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

forms of rule were being explored by Young and the Colonial Office. Young, having
inherited Ward’s policies and a deadlocked system of administration, maintained
authoritarian rule. Although he was able to work with the eleventh Assembly and
pass some legislation, the publication of his stolen dispatches, in which he advocated
cession of the southern islands to Greece and making Corfu a colony, led to his
recall. Gladstone replaced Young and was asked to find solutions for governing the
Islands that did not include cession. Gladstone, who had been involved in colonial
matters, suggested Britain offer the Ionians responsible government. This chapter
analyses Gladstone’s vision as to how the Islands could remain in the Empire and be
reconnected with Britain.
Chapter seven describes the authoritarian policies of the last Lord High
Commissioner, Sir Henry Storks (1859-1864). After Gladstone’s failed mission,
Storks resisted vocal discontent from the radicals about the continuance of the
Protectorate. He opposed Ionian and British designs for the cession of the Islands to
Greece, believing the demand for union was unconstitutional and that he could find a
way to govern the Islands. He believed authoritarian rule and material advancement
safeguarded the Islands for the Empire. In Britain, both houses of Parliament
continued their discussions about the Islands, including the idea of union with
Greece as part of British foreign policy. Britain, after having found a suitable
candidate for the Greek throne with the consensus of the European Powers, then
allowed cession of the Islands to occur.
72