Lord Clarendon on Thursday excused himself for his indefensible offer
to carry away the brigands, that is, to secure to criminals impunity for their crime by aid of the British Government, by pleading the only plea in such a case worth attention. Ile was carried away by his desire to save life, and could not endure the responsibility of seeming in such a case to shrink from any respon- sibility whatever. Ile was wrong, but most of us under the same circumstances would have been wrong too ; and it appears that his course was suggested by the Greek Government, which, with its usual want of consistent principle, refused the amnesty, but was willing to wink at an infraction of its laws. His further action awaits the receipt of official despatches—for as yet we have only telegrams relating the catastrophe—and it will then, we hope, be as legal as decisive. Our duty is to " insist " on the suppression of brigands, not on amnesties for them, and to insist on this through the Government—unless we abolish it altogether, and make Greece a Viceroyalty dependent on some civilized power— and not through British troops. Their presence, if we take the right course, will not be needed to teach the Greeks that Britain can protect her people.
