given in the case at Kissamos for the sale of the property of the murderer, and the payment of an indemnity to the family of the victim. A few days ago eight outlaws, of a band of twelve whom I reported in my despatch of the 9th instant that their relatives feared to have been drowned, arrived from the port of Gittrion, in Greece, where they are said to have committed depredations, and landed at a spot called Stavros, between Kissamos and Selinos. It appears that measures have been taken by the Christians of Cydonia to prevent these outlaws from committing outrages until they find the means of sending them back to Greece. I have just been informed that Vayoni and two other outlaws have embarked a few days since at Akratin for Greece. Mr. Vice-Consul Trifilli has just reported to me that on the 16th instant a few Christian gentlemen, among whom was the son of the Greek Vice-Consul, while taking a walk outside the fortifications of the town of Rethymo, saw an Albanian gendarme, who appeared to be drunk, and who followed the same road with a few companions, load his rifle and level it at them, when another gendarme rushed and disarmed him, after which all the gendarmes went by another road. The Christian parties having complained to the Mutessarif, his Excellency replied that he had already made an inquiry, by which it appeared that the gendarme in question wanted to fire in the air in rejoicing for his having just been liberated from prison. But as this explanation did not satisfy the Christians, the Governor promised that he would send for the gendarme, who was on his way to Mylopotamo, and that if, on a further inquiry which he intended to make, his guilty intention was proved, he would punish him most severely. Mr. Vice-Consul Trifilli further informed me that on the 21st instant at 10 P.M., in the Mussulman village of Marula, which is also inhabited by a few Christians, a Christian young girl, 12 years of age, was carried off by three young Mussulmans named Youssouf Carazodaki, Riza Murabutaki, and Haïder Hatzibsidaki. As the intentions of these individuals with regard to the girl were known, precautions had been taken to secure her safety. Being unable to open the door of the house in which she was kept, they entered it by making a hole in the roof, and carried off the young girl, after ill-treating the aunt, who tried to oppose them. No trace of the fugitives having been discovered, the authorities have arrested Haider Hatzihsidaki's father, a well-to-do Mussulman in the village of Marula, who was supposed not to have been a stranger in the abduction. The Greek Archbishop having wired to Djevad Pasha on the subject, his Excellency had given severe orders to the Mutessarif, and while I am writing I am informed, but without any details, that the girl has been found in the village church, and that the Juge d'Instruction had left with troops to search for the culprits. I have, &c., The Marquess of Salisbury. ALFRED BILIOTTI. No. 46.-Consul Biliotti to the Marquess of Salisbury.-(Received (Telegraphic.) April 5.) Canea, Crete, April 5, 1891. THE refugees mentioned in my despatch of the 31st ultimo* captured on the 1st instant three Mussulman gendarmes, and murdered them an hour after. Next day the band, having increased to about eighty through new arrivals and native recruits, was met by an equal force of soldiers and gendarmes, who slew two outlaws, badly wounded a third, and seized three rifles and two revolvers. I have seen one of the former: it bears the mark of the Greek army and the number "6192." 380 other Cretans are said to be coming from Greece of these, 200 have already embarked, and some are supposed to have already landed in Crete. No. 47.-Consul Biliotti to the Marquess of Salisbury.-(Received April 6.) MY LORD, Canea, Crete, March 30, 1891. I HAVE just seen a letter, dated Athens, the 13th instant, from one of the political refugees who has been pardoned, but who, having taken part in the murder of the Turkish soldiers at Aya in 1889, does not dare to return until the relative to whom he writes has ascertained whether he can safely return to Crete. Although the question had been already answered in the affirmative by Djevad Pasha, as I reported in my despatch of the 23rd September last, I put it again to his Excellency, who repeated the same assurance. The refugee in question says in the letter that in consequence of the Greek Government having curtailed the pensions hitherto paid, Greece has become too "narrow" for the refugees, most of whom will return to Crete, some to towns, others to the mountains. He further states that of the latter (who are, of course, outlaws) twenty have already embarked and thirty-five are about to do so. No doubt great political significance will be given in the Greek papers to this arrival of outlaws in Crete, but it may be accounted * No. 50, page 736. for simply by the fact that these murderers and thieves have greater facilities for living by brigandage here than in Greece; hence their arrival will certainly lead to an increase of crime and disturbance. This fact is so well understood by the natives that, according to information I have just received, a Memorandum, addressed to the Cretans in Greece, is being circulated, and has already been signed by the Demarchs of the western districts of Kissamos (where it was begun), Selinos, and Cydonia, to the effect that Cretans beg their countrymen in Greece to prevent the return of outlaws to Crete, as the Christian population can do what is required for their own protection without the assistance of the few outlaws who may come over, and whose presence is only productive of trouble to the rural population. It is not yet decided in what way this document is to be remitted to the Cretans in Athens, but there is a talk of sending it through the Greek Consul-General here. The Marquess of Salisbury. I have, &c., ALFRED BILIOTTI. No. 48.-Consul Biliotti to the Marquess of Salisbury.--(Received MY LORD, April 6.) 10th March Canea, Crete, March 31, 1891. IN an official publication dated the 26th February, Djevad Pasha stated that the main reason for the abstention of the Cretans from voting at the recent voting was that the population was quite tired of the elections, which, owing to the animosity between the political parties, had been the cause of the late disturbances. In answer to this statement an identic Petition addressed to the GovernorGeneral has been and is being signed all over the island by the Christian Demarchs, Elders, Councillors, and leading men in each district to the following effect: Having taken into consideration the invitation to hold elections for the reorganization of the General Assembly, the signatories think it necessary to explain the opinion of the population on this subject. The Imperial Firman of the 1st Rebiul Ahir, 1307, has failed to carry out the benevolent intention of the Sultan, which was to improve the condition of our island; nor could it have done so, for only one of the Contracting Parties had repealed a Convention passed between the Representatives of the Sultan and the Cretan population. The new regulations established by that one party in the place of the important privileges repealed by this Firman do not correct the defects which were detected in the former organization. This end could only have been attained with the co-operation of the lawful representatives of the island, who alone are in a position to know its real wants. Under these circumstances the Cretan population declare through the signatories that, in consequence of the last Firman, they cannot co-operate in the reorganization of the General Assembly, nor directly nor indirectly in that of any elective authority, and they beg that this declaration be submitted to His Highness the Sultan. Mr. Calocherino and Mr. Trifilli having informed me that copies of this Petition were about to be handed to them officially, I instructed them to refuse to accept them in this form, but to get unofficial copies of the document, as I have done myself here, for the information of Her Majesty's Government. The Petition raises three questions: 1. If the principle should prevail that no modifications in the Organic Law and the Halepa Pact can be made by the Porte alone, the Firman of the 1st Rebiul Ahir should be repealed altogether. 2. The Christians admit that there are defects in the organization which existed under the Organic Law and the Halepa Pact, but they contend that these defects have not been remedied by the last Firman. Both these assertions are true, and while the first was admitted by the issue of the Firman, the second is likewise admitted by the Government by the fact of its recognizing the necessity of reforms in the Courts of Justice, the gendarmerie, and the collection of the tithe. 3. The Christians maintain that no lawful reorganization can take place without the co-operation of the population, which implies a question of principle similar to that contained in the first paragraph. The real question for the Government is not whether the Christians are right or wrong in the principles they put forward, but rather whether the Sublime Porte considers itself in a position to carry out single-handed such reforms as are indispensable, and which, unless they are perfect, will give a pretext for the clamours which are sure to be raised in any case, or whether they consider it more opportune to take into their counsel representatives of the population, as in that case there would be no ground for whatever complaints the Christians may make. There is one point on which the Government and the Cretans will never agree, viz., the finances. As further details would only involve a repetition of former correspondence, I beg to refer to my despatches on these subjects. of the 24th June, 1st July, 12th August, 26th August, and 9th October, 1890, respectively, and of the 3rd March, 1891. In consequence of the declaration now made by the Christian population through the signatories of the aforesaid Petition, the execution of Shakir and Djevad Pashas' schemes concerning the reforms of the Tribunals is no longer practicable, as no Cretan is likely to take even an indirect part in any election, and this single fact will compel the Government to annul themselves one of the clauses of the last Firman which they particularly wished to maintain in its integrity. This possible contingency I had ventured to point out in more than one of my aforementioned despatches. I have, &c., The Marquess of Salisbury. ALFRED BILIOTTI. No. 49.-Consul Biliotti to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received MY LORD, April 6.) Canea, Crete, March 31, 1891. WITH reference to my telegram of the 24th instant, I have the honour to report that great disappointment has been caused by the long-expected pardon to the political prisoners not having been granted, as was fully expected would be done on the Sultan's birthday. Although as usual one-third of the penalty of other prisoners was remitted, political prisoners were expressly excepted, together with murderers and individuals guilty of rape. The Marquess of Salisbury. I have, &c.. ALFRED BILIOTTI. No. 50.-Consul Biliotti to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received MY LORD, April 6.) Canea, Crete, March 31, 1891. WITH reference to my despatch of the 30th instant, I have the honour to report that I have just been informed that thirty of the outlaws therein mentioned have landed in the district of Kissamos, and I have been further informed by the Vali that the pardoned refugee mentioned in the same despatch is also implicated in the murder of other soldiers near the village of Sembrova on the 19th September, 1889, and that he may be prosecuted for this additional crime on his arrival here. 1st October The Marquess of Salisbury. I have, &c., ALFRED BILIOTTI. |