Sir P. Currie to the Marquess of Salisbury.-(Received December 20.) MY LORD, Constantinople, December 15, 1897. I HAVE the honour to transmit to your Lordship herewith the terms of the Definitive Treaty of Peace between Turkey and Greece. I have, &c., The Marquess of Salisbury. PHILIP CURRIE. (Inclosure.)-Definitive Treaty of Peace concluded between Turkey and Greece. (Telegraphic.) [See Vol. XC, page 422.] Mr. Goschen to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received December 23.) St. Petersburgh, December 23, 1897. CRETE. Count Mouravieff made allusion yesterday to the candidature of Petrovitch, and to the difficulties raised by the Prince of Montenegro with regard to it. Sir P. Currie to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received December 27.) MY LORD, Constantinople, December 22, 1897. PRINCE MAVROCORDATO, Greek Minister in Constantinople before the war, and Plenipotentiary for the recent peace negotiations, communicated yesterday to the French and Russian Chargés d'Affaires and myself a telegram from his Government, requesting that we, as the Representatives of the Powers charged with Greek interests since the rupture of relations, would inform the Sublime Porte that the King of Greece desired to reappoint him as his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. We accordingly addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs the same day the collective note, of which I have the honour to transmit a copy herewith. The Marquess of Salisbury. I have, &c., PHILIP CURRIE. (Inclosure.)-Collective Note addressed to the Sublime Porte. LE Gouvernement Hellénique, désireux de reprendre les relations diplomatiques avec le Gouvernement Impérial Ottoman, vient de faire connaître aux Ambassades d'Angleterre, de France, et de Russie que Majesté le Roi Georges a désigné le Prince Nicolas Mavrocordato comme son Envoyé Extraordinaire et Ministre Plénipotentiaire auprès de Sa Majesté Impériale le Sultan. Le Gouvernement Hellène exprime l'espoir que le choix sera agréé par Sa Majesté Impériale le Sultan. Sur la demande du Gouvernement Hellénique les Ambassades d'Angleterre, de France, et de Russie ont l'honneur d'informer la Sublime Porte de la désignation qui vient d'être faite par Sa Majesté le Roi Georges, et de transmettre au Gouvernement Impérial Ottoman le vœu formé par le Gouvernement Hellénique. Le 21 Décembre, 1897. Rear-Admiral Harris to Admiralty.-(Communicated to the Foreign Office, December 29.) (Telegraphic.) Suda Bay, December 29, 1897. HAVING been informed that the Porte has warned the Ambassadors at Constantinople that 500 recruits would be sent to Crete to relieve a similar number of time-expired men, the Admirals unanimously decided to warn their Governments and the Ambassadors at Constantinople that they will oppose the landing of these troops, in the absence of instructions from their Governments to the contrary. They consider that any disembarkation of Turkish troops from any motive whatever will create great difficulties, and will compromise pacification. The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Goschen. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, December 29, 1897. M. DE STAAL stated to-day that, according to a telegram which he had received from his Government, they were unwilling to press any further the candidature of Bojo Petrovitch for the Governorship of Crete in view of the objection raised by the Prince of Montenegro to allowing him to accept the office. Consequently, they were now induced to accept the candidature of Prince George of Greece with full sympathy. Two advantages would ensue from the selection of His Royal Highness, for not only would the aspirations of the Cretans be in this way fulfilled, but a stop be put to the agitation in Greece. The Russian Government hoped that, should the other Powers and the Ottoman Government be equally disposed to accept the candidature of Prince George, a satisfactory settlement of the question would thus be brought about. Mr. Gosselin to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received December 30.) (Telegraphic.) Paris, December 30, 1897. M. HANOTAUX has declared to me his readiness, provided that the other Powers are agreed, to accept the candidature for the Governorship of Crete of Prince George of Greece, and to cooperate in the removal of obstacles. This solution of the question would, his Excellency said, be in harmony with the liberal ideas which prevail in France. Sir H. Rumbold to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received (Telegraphic.) Vienna, December 30, 1897. WITH reference to your Lordship's telegram of the 20th to Mr. Goschen, I beg to state that a communication apparently of a similar kind to that made by M. de Staal to your Lordship, has been received by Count Goluchowski. His Excellency, however, told me that when Count Kapnist made it he represented it as not being a formal proposal to appoint Prince George of Greece as Governor of Crete. Count Goluchowski is strongly convinced that such a candidature would certainly not be accepted by the Porte. Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received (Telegraphic.) December 30.) Berlin, December 30, 1897. THE Imperial Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs informs me that the German Government is unable to agree to the candidature of Prince George of Greece for the post of Governor-General of Crete. Herr von Bülow is of opinion that this appointment would lead very shortly to the annexation of the island by Greece, and that the Balkan Powers would certainly make demands for compensation, in consequence of which complications would ensue. (Telegraphic.) The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir P. Currie. Foreign Office, December 31, 1897. HER Majesty's Government would, of course, support the candidature of Prince George of Greece for the Governorship of Crete, if it should be proposed. (Telegraphic.) The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Goschen. Foreign Office, December 31, 1897. HER Majesty's Government would have great pleasure in supporting the candidature of Prince George of Greece for the Governorship of Crete, concerning which the Russian Ambassador has spoken to me, as I informed your Excellency in my telegram of the 29th instant. You should state this to the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs. The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir P. Currie. SIB, Foreign Office, December 31, 1897. I HAVE received your Excellency's despatch of the 22nd instant, and I approve of your having, with the Chargés d'Affaires of France and Russia, addressed to the Turkish Government, at the request of the Government of Greece, a collective note informing them of the wish of the King of Greece to reappoint Prince Mavrocordato as Greek Minister at Constantinople. Sir P. Currie. I am, &c., SALISBURY. CORRESPONDENCE relating to Affairs in the South African Republic.-1895-1899. [For Correspondence on the subject of the Disturbances in the South African Republic, December 1895 to February 1896, see Vol. LXXXIX, page 247.] SIR, The Marquess of Ripon to Sir H. B. Loch. Downing Street, February 25, 1895. I HAVE the honour to transmit to you copies of two letters from the Foreign Office, respecting an Extradition Convention negotiated between the Portuguese Government and the Government of the South African Republic. I request that you will inform President Krüger that Her Majesty's Government have learnt that such a Convention was signed at Lisbon on the 13th November, 1893, and that it does not appear that a copy of it has, in accordance with Article IV of the London Convention, been submitted to Her Majesty the Queen for her approval, although it is clearly an engagement within the meaning of that Article. I request that you will call the attention of the President to the omission to communicate this Extradition Convention to Her Majesty's Government under the provisions of the IVth Article of the London Convention. I have, &c., Sir H. B. Loch. MY LORD, Sir Hercules Robinson to the Marquess of Ripon. RIPON. Government House, Cape Town, June 3, 1895. WITH reference to your Lordship's despatch of the 25th February last, I have the honour to inclose a copy of a correspondence with the State President of the South African Republic relative to the conclusion of an Extradition Convention between the Portuguese Government and the Government of the South African Republic. I would propose, if your Lordship should concur, to inform President Krüger that to avoid possible conflict with the Volksraad, it will be better if, in future, all Treaties with foreign Powers be communicated to Her Majesty's Government previous to ratification. I have, &c., The Marquess of Ripon. * Not printed. HERCULES ROBINSON, Governor and High Commissioner. See previous despatch. |