Matters are mending a little in Crete. The Sultan, dis-
mayed by the unanimity of the Powers, has agreed to a general amnesty, has appointed a Christian Governor-General, has called the Assembly together, and has promised to con- sider any improvements on the Pact of Halepa which the Assembly may suggest. The Cretans at first refused these terms unless the Powers guaranteed their fulfilment, but severe pressure was placed on Athens, the Cretan refugees advised their countrymen to yield, and by latest advices the Assembly will be attended at least by the Christian Deputies. Abdullah Pasha, however, the Field-Marshal in command of the
garrison, is discontented, the troops are sullen, and an accident may at any moment produce a massacre. The most hopeful sign reported is that the Cretan Christians fight with the greatest determination, and when favoured by position, defeat the Turkish troops. Nothing civilises a Mussulman so rapidly as a conviction that his enemy is at least his equal. A disarmed man is a dog, but an armed man who will use his arms is a human being, not his equal, of course, but still a creature of Allah.
