It will be observed that Mr. Gladstone in his reply
was far from hopeful, and that he gave a new reason for pressing Greece. It appears to be greatly desired in Europe that Turkey should disarm, probably because of the danger that if she does not she will again repudiate her Debt, and possibly from fear that her unpaid soldiers may make a revolution,—the latter a fear to which local correspondents make frequent allusion. The troops, they say, outside Constantinople, never receive any wages. It is intended, therefore, to help the Sultan by advising him to disarm, and so justify that step in the eyes of his subjects ; but this cannot be done honourably unless Greece has disarmed first. This reasoning is fairly sound, but there must be something else behind, or Lord Rosebery would not have spoken so strongly as he did at the Academy dinner of Greece's own best interests. The Powers are afraid of something besides a Turkish advance, which they could stop with half a word, or of a Turkish bankruptcy, which has occurred before. They think it impossible, if shots are once fired, to keep the Great Powers together, and they are probably right. Common Russians will not bear to see Orthodox Greeks massacred by lifussulme.ns.
