Another step of the _moral_ intervention which the Russian Government
had been so long and so skilfully engineering came at this juncture
to make the cause of the Porte more hopeless. The negotiations with
France had resulted in a kind of _entente_ on the Eastern question,
by which the French emperor had agreed, under certain contingencies,
to unite with the Russians in deporting the families of the Christian
combatants. The new French agent, Tricou, had from the beginning shown
a tendency to criticise Omar Pasha unfavorably, which the latter had
increased by his contemptuous treatment of the new consul. Tricou
had, consequently, set his agents to find out all the instances of
Turkish barbarity obtainable--a ghastly roll, obtained from easily
read records. It happened during the operations against Sphakia, which
Omar nominally directed from on board the flag-ship of the squadron
off the coast, that news came in of his having blockaded a number of
families in a cave on the sea-side and having attempted unsuccessfully
to stifle them out (or in), and the active Murray went at once to make
his Highness a visit, and ascertain if the catastrophe were avertible.
He obtained from the Generalissimo a promise that the prisoners
should not be attacked by any inhuman appliances, and should be
guaranteed honorable treatment on surrendering.[J] In the course of the
conversation, Omar animadverted on Tricou in terms which Murray, in
narrating his visit to me, declined to repeat, and which, in all their
vagueness and possible malignity, I at once applied as a caustic to
Tricou's already wounded pride, in accordance with a systematic policy
to make all the bad blood possible between the Pasha and my colleagues.
The ruse succeeded to my best hopes, and thenceforward the irritated
Frenchman sought every opportunity to punish the illustrious renegade,
and his activity resulted in the following despatch, sent while Omar
was still engaged in the Sphakian raid:
[J] A promise which Omar kept by violating and keeping on his ship as
his mistress the most beautiful of the young girls who surrendered.
(Translation.)
CANEA, July 21, 1867.
M. LE CHARGÉ D'AFFAIRES:
The situation grows daily worse. I have had the honor of notifying to
you the deplorable excesses which have been committed in the district
of Kissamos; to-day I learn that massacres have broken out in the
eastern part of the country.
For the last month, isolated murders took place daily in the
neighborhood of the town of Candia; the native Mussulmans overran
the country and abandoned themselves to the saddest iniquities in
the Christian villages. These barbarous expeditions over, they would
return to the town, and the gates opened before them to give passage
to their bloody trophies. I had made strong complaints to the local
authorities, but all my representations had remained without effect.
Emboldened by impunity, the bashi-bazouks on the 12th and 13th of
this month spread themselves over the district of Rhizo and massacred
women and children. To revenge themselves, the insurgents carried off
a young Turkish girl and killed her father. The Canadian Government,
which has for a long time forbidden Christians to enter the town,
doubtless counted upon these atrocities remaining buried in silence.
They let them go on, and the irregulars could glut their ferocity
entirely as they pleased.
On the 17th, they invaded the villages of Huméri, Alcolohuri, Aghias
Paraskevi, Shilus, and a great number of the villages of the district
of Pediada, murdering the peaceable and defenceless villagers, old
men, women, and children. The consular agents of Candia unite, and
wish to send their dragomans to the places; but the Governor opposes
this, and the carnage continues.
These sad tidings have deeply moved the consular body. As soon as I
had been informed of them I went to the Imperial Commissioner, whom I
found, I must say, deeply afflicted, but overwhelmed with the feeling
of his impotence. He no longer attempts to deny the evil, but he feels
himself incapable of staying its progress. From all parts of the
island the most sinister reports reach us. Women and children wander
along the shore, dying of hunger and exposed to the most horrible
treatment. I am in a position to inform you, M. le Chargé d'Affaires,
that three young Turkish officers, witnesses of the barbarities which
have taken place at Kissamos, have given in their resignation, to
avoid presiding over such butcheries.
In so serious a situation, my English colleague and I thought it our
duty to inform our respective governments in the promptest manner. We
consequently drew up the following telegraphic despatch, which we sent
this day to the Peiræus to be transmitted to Constantinople, as well
as to the Cabinets of London and Paris:
"Massacres of women and children have broken out in the interior of
the island. The authorities can neither put down the insurrection
nor stay the course of these atrocities. Humanity would imperatively
demand the immediate suspension of hostilities, or the transportation
to Greece of the women and children."
The Russian and Italian consuls address an identical telegram to St.
Petersburg and Florence.
We cannot, M. le Chargé d'Affaires, remain blind to the fact that from
impotence the Turks passed to fury, and from fury to extermination.
I do not hesitate to say that, if this useless struggle were to be
prolonged, the women and children would have no refuge but exile or
death.
Omar Pasha continues his expedition of Sphakia. It is asserted that
he has effected his junction with the corps of Mehmet Pasha, which is
said to be entirely free. It would be very desirable that the Serdar
should make himself master of this position as soon as possible; it
is true that the insurrection would be scarcely weakened by it, but
this success might perhaps induce the Porte to order a suspension of
hostilities.
The aviso of the Imperial navy, the _Prometheus_, which has come
to relieve the _Salamander_, anchored on the 17th in the harbor of
Canéa.--Accept, etc.
(Signed) TRICOU.
The consequence of the Russo-Frankish accord was that, on the receipt
of the above despatch at Constantinople, the French and Russian
squadrons at Peiræus proceeded to Crete, and there commenced to embark
the families gathered along the coast. This undertaking, which had
probably as little as possible to do with humanity in its secret
springs, was evidently concerted, and waited only the arrival of
some signal like Tricou's telegram, followed accordingly by this
preconcerted rejoinder from the French representative at Constantinople:
_M. Outrey to A'ali Pasha_.
"THERAPIA, July 26, 1867.
"HIGHNESS: The consul of France at Canéa sends me the following
telegram [given above].
"In view of such acts, which the Porte can but reprove, and in virtue
of orders which I have received from my Government, I hasten to inform
your highness that I have ordered Admiral Simon to repair to the
Cretan coast with the ships under his orders, to receive and transport
to Greece all the women and children who wander on the shores, dying
of hunger, and exposed to frightful treatment. The mission of Admiral
Simon, having no political character, cannot, I imagine, meet any
difficulty from the Ottoman authorities, and I beg your highness to
have the goodness to instruct his Highness Omar Pasha to lend all his
sympathy to a work of humanity."
Which is made clearer by the extract from the despatch of the English
_chargé_ to Lord Stanley:
(Extract.)
_Mr. Barron to Lord Stanley (Received August 6)._
CONSTANTINOPLE, July 23, 1867.
"The French _chargé d'affaires_ has called to inform me that, having
received instructions from his Government to despatch vessels to Crete
for the purpose of removing homeless victims of the war, whenever
it should be advisable, he deemed the last advices from the French
consul at Canéa (enclosed herewith in copy) to be such as to oblige
him to use the discretionary power placed in his hands. On the
receipt of this despatch he immediately concerted measures with the
Russian Ambassador, who was provided in advance with corresponding
instructions, and they both sent late on the 26th identical
instructions by telegraph to their respective naval officers in the
Mediterranean."
The number of relieving ships sent to Crete in obedience to this
accord was four French, three Russian, followed by two Italian; and,
lest isolation should seem intervention, three Austrian, not over
well-willed, and one small Prussian gunboat, that the now great Power
might not be left out of the new question.
This movement had, in my opinion, no direct effect on the military
question, the Sphakian expedition having already done its worst, and
begun to recoil, before the arrival of Admiral Simon with his ships;
but it did, no doubt, prevent the success of the conciliatory movement
which followed. The Generalissimo, after his return to Canéa, about the
middle of September, issued a proclamation prepared at Constantinople,
offering a general amnesty and an armistice of six weeks, preparatory
to measures of a softer and more persuasive character. The Turkish
officials, in their intercourse with the consuls, frankly admitted that
force had failed, and that no hope of its more successful appliance
remained. The depleted army could only with great difficulty, and
slowly, be refilled. Reinforcements were obtained, but not enough to
keep the cadres at their full condition, and a despatch of the English
consul at Beyrout[K] attests the dread of this service which had
infected the troops in other sections of the Ottoman empire, while
battalions in Crete mutinied and refused to labor any longer.
[K] _Acting Consul-General Rogers to Lord Stanley (Received November
27)._
BEYROUT, November 14, 1867.
MY LORD: I have the honor to report to your lordship that yesterday
the Turkish steam-frigate _Peikizaafar_, 72 guns, commanded by Captain
Selim Bey, having embarked nearly 2,000 soldiers at this port, started
direct for the island of Candia.
Of the soldiers intended to be sent on this mission, I am assured that
about ninety deserted, and most of them were kept in close confinement
till they were sent on board, and they openly expressed their grief at
being sent on this expedition.
They are in considerable arrears of pay.--I have, etc.,
(Signed) E. T. ROGERS.
Early in October, A'ali Pasha arrived, to put in effect the sober
second thought of the head of Islam. The manner and views of the
Grand Vizier impressed me with profound respect and sympathy--his
proffers seemed to me reasonable, and likely to assure to the Cretans
a substantial liberty and reform. But they were too shrewd not to see
that the ablest man in the Turkish empire had only come to Crete to
try the last resort of his persuasion, because his case was nearly
hopeless, and simultaneously with his arrival came stimulating
despatches from the Russian agents, encouraging the Cretans to hold
out and strike now the final blow at the Turkish domination. They
were assured by these despatches in the most positive terms that if
they withstood this temptation, and refused all the conciliatory
propositions of A'ali Pasha, their independence and annexation to
Greece were certain. I feel confident that but for these assurances
the scheme of A'ali Pasha would have been accepted, for the island was
harrowed and ravaged and miserable to the last degree. The campaign of
Omar Pasha had destroyed, according to the declaration of a European
officer engaged, six hundred villages. Except in Sitia, the extreme
eastern peninsula, there was hardly a house with its roof on, and the
people had no means to provide new rafters. The discouragement was
great, and required as counterpoise all the confident promises of
Russia and the means and appliances of Greece to induce the people to
decide to keep up the resistance.
My own opinion was that the Cretans had better accept A'ali Pasha's
propositions, but our minister at Constantinople wrote me to urge
their rejection with all my influence, as the certain condition of
independence. I do not believe that our Government had any part in
these instructions or policy. Mr. Seward had at one time given me the
fullest endorsement of my pro-Cretan views, and at another was ready,
on the remonstrance of the Turkish minister, to recall me for having
done what he approved both in myself and Mr. Morris, and abstained
only on another application being made by the Russian Government.
Being on the spot, and as well able to judge as any one, it seemed to
me wisest for the Cretans to accept autonomy and peace, but I obeyed
the instructions sent me against my own feelings. I communicated the
advices of my minister to those whose business it was to advise the
insurgents. I felt a confidence in A'ali Pasha which no other Turkish
official had ever inspired me with, and a certainty that he would act
in good faith. Humanity demanded peace in defiance of all politics.
Dissensions had arisen between the volunteers and Cretans; and the
chiefs of the former, wearied of a pointless and resultless guerilla
warfare, and sure that the question was only to be settled on the
continent, in order to hasten the preparation of movements on Epirus
and Thessaly, one by one returned to Greece, followed by most of their
retinues. The Cretan combatants, relieved of their families, were
quite sufficient for all the needs of the situation, and, well armed
and provided, could have kept up the struggle for years, if disposed.
But the fatal blow to the insurrection was being prepared by its own
friends. The Russian Government had, during the nuptial visit of the
King of Greece to St. Petersburg, secured a complete ascendency over
him, and immediately on his return to Greece it became evident that
the dismissal of the Comoundouros ministry had been decided in that
conclave with the execution of whose plans no motive of humanity ever
interferes, whose deliberations no curious House of Commons pries into
or clamoring journal opposes. The Russian Government had decided to
take the direction of the insurrection, and to that end, to get rid of
Comoundouros and his friends, whose anti-Russian tendencies were too
strong to be bent to the desired course, the king, when the moment had
arrived, made a difference with the ministry on some trivial point,
and peremptorily dismissed it. But the chamber, with an unexpected
constancy, refused to sanction any change in the administration, and
the Russian minister in Athens then made overtures to the dismissed
president of the council, offering to bring him back to power if he
accepted the programme of St. Petersburg. He refused, and the chamber,
unyielding, was also dissolved, and in the new election, in which
the whole influence of the court and throne was exerted against the
Comoundouros party, by the most violent and illegal measures the
deposed chief and his principal adherents were kept out of the new
chamber, which was, to a sufficient degree, subservient; and Bulgaris,
the evil genius of Greece since her independence, under whose auspices
at all times disorder and dishonesty, brigandage and peculation, had
especially thriven, became the arbiter of the destinies of Crete.
At this time all means and supplies for the war came directly from the
Hellenic treasury. Private contributions had never been great, and were
almost exclusively confined to Greeks abroad--a comparatively trivial
supply of food and clothing from America being the exception. Nearly
50,000 refugees from Crete were dependent on the Hellenic Government,
which, with the means supplied to the war committee for military
operations, constituted a drain on the resources of Greece sufficiently
alarming, yet popular opinion was so strong in favor of continuing the
insurrection that no government dared seem even to be lukewarm towards
it; and with excellent opportunities for observing, I am able to assert
confidently that the Hellenic people were ready to run all the risks
of war with Turkey, rather than allow the Cretans to be reconquered,
and that no government could have lived a day which did not proclaim,
as the chief condition of its existence, the vigorous support of the
Cretan insurrection.
What the views of Russia were in regard to the insurrection no outsider
can, of course, say; but they seemed to be in favor of only making
the Greek agitation a part of a great scheme, having its direction at
St. Petersburg. The only immediate change, however, in the direction
of the insurrection was the gradual suppression of the powers of the
Cretan committee at Athens, and an occasional relaxation in the vigor
of support, as if to try the condition of public feeling. I judge
that Russia had made other combinations, which made the success of
the insurrection as a Hellenic movement undesirable, and that she was
gradually getting it in hand, to be able to suppress it when the
proper moment came. To do this without sacrificing that influence over
the Hellenes which would be so useful in certain contingencies, it
was necessary to have a Hellenic instrument to do the work--hence the
position of Mr. Bulgaris.