The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-24

I AOgg w @S&1f $3.50 49, fhNA N'hAINtlhO
Sicily from 1905 to 1914. The Ionian Islands
were hers from 1915 to 1864. French con,cn,
porary e~ssayists admitted without any rcscrye
that England. which at the beginning Of tbs
wars OF the French Revolution held only tho
key to tho inland sea. was fifteen years latcr
the unchallcnged mistress Of the Mcditcrra.
mean. In 1915 there was. of course. no such
power as Italy; France was PROSTATE, and Spain
was no more formidable than she is now. The
posts that England held were undoubtedly far
| stronger than any that she had relinquishcd.
Nor was that all. To-day European powers
have settled in force along the African shore OF
the sea and Russia has pushed very near TO the
Bosporus: in Maitland's time no single Chris.
tIan power held q square mile of territory on
the southern shores Of the Mediterranean To-
day. 80 far as that sea IL concerned. Englandis
but one strong power among several poworst
three-duarters of a century ago che had no
rival and no semblance OF a rival. Some
estimate can now be formed of tho i'm
portance Of Maitlands post as Governor Of
Malta, to which was added the office Of Lord
High Commissioner Of the Ionian islands.
To appreciate the difficulties inherent In
these twofold dutios one should glance al
some incidents OF the twenty years OF history
that closed with the transfer OF the Ionian
Islands by the Congress- Of Vienna to England.
It should be remembered that Venice, ever
since the Fourth Crusade, had kept the Ionians
In the most abject state Of slavery and ignor-
ance. The Venetian rule had been succeeded
by q leeting moment OF French domination,
which was followed by the Joint adminietra-
ton Of Russia and Turkey, Under tho agree
ment between these allies Turkey was r..og-
nized as the suEerain of the island. but Rus
sia furnished the garrison. Tho suzerninty
OF Turkey was not formally ahroEated
until Maitland brought It about; and
it was understood that the adjoining terrific
ries OF Venice on the mainland-ParEa and the
surrounding country-were to become definitely
Turkeys. Whether this understanding meant
that those territories were to be surrendered
TO the Sublime Porte or to the local Governor,
the powerful Ali Pasha of Yanina, constituted
ono Of the stormiest questions Of the day.
How much respect was paid to the understand
ing was shown when Russia. from the vantage
ground OF Corfu. made war on Ali Pasha, Q
Turkish Governor. How the Ionians under
stood their position may be inferred from the
experience OF Count Mocenigo. who left Corfu
as Minister Plenipotentiary to st. Petersburg.
He was to ask for a Constitution, but he vast 10
make no suggestions. and to accept everything
unquestioningly from the hand OF Alexander 1.
He departed as an Ionian and returned as a
Russian, the Minister Plenipotentiary Of the
Gear to the Ionian Isles. From the moment Of
his return he always referred to the Gar as
his august master. and issued his instructions
like a Russian Governor. Yet when the Consti-
tuition broke down, 1t was to Turkey that appli-
cation was made to set matters straight. With
two sovereigns, q Russian army on shore, q
Turkish feet at sea, q couple OF Constitutions,
both crazy. to choose from. and nothing more
luminous to guide them than the traditions OF
Venice. It is not to be wondered at that the
Ionian people should have fallen into the last
stage Of vegetation. Even to have ruled the
Islands automatically, as Ceylon was ruled,
would have taxed tho resources and the courage
Of the most capable Governor that England
ever sent to the East. To ask Maitland to rule
them under a Constitution comforting repre-
sentative government on the people was to ask
him to perform a sheer impossibility.
For the details Of the method by which he
solved an apparently insoluble problem we
must refer to Mr.. Lords biography. All we
need to say is that. when Maitland died, in 1924,
the 1onian Islands were In a far better condi-
ton than any other lands in the eastern Medi-
terranean. whether insular or continental. and
they remained English for forty years after his
death. He had not only hewn the dependency
into shape, but he had achieved the end with
the least possible friction and in the shortest
possible time. What was required for the du.
rability Of his work was a succession Of admin.
~istrators like himself. Instead Of comprehend.
ing the completely Of the conditions updeR
which Maitland had kept the Ionian Islands In
good order. the Colonial ONCE sent thither
men OF second-rate capacity. with the result
that the day came when the British Govern
ment. acting upon Mr.. Gladstone's advice,
deemed 1t best to surrender the islands to
Greece. and they were surrendered in
such a fashion as to give the impress
sion that Englishmen had been expelled.
The abandonment Of the Ionian Islands In
1854 marked the lowest point of EnRland's in.
huence In the Mediterranean In Europe, and
In the world. At the beginning Of the century
England had ruled the sea-; at the end she
seems to have climbed part Of the way back to
that dominant position. During the middle Of
the century she seemed incapable and undo.
sirous OF doing more than rule herself and the
Isle OF Wight. for her retirement from Corfu
was generally understood to moan much more
than the surrender Of an agreeable winter re-
sort Tor people OF leisure. 1t was construed al
the open and definite remuneration Of the mas
terry OF the Mediterranean
Maitland / is regarded by his bionraDhar noA
only as a statesman. but as the only Mediter.
ranean statesman that England ever produced.
Ihere have been Indian. Canadian and African
statesmen not a few. But only for a brieS
period was England In a position Of command
In tho mediterranean, and during that briof
period her interests were watched over and up-
held by Thomas Maitland. He not only took
charge OF Malta and the Ioniau Isles INIT With
his superabundant energy, he mastered eyarv
Mediterranean question that could, directly or
indirectly concern the interests Of England.
other men had had particular pieces Of work
todo' and they had acquitted themselves moro
less ereditably. No connected policy, however.
nad inspired their instructions, or was sub
served by their efforts. They drifted back
T1ru ana forward between the impulse Of the
nElish people and the reluctance Of tn. CabI-
net To Maitland alone. in whose dav the nao-
pie and the Cabinet acted together, was CON.
nded the duty of securing definitely the control
OF the Mediterranean to England. After bia
death. nothing was added to the fabric OF the
!onian Government. Yet 1t took forty yeSrS OF
the wash OF sentiment. forty years Of open as.
Sau h oy enemies forty years Of tho corrosive