GREECE. 



881 



ciiEECE, a kingdom in Southeastern Europe. 

 in nikr, George I., "King of the II. 1 

 horn December 24, 1815; the third son 

 of tin- King of Denmark. Minister of tho 

 -I states, at Athena, 0. K. Tuckerman, 

 accredited June 22, 1808. Area of Greece, 

 unhiding the Ionian Islands, 19,353 square 

 miles; population, according to the census of 

 I,:; 18,522. The population of the prin- 

 cipal dtie.i, in 1805, was: Athens, 41,298; 

 Corfu, 23,000; Zante, 20,000; Syra, 18,511; 

 H, 18,342. The revenue, according to 

 tho hudget for 1870, amounted to $0,070,000; 

 expenditure, $5,982,000. Public debt, $41,631,- 

 iJl'i. The army, newly organized, in 1807, 

 consists of 14,300 troops of the line, and 17,000 

 irregular troops. The fleet, in 1800, comprised 

 1 frigate of 50 guns ; 2 corvettes, together of 

 48 guns ; 1 side-wheel steamer of guns ; and 

 6 screw-steamers, together of 10 guns. Bo- 

 sides, there were 2 iron-clads and 20 smaller 

 vessels and gunboats. The value of the im- 

 ports, in 1805, was estimated at $10,110,050; 

 exports, $9,225,000. Tho number of vessels 

 entering Greek ports, in 1805, comprised 13,- 

 097 sea-faring vessels, together of 1,014,216 

 tons, and 79,590 vessels engaged in the coast- 

 ing trade, together of 2,052,508 tons. Clear- 

 ances, for trans-marine voyages, 12,291 vessels, 

 together of 1,484,830 tons; for the coast, 82,- 

 775 vessels, together, of 2,078,118 tons. The 

 merchant fleet, in 1806, consisted of 5,156 

 vessels, together of 297,424 tons ; among which 

 were 3,495 vessels for the coasting trade, to- 

 gether of 28,394 tons. 



The only railroad in operation in 1870 was 

 the road from Athens to tho Piraous, a dis- 

 tance of five miles. 



A great excitement was created throughout 

 the civilized world by the report of the capture 

 and subsequent murder of English and other 

 tourists by Greek brigands. On the llth of 

 April, a party of tourists left Athens in two 

 carriages, under the escort of four mounted 

 gendarmes, with the intention of visiting the 

 plains of Marathon. The company consisted 

 of Lord and Lady Muncaster; Mr. Frederick 

 Vynor ; Mr. Herbert, one of the secretaries to 

 tho British legation ; Count de Boyl, secretary 

 to the Italian legation; and Mr. and Mrs. 

 Lloyd, with their young child, five years of 

 age. They were accompanied by a Suliote 

 named Alexandros, the most experienced and 

 intelligent dragoman in Greece. On travers- 

 ing the plain they found a small detachment 

 of six infantry soldiers, and afterward a larger 

 one of twenty -five, apparently patrolling the 

 road. After exploring the scene of one of the 

 most interesting events in history, they started 

 to return to Athens. The detachment of 

 twenty-five men appears to have endeavored 

 to keep company with them, but was nnable 

 to do so, and they again passed the smaller 

 party of six men, who succeeded in keeping 

 tolerably close in their rear. At half-past four 

 p. M., entering a thickly- wooded part of the 



road near tho bridge of Pikerncas, two mounted 

 gendarmes riding one on either aide of tho 

 carriages, and two in front, a volley was sud- 

 denly tired into them, killing one of the gen- 

 darmes and mortally wounding another. The 

 road was immediately filled with brigands, 

 who forced the occupants out of the carriages, 

 using much violence, striking, though not 

 severely, Lady Muncastor, and tearing off her 

 watch and lockets, and menacing with knives 

 tho lives of all. They hurried their captives 

 up tho side of Mount Pcntelicus, but had 

 scarcely got fifty yards from the road when 

 the six infantry soldiers came up and at once 

 commenced firing into the brigands, who re- 

 turned the fire. The soldiers, finding them- 

 selves overmatched (the brigands being up- 

 ward of twenty in number), happily discon- 

 tinued the engagement, which would have 

 been probably fatal to the captives, who were 

 collected in a body in their midst. The brig- 

 ands then hurried their prisoners up the slopes 

 of Pentelicus, and after two hours' walking 

 they put the ladies on the horses of the dis- 

 mounted gendarmes, and, with one servant, 

 let them go to Athens. The rest of the 

 company were compelled to follow the brig- 

 ands until nightfall. On the following day, 

 they halted under some bushes, when it was 

 agreed to ask that one of their number be 

 allowed to go to Athens to arrange for pay- 

 ment of tho ransom of 25,000 demanded 

 by the brigands, and for an amnesty. They 

 arranged that Lord Muncaster should be the 

 person to go in and make the arrangements 

 necessary for his own and companions' re- 

 lease, a promise being exacted by the brig- 

 ands that, failing in his mission, he was to 

 return, and that the lives of the others de- 

 pended on his success. They promised to let 

 Lord Muncaster go that night, but did not do 

 so, as they could get no guide, and none of the 

 brigands dared to be seen with one of their 

 captives. On Tuesday, throughout the night, 

 they walked over boggy plains, and up and 

 down hills, wet through from heavy rain, in 

 which they lay down for three hours, till six 

 in the morning, when they started again and 

 then stopped for the day in a ravine, where a 

 shepherd was found and a small cart obtained, 

 in which Lord Muncaster proceeded to Athens. 

 He, of course, made immediate arrangements 

 for sending food and clothing to his unfortu- 

 nate friends, and for obtaining the money, 

 which was promptly and generously placed at 

 his disposal by a merchant in Athens. Tho 

 only difficulty lay in the transport of so large 

 a sum in gold. The Greek Government, in- 

 stead of devising means for the transmission 

 of tho ransom and the consequent release of 

 the prisoners, ordered troops to operate against 

 the robbers, who, being closely pressed in their 

 stronghold, cruelly murdered all the prisoners. 

 Upon this, strong representations were made 

 by the foreign powers to the Greek Govern- 

 ment, which led to tho resignation of General 



