A resolution of the House of the 17th ultimo, relative to the revolution in Candia. JANUARY 14, 1867.—Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and ordered to be printed. To the House of Representatives: I transmit to the House of Representatives, in answer to a resolution of the 17th ultimo, calling for information relative to the revolution in Candia, a report of the Secretary of State, with accompanying documents. WASHINGTON, January 10, 1867. ANDREW JOHNSON. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, January 9, 1867. The Secretary of State, to whom has been referred the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 17th ultimo, requesting the President to communicate, "if deemed compatible with the public interest, a copy of any official correspondence which may have taken place relative to the revolution now in progress in the island of Candia, a possession of the Ottoman Porte," has the honor to lay before the President the papers specified in the accompanying list. WILLIAM H. SEWARD. The PRESIDENT. No. 19.] Mr. Stillman to Mr. Seward. [Extract.] CONSULATE OF THE UNITED STATES, SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of a flag, a seal, and three sets of Diplomatic Correspondence; one of the latter I have given to her Britannie Majesty's consul at this place, to whom I am indebted for many courtesies, official and unofficial; another to Hon. Mr. Cassimati, of Syria, one of the most eminent advocates of Greece, and a firm friend (as, indeed, all the Greeks I know have been) of our government in its recent troubles; the third, as directed, I have placed in the archives of this consulate. Events seem to be justifying my previsions of troubles in the east, and from all we can hear the chances of war are increasing every day. The Turkish government has recalled its stores of gunpowder from this island to Constantinople, notwithstanding that armed assemblies of Cretans are reported in the eastern part of the island, and many indications appear of serious trouble here. It seems to me that it would be wise for our government to be in readiness for such increase in the American trade and shipping, occupied in these waters, as would inevitably arise from a war in this part of the world. SIR: I regret to have to inform you that another of those popular movements which from time to time have disturbed the tranquility of this island is now on foot, with apparently great danger of becoming an armed general insurrection. Justifiable as any such movement can be by the present mal-administration of the government, it is scarcely to be hoped that it could result in good to any one, and least of all to the unfortunate peasants, who, goaded by the incessant injustice and misgovernment of their rulers, have determined to reclaim their rights even at the risk of losing everything. It would be difficult to exaggerate the extent of the abuses of power which this island is subject to, and to which and the despairing struggles against which the island owes its reputation of turbulence, from which I am certain a wise, equitable government would soon redeem it. I regret to say that the population of Crete-has been much disturbed during the last two months by political agitations; but there seems to be a chance of this being calmed without any conflict with the authorities. The last month especially has been a very trying one, and I consider it due to the consular corps alone that peace has been preserved, through the restraint they have exercised on the arbitrary propensities of the governor general, and the moral assurance they were able to give the people that justice would be done them if only they refrained from insurrectionary movements. The governor general seems disposed to provoke a collision while the forces of the empire are free to act here; while the Greeks, irritated by the unusual taxes imposed and the gross injustice and corruption of the administration, are very impatient; but so far the peace has been preserved. If, however, the government should, as I fear, determine on the disarmament of the Greeks, we shall have a general and bloody insurrection; and as I have taken a very active part in the negotiations and conferences which have so far protected the people from offensive military movements, the Turkish population is much enraged against me, I understand, and have threatened to kill me as soon as the fighting commences; and after me, Russian, Italian, and Greek consuls. The Turkish troops now here amount to ten thousand men; and with this force they consider themselves sure of victory, and are much irritated at being restrained from repressing the manifestations of discontent summarily. the Under the circumstances I consider that my life and perhaps the lives of my family may any day be in jeopardy from a fanatical and uncontrollable populace, and I have written to the admiral commanding our fleet, that, if it is consistent with the general interest, I desire the presence of a man-of-war; the need being the greater that, owing to the European complications, there is no man-of-war of any Christian power here. As an indication of the danger I will mention that two or three days ago a dervish landed with a battalion of troops, and, flag in hand, paraded the streets, preaching a war of extermination against all Christians, and was responded to by the "Amen" of the rabble, which in the cities is mainly Turkish. The only notice the authorities took of it was to re-embark him for Candia. These troubles are the more to be regretted as the year promises to be a bountiful one, and large exports and corresponding imports might be expected. Most respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. W. H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. W. J. STILLMAN, United States Consul, Canea. No. 25.] Mr. Stillman to Mr. Seward. UNITED STATES CONSULATE, SIR: The address which I have the honor to forward, accompanied by a literal translation, has been enclosed to me for transmission to the government, with a letter to me of which I enclose a copy. The circumstances demand and deserve a thorough explanation. It is now four months since a congress of Cretan deputies of all the villages of the island, having, as I have previously advised you, met in a peaceful and legal manner, drew up a petition to the Sultan, in which they prayed for the fulfilment of the promises made from time to time both to them and for them to the protecting European powers. That the concessions demanded were needful and just will be testified to by all foreign residents. No country in the limits of European civilization can be worse or more oppressively governed than this. The taxes equal the full amount of the exports. The Turks have never made or repaired a road during their tenure of the island; and yet the islanders are compelled to pay the regular import duties on their produce carried from one port of the island to another. Their harbors are filling up. They are unprovided with schools, which to the Greeks is a great deprivation; justice is a mockery, and all the courts exist but to obey the mandates of the pacha. Innocent people are exiled, fathers imprisoned for the offences of their sons, and men arrested are thrown into secret dungeons for offences unknown, and, unjudged, remain there for times unlimited. * * * * Against all these things the Cretans petitioned respectfully and humbly, and the only reply of the Porte is to send 20,000 troops to repress agitation and arrest the deputies. Two of the signers of the petition who had separated themselves, immediately after, on the advice of the consuls, were arrested and are still confined in the most secret dungeons of the seraglio. The deputies themselves are obliged to take refuge in the inaccessible mountains of the island; and the whole population is in insurrection to defend them, and menaced on all points by the troops, who dare not make a direct attack. * * * * * This condition of things has been developing since the first of May, and during this time the consular corps has had occasion several times to express its opinion to the governor on the wicked and impolitic line of conduct he has followed. It has need constantly to exercise a calming and reasoning influence on the excited people, and has indeed in several cases prevented aggressive or armed defensive acts on one or the other part. Although deprived of the powerful influence of the consuls of England and France, the former of whom has been negative, the latter hostile to the Cretans, the consular body has presented an. insurmountable obstacle to the arbitrariness of the pacha, and compelled him from time to time to remit his hostile orders. In these negotiations, partly because my American instincts have made me more uncompromisingly hostile to tyranny, and less amenable to diplomatic reticence, and partly because our political position makes us free from suspicion of ulterior purposes in our action, I have been put forward by that portion of the corps, most hostile to the line of conduct of the pacha, in some measure as a spokesman. I have, however, carefully refrained from any act which could be called excess of my consular privileges, yet declaring freely and at all times my sympathy with the people. The Cretans, on the other hand, mindful of our old friendship for their fellow Greeks, and from a certain republican sympathy which exists between their race and ours, as well as from the idea I find everywhere among the oppressed, that free America must sympathize with the enslaved in whatever land, come to me more than to some of the other consuls for hope in their adversity, and look more to our nation than to any other for that moral encouragement without which they must despair. They invoke the good offices of the United States with the European govern ments. I hope that their touching letter, every word of which is wrung from patriotic hearts by bitter and most unmerited oppression, may find grace in the sight of our President and his advisers, and that America will add in Crete one more to the many claims on the gratitude of mankind she now has, and make her way one step further to the proud position of moral arbiter between mankind and oppression. Could the people of America see what is passing under my eyes-all the noblest of a nation exiled, or driven to the mountain caves, their only refuge from the galleys, villages depopulated by the approach of a barbarous and licentious soldiery, men, women, and children driven roofless into the mountains, their possessions devastated in wantonness, churches sacked, and the whole industry paralyzed, and all without an act of hostility to the constituted authorities beyond a respectful prayer for justice and mercy-they would outdo the charity of the days of the Greek revolution, as much as their means exceed those of that time, and the united voice of the nation would be heard even to Constantinople, in tones not to be misunderstood. Our minister near the Porte has won himself an honored position in the hearts of the Cretans by the warmth with which he has advocated their claims to justice, though without that authority with the Ottoman government which would have made the action of other legates decisive. It is to be hoped that when the opportunity permits, our government will not be less mindful of the claims of humanity. I remain, sir, yours respectfully, W. J. STILLMAN, United States Consul, Canca. Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. PROSNERON, (APOCUNA,) August 1-13, 1866. SIR: We, the undersigned, representatives of the Christian population of the island of Crete, feel exceedingly gratified in publicly acknowledging the services you have rendered to our beloved country by evincing on every occasion your elevated sentiments on behalf of our sacred cause. The undersigned venture to believe that the worthy representative of our best ally, the Christian United States government, would kindly accept the subjoined document, addressed by the "brethren in bonds" of Crete to the generous and illustrious President of the American democracy, and cherish the hope that American intervention in Europe will be hailed as the harbinger of our national reunion with the kindred race, the Hellenes. We have the honor to be, sir, your sincere friends, of the Christian Population of Crete. Mr. STILLMAN, United States Consul in Crete. [Translation.] MR. PRESIDENT: The Greek island of Crete, the native country of Jupiter and Minos, glorious in the ancient times and happy, insignificant to-day and unhappy, sighs before the Christian world under the heavy yoke of the Mussulman. |