508 



HABEAS CORPUS. 



she was returning from her model farm at 

 Parnes, seven miles from Athens, a man step- 

 ped forward and fired a pistol at her. He 

 missed his aim, and was arrested on the spot ; 

 he proved to be a young man of high family, a 

 nephew of Mavrocordatos, and a son of parents 

 who had been illustrious both for patriotism and 

 intellectual ability. His name was Aristides 

 Dosias. He freely admitted the act, and justi- 

 fied it on the ground of patriotic devotion to 

 his country's welfare, which the queen had 

 imperilled. His trial caused great excitement 

 throughout Greece, and when found guilty, and 

 condemned to death, the queen commuted his 

 sentence to imprisonment for life. A few 

 months later, a conspiracy for the assassination 

 of Otho was discovered just in time to save his 

 life. Warned by these and other incidents, the 

 king at first seemed disposed to satisfy his sub- 

 jects, and about the 1st of January, 1862, sum- 

 moned Canaris, a brave and patriotic Ipsariot, 

 to form a ministry. The old patriot addressed 

 to the king a memorial, in which he stated the 

 conditions under which he would be willing to 

 serve in this capacity ; these were : 1st, the dis- 

 solution of the chambers, which had been frau- 

 dulently elected, and the guaranty of a per- 

 fectly free election of their successors ; 2d, the 

 formation of a national guard, and, 3d, the re- 

 lieving of the press from the censorship which 

 had paralyzed it. The king was not at all 

 pleased with this programme, and fearing lest 

 Canaris should present a list of patriotic min- 

 isters, he dismissed him, and the same day the 

 profligate and corrupt tools who served the 

 king as ministers, announced to the chambers 

 that it had never been intended that they should 

 be removed. " So then Canaris was only called 

 to the court to be made a buffoon?" was the 

 stinging reply. The nation was exasperated, 

 but not quite ripe for revolution. In the reac- 

 tion from his spasm of penitence the king 

 showed himself more of a despot than before. 

 More than a thousand patriots were arrested 

 and thrown into prison on the charge of hav- 

 ing intended to conspire against the Govern- 

 ment, and maddened by this tyranny, a num- 

 ber of officers in the mountain fortress of Pala- 

 mede, overlooking the city of Nauplia, on the 

 12th of February, 1862, proclaimed a revolt. 

 Among them were Col. Coroneos, who had 

 been an officer in the English, French, and 

 German service; Col. Zimbrakaki, who had 

 distinguished himself in the French service in 

 the Crimea; Commander Artemis, and Lieut. 

 Grivas, both officers greatly beloved by the sol- 



diers. The Nauplians and the citizens of the 

 vicinity responded to the call, but the country 

 generally was not ready, and after a siege of 

 two months, in which some sharp actions were 

 fought, and Coroneos wounded, and made pris- 

 oner, they finally capitulated on the 20th of 

 April, an amnesty being granted to all except 

 19, who were required to leave the country. 

 This amnesty was disregarded, and the officers 

 and men who had capitulated were thrown 

 into prison. Meantime another insurrection 

 had broken out on the island of Syra, at the 

 head of which were Leotzakos, a distinguished 

 Greek officer, and Moraitines, son of an eminent 

 judge. In a naval battle at Thermia between 

 the insurgents and Otho's forces, these two 

 brave leaders were killed and their forces de- 

 feated ; but the Syrans would not submit, nor 

 yield allegiance to the king. As the summer 

 approached, the evidences of the discontent of 

 the people became more alarming, and the Gov- 

 ernment resorted to more high handed measures 

 to repress insurrection. The criminals were 

 set free from the prisons to plunder the patriots, 

 and their places filled by the best citizens of 

 Greece. The press was prohibited from utter- 

 ing the sentiments of the people, and the cham- 

 bers, though filled by those who had been 

 the friends of Government, were awed into 

 silence by force. The people in June and 

 July were shouting for Amadeus (second son 

 of Victor Emanuel) under the walls of the 

 palace. At length, the king on the 23d of 

 September prorogued the chambers, which he 

 could not wholly silence, to November; and 

 the people felt that the time for action had 

 come. On the 20th of October, the king find- 

 ing his power and influence gone, abdicated in 

 favor of his brother. A provisional govern- 

 ment was formed at Patras, under the presi- 

 dency of Demetri Bulgaris, and proclaimed the 

 deposition of the Bavarian dynasty ; and on 

 the 24th of October, almost unattended, and 

 in fear and trembling, the royal pair went on 

 board ship at Nauplia, and left forever that 

 Greece which for thirty years they had so 

 abused and oppressed. 



The provisional government ordered an 

 election for a king, and Prince Alfred of Eng- 

 land was chosen by an almost unanimous vote ; 

 but as the agreement between the three pro- 

 tecting powers forbade the elevation of a prince 

 of either house to the Greek throne, it has since 

 been offered to the ex-king of Portugal, and to 

 the duke of Saxe Coburg and Gotha, but was 

 declined by both. 



H 



HABEAS COKPUS. The arrest and con- 

 finement of persons by orders from the Secre- 

 tary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, continued 

 nearly to the close of the year 1862 in the same 

 manner as in 1861. (See ANNUAL CYCLOPE- 



DIA, 1861 : HABEAS CORPUS.) It was declared by 

 those citizens who were opposed to these pro- 

 ceedings, that they were in violation of the 

 following amendments to the Constitution of 

 the United States : 



