CRETE. 



195 



Area and Population. The area of the island 

 is 3,326 square miles. The population on June 

 17, 1900, was 307,369, of whom 267,266 were 

 Orthodox Greeks, 33,281 Mohammedans, 726 

 Israelites, and 6,096 foreigners. Among the for- 

 eigners were 3,593 Greeks and 1,071 Turks. 

 Canea, the capital, had 20,972 inhabitants; Can- 

 dia, 22,331; Rethymo, 9,311. The population of 

 the several departments was: Heracleion, 92,- 

 958; Canea, 76,354; Laseithi, 53,165; Rethymo, 

 59,835; Sphakia, 25,057. The Greek orthodox 

 population of the island was by 62,256 persons 

 more numerous than in 1881, while the Mussul- 

 man element showed a decline of 39,955, the total 

 population having increased by 22,890. 



Finances. The budget for the financial year 

 ending Sept. 13, 1900, made the receipts 5,274,118 

 drachmas, of which 1,524,320 drachmas were de- 

 rived from direct taxation, 1,312,894 drachmas 

 from taxes on consumption, 124,000 drachmas 

 from monopolies, 802,671 drachmas from fees and 

 dues, 137,848 drachmas from domains and public 

 property, 125,748 drachmas from education re- 

 ceipts, 519,840 drachmas from other ordinary re- 

 sources, and 726,797 drachmas advanced by the 

 powers. The budget of expenditures was 5,274,118 

 drachmas, of which 729,300 drachmas were for 

 justice, 1,230,960 drachmas for the interior, 1,382,- 

 240 drachmas for communications and public 

 safety, 913,270 drachmas for public instruction 

 and worship, and 1,018,348 drachmas for finance. 

 There was a floating debt of 1,364,000 drachmas. 

 The military force is a militia, service in which 

 is obligatory on all Cretans. The powers prom- 

 ised to advance 4,000,000 drachmas, and of this 

 Italy had paid 1,000,000 drachmas, Russia 352,- 

 500 drachmas, and France and Great Britain 12,- 

 500 drachmas each before Sept. 13, 1900. The 

 financial condition of the island improved so 

 greatly that it was found unnecessary to raise 

 the loan of 4,000,000 drachmas authorized by the 

 Boule in 1900. There was, however, no money for 

 carrying out public works that the people de- 

 manded. The Boule neglected to appropriate 

 funds to indemnify foreigners who had suffered 

 losses during the civil war, although the powers 

 had fixed the amount of the indemnities to be 

 paid. In April, 1901, the Cretan Government re- 

 ceived a fresh communication from the powers 

 calling for immediate measures, and stating that 

 the chamber had no right to discuss their de- 

 cision. The money borrowed from the powers 

 was being used for coinage purposes, and against 

 this the English consul protested. A convention 

 was signed in August by the Cretan Government 

 and a delegate of the Ottoman Debt Commission 

 by which the latter renounced all rights in the 

 island in return for the payment of 1,500,000 

 drachmas and the concession of the salt monopoly 

 for twenty years. 



Commerce and Production. The principal 

 article of export is olive-oil. Minor exports are 

 soap, carobs, raisins, wine, almonds, lemons, 

 chestnuts, oranges, skins, cheese, animals, and 

 cocoons. Many sheep and goats are kept. In 

 1899 the value of imports was 12,351,105 drach- 

 mas, and of exports 6,600,198 drachmas. 



Political Affairs. Successive generations of 

 Christian Cretans have periodically risen in arms 

 against Ottoman rule, proclaimed annexation to 

 Greece, and fought valorously the Turkish nizams 

 with the battle-cry of union or death. Members 

 of every family found their death in these strug- 

 gles, and thereby hallowed the hope of union so 

 that no Cretan would be hardy enough to predict 

 a different destiny for his island. The Greeks of 

 Hellas, too, who have given their blood in this 



cause, regard it as not less sacred. The Cretan 

 insurrection of 1897 involved the Hellenes in the 

 disastrous war with Turkey, which the Hellenes 

 boldly undertook as soon as the six great powers 

 occupied the principal towns of Crete, compelling 

 both the Hellenes and the Turkish troops eventu- 

 ally to evacuate the island and the inhabitants 

 to cease their sanguinary conflict. The powers 

 imposed on Crete the present international regime, 

 which was manifestly designed to be a stepping- 

 stone to union, although they announced before 

 proceeding to the intervention which saved Greece 

 from the worst consequences of defoat that neither 

 victor nor vanquished would be allowed to profit 

 by the war. Cretan autonomy was recognized. 

 A Greek prince was called to take the executive 

 authority as High Commissioner of the interven- 

 ing powers. Although Prince Georgios took 

 office in the last days of 1898, it was not until 

 the month of July, 1899, that the Government was 

 handed over to him by the foreign officers who 

 w r ere in charge of the separate provinces. As a 

 ruler he gave general satisfaction both to the 

 Cretans and to the powers who gave him his com- 

 mission. As a Greek prince he was bound to 

 seize every opportunity to hasten annexation, and 

 Greek and Cretan politicians, in view of the un- 

 decided and provisional status in which Crete was 

 left, could not do otherwise than strive restlessly 

 for the speedy realization of this object. The 

 time, the manner, and the conditions of union 

 depended on the decision of the powers ; but inde- 

 cision has always marked their course in the East- 

 ern question, and their habit has been to allow a 

 decision to be snatched from them by a fait 

 accompli. This experience renders the Eastern 

 peoples more headstrong and uneasy, and none of 

 them are so restive and impatient as the Hellenes, 

 who have seen their hopes of aggrandizement 

 dashed by the unruly action of upstart nations, 

 while their own ambitious enterprises have earned 

 but small territorial advantages, and made them 

 poor and on the whole weaker. The moment was 

 not opportune for reopening the Cretan ques- 

 tion when Prince Georgios, late in 1900, made 

 the tour of the capitals of the protecting powers 

 to press for union with Greece at the expiration 

 of his commission in November, 1901. The early 

 withdrawal of Germany and Austria from the 

 joint control indicated sufficiently the difficulty of 

 bringing about an agreement of the great powers. 

 The very satisfactory nature of the Prince's rule 

 showed that Crete could go on longer under the 

 makeshift arrangement without detriment. After 

 taking hold of the Government he manifested ex- 

 ecutive ability of no mean order, which he had 

 developed as an officer of the Greek navy. He 

 proceeded with the disarmament of the people, 

 instituted courts that by the impartiality and jus- 

 tice of their decisions won respect for both the 

 law and the judges, created a gendarmerie which 

 under the training of Italian carabineers curbed 

 the crime and turbulence for which Cretans have 

 always been notorious, established everywhere an 

 efficient local administration, brought about bet- 

 ter relations between the Cretans and the Mussul- 

 man population, and even attempted, though with 

 indifferent success, to repatriate the Mussulmans 

 who had fled from the island. The threat of re- 

 tiring at the expiration of his mandate was the 

 only lever with which Prince Georgios could ex- 

 pect to bring any pressure to bear upon the four 

 powers, except his representation of the critical 

 state of mind on the island, where the people 

 were so excited that the new Boule shortly to be 

 elected would be likely to proclaim union with 

 Greece and bring about an uprising for its ac- 



