No. 19.
The Earl of Aberdeen to Lord Stuart de Rothsay*.
My Lord, Foreign Office, January 16, 1844.
I inclose for your Excellency's information, a copy of a despatch from Sir Stratford Canning reporting that a Greek has been executed near Brussa as an apostate from Islamism; and a copy of an instruction which I have in consequence addressed to that Ambassador. Your Excellency will communicate this instruction to Count Nesselrode for the information of the Russian Government; but although Her Majesty's Government would doubtless see with pleasure that the other Powers of Europe should declare their abhorrence of so revolting a system as that which the Porte has twice acted upon within the last few months, they do not think it necessary formally to solicit their co-operation in a matter in which they all may be supposed to take a common interest, and to be prepared to act without previous concert with each other.
Your Excellency will therefore merely put Count Nesselrode in possession of the instructions given to Sir Stratford Canning, and leave to the Russian Government to determine for itself whether it shall instruct M. de Titow to the same effect.
I am, &c.,
* A similar despatch was addressed on the 20th January to Sir Robert
Gordon and the Earl of Westmorland.
(Signed) ABERDEEN.
No. 20.
Lord Cowley to the Earl of Aberdeen.—(Received January 22.)