in dealings with Sublime Porte, obstructions constantly
arose, and when M. Delcassé became foreign minister,
in June, 1898, the affair was still under discussion.
At length a commission of consuls of the four Powers,
working with an executive committee of the Cretan
Assembly, succeeded in drawing up a constitution for
the provisional regime. ² Before it could be put into
effect a Mussulman uprising took place in Candia re-
sulting in a massacre in which the British vice-consul,
a British officer, and several soldiers were killed. ³
Italy now took the lead and backed by the other three
Powers ( Germany and Austria refused to participate)
demanded the complete withdrawal of Turkish forces. ⁴
This time the Sultan realized that he must pay the
piper, and after one final vain objection he met their
demands in full. With the Turkish forces withdrawn,
the Powers established their regime of autonomous
government with Prince George as High Commissioner
-- "they had succeeded in reëstablishing peace but only
by a bastard solution which in reality terminated noth-
ing." ⁵ In reality it was the last trench in the Cretans'
long struggle for unification with their mother, Hellas.
Let the Powers henceforth look upon their hope with
bienveillance or not, one of their own flesh and blood,
Eleutherios Venizelos, was to make it a living reality
in spite of the European powers if not with their assist-
ance. ⁶

-45-