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CRETE

Greek Government to persuade the insurgents not to the arrangement, which the Powers undertook to guarantee, oppose the occupation of several strategic posts, despatched and, notwithstanding some symptoms of discontent at a military governor to the island, proclaimed martial law, Candia, there was every reason to hope that the island and issued a firman abrogating many important provisions was now entering upon a period of tranquillity. It soon of the Halepa Pact. The mode of election to the Assembly became evident, however, that the Porte was endeavouring was altered, the number of its members reduced, and the to obstruct the execution of the new reforms. Several customs revenue, which had hitherto been shared with the months passed without any step being taken in this island, was appropriated by the Turkish Treasury. The direction ; difficulties were raised with regard to the firman was undoubtedly illegal, as it violated a convention composition of the international commissions charged possessing a quasi-international sanction, but the Christians with the reorganization of the gendarmery and judicial were unable to resist, and the Powers abstained from system ; intrigues were set on foot against the Christian intervention. The elections held under the new system Governor-General • and the presence of a special Imperial proved a failure, the Christains refusing to go to the polls, Commissioner, who had no place under the constitution, and for the next five years Crete was governed absolutely proved so injurious to the restoration of tranquillity that by a succession of Mahommedan Yalis. The situation went the Powers demanded his immediate recall. The indigfrom bad to worse, the deficit in the budget increased, the nation of the Christians increased, a state of insecurity gendarmery, which received no pay, became insubordinate, prevailed, and the Moslem peasants refused to return to and crime multiplied. In 1894 the Porte, at the instance their homes. A new factor now became apparent in of the Powers, nominated a Christian, Karatheodory Cretan politics. Since the outbreak in May 1896 the Pasha, to the governorship, and the Christians, mollified Greek Government had loyally co-operated with the Powers by the concession, agreed to take part in the Assembly in their efforts for the pacification of the island, but which soon afterwards was convoked ; no steps, however, towards the close of the year a secret society known as were taken to remedy the financial situation, which became the Ethnike Hetaeria began to arrogate to itself the the immediate cause of the disorders that followed. The direction of Greek foreign policy. The aim of the society refusal of the Porte to refund considerable sums which was a war with Turkey with a view to the acquisition of had been illegally diverted from the Cretan treasury or Macedonia, and it found a ready instrument for its designs even to sanction a loan to meet immediate requirements in the growing discontent of the Cretan Christians. caused no little exasperation in the island, which was Emissaries of the society now appeared in Crete, large increased by the recall of Karatheodory (March 1895). consignments of arms were landed, and at the beginning Before that event an Epitrope, or “ Committee of Beform,” of 1897 the island was practically in a state of Qreek had appeared in the mountains—the harbinger of the insurrection. On 21st January the Greek fleet ierven■ prolonged struggle which ended in the emanci- was mobilized. Affairs were brought to a tjon climax by a series of conflicts which took place 7 1 /TS-P? * Pation of Crete- The Epitrope was at first at Canea on 4th February ; the Turkish troops fired on ° " ’ nothing more than a handful of discontented politicians who had failed to find places in the adminis- the Christians, a conflagration broke out in the town, and tration, but some slight reverses which it succeeded in many thousands of Christians took refuge on the foreign inflicting on the Turkish troops brought thousands of warships in the bay. The Greek Government now armed Christians to its side, and in April 1896 it found despatched an ironclad and a cruiser to Canea, which were itself strong enough to invest the important garrison followed a few days later by a torpedo flotilla commanded town of Yamos. The Moslem peasantry now flocked to by Prince George. The prince soon retired to Melos, but the fortified towns and civil war began. Serious disturb- on the night of 14th February a Greek expeditionary ances broke out at Canea on 24th May, and were only force under Colonel Yassos landed at Kolymbari, near quelled by the arrival of foreign warships. . The foreign Canea, and its commander issued a proclamation announconsuls intervened in the hope of bringing about a cing the occupation of the island in the name of King peaceful settlement, but the Sultan resolved on the George. On the same day Georgi Pasha, the Christian employment of force, and an expedition despatched to Governor-General, took refuge on board a Bussian ironYamos effected the relief of that town with a loss of 200 clad, and, on the next, naval detachments from the warships men. The advance of a Turkish detachment through the of the Powers occupied Canea. This step paralysed the western districts, where other garrisons were besieged, movements of Colonel Yassos, who after a few slight was marked by pillage and devastation, and 5000 engagements with the Turks remained practically inactive Christian peasants took refuge on the desolate promontory in the interior. The insurgents, however, continued to of Spada, where they suffered extreme privations. These threaten the town, and their position was bombarded by events, which produced much excitement in Greece, the international fleet (21st February). The intervention quickened the energies of the Powers. An international of Greece caused immense excitement among the Christian blockade of the island was proposed by Austria but population, and terrible massacres of Moslem peasants rejected by England. The ambassadors at Constantinople took place in the eastern and western districts. The forces urged peaceful counsels on the Porte, and the Sultan, of the Powers shortly afterwards occupied Candia and alarmed at this juncture by an Armenian outbreak, began the other maritime towns, while the international fleet to display a conciliatory disposition. The Pact of Halepa blockaded the Cretan coast. These measures were folwas restored, the troops were withdrawn from the interior, lowed by the presentation of collective notes financial aid was promised to the island, a Christian to the Greek and Turkish Governments (2nd Governor-General was appointed, the Assembly was sum- March) announcing the decision of the Powers powers. moned, and an Imperial Commissioner was despatched to that (1) Crete could in no case in present negotiate an arrangement. The Christian leaders pre- circumstances be annexed to Greece; (2) in view of the pared a moderate scheme of reforms, based on the Halepa delays caused by Turkey in the application of the Pact, which, with a few exceptions, were approved by the reforms Crete should now be endowed with an effective Powers and eventually sanctioned by the Sultan. On autonomous administration, intended to secure to it a 4th September 1896 the Assembly formally accepted the separate government, under the suzerainty of the Sultan. new Constitution and declared its gratitude to the Powers Greece was at the same time summoned to remove its for their intervention. The Moslem leaders acquiesced in army and fleet from the island, while the Turkish troops