Constructing Ionian identities: the Ionian Islands in British official ...

of these debates on 23 February 1821, 7 June 1821, and 14 May 1822 provides a
clear sense of the key arguments deployed. 2
Hume was well known for his radical policies on economic retrenchment,
Catholic emancipation, parliamentary reform, and free trade. 3 He consistently
advocated responsible government for the West Indies, the Ionian Islands and
Canada. When Maitland returned to Britain to discuss the reform of the Ionian
Judicial system with the government, Hume took this opportunity to raise several
issues in Parliament. 4 For the 7 June debate, he asked the Commons to send a
Committee of Inquiry to investigate Maitland’s “misrule” of the Septinsula. He had
lived in the Islands and claimed personal knowledge of the Ionians’ character (as
Maitland also claimed), and believed they should handle their own affairs. He
rejected Maitland’s notion that Ionians’ national character rendered them unfit for
representative government.
Hume believed Maitland should be questioned about his authoritarian forms of
rule. He argued the case of the Ionian Islands was not a unique example of Maitland
demonstrating his arbitrary powers: indeed “complaints had been made against him
for arbitrary acts in different parts of the world”. 5 He criticised Maitland’s conduct
from the moment of his arrival in the Islands, detailing his actions to demonstrate
2 Hansard T. C., Parliamentary debates, New Series, IV, 23 February 1821, pp. 933-937; Hansard T.
C., Parliamentary debates, New Series, V, 7 June 1821, pp. 1128-1149; Hansard T. C., Parliamentary
debates, New Series, VII, 14 May 1822, pp. 562-596.
3 Huch R. K., Joseph Hume, the people’s M.P., (Philadelphia, 1985); Chancellor V., The Political Life
of Joseph Hume 1777-1855: The Scot who was for over 30 years a radical leader in the British House
of Commons, (London, 1986).
4 Hansard T. C., Parliamentary debates, New Series, V, 7 June 1821, p. 1148.
5 Ibid., p. 1149.
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