[Greece.]
A question arose at Corfu in 1866, relative to the liability of British subjects domiciled as Ionian citizens in that island to be drawn for the conscriptions, and whether they could evade it by renouncing the Ionian naturalization acquired by themselves or their fathers during the British protectorate of the island.
4 Her Majesty’s government thought it would be a reasonable and just concession on the part of the Greek government to allow British subjects, naturalized during the protectorate of Great Britain, to have the option now of renouncing their Ionian and resuming their British nationality, provided this option be exercised without delay, and put on formal record as soon as possible.
But inasmuch as no stipulation to this effect was made in the treaty by which Great Britain renounced the protectorate, they did not think that Her Majesty’s government could properly demand, as a matter of right, that such an option should be conceded to them by the government of Greece.
As it has been stated in the house of representatives that Don Pacifico, the hero of the 1847–’48 claims, was a naturalized British subject, it may be as well to mention here that he was a native British subject, having been born at Gibraltar. (State Papers, vol. xxxix, p. 356.)
- To Mr. Erskine, No. 31; November 15, 1866.↩