No. 1070.-The Earl of Derby to Lord A. Loftus. MY LORD, Foreign Office, November 28, 1876. HER Majesty's Government approve the Memorandum in which your Excellency communicated to Prince Gortchakow their proposals and basis for a Conference, and of which a copy is inclosed in your despatch of the 5th instant. Lord A. Loftus. SIR, I am, &c., No. 1072.-The Earl of Derby to Sir H. Elliot. DERBY. Foreign Office, November 29, 1876. YOUR Excellency's despatch of the 8th instant has been received and laid before the Queen; and I have to state to you that Her Majesty's Government approve the language which you held to Safvet Pasha, in answer to the objections brought forward by that Minister to the meeting of a Conference. Sir H. Elliot. I am, &c., DERBY. No. 1083.-Sir H. Elliot to the Earl of Derby.—(Rec. December 4.) MY LORD, Constantinople, November 23, 1876. THE first question likely to arise upon the arrival of the Marquis of Salisbury will relate to the character to be given to the preliminary meetings of the foreign Representatives. I have informed your Lordsbip by telegraph of the fear entertained by Safvet Pasha that resolutions might be adopted at those meetings to be merely submitted afterwards to the Conference for its ratification. This is, unquestionably, the aim of the Russian Ambassador, who would thus practically attain the original wish of his Government for a Conference of the Christian Powers to decide upon arrangements to be imposed upon the Porte. General Ignatiew, at a meeting of his colleagues this afternoon, spoke of the necessity of making an arrangement for recording formally what passed at those preliminary meetings, with a view to the avoidance of future misunderstandings. I said that, till the arrival of the instructions which Lord Salisbury would bring, I should have no information enabling me to judge whether Her Majesty's Government intended the meetings in question to be of the formal nature he seemed to anticipate. The anxiety of the Russian Government to make it appear that whatever is done for the Christians is done by the Powers, and not by the Porte, is as marked as ever. The object is to weaken the authority of the Sultan, and to teach the populations that they have only the foreign Governments to look to for protection, which cannot be the wish of the Governments which sincerely desire the maintenance of this Empire at the same time as the removal of the grievances which lead to discontent and insurrection. The one broad principle upon which we can all agree is the equality of all the Sultan's subjects of whatever race or religion. This exists in theory, but in theory alone, already, and our object must be to remove the disqualifications under which the Christians still labour. The acceptance of Christian evidence in all causes in which Christians are interested; the participation of Christian Judges in mixed cases; the immediate admission of Christians into the police force, and their gradual incorporation into the army; and the employment of a fair proportion of Christians in all offices of the Central, and still more of the Provincial Administrations,-are the principal measures required. The Porte should make known to the Powers the manner in which it proposes to carry these measures out, and it will be for the Conference to examine how far the proposals seem calculated to attain the object. The grievances to be removed exist in all parts of European Turkey, and the remedies must be applied to all alike, unless the seeds of future insurrections are to be sown in other provinces, which are entitled to equal consideration, but which, not being Slav, are regarded with indifference by Russia. I have, &c., The Earl of Derby. HENRY ELLIOT. [The first preliminary meeting of the Plenipotentiaries was held at Constantinople on the 11th December, 1876.] Page WITH BRITISH DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR OFFICERS (contd.) — Mr. Mathew to the Earl of Sept. 4 Oct. 2 Reports action taken on Derby above Oct. 6 Nov. 3 British steamers have 343 Lord Lyons to the Earl of June 6 June 7 Slave Trade under French flag. Governor of Ré- Page of squadron informed 352 July 4 July 5 Slave Trade under French flag. Copy of fresh Aug. 1 Aug. 2 Slave Trade under French The Earl of Derby to Lord Nov. 14 Lord Lyons to the Earl of flag. Has communi- 353 French Government.... 353 Slave Trade under French Nov. 16 Nov. 18 Ditto. Note to French Derby 354 Government East African Slave Trade. Lord Lyons to the Earl of Dec. 24 Dec. 27 Slave Trade under French flag on East Coast GERMANY. Lord Odo Russell to the Earl | Dec. 6 | Dec. 12 | German vessels not alof Derby lowed to take part in Brazilian Slave Trade 358 Mr. Lister to Consul Paken- Feb. 24 ham Consul Pakenham to the Earl Feb. 21 Apr. 3 French schooner Africa On attack by Sakalavas Consul Pakenham to the Earl Apr. 20 June 22 Attack on Thetis' boats. of Derby Note to Government on June 2 Aug. 16 Attack on Thetis' boats. Page 364 Reply from Hova Government on ................ 366 PERSIA. Mr. Taylour Thomson to the May 17 June 16 | Abolition Earl of Derby The Earl of Derby to Mr. June 22 of Persian Slave Trade Commissioner at Bushire........ 367 Commissioner in Gulf must be re-appointed if necessary 367 PERSIA (Resht). Consul Churchill to the Earl | Apr. 10 | May 19 | Slave Trade through the of Derby Caucasus PORTUGAL. 368 Mr. Jervoise to the Earl of Jan. 19 Jan. 28 | Correspondence Mr. Watson to the Earl of Mar. 10 Mar. 18 Copy of note to Portu Derby The Earl of Derby to Mr. Mar. 22 guese Government re- To call attention of Por- 375 380 381 |