, 1877-05-26

0N'pJ SIG AtS ~ i4tiIlHtiU8 10 tut AQlHlralV
that the reinstatement Of Admiral Habar, Pasha
might, be thought, be accorded as " amatter Of
" Imperial policy without a%fording a precedent
" detrimental TO tbs discipline Of the service"
So tho Commander Of the Turkish Fleet was
placed on The Retired List Of Her Majesty's
Navy, and is now entitled to Il pension. In The
shape of half pay be draws, as Lord Granville
observed, 6400 a year.
Such is the story which was t0li on Friday.
and, to say the least, it is very embarrassing.
Lord Derby did not defend Hobart Pasha's
breach Of discipline. But il was possible, he
thought, to remit some part Of q judicial
sentence without casting any doubt on its
original justice He also gave some prcctdtnts
in favonr Of HE restoration Of honovrs to the
Turkish Admiral. Sir George SartoriuS, Sir
Charles Napier, and Lieutenant South were
removed from he Navy List and afterwards
reinStated Bat there is an essential difference
between the cases of these officers and hat OF
Admiral Hobart. They were purged of their
gull. we believe, after they had left foreign ser.
vice; Will full honours have been given back
10 Admiral Hobart while h4 is still in foreign
service. When recommending the restoration
OF bis honours and bis pay, Lord Derby Aintpd
that he Gid 50 for the sake Of Imperial policy;
and last nigh: Lord Bury urged that, if the
organ cation OF the Turkish Navy had not been
GNNN'FAN"NN - III 4@HS'C4 NlAlCcl, ~ WOuiu
have fallen into the hands Of a Frenchman.
Here We reach highly speculative ground.
Whethe. the equipment of q fine Turkish Ma.
Wy has been beneficial to Europe, or England,
or even 10 Turkey herself is a question which
might be debated at much length. Some
forcible remarks on The subject might be made
by The Turkish bonGh0iders as they think of
the sE200,C00,00O which hey confdingly in
trusted to the Porte, and the most subSl antial
part Of which is now represented by Hobart
Pasha's ships. " Ironclads pay no dividends
might he their pathetic reflection. 1t might
also be commended that the gallant gentleman's
services have Jared Turkey to ruin by inducing
her to imagine that sho could brave Tue whole
Of Europe. But for the ships which the
bondbolders enabled Der to build, she might
have been guided by The Conference, or at
least have accepted the Protocol. In that
case a nation which proposed tbs Conference
aud has a joint responsibility for The Protocol
cannot admit that Hobart Pasha has rendered
Imperial services either to Turkey or 10
England.
But The matter has a much more serious
side. Lord Derby minated that Admiral
Hobart'S name had been struck off the Navy
List for political as we'll as professional rea.
sons. Having taken part in the suppression Of
the Cretan rebellion. he had, while holding the
commission and drawing the pay Of the Queen,
engaged in a struggle with which Her Majesty
had no concern. Had be not been dismissed
for committing so grave an offence, it would
seem a mockery to impose the lesser obliga.
tions Of discipline. But Lord Derby thinks it
was safe to restore Admiral Hobart to his
hOnours in this Eaglisb Navy as soon as the
Ottoman Empire was at peace. 1t may be so,
and, if it be so, the Admiralty may have no
sufficient reason for inviting him to choose
between the service of the Sultan and that Of
the Queen. But Lord Derby made an impor-
tant addition to that answer. Although any
hour may bring the Declaration Of War, the
Ottoman Empire is still at peace. and there.
fore the reinstatement Of Admiral Hobart in
the Navy List gives him permission to serve
the Turks. But whether that permission
would hold good in a time of war is q Ques-
tion which Lord Derby declined to answer on
the spur of tie moment. The caution Of his
reply cannot hide the conclusion which iusv.
itably follows from his arguments. When
Russia declares war, the irOnclads of Hobart
Pasha are expected to do service which may
be of critical Importance. They will, it is
thought, blockade the ports of the Black Sea,
prevent Russia from sending any supplies by
water to her invading Army, ovsrawe Greece
and Crete, and perhaps fight the Russian feet
which is on the way to the Mediterranean All
the while We should bold aloof from the contest
~ q .L~.1S ank koCoh thn w;kei fnAavaatn ~ mr.