CRETE. 



215 



.atheodory Pasha, saying that it had other names 

 in reserve if his candidature should prove unac- 

 ceptable. The Sultan urged the adoption of the 

 model of the Lebanon and Samos, with a Christian 

 Governor, who should be an Ottoman subject, and 

 reiterated his unalterable objections to the candida- 

 ture of Prince George of Greece. 



The admirals having approved the plan of hold- 

 ing semiweekly markets outside of Candia under 

 the protection of British troops, Col. Sir Herbert 

 Chermside opened one in the middle of March, and 

 it resulted in the killing of several Turkish gen- 

 darmes by the Christians. The Assembly was 

 asked to use its influence with the insurgents to 

 preserve order, but the Mohammedans abstained 

 from attending subsequent bazars until Djevad 

 Pasha induced them to attend. When members of 

 the two factions were at last brought together un- 

 der the surveillance of European troops the first 

 meeting was only formal. Later, the markets were 

 held at regular intervals, but little trading took 

 place. Murders and mutilations were still com- 

 mitted by both sides in the vicinity of Candia. At 

 Retimo Russian troops who went out after cattle 

 raiders were fired upon by Turkish irregulars. In 

 the Canea district, where there was great distress, 

 the French contingent of the international forces 

 came into collision with the Turkish troops, in con- 

 sequence of which the admirals decided to abolish 

 the Turkish cordon round Canea. The Mohamme- 

 dans began to emigrate from the island, following 

 the example of the Christians, until the orders of 

 Ismail Bey, the new Turkish military governor, 

 put a stop* to the movement. On April 5, for the 

 fourth time, the Porte notified the powers that the 

 Sultan could not accept as Governor a foreign sub- 

 ject, and asked them to guarantee imperial rights 

 and Mohammedan interests. The admirals, who 

 went to Candia to superintend the experiment of 

 opening a bazar, determined to substitute English 

 troops for the Turkish irregulars who occupied the 

 outposts along the cordon. They decided to divide 

 the island into four zones, each to be guarded ex- 

 clusively by the forces of a single power : the west- 

 ern zone by the Italians, with headquarters at Kis- 

 amo, Canea being separated and kept in mixed 

 occupation as before ; the adjacent zone by the 

 Russians, with headquarters at Retimo ; the next 

 zone, in which was Candia, by the English ; and 

 the eastern zone, including Hierapetra, previously 

 guarded by Italian troops, by the French, who re- 

 tained their headquarters at Sitia. When the 

 Turkish irregulars were withdrawn from the out- 

 posts at Candia the cordon was enlarged by agree- 

 ment with the Christian leaders. 



Provisional Government. In June, Lord 

 Salisbury conferred with the ambassadors of 

 France, Italy, and Russia in London, and as a re- 

 sult of the exchange of views it was decided on a 

 provisional arrangement for carrying on the gov- 

 ernment in the interior. The task* was to be under- 

 taken by a committee of the Cretan Assembly act- 

 ing under the supervision of the admirals. Its first 

 business was to organize a corps of gendarmerie, 

 and to provide for a loan. The coast towns would 

 remain under the control of the admirals, who were 

 instructed to arrange, if possible, for the concentra- 

 tion of the Ottoman troops at certain points, with 

 a view to their eventual withdrawal. The proposed 

 provisional regime was repugnant to the Porte, and 

 drew forth another circular begging the powers to 

 h;isten the final solution of the Cretan question, 

 which it was hoped would respect the sovereign 

 rights and integrity of the empire, and provide for 

 an Ottoman subject as governor. The admirals, in 

 sanctioning the executive committee of the Assem- 

 bly, reserved the right to revoke its authority in 



case of its exceeding its mandate. The govern- 

 ments of the four powers undertook to arrange the 

 loan with an international syndicate of bankers, 

 who would be empowered to collect the customs 

 surtax of 3 per cent. The budget was to be framed 

 by the Executive Council, subject to the control of 

 the four powers, and the Council was empowered 

 to introduce measures for the temporary adminis- 

 tration of the island. Elections were held on July 

 18 for a new Assembly, which, instead of 30 Deputies 

 for each province, contained only 6, or 114 in all. 



The Cretan Mohammedans were greatly excited, 

 and the Porte moved to strong remonstrances by 

 the action taken by the admirals in preventing the 

 re-enforcement of the Turkish garrison or the re- 

 placement of the troops that went away. Turkish 

 transports when they arrived were ordered to return 

 without debarking their troops. The Porte pro : 

 tested that the powers were in the habit of reliev- 

 ing their own garrisons. Djevad Pasha tendered 

 his resignation as military governor. The Cretan 

 Assembly, which met at Plakouves on July 20, ac- 

 cepted the scheme for a provisional government, 

 but refused to allow native Mohammedans to return 

 to their homes while Turkish troops still remained 

 in the island. Dr. Sphakianaki was elected presi- 

 dent of the Executive Council. Modifications in 

 the scheme for a provisional constitution were pro- 

 posed by the Assembly, and were accepted by the 

 admirals. Native courts were given jurisdiction in 

 criminal cases, subject to revision by the interna- 

 tional military tribunal at Canea. The right of 

 pardon was reserved to the admirals. The gendar- 

 merie, composed of natives officered by Europeans, 

 was placed under the direction of the civil author- 

 ities, save in matters of discipline. On July 29 the 

 admirals requested authority from their respective 

 governments to collect the tithe on agricultural 

 produce. Some of the powers were slow in giving 

 their sanction to the measure, and consequently no 

 funds were forthcoming to set the Provisional Gov- 

 ernment in motion. On Aug. 4 the Porte issued a 

 circular stoutly maintaining its right to relieve, 

 renew, and replenish the Cretan garrisons, and de- 

 claring its intention to exercise this right. The 

 four powers declared themselves opposed to the 

 dispatch of fresh Turkish troops to Crete. On the 

 departure of Admiral Canevaro the supreme inter- 

 national command devolved on Admiral Pettier by 

 reason of his seniority, and on Aug. 15 French gen- 

 darmes relieved the Italian carabinieri at Canea. 

 The procrastination of the powers in taking meas- 

 ures for establishing the provisional regime and 

 organizing a gendarmerie exasperated the peasants, 

 who believed that they had been hoodwinked. 

 Anarchy reigned in the western provinces, and 

 murder and rapine were rampant. While the ad- 

 mirals proposed to limit the strength of the new 

 Cretan gendarmerie to 500 men there were thrice 

 that number of outlaws at large in the island. On 

 Aug. 26 the admirals received authority to grant 

 the Assembly the tithes collected on exports. On 

 Sept. 6. as the British were about to install repre- 

 sentatives of the Assembly as collectors of tithes in 

 the customhouse at Candia, the Moslems held a 

 mass meeting to protest against the levying of 

 tithes by the insurgents, to complain that the 

 British had broken their promise to enable them to 

 visit their villages, although Christians were per- 

 mitted to re-enter the town, and to demand release 

 from the suffering and destitution to which forced 

 confinement in the town condemned them while 

 their property was going to ruin. The two British 

 camps in Candia contained only 130 men. The 

 Moslems were in a desperate mood. They pre- 

 vented the opening of the bazar at Gazi and the 

 landing of Christians from steamers. Neverthe- 



