GREECE. 



333 



to the inequality between the revenue and ex- 

 penditure. 



Soon after the opening of the Parliament, 

 four deputies appeared from Crete, asking for 

 admission on the ground that an assembly of 

 delegates in Crete had declared in favor of an- 

 nexation to the United States. The people 

 of Greece showed a great deal of sympathy 

 with this demand, but the ambassadors of 

 the great powers of Europe strongly protested 

 against their admission, and the Turkish am- 

 bassador declared that, in case of their ad- 

 mission, he would at once demand his pass- 

 ports. The Government of Greece yielded 

 to this pressure, and opposed their admis- 

 sion; and the Chamber, by a large majority, 

 pronounced the ministerial declarations satis- 

 factory. 



On the 27th of June the Metropolitan of 

 Athens called on Mr. Tuckerman, the minister 

 of the United States in Greece, to thank him, 

 in the name of the Greek clergy and nation, 

 for the sympathy shown in the United States 

 with the cause of Crete. The Metropolitan 

 said : "As one of the men of our grand struggle 

 commencing in 1821, and which continues still, 

 and as chief of the Hellenic clergy, I desire to 

 express to you, the representative of the great 

 American nation, the gratitude of my old com- 

 panions in arms belonging to the orthodox 

 clergy, and that of the whole Greek nation, for 

 the great favors of every kind which the Amer- 

 ican nation, in the old struggle as in the new 

 one in Crete, has conferred, and yet confers, 

 upon Eastern Christians who fight for religion, 

 country, and liberty. I pray your Excellency 

 to convey the expressions of our profound grat- 

 itude to the glorious American nation, and, if 

 it be possible, to every American citizen, and 

 say to them that so long as there shall be 

 Greeks in the world, the feeling of Hellenic 

 gratitude toward the glorious American nation 

 will be transmitted from generation to genera- 

 tion, and will be traced in indelible characters 

 on the hearts of Greeks. The Greek clergy will 

 ever pray the Eternal to grant peace and pros- 

 perity to the world, but especially to the na- 

 tions so closely united by benefits and by grat- 

 itude. We could hardly stand in our great 

 struggle without the favors of America ; but 

 for American kindness many Cretan widows 

 and orphans must have perished of hunger and 

 cold. God bless the Americans, the benefac- 

 tors of the Christians of the East! " 



The sympathy of Greece with Crete, and 

 the aid which Grecian steamers, notwithstand- 

 ing the watchfulness of the Turkish fleet, suc- 

 ceeded in rendering to the Cretans, by supply- 

 ing them with volunteers and war materials, 

 kept up a constant irritation between the Gov- 

 ernments of Turkey and Greece. On the llth 

 of December (29th of November, old style) the 

 Turkish ambassador, in the name of his Gov- 

 ernment, presented an ultimatum (see TURKEY). 

 The Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, P. 

 Delyanni, replied on the 3d of December (15th, 



old style). The following extracts give the 

 Greek answer to the five points contained in 

 the Turkish ultimatum : 



The five demands, the acceptance of which the 

 Sublime Porte considers as the terms of the continua- 

 tion of peace with Greece, are first, to disband im- 

 mediately the bands of volunteers lately organized 

 in different parts of the kingdom, and to prevent the 

 formation of other similar bodies in future ; secondly, 

 the disarmament of the blockade-runners Erosis, 

 Crete, and Panhellenion, or to prohibit their entrance 

 into Greek ports ; thirdly, liberty to the Cretan refu- 

 gees to return to their country, and also to give them 

 efficacious aid and protection ; fourthly, the punish- 

 ment according to law of those who were guilty of 

 offence against the Ottoman military agents, with 

 indemnification to the victims; fifthly, an engage- 

 ment that Greece in future will follow a conduct ac- 

 cording to the existing treaties and international 

 rights. 



Respecting the first and second, I regret, Monsieur 

 le Ministre, that I have no other arguments than 

 those of my last letter to convince you that the laws 

 of the country will not permit the King's Govern- 

 ment to infftnge the liberties of its subjects in the 

 interest of a foreign power. Greece cannot do more 

 for Turkey than for any other power. During the 

 wars that have had place in our time in Europe and 

 America, Greek volunteers entered into the services 

 of the various combatants, but no such demand was 

 addressed to us, and that because those volunteers 

 acted for themselves, on their own responsibility, 

 and could not attach any responsibility to the King's 

 Government. We have not done to you in this any 

 thing new. I have told you repeatedly that during 

 the long space of time occupied by the Cretan revolu- 

 tion several bands of volunteers have gone to Crete. 



The Sublime Porte understood that the King's 

 Government was powerless before the laws of this 

 country against such arguments, and therefore has 

 not persisted in her demands. On the other hand, 

 volunteers have gone to Crete not only from Greece. 

 With the Greeks went English, French, Italians, 

 Hungarians, Americans, and Montenegrins. 



The Erosis, the Crete, and the Panhellenion are not 

 blockade-runners armed in our ports, they are steam- 

 ers belonging to the Hellenic Steam Navigation Com- 

 pany, which ply to Candia, taking provisions to the 

 insurgents, and at the same time are employed on 

 other duties. If these steamers one of which is 

 employed on a regular line round the kingdom are 

 captured while running the blockade, resisting the 

 Ottoman cruisers, or found carrying a cargo which is 

 considered as contraband of war, she may be seized 

 as a lawful prize, and treated according to the laws 

 of maritime right. c 



No law of this kingdom prevents its subjects fur- 

 nishing a blockaded port with such cargoes, because 

 they take on themselves all the consequences of their 

 act. 



I am ignorant if the above steamers are armed, but, 

 if by chance they are, we must not forget that all 

 steamers, even large sailing-vessels, ordinarily carry 

 a few guns, to defend themselves in case of need. 



Respecting your third request, it is sufficient to 

 remind you of my observations contained in my last 

 letter on the number of the Cretan refugees sent 

 "by the Ottoman embassy back to Crete, and the pro- 

 tection furnished to them by our authorities. If it is 

 necessary to bring forward another proof of the good 

 disposition of the King's Government on this sub- 

 ject, I would add that, even after the said letter, and 

 although it was reported everywhere that the Sub- 

 lime Porte was determined to interrupt its relations 

 with Greece, more than two hundred Cretans were 

 allowed to embark at the Piraeus for Crete without 

 any molestation. 



Referring to your fourth request, the King's Gov- 

 ernment learns with surprise that crimes were com- 



