his duty not
to alio* the /Inuit to separate without asking the Right
Hon. Gentleman one or two questirms upon a subject I f
which they had already heard the most agitating de-
tails. and which affected the interests of persons who
bad the strongest claim upon the justice of the Govern-
ment, and for whose protection we had pledged the
oat onal honour. According to positive advices, and
which. he had no doubt, were now became official,
several thousand Grerks, women and ohildren, had
been carried off to Alexandria by the beet of Ibrahim
Pacha, and sold in the market as slaves. He under-
steed there were in she whole nearly sesen thiausaa4
thus dragged from their country and tb.eir Mends,
wish feelings aggravated by the reflection that this
misfortune happened at the moment when, as it were,
the question of their future freedom had been set at
,rest for ever.—The Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Peel)
bad stated, on a former occasion, that orders were is-
sued to prevent the removal of any portion of the Greek
population. He would now ask the Right Hom Gen-
tleman to say how it could be explained, that, with
orders of this kind to prevent the removal of ibe
non-combatant population, some of the small ves-
sels, of which there were many in a state fit
for service after the battle of Navarid, did not pre-
vent the commission of this 'most flagrant and
cruel act of piracy ? The first question he should put
to the Right Honourable Gentleman was, whether there
,had been any official advices from the Commanders of
our armaments in the Levant, explaining the reason
why these vessels thus loaded had obtained the free
dons to pass unmolested from the Bay of Navin-ill?
and. secondly, whether any. measures had been taken,
either with or without the consent of our Allies, to
effect the redemption of those unhappy persons, who
I ad thus been dragged from their country by the
basest and most execrable piracy ? This reparation
was the least that Greece had a right to claim, not
only from England, but from every nation of Euto
that had any pretensions to civilisationsr(Herzo heart'
111 r. Secretary PEEL begged the Honourable Oen-

tletnan to recollect he had stated Wore that in the year
1026, previous wills signieg of the Tensity of dit6ots-
df-J•l7. awl. previous to the signing of the ProtereOl4.
ft was intimated, indirectly, to his Majesty's Gbeera-
menr, that there existed an intention to carry away
* part of the population of the Mnrea, for the purpose.
of consigning them to slavery in Egypt. Before, how.
ever, any measures were taken to carry that intention
into effect, and before, he begged to repeat, any treaties
existed upon the subject of the Greeks, his Majesty's
Government desired it to be distinctly declared, that
they could not suffer such a proceeding, which
'shwa be regarded as an 'smite of the most ex-
treme rights of war; and that if the intention was
attempted to be carried into execution, they were de.
termined to resist it by force. No measure of the kind
.Ifireatened was then attempted, and therefore it became
unnecessary to resort to the employment of force. He
believed, however, that the Hon. Gentleman was cot-
rectly informed, when he said that some portion of the.
population of the Morea had been sent into slavery by"
Ibrahim, on board of those vessels which escaped from
the Bay of Navarin after the battle. Instructions had
been sent out to the Admiral to prevent the removal of
any portion of the combined Turkish and Egyptian'
fleets, both before and after the time of the battle, if
by that removal they meditated a renewal of hostilities
against the Greeks; but of course, if they intended
to remove their forces from the Bay of Navarin,
either to Alexandria at to Constantinople, everrfacility
could have been afforded them for that pirpose. It is
uanece.saty to bay, that by that removal the forces only
were meant, and 1..0t AO% portion of the Greek popula-
tion. On the 27th or 28th •cemtrer, a part, however,
of the fleet, to the nurntre- r f 45 sail, including 17 sail
which at rived in the poi t after the battle, set sail for Alex-
andria,having beard th • ilisabl.d and sick and wound..
ed soldier ',together with comae ishmen and childrensWhat
•the number of the,e capticei'srhis fie could nat pretend
to say ; and, isidee.i; the' acCotiota varied to Much, hi
did not think be ought to attempt to state any thing
upon the sohject, until they had some better informa-
tion. The" on. Gentleman. however; iiiiriffeleliefid-
them to b: 7,000. He might, however, state that he had
heard, an ..1 as he thought upon very good, and even high
4uth, rity,that the num bet did not exceed 60f) women and
children. When his Majesty's Government received an
account of ti.is escape of the remnant of the fleet,
having on board these captives, they made a commu-
nication to the Admiral, and instituted a full'inquirt
into the whole transaction. He might, indeed, say that
the whole subject was now uncler the consideration of
his Majesty's Government, although, from the present
state of that inquiry, he thought it better to ab,tain at
this moment from any further explanation. It was, he-
thought, sufficient to assure the Honourable Gentleman,
that the attention of his Majesty's Government we
been directed to the subject, althqugh he felt that at the
present moment he could not state the results of their,
inquiries without prejudice to the public service.
Sir F. BURDETT said, that having a very strong •
feeling upon this subject, tie must say that what. had
falen from the Right Hon. Gentleman was very seas,'
factory. It showed that the attention t f Government
was alive to the situation of Greece, and that their
thanks were due to his Hon. Friend, not only on aca
count of the interest which he took in that question,
but alto fur having given an opportunity to the
Right Honourable Gentleman to make these expla-
nations. He trusted that the Government would
take such steps as' would 'be necessary to restore
the persons who had been torn away from their
country, as well as to ascertain in what manner
the act was accomplished. He did not sup ose
that it could be attributed to any defective dis-
charge of his duty on the part of the Gallant Officer
commanding our fleets in the Mediterranean. Neither,
he hoped, was it to be attributei 'to the lukewarmness
with which the Government of this country at one time
regarded the glorious achievement which that gallant.
Admiral performed, He was ready to declare his full
concurrence in the 'Deny of London, not only on ac-
count of its hum •nity, bat as t:.e most wise and prudent
, obey which this country could pur,ue. He thought
the Government were acting preperly in determining to
suppot it, aad he would not shrink from taking his
share in the responsibility of supporting them. . •
Sir R. WILSON asked whether the number of ships of
war left after the battle amounted to 47
Mr. Secretary H USKISSON said, that the facts stated
by his Right Hon. Friend were these—The number of
ships which sailed from Navarin having on board slaves,.
wounded sailors, and sick soldiers, was forty-five.—
Pt these 17 had arrived at Navarin subsequently to
the battle, and the rest. about thirty, armed vessels;
were in the bay at the time of the attack. The Hon.
Baronet had said that it was posable that the unfortu-
nate escape of those vessels had been influenced by the
lukewarmness of the Government in properly noticing
the services of the Gallant Admiral. When the Hon.
Baronet looked at the dates, and saw that the ships took
their departure unmolested, and, as it would seem, un-
noticed, in the month of December last, it was impos-
sible to suppose that any lukewarmness of the Govern.
ment could have existed, in as much as the Government
was not then in existence. He should not say more upon
the subject, after it had been stated by his Right Hon.
Friend that an investigation bad been undertaken.

Sir J. MACINTOSH said, .that in the year 1825, a
project had been conceived by Ibrahim Riche, of car-
rying off the whole population of the Morea into sla-
very in Egypt, and repeopling the country with Arabs.
As soon as that intention had been knoWn at St. Pe-
tersburgh, a declaration of the strongest character
`sad been issued, stating that the first attempt to
execute it would be held to justify the most decided
measures, on the part of the Powers of Europe, for
its prevention. The abominable outrage now, bi
which so many unoffending women and children had
been carried into captivity, seemed to be a sort of
remains of the project of 1825 ; and not only merited
the promptest notice by this country, with reference
to what had been undertaken by the Treaty of London,
but also on account of the audacious insult offered by
it to all those Christian States who, in 1825, had an-
nounced that the first attempt to execute it would be
met by chastisement or resistance. He could not
doubt that the inquiry, in which the Right Honour-
able Secretary for the Home Department stated the
Government to be engaged, was an inquiry as to the
most convenient measures for restoring tlie t. happy
persons who had been the victims of this piralic out-
rape to their country, and he truste.l that every effort
would be made, not only to disclaim any acquiescence
in such an act on the part of England, but• to re•
pair to the sufferers, as far as possible, the conse-
quences of it. With respect to the greargeneral question
connected with this subject, he should at present abstain
as far as possible from making any comments on it,
although it was a topic upon which he and those who
thought with him observed silence with difficulty ; and
how much longer it would be possible for them to
persevere in a silence which cost them so *much- effort,
and which 'might, perhaps, be liable to miseoip

affliction, it was impostible for Mai ticsaf;-• It was
:little extraordinary. that while the other Powers,
which' were parties to the Treaty of London, had des
dared their intentions plarnly, England alone should
refuseto speak. In France, the lull explanation if M.
Peyronnet, lett no question as to what the pi,licy of
that country would be. Bosnia, in a communication
which every one knew was substantiallp official; though
not formally so, had avowed to all the world the ala.
titres of her policy, as she was at this very moment pro.
bahly on the eve of executing it. Even the Turks them.
selves, in their hatti scheriff, had made known the whole
course of fraud and delusion which they bad been peac•
tisog upon all the Powers of Europe, eve. for a series of
rears, and which they had the audacious folly to avow
now, even in the face of their most powerful enemy ; and
yet the intention, or views of the English Government
were not yet communicated to Parliament. Under
these 'circumstances, he thought it right to give no+
lice, that shoal); after the recess, unless he was pies
vented by some Message from the Crown, or intimas
tion of the course at policy contemplated on the part of
Ministers, he should feel it his duty to call the atteetiod
of the House to the situation and duties of this country
under the Treaty of the 6th *f July. He should do
this in a manner calculated to impute blame to no one.
and perhaps, it no officid intimation was received is the
interim, it would be the most con ve:-.ient mode of bring.
ing ou a discussion for all parties: it would enable him
(Sr J. Macintosh) and his friends to state at length
what their impressions were upon the subject, and afford
Ministers an opportunity of making. those disclosures
which had already been made by Turk y, Fiance, mad
Russia: The Hon. Member concluded by declaring,
that the longer he reflected upon the TresSty, in question,
the more firmly'he was convinced of its justice, lawful*
Slesfit )141d4Wisdram._ •
;•• Mr. BRIGHT said he had also been waiting with the
hreAro anxiety for a declaration •of the policy which
is Majesty's Government meant to adopt. and be had
now to express his hope that they would cat suffer what
_etas raid on that 46 of the House to bike t em to place
the country in a state of war --(Hear 1) He trusted that
they 'would neither permit that, ni.r the slate ot ti.e go-
tor tupate pet sons ia the Meditet r anean, to induce them to
do what they could not hereafter a sw r to the c 'entry,
and the consequences of which oust he drea !tut as they
w. re incalculable—(Cheer.). With regard the policy
,of. the Treaty, he held an
opinion
very different from
that of the H n. and Learned Member who preceded
him, and. when the proper time arrived, he should be
ready to 6clare and to maintain it.

• Mr. Secretary PEEL said, he was sure there must be
one universal feeling, th.t this was not the time for
ertcring upon such a question as that which the Hon.
and Learned Member had opened, arid that lie should
best discharge his duty to the Crown by resisting any
provocation whatever to enter into a premature discus.
siren of his Majesty's views and intentions—(Cheers).
The Honourable and L-arntd Gent!einan had rather
embarrassed him by the construction which he had put
upon a part of his previous explanation. He had said,
that the investigraiun entered into by the Government
uld only be with a view to restore that part of
the Greek population which had been carried from
their homes and sold ;ato slavery. Now, if be let that
observation pass unnoticed, it might appear as if he
acquiesced, and he, therefore thought it necessary to re-
peat, that he only stated' the facts tb ,t such instructions
had been given, and he meant no reflection upon any
one, as, if acted -upon, would have prevented the
sailing of the ships with those unfortunate people on
board. But it should be remembered, in justice to
our Naval Commanders, that the event of the battle
greatly increased the difficulty of carrying those in-
structi,!ns into effect, so as to prevent the manoeuvre;
'but the instructions were, to prevent the sailing
of the ships for any purpose but the conveyance of the troops
front the Morea. All be had said was, that an inquiry bad been
instituted with a view to ascertain the circum.tances under which
:hose instructions had failed of being executed. As to the num-
ber of the Egyptian ships, there were four frigates, tight cor-
vettes. eighteen brigs, and fifteen transports. The account which
he had received from a Naval Officer stationed at Alexandria
differed from that of the Honourable Member, making the num-
ber of sick and wounded soldiers brought there by the fleet
2,000, sand also mentioning that six hundred women and children
had been brought and sold as slaves. What measures were to be
adopted it was impo3sible for him to s.ly, in the absence of more
certain Information, or what would he the fate of the unfortunate
persons. It they had been actually sold in the market and passed
into the hands of individuals, their being private property would
materially alter the case frnm what it would have been if they had
been met upon the seas. He bolted no other construction would
be put upon what he had said, which amounted or ly to thi.—tkat
as soon as informatlottwas received by the Government they ordered
, an investigation of the circum.taticas under which the vessels bad
' escaped our Beet.

Sir JOSEPH YORKE bore testimony to the disabled state d
our veriels after the battle of Navarin ; and was happy to hest
that whatever may have been the causes which led to the removal
of the Greeks from the Mum, that ■o blame or PegUgesee what-
soever Was imputable to our Officers engaged in the gallant actioa
of Navarin.

The question of adjournment to Monday, the 14th of April, was
then put and carried.