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Consul Spiridion Foresti.

Id: 0837
Subject: International
Category: Letter
Language: English
Archive: The National Archives
Collection: FO: Records created or inherited by the Foreign Office
Reference: FO 42
Folder: FO 42/8 1806
Page range:6-9
Dispatch date: 08-02-1806
Dispatcher: Foresti Spiridion (Grand Vizier)
Recipient: Mulgrave (The Right Honorable Lord)
Tags: International     

Abstract:

Επιστολή (Αρ.2) του Φορέστη (Κέρκυρα 8 Φεβρουαρίου 1806) προς τον The Right Honorable Lord Mulgrave His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for the Foreign Department με την οποία τον ενημερώνει για τα ρωσικά στρατεύματα τα οποία θα επιστρέψουν πίσω στην Μαύρη Θάλασσα. Μία μεραρχία από περίπου 1.500 στρατιώτες, που προορίζονταν για την φύλαξη των νησιών της Ζακύνθου και της Κεφαλονιάς, αποφασίστηκε να σταλούν πίσω χωρίς καθυστέρηση με βρετανικά μεταγωγικά σκάφη. Επίσης, ο Φορέστης αναφέρεται και στις επιπτώσεις από τις πολεμικές επιχειρήσεις στο εμπόριο των Επτανήσων, το οποίο αντιμετωπίζει σημαντικές δυσχέρειες. Επίσης κάνει αναφορά στην πιιθανότητα να καταστεί η Τεργέστη ελεύθερο λιμάνι γεγονός που μπορεί να έχει σημαντικές επιπτώσεις στο βρετανικό εμπόριο στην περιοχή. H πρόταση του Φορέστη είναι ο βρετανικός ναυτικός αποκλεισμός.
Συγκεκριμένα γράφει:
I have to observe to Your Lordship that the commercial interests of these islands and of Corfu in particular, are likely to suffer much injury from Venice, Trieste etc. being in possession of the French under the present circumstances of their political relations with other European powers. This year crop of oil, the only staple production of this island, amounting to seven thousand butts (an average crop each of 350 gallons English tone measure) and which is generally all sent to Venice, remains at present unsold; and from the present relations between France and Great Britain it is likely that this branch of commerce will be totally suspended to the great loss and detriment of the inhabitants in general.
As the states fordering on the Adriatic cannot subsist without commerce and least of all the city of Venice, it is likely that the French in their arrangement with Austrian will declare Trieste to be a free port with certain exceptions injurious to British Commerce. To counteract or remove such serious disadvantages it might be expedient to blockade the whole gulph, as the French did I the year 1797, effecting the same completely by stationing two or three frigates at the entrance of it.
Notwithstanding these circumstances the strong naval force of Russia here remains inactive.



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