The request to His Majesty the King of Great Britain |
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To Colonel Woods, of the British Service, Commanding the Karelian Voluntary Regiment for representation of the following request to His Majesty the King of Great Britain In the name of all the Karelian Population, and as the result of many meetings and discussions, we have the great honour to forward to Your Majesty, the following: Before our Home Country was invaded by the White Guard Finns Karelia was for several centuries under the Rule of Russia. The Revolution which has expired has not given anything at all to alleviate the situation. We expected much to come from this source. After that, the Border of Karelia was forced and invaded by White Guards (Finns and Bolsheviks), with the idea to rob Karelia and put us under Finland. Then we went to the Commander of British Forces in Murmansk and received rifles and ammunition, and with our little force drove out the enemy who were a great many times stronger than we were. Karelia on its own is a very small country, being bordered on the West by Finland on the South by River Svir, on the East by Onega Lake and River and White Sea and on the North the Arctic Ocean. Karelia is thickly wooded and has many lakes and rivers in which there are many large rapids and waterfalls, and also a lot of various valuable minerals. It is centuries that Karelia has been under Russian Rule and slavery. Russia having all the power over Karelia was holding her in darkness, preventing any education and sucking all the goods out of us and Karelia never had any benefit from them. To live together with Russia, we cannot, and point blank refuse to do so. With Finland, which in a very low way attempted to govern our Homeland, after having robbed our villages, taking away our last penny, to be friends is an impossibility. We, the Population of Karelia, wish to thank His Majesty from the very bottom of our hearts for the aid he has given us in driving the White Guard Finns out of our beloved Country. We all desire, from the bottom of our hearts for the British Government to take us under their protection, giving us the right to govern Karelia as we desire. Delegates from all parts of Karelia wish to visit England and to let Britain know the History of Karelia and how the Country is at present. We do beseech the British to take Karelia as a British Protectorate, as every Power is tearing Karelia to pieces. This petition is laid down very much curtailed but we would like to lay before you all our requests once more, with all particulars, providing and certifying our requests with the signatures of the People in Karelia, which we would like to present to Your Majesty if Your Majesty would grant. We, the undersigned, have been selected by the Delegates of Karelia: Major G.Lezhev From the volosts of Kem and Aleksandrovsky uezds occupied by the Finnish Legion Representatives from the volosts of Kem uezd Kondokskaya volost Maslozerskaya volost Tungudskaya volost Uhtinskaya volost Yuchkozerskiya volost Pogosskaya volost Voknavolotskaya volost February 1919 |
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