Gross 24. October No. 528. any opinion; but I did not conceal from the King my belief that there was no britannien, alternative left for him but his immediate departure, and both M. Bourée and I 1862. placed at once respectively the ,,Zénobie" and the,,Scylla" at their Majesties' disposal. Just at about this moment Captain Palaska, the commander of the ,,Amalia," brought a letter directed to himself unopened to the King, the contents of which he had divined. He requested the King to open the letter. It was from the newly-established Minister of Marine, to supersede that officer in command of the ,,Amalia." After this it became a question whether the crew of this vessel could be depended upon, and I suggested that the,,Scylla" should accompany the,,Amalia" to Salamis Bay for the night, that their Majesties might be better protected by this escort. To this proposal their Majesties readily acceded, and I proceeded myself in the ,,Scylla" to that anchorage. This was a fortunate circumstance; for this morning armed boats, with the red flag, were coming out from the Piraeus to fraternise with the crew of the frigate, and if they had not been deterred by the guns of the ,,Scylla" from approaching too near, unpleasant consequences would have resulted from the King and Queen being left at the mercy of a ship's company on the brink of mutiny. During this morning the hills on the bay were covered with people shouting and firing off guns; and it was time for their Majesties to decide at once upon leaving the frigate. They, after much hesitation, finally determined to go off in the ,,Scylla." As soon as they were on board, the,,Amalia" got up her steam, saluted first the King, and then the insurgent flag, and when I had taken leave of their Majesties, the,,Amalia" was on her way to the Piraeus, every officer having gone over to the rebels, except her captain, who stood faithful to the King, and with whom he left the ship. Although the ,,Scylla" is too small a vessel for the comfort of their Majesties, they preferred leaving Greece in a British man-of-war as they arrived here, and they were to sail to-night, accompanied by the French gun-boat,,La Biche," with part of their suite; so that both flags, English and French, are associated on the occasion. In the meantime there is no English ship of war in the Piraeus, and on account of the present unsettled, not to say dangerous, state of Athens, I have left my daughter on board the French Admiral's ship. Yesterday M. Bourée and myself both requested to have some Marines for a guard within our respective Legations against brigandage. The suddenness of the ,,Scylla's" departure prevented the possibility of sending these Marines on board again, six men only, who will remain with me until the arrival of the next British ship of war, and are quite requisite for the safety of property confided by other persons to my care, as well as of my own. ¶ I wish to take this opportunity of stating that since Captain Lambert has been senior officer on this station, he has been of great service to Her Majesty's Mission in many ways, and no better officer could have been selected, on account of his kindness and tact, for the honour of conveying their Majesties on this lamentable occasion away from their dominions. The newly-installed Minister for Foreign Affairs, M. Diamantopoulos, has evinced already, as your Lordship will observe by the inclosed note, the desire to be placed in relations with me as Her Majesty's Minister in ག Gross Greece. ག I shall, of course, decline all official relations with him and his col- No. 528. leagues, and await only your Lordship's instructions as to whether I ought britannien, to leave Athens. &c. 24. October 1862. To Earl Russell, London. No. 529. P. Campbell Scarlett. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Ansich Min. d. Ausw. an den Gesandten in Athen. ten der englischen Regierung über die griechische Revolution. Foreign Office, November 6, 1862. Sir, I have received and laid before the Queen your despatches of the 24th and 25th ultimo, announcing the Revolution which has broken out in Greece, and which has led to the expulsion of King Otho. Her Majesty's Government have learnt these events without surprise. They have long lamented the blind policy pursued by King Otho, and they have long foreseen that it tended, sooner or later, to produce the catastrophe which has now happened. But it is not for want of good advice, or of ample and often repeated warnings on the part of Great Britain, that this unfortunate Sovereign has lost his throne. During a long course of years the British Government, through its successive Representatives at Athens, Sir Edmund Lyons, Mr. Wyse, and Mr. Elliot, has endeavoured to impress upon King Otho the mistaken nature of the system of government which he was pursuing, and the necessity of adopting a system better calculated to conciliate the affection and confidence of his subjects, and to promote the welfare and prosperity of Greece. The endeavours of the British Government proved unsuccessful, and their anticipations have been realized. The kingdom of Greece having by the transaction of 1832 been acknowledged as an independent State, the people of Greece are entitled to exercise the rights of national independence; and one of the rights which belong to an independent nation, and of the exercise of which the history of Europe affords many examples, is that of changing its governing dynasty upon good and sufficient cause. ¶ Her Majesty's Government cannot deny that the Greeks have had good and sufficient cause for the steps they have taken, and Her Majesty's Government, therefore, can see no reason why any foreign Powers should interfere for the purpose of calling upon the Greeks to revoke the decision to which they have come. Her Majesty's Government are glad to observe that this revolution has been accomplished without violence or disorder; and, indeed, the unanimity which has been displayed on this occasion by the Greek nation is of itself a proof that the discontent which led to the change was universal, and discontent does not become universal in a nation unless it is well-founded. ¶The people of Greece will now have a most important duty to perform. They will have to choose a Sovereign to succeed to the vacant throne. The Provisional Government are about to adopt the measure best calculated for this purpose; they are going to summon a National Assembly. The last National Assembly, which was called together in 1843 to frame a Constitution, performed No. 529. Grossbritannien, 6. Nov. 1862. Gross 6. Nov. 1862. No. 529. its duties with order, moderation, and good sense. It is to be hoped that the britannien, National Assembly about to be convoked will conduct its deliberations in a manner equally becoming. Her Majesty's Government have no desire to interfere in that matter, nor to influence the decision which the Greeks may come to as to the choice of their new Sovereign, except to remind them that by the agreements and engagements concluded in 1832 between England, France, and Russia, no person connected with the Royal or Imperial Families of either of the three Powers can be placed upon the throne of Greece. Her Majesty's Government have seen with great pleasure in the proclamation of the Provisional Government of Greece a declaration that ,,the mission which the Provisional Government has received from the people and the army is to maintain the monarchical constitution; to show the unaltered respect and gratitude ever entertained by Greece towards the three protecting Powers; to maintain intact the friendly relations of the nation with all other States; to convoke as soon as possible the National Assembly; and to maintain during the interval order and tranquillity by the application of the laws of the State." ¶ If the Provisional Government and the permanent Government which may succeed it, should scrupulously act upon these principes, the kingdom of Greece will secure to itelf the goodwill and respect of all nations, and if the deliberations of the National Assembly shall lead to a wise and judicious choice of a future Sovereign, the internal welfare and prosperity of the Greek State will attain a development which Greece has hitherto been unable to reach. ¶ Great Britain took an active part in the original establishment of the kingdom of Greece. The sympathies of the British nation for the Greek race remain unimpaired, and Her Majesty's Government will watch with the deepest interest that progressive improvement which they hope to see effected in the well-being and prosperity of the Greek kingdom. You will communicate this despatch to M. Diamantopoulos. I am, &c. To Mr. Scarlett, Athens. Russell. No. 530. 7. Nov. 1862. No. 530. GROSSBRITANNIEN. - Min. d. Ausw. an d. königl. Gesandten in Athen, betreffend die Unzulässigkeit von Deputirten aus türkischen Provinzen zur griechischen National-Versammlung. Foreign Office, November 7, 1862. Sir, It having been stated that Deputies from provinces legally britannien, belonging to Turkey would be admitted into the National Assembly about to be convened at Athens to consider of the present situation of the affairs of Greece, I have to inform you that no such Assembly containing Deputies from Turkish provinces would be recognized by Her Majesty as lawfully representing the kingdom of Greece. I am, &c. ག To Mr. Scarlett, Athens. Russell. No. 531. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Gesandter in Athen an d. Min. d. Aus w. Bericht über eine Unterredung mit Bulgaris, die friedlichen Absichten der provisorischen Regierung gegen die Türkei und die Königswahl betreffend. Athens, October 28, (received November 10) 1862. Gross 28. October 1862. (Extract.) M. Boulgaris, the President of the Provisional Govern- No. 531. ment called on me yesterday, accompanied by his interpreter, as he knows only britannien, a little French and Italian, and talks the Greek language. He began the conversation by stating that he had come to pay me an unofficial visit, knowing that he could not be received by me in any other character: first, to make my acquaintance; and then to give me assurances that the Government now installed had already taken proper measures to restore the city of Athens, and the country generally, to a state of tranquillity, and that he had every hope of being successful in his endeavours. ¶ M. Boulgaris declared, as M. Diamantopoulos, the new Minister for Foreign Affairs, had already done, that nothing was further from the intention of the present Government than the encouragement of any policy hostile to Turkey, and that to govern the country better and to maintain order was the only object now in view. I then referred to the Succession question, and begged to know what were the views of M. Boulgaris and his colleagues on that subject. He replied that it was their intention to appeal, as soon as possible, to a National Assembly, to determine upon a successor to the vacant Throne of King Otho; and that as it would be necessary, and not difficult, to guide the country in the choice it would have to make, he was anxious to have the assistance of the three Powers, in order to indicate the new Sovereign, adding the hope that I would obtain my instructions on this point, with no delay, from your Lordship. &c. To Earl Russell, London. P. Champbell Scarlett. No. 532. GROSSBRITANNIEN.- Botschafter in St. Petersburg an d. königl. Min. d. Ausw. folge in Griechenland. St. Petersburgh, October 31, (received November 10) 1862. Gross 31. October (Extract.) Prince Gortchakoff had the goodness this morning to show No. 532. me a telegraphic despatch from Baron Brunnow, containing the substance of a britannien, communication which he had received from your Lordship relative to the affairs 1862. of Greece. According to this report, Her Majesty's Government desire to act in concert with the other Powers; they intend to leave Her Majesty's Minister at Athens; they will abstain, for the present, from any official recognition of the Provisional Government; they will send a naval force into the Greek waters for the Protection of Her Majesty's subjects; and they will provide against any Gross 31. October No. 532. aggression on the part of the Greeks against the Turkish territory. The Vicebritannien, Chancellor said he was glad to be able, in the outset of this question, to follow 1862. the same course as Her Majesty's Government. His Excellency then read me a portion of a letter to Baron Brunnow which was sent off this morning. In this letter the Russian Ambassador is informed that the Government of the Emperor also wish to co-operate with the other Powers; that Count Bloudoff will remain in Greece; that the revolutionary authorities will not be officially recognized; and that a single frigate, the,,Great Admiral," will be dispatched to the scene of disturbance. The Government of the Emperor do not at present send a larger force, as they desire to abstain from anything like the exercise of influence or intimidation, but if necessary another ship will be added hereafter. Nothing is said about Turkey. ¶ Prince Gortchakoff goes on to affirm that the Government of the Emperor will adhere to their obligations under existing Treaties, and especially to that engagement by which the protecting Powers have declared the members of their respective reigning families incapable of occupying the Throne of Greece, unless this engagement should be dissolved by common consent. His Excellency then states that on one point the Emperor will not fail to insist, namely, that the future Sovereign of Greece, whoever he may be, shall belong to the national religion, in conformity with the stipulations in force on that subject. He concludes by observing that the late catastrophe might be deduced from causes which had long been apparent to the Imperial Cabinet, and concerning which their opinions had never been concealed from the Hellenic Government. I thanked Prince Gortchakoff for his obliging communication, and then put the following question to him: If a Prince of the House of Bavaria should present himself, professing the Orthodox religion, and fulfilling all the provisions of the Treaty, would he have that degree of moral support on the part of the Imperial Government which could be exercised without applying an unjust constraint on the Greek people, and which would appear conformable to the spirit of the Treaty by which the three Powers had recognized the Bavarian Dynasty, and regulated the succession? The ViceChancellor replied that he had no ill-will whatever to the Bavarian family. In the case which I suggested he would see what could be done, but all must depend on circumstances; he could not express himself decidedly in the matter. ¶ I then remarked to Prince Gortchakoff that it might be found that there was no Prince of the House of Bavaria disposed to ascend the Throne of Greece in the conditions of the Treaty, or it might appear that the Greeks were so absolutely set against the Dynasty that that Government could not be established among them with any chance of success. The throne might become, for either of these reasons, virtually vacant; in such a case, if I understood him rightly, the Imperial Government declared the stipulation to be binding by which members of the reigning families of the three Protecting Powers were excluded from the Throne of Greece. Prince Gortchakoff replied that such was and had always been the resolution of the Emperor and that of his Government. The stipulation referred to could only be cancelled by the mutual consent of the three Contracting Parties. I concluded by saying to Prince Gortchakoff that I was |