Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 1.djvu/203

 BETWEEN THE CZAH AND THE SULTAN. 161 in favour of the Greek Church, and it also intro- chap. duced and applied to the rival Churches a pro- vision similar in its wording to that which often appears in commercial treaties, and goes by the name of ' the most favoured nation clause.' But the noxious feature of the Convention, was de- tected in the Article which purported to secure for ever to the Orthodox Church and its Clergy all the rights and immunities which they had already enjoyed, and those of which they were possessed from ancient times.* Here, under a new form, was the old endeavour to obtain for liussia a protectorate of the Greek Church in Turkey. This draft of a Convention was annexed to u Note, in which Prince Mentschikoff pressed its immediate adoption, and urged the Sublime Porte, ' laying aside all hesitation and all mistrust, by ' which,' he declared, ' the dignity and the gener- ' ous sentiments of his august Master would be ' aggrieved,'-]- to delay its decision no longer. In conclusion, Prince Mentschikoff suffered himself to request that the Minister for Foreign Affairs would be good enough to let him have his answer by the following Tuesday, and to add that he could not 'consider any longer delay in any other ' light than as a want of respect towards his ' Government, which would impose upon him the ' most painful duty.'f Upon receiving this hostile communication, the counsels »r Minister for Foreign Affairs appealed to Lord ford. ' VOL. [. L
 * 'Eastern Tapers,' part i. p. 167. t Ibid. p. 105.