THE WAR OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE 1821 TO 1833 BY W.ALISON PHILLIPS 1897

INTERVENTION OF THE FRENCH 299
other two Powers of the Alliance feared to be outshone
by the prestige
of Russia in the East.
It was
proposed in the Conference, which was still sitting in
London, to intervene actively to secure the evacuation
of the Morea by the Egyptian forces.
England, indeed,
at first refused to do anything that might still
further embarrass the Porte;
but the Prince de Polignac
pointed out, in a diplomatic aside, that the intervention
was regarded at Paris e
as a means for getting
a free hand as regards Russia.' The Russian representative
for his part had no objection to a course which
would create a further diversion in Russia's favour;
and so finally it was decided, on the 19th of July, that
France should occupy the Morea, and compel the withdrawal
of Ibrahim. 1
England, out of friendly consideration
for her old ally the Sultan, refused to share
in the enterprise, and stipulated that,
as soon as her
work was done, France should withdraw her troops.
The Government of Charles X. eagerly accepted the
task, only too glad of an opportunity for covering the
ever-widening cracks in its foundations with fresh
wreaths of military glory.
Meanwhile, however, circumstances, and the irrepressible
activity of Codrington, once more interfered
with the designs of the 'Conference. Capodistrias was
i Protocol of July 19. Prokesch, Appendix,
ix. 21.