forth. At first we meet him repudiating, as the Minister for War, any intention of passing "a censure upon the meritorious conduct of Admiral Codrington," which has caused the destruction of the Turkish fleet at Navarino, although he admits that "this battle took place against a power with which we are not at war," and that it was "an untoward event."—(House of Commons, January 31, 1828.)
Then, having retired from office, he opened the long series of his attacks upon Lord Aberdeen, by reproaching him with having been too slow in executing the orders of Russia.
"Has there been much more energy and promptitude in fulfilling our engagements to Greece? July, 1829, is coming fast upon, us, and the treaty of July, 1827, is still unexecuted. .… The Morea, indeed, has been cleared of the Turks. … But why were the arms of France checked at the Isthmus of Corinth? … The narrow policy of England stepped in, and arrested her progress. … But why do not the allies deal with the country north of the Isthmus, as they have done with that to the south, and occupy at once all that which must be assigned to Greece? I should have thought that the allies had had enough of negotiating with Turkey about Greece."—(House of Commons, June 1, 1829.)
Prince Metternich was, as is generally known, at that time opposing the encroachments of Russia, and accordingly her diplomatic agents—I remind you of the despatches of Pozzo di Borgo and Prince Lieven—had been advised to represent Austria as the great enemy of Grecian emancipation and of European civilisation, the furtherance of which was the exclusive object of Russian diplomacy. The noble lord follows, of course, in the beaten track.
"By the narrowness of her views, the unfortunate prejudices of her policy, Austria has almost reduced herself to the level of a second-rate power;" and in consequence of the temporising policy of Aberdeen, England is represented as "the keystone of that arch of which Miguel and Spain, Austria and Mahmoud are the component parts. … People see in the delay in executing the treaty of July not so much fear of Turkish resistance, as invincible repugnance to Grecian freedom."—(House of Commons, June 11,1829.)
