GREECE. 



325 



this memoir, have no importance at all; that the 

 third is admitted by Greece, entirely and without re- 

 striction ; that the two others are repulsed by the 

 principles of international law, as well as by the na- 

 tional legislation. Consequently, Greece could not 

 submit to them without renouncing her rights, with- 

 out treading upon the liberties of her citizens ; lastly, 

 without exposing herself to consequences that would 

 be full of dangers to her as well as to other coun- 

 tries. The ultimatum ought to be entirely with- 

 drawn, partly as unjust ; Turkey ought to defer to 

 competent courts of justice the conduct of the rear- 

 admiral and grant to Greece reparation and indemni- 

 ties determined by an equitable examination, and 

 Turkey ought also to guarantee that, in the future, 

 she would treat the Greek subjects on the same foot- 

 ing as the most favored nation. On its side the 

 Greek Government would promise, in the most formal 

 way: 1. To put no obstacle to the departure of the 

 Candiotes willing to return to their native country, 

 not to allow any authority nor any Greek subject to 

 oppose such departure, and to severely punish all 

 those who should attempt it. 2. Not to permit any 

 officer, non-commissioned officer, soldier, or civil em- 

 ploye 1 of the State to take up arms on behalf of the 

 insurgents. 3. Not to permit that any ship belong- 

 ing to the State, with lull armament or otherwise, 

 should convey ammunition and assistance to the 

 Cretans. 4. To authorize the indictment of the cap- 

 tain of the Enosis upon a legal complaint of the 

 Turkish rear-admiral. 



After the Conference had closed its deliber- 

 ations, Count Charles Walewski was sent as 

 bearer of the protocol to Athens. The text 

 of the protocol is as follows : 



Justly concerned for the dangers which may result 

 from the breach of relations oetween Turkey and 

 Greece, the powers who signed the treaty ot 1856 

 have come to an understanding to make up the quar- 

 rel which has arisen between the two states, and, 

 with this view, have authorized their representatives 

 at the court, of his Majesty the Emperor of the 

 French to meet in conference. After careful con- 

 sideration of ^the documents exchanged between the 

 two governments, the plenipotentiaries have agreed 

 to regret that, yielding to impulses by which its pa- 

 triotism has misled it, Greece has given ground for 

 the complaints preferred by the Porte in her ultima- 

 tum addressed on December 11. 1868, to the Minister 

 for Foreign Affairs of his Majesty the King of the 

 Hellenes. It is, in fact, beyond doubt that the prin- 

 ciples of the law of nations require of Greece, as of 

 all other nations, not to permit the recruitment of 

 bands on its territory, nor that ships should be armed 

 in its ports, for the purpose of attacking a neighbor- 

 ing state. Persuaded, besides, that the Cabinet of 

 Athens cannot misunderstand the thought which in- 

 spires this appreciation on the part of the protecting 

 powers of Greece, as on that of the other powers who 

 signed the Treaty of 1856, the Conference declares 

 that it is incumbent on the Hellenic Government to 

 observe for the future in its relations with Turkey 

 the rules of conduct which are common to all govern- 

 ments, and thus to comply with the demands pre- 

 ferred by the Porte, as regards the past, by at the same 

 time reassuring it for the future. Greece should, 

 therefore, for the future abstain from favoring or tol- 

 erating the formation within its territory of all bands 

 meant to act against Turkey, and should take the 

 necessary measures to prevent the armament in its 

 ports of vessels intended to aid } in whatever manner, 

 any attempt at insurrection within the possessions 

 of his Majesty the Sultan. 



As regards the private damage incurred by Otto- 

 man subjects, the Cabinet of Athens in no way con- 

 tests the right of Turkey to recover judicially what- 

 ever compensation may be due, and Turkey, on its 

 side, having accepted the jurisdiction of the Hellenic 

 tribunals, the plenipotentiaries do not consider them- 



selves called on to investigate crimes nor to discuss 

 complaints preferred on this point. As to the de- 

 mand of the Sublime Porte which concerns the return 

 home of the Turkish subjects who have taken refuge 

 on Greek territory, the Conference takes note of the 

 declarations made by the Cabinet of Athens in its 

 note of December 9th, and is convinced that it will, so 

 far as depends upon it, facilitate the departure of 

 such of the Cretan families as may wish to return to 

 their country. 



The Conference cannot doubt that ; in presence of 

 the unanimous expression of the opinion of the pleni- 

 potentiaries on the points submitted for their con- 

 sideration, the Hellenic Government will at once rec- 

 oncile its acts with the principles which have now 

 been recalled to its recollection, and that the com- 

 plaints expressed in the ultimatum of the Sublime 

 Porte will be definitely removed. 



This declaration will, without delay, be brought to 

 the knowledge of the Cabinet of Athens, and the 

 plenipotentiaries feel convinced that the Sublime 

 Porte will abandon the measures announced by it as 

 the result of the rupture of diplomatic relations. 



The Greek ministry disapproved of this de- 

 cision of the Conference, and gave in its resig- 

 nation on February 2d. The King, however, 

 was determined to yield, and accepted the re- 

 signation. 



After several fruitless attempts to obtain a 

 ministry sufficiently strong, yet willing to sub- 

 mit to the protocol of the Paris Conference, a 

 new ministry was definitively constituted on 

 February 6th, consisting of the following mem- 

 bers : Zainis, President of Interior ; Sontros, 

 War; Avierino, Finance; Polialix, Justice; 

 Sarava, Public Worship; Trigetos, Marine; 

 Theodore Delyannis, Foreign Affairs (cousin 

 of the former minister D.). The latter at once 

 notified the Paris Conference, by the following 

 dispatch, that Greece accepted the decision of 

 the Conference : 



ATHENS, February 6, 1869. 

 To the French Minister of Foreign Affairs : 



SIB : My predecessor, M. Delyannis, has handed 

 over to me the letter you were kind enough to write 

 on the 20th of January, together with the accom- 

 panying declaration issued by the plenipotentiaries 

 of the six great powers assembled in conference at 

 Paris, with a view to examine, in a spirit of concilia- 

 tion, the difficulty which has arisen between Greece 

 and Turkey. 



I cannot disguise the fact that the result of the de- 

 liberations of the Conference has been received by 

 the whole Greek nation with sentiments of painful 

 emotion ; and as a ministerial crisis occurred, and 

 lasted for many days, no reply could be made during 

 this interval to the letter of your Excellency. 



The ministry to which I have the honor to belong 

 made it its duty, as soon as it was fully constituted, 

 to take the contents of your letter, and of the declara- 

 tion accompanying it, into serious consideration. 



The King's Government has seen : with regret, that 

 the minister of his Majesty at Paris could not take 

 part in the labors of the Conference, by reason of the 

 position of inferiority in which he was placed with 

 reference to the Turkish plenipotentiary. 



Looking at the unanimity displayed by the six chief 

 European powers, and at your declaration that the 

 plenipotentiaries, in dismissing all controversy as to 

 facts, only wished to lay down the rules of conduct 

 which ought to govern the relations of Greece and 

 Turkey, I lose no time in informing you that the 

 King's Government adheres to the general principles 

 of international law laid down by the declaration of 

 the Conference, and is prepared to regulate its atti- 

 tude in conformity with those principles. 



