58 RUSSIA, TURKEY, AND BULGARIA. 



and this intervention in favour of Greece, and to the negotiations which 

 followed, down to the memorable Treaty of the 6th July, 1827, was 

 considered by some an imprudent policy, for it unsettled the Eastern 

 Question, and subsequently involved England in great difficulties. 



The Duke of Wellington was the plenipotentiary of England to 

 St. Petersburg to negotiate the Treaty which settled the policy of 

 intervention of the Three Great Powers, France, Russia, and England, 

 for the settlement of affairs between Greece and Turkey. 



Canning did not foresee, when he agreed to that Treaty, the trouble 

 he was preparing for future Governments, and the serious misfortunes 

 it would bring upon the Ottoman Empire. 



Instead of preventing it produced war, and afforded the pretext 

 for other wars, which no diplomacy of successive Foreign Secretaries 

 of England have been able to avert. 



Russia did not believe that peace would be the result of the inter- 

 vention of the Three Great Powers in the struggle between Turkey 

 and Greece, and she acceded to the Treaty of 6th July, 1827, knowing 

 that whilst it aimed to maintain peace, it would be the cause of war. 



The sympathies for the struggling Greeks overpowered the foresight 

 of the Statesman, and had Canning lived to direct the operations of 

 the Allies, the result might 'have been different, but it produced the 

 disaster at Navarino. 



When therefore the Turkish armies had become victorious over 

 Greece, even up to the Morea, Missolonghi and Athens taken, and the 

 Crescent everywhere triumphant, the Allied Fleets appeared on the 

 scene, checked the operations of the Ottoman Commanders, and 

 destroyed the navy of Turkey at Navarino, a great catastrophe for 

 Turkey, which Lord Brougham declared was a glorious and immortal 

 achievement, and which Lord John Russell characterised as a great 

 victory. But whilst the Whig party rejoiced over this event, the 

 Government of the Duke of Wellington deplored the disaster, and 

 determined to save the Ottoman Empire from the ambitious encroach- 

 ments of Russia. This intervention of the Great Powers, ostensibly 

 for the object of securing peace, but in reality to prevent the isolated 

 action of Russia, failed, as it was bound to fail, in both directions, 

 for instead of peace being secured, the area of the war was widened, 

 and instead of hindering Russian intervention alone, it encouraged 

 and precipitated it, for Russia separated herself from the concert of 

 Europe, and recognising the helplessness of Turkey, on her own 

 responsibility declared war against her. 



The Ottoman Empire was on the verge of ruin, its long struggle 



