GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



401 



the vote of the supply, but would refrain from 

 taking part in the division, cautioned the Gov- 

 ernment not to interpret the granting of the 

 estimate as a vote of confidence, showing that 

 it was only a sanction of the policy of prepa- 

 ration, and warned them not to commit the 

 country upon it to war. The Chancellor of 

 the Exchequer replied that the Government 

 had at no time intended to plunge the country 

 into war, but believed that all their measures 

 were calculated to avert war and bring about 

 a peaceful and permanent settlement. The 

 votes in the Army and Navy departments for 

 the Indian contingent were then agreed to. 



Jt was announced to both Houses on June 

 3d that invitations had been received from 

 the German Government and accepted, to at- 



tend a Congress of the Powers respecting the 

 Eastern question, and for the free discussion 

 of the whole of the contents of the treaty of 

 San Stefano, and that the Prime Minister 

 (Lord Beaconsfield) and the Foreign Secretary 

 (Lord Salisbury) had been appointed her Majes- 

 ty's Plenipotentiaries to attend it. The ap- 

 pointment of members of the Cabinet was crit- 

 icised, especially as some of the Ministers them- 

 selves had formerly declared that such appoint- 

 ment would be improper. Earl Beaconsfield 

 acknowledged that he knew of no precedent 

 for it, but said that the Government were pre- 

 pared to take the responsibility for the bur- 

 dens that rested upon them. The Chancellor 

 of the Exchequer said that every probable con- 

 tingency had been so discussed that the pro- 



CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL. 



posed division of the Cabinet would have no 

 mischievous effects. 



During the sessions of the Congress, attention 

 was excited by the publication of a document 

 purporting to be an agreement which had been 

 entered into between the Foreign Office and 

 the Russian Government on the 30th of May 

 respecting points on which the plenipotentia- 

 ries of the two Powers would agree to as a 

 part of the terms of an arrangement which 

 would be acceptable to both. They related to 

 the cession of Batoum to Russia, the limitation 

 of further Russian advances in Asiatic Turkey, 

 the retrocession of Bessarabia to Russia which 

 the British Government would not oppose by 

 arms, while it withheld its consent to it the 

 division of Bulgaria, the admission of the Pow- 

 ers to a consulting voice in the organization of 

 the Greek provinces, the assurance that Russia 

 would not convert the indemnity exacted from 

 Turkey into territorial annexations, the cession 

 of Bayazid to Turkey and of Eotour to Persia, 

 VOL. xvin. 26 A 



and the integrity of the other provisions of the 

 treaty of San Stefano. The Government being 

 questioned respecting this document in the 

 House of Lords, June 15th, replied that the 

 publication was unauthorized and surreptitious, 

 and declined to make explanations at the time. 

 On the 8th of July the Government announced 

 in both Houses that it had concluded a con- 

 vention with Turkey under which jt under- 

 took the administration of the island of Cy- 

 prus, while it assumed the protectorate of 

 Asiatic Turkey against further Russian aggres- 

 sions ; in return for which the Porte promised 

 to introduce necessary reforms in its domin- 

 ions. Cyprus would be immediately occupied 

 by a force under the command of Sir Garnet 

 Wolseley. Three clays afterward a minister 

 said in the House of Lords that it would be the 

 duty of Sir Garnet Wolseley on his arrival to 

 make a full investigation into the institutions 

 of Cyprus, and after receiving his report the 

 Government would be in a position to state 



