thanking Her Majesty for her most gracious message, communicating to this House Her Majesty's intention to cause the Reserve Force and the Militia Reserve Force, or such part thereof as Her Majesty should think necessary, to be forthwith called out for permanent service.'

179

BERLIN TREATY.

Speech in House of Lords July 18, 1878, after the return from Berlin.

on

[The calling out of the Reserves in the month of April had been followed by the still more vigorous step of bringing up to Malta a division of our Indian army. The right of the Crown to employ Indian troops on this service had given rise to the most animated debates of the session in both Houses, in which, however, Lord Beacons field took only a subordinate part. But, right or wrong constitutional grounds, the measure seems to have been eminently successful on diplomatic ones. Russia at once began to lower her pretensions, and agreed eventually to the demands of England that the treaty of San Stefano should be entrusted to a European Congress. Early in June Lord Beaconsfield and Lord Salisbury went out as the English plenipotentiaries to the Congress of Berlin. They arrived in London on their return on July 15, and were greeted with an ovation which has not many parallels in our history. Three days afterwards Lord Beaconsfield delivered the following speech in the House of Lords, which was crowded before five o'clock to listen to the great orator and successful diplomatist. The galleries were thronged with princesses and peeresses, the Princess of Wales being among the number; and everything denoted a degree of interest and enthusiasm which neither the people nor the aristocracy of this country are in the habit of exhibiting. Lord Beaconsfield's contention was that by the Treaty of Berlin we had so modified the treaty of San Stefano, coneluded between Russia and Turkey under protest from this country, that we had restored the independence of the Turkish Empire. 'Turkey exists once more!' was the exclamation of Prince Bismarck when the line of the Balkans was secured for her. He further maintained that by the occupation of Cyprus and the superintendence of Asia Minor we had diminished, not increased, our responsibilities. We must, under any circumstances, have resisted a Russian invasion of Asia Minor; and by removing all pretext for such a movement we had in reality reduced the chance of being forced into hostilities in

future. Mr. Gladstone, three years afterwards, in paying a tribute to the memory of his deceased rival, singled out this moment as the culminating point of his greatness in the eyes of those who regarded his policy with admiration; and he applied to his Berlin triumph the well-known words of Virgil

Aspice ut insignis spoliis Marcellus opimis,

Ingreditur, victorque viros surpereminet omnes.

His subsequent fortunes suggest to us the words of another Latin poet, who said that Marius would have been the greatest and most fortunate man whom either Rome or nature had produced if only his great soul had taken flight—

MY

Quum de Teutonico vellet descendere curru.]

Y LORDS, in laying on the table of your lordships' House, as I am about to do, the protocols of the Congress of Berlin, I have thought I should be only doing my duty to your lordships' House, to Parliament generally, and to the country, if I made some remarks on the policy which was supported by the representatives of Her Majesty at the Congress, and which is embodied in the Treaty of Berlin and in the convention which was placed on your lordships' table during my absence.

My lords, you are aware that the treaty of San Stefano was looked on with much distrust and alarm by Her Majesty's Government-that they believed it was calculated to bring about a state of affairs dangerous to European independence and injurious to the interests of the British Empire. Our impeachment of that policy is before your lordships and the country, and is contained in the circular of my noble friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in April last. Our present contention is, that we can show that, by the changes and modifications which have been made in the treaty of San Stefano by the Congress of Berlin and the Convention of Constantinople, the menace to European independence has been removed, and the threatened injury to the British Empire has been averted. Your lordships will recollect that by the treaty of San Stefano about one half of Turkey in Europe was formed into a State called Bulgaria-a State consisting of upwards of

50,000 geographical square miles, and containing a population of 4,000,000, with harbours on either sea-both on the shores of the Euxine and of the Archipelago. That disposition of territory severed Constantinople and the limited district which was still spared to the possessors of that city-severed it from the provinces of Macedonia and Thrace by Bulgaria descending to the very shores of the Ægean; and, altogether, a State was formed, which, both from its natural resources and its peculiarly favourable geographical position, must necessarily have exercised a predominant influence over the political and commercial interests of that part of the world. The remaining portion of Turkey in Europe was reduced also to a considerable degree by affording what was called compensation to previous rebellious tributary principalities, which have now become independent States-so that the general result of the treaty of San Stefano was, that while it spared the authority of the Sultan so far as his capital and its immediate vicinity, it reduced him to a state of subjection to the great Power which had defeated his armies, and which was present at the gates of his capital. Accordingly, though it might be said that he still seemed to be invested with one of the highest functions of public duty-the protection and custody of the Straits-it was apparent that his authority in that respect could be exercised by him in deference only to the superior Power which had vanquished him, and to whom the proposed arrangements would have kept him in subjection.

My lords, in these matters the Congress of Berlin have made great changes. They have restored to the Sultan twothirds of the territory which was to have formed the great Bulgarian State. They have restored to him upwards of 30,000 geographical square miles, and 2,500,000 of population—that territory being the richest in the Balkans, where most of the land is rich, and the population one of the wealthiest, most ingenious, and most loyal of his subjects. The frontiers of his State have been pushed forward from the mere environs of Salonica and Adrianople to the lines of the Balkans and Trajan's pass; the new principality, which was to exercise such an influence, and produce a revolution in the disposition of the

territory and policy of that part of the globe, is now merely a State in the Valley of the Danube, and both in its extent and its population is reduced to one-third of what was contemplated by the treaty of San Stefano. My lords, it has been said that while the Congress of Berlin decided upon a policy so bold as that of declaring the range of the Balkans as the frontier of what may now be called New Turkey, they have, in fact, furnished it with a frontier which, instead of being impregnable, is in some parts undefended, and is altogether one of an inadequate character.

My lords, it is very difficult to decide, so far as nature is concerned, whether any combination of circumstances can ever be brought about which would furnish what is called an impregnable frontier. Whether it be river, desert, or mountainous range, it will be found, in the long run, that the impregnability of a frontier must be supplied by the vital spirit of man; and that it is by the courage, discipline, patriotism, and devotion of a population that impregnable frontiers can alone be formed. And, my lords, when I remember what race of men it was that created and defended Plevna, I must confess my confidence that, if the cause be a good one, they will not easily find that the frontier of the Balkans is indefensible. But it is said that although the Congress has furnished and it pretended to furnish nothing more-a competent military frontier to Turkey, the disposition was so illmanaged, that, at the same time, it failed to secure an effective barrier that in devising the frontier, it so arranged matters that this very line of the Balkans may be turned. The Congress has been charged with having committed one of the greatest blunders that could possibly have been accomplished by leaving Sofia in the possession of a Power really independent of Turkey, and one which, in the course of time, might become hostile to Turkey. My lords, this is, in my opinion, an error on the part of those who furnish information of an authentic character to the different populations of Europe, who naturally desire to have correct information on such matters.

It is said that the position of Sofia is of a commanding character, and that of its value the Congress were not aware,