GREECE. 



409 



Commerce and Production. The mainstay 

 of Greek commerce is the small Corinthian 

 raisin, called, by a corruption of language, the 

 currant in English, which thrives in the south- 

 ern shores of the Gulf of Corinth, a part of the 

 western shores of the Peloponnesus, and the is- 

 lands of Zante and Cephalonia, but degenerates 

 when transplanted to other parts of Greece, and 

 has failed also in Asia Minor and California. 

 The area suitable for this grape is now almost 

 covered with vineyards. The crop, which in 

 1859 amounted to only 33,950 tons, varied from 

 42,800 to 65,794 tons between 1860 and 1870, rose 

 steadily to 100,700 tons in 1878 and 133,036 in 

 1884, and has since fallen to 127,300 in 1887. 

 The demand of Germany and the north of 

 Europe has grown to about 18,000 tons a year, 

 and that of the United States to 15,000 tons. 

 In England, which was formerly the sole market, 

 these currants constitute an important article 

 of diet, being largely consumed by the coal 

 miners especially, who mix them in a nutritious 

 kind of coarse cake, and this use, since they con- 

 tain a small proportion of alcohol, they are be- 

 lieved to act as a deterrent to the abuse of in- 

 toxicants in the north of England. In France, 

 during the ravages of the phylloxera, it was dis- 

 covered that a palatable kind of wine could be 

 fabricated from dried currants, and in conse- 

 quence a large demand sprung up which greatly 

 stimulated production. The restoration of the 

 French vineyards and the attitude of the Pro- 

 tectionists, who demanded that an excise duty 

 should be placed on wines made from raisins of 

 all kinds, suddenly closed this market. The 

 Greek minister in 'London was sent on a special 

 mission to Washington in 1888, and through his 

 efforts the duty of 1 cent a pound, equal to 28 

 per cent, ad valorem, was taken off, and in the 

 various tariff bills currants have figured on the 

 free list, without any corresponding concession 

 having been promised by Greece. In Great 

 Britain the Greek Government strove to obtain 

 the remission of the import duty on currants, 

 which had been reduced in 1859 from 15s. 9d. to 

 7s. per 100 Ibs., which was still nearly 50 per 

 cent, ad valorem, and which weighed with excep- 

 tional severity on the poorer classes, since dearer 

 kinds of dried fruit paid the same specific duty, 

 and raw and preserved fruits consumed by the 

 rich were admitted duty free. The British im- 

 port of currants was 54,000 tons in 1888-'89 and 

 50,000 tons in 1889-90. In 1890 Mr. Goschen 

 was in a position to forego the 350,000 of rev- 

 enue derived from this article ; yet the British 

 Government would not agree to take off the 

 duty unless Greece made equivalent alterations 

 in her tariff for the benefit of British manufact- 

 ures. A convention was concluded which is 

 open to the question, not yet decided in inter- 

 national law, whether other countries entitled to 

 most-favored-nation treatment can claim entry 

 for their products at the reduced rates accorded 

 to British goods in return for a specific conces- 

 sion. The lowering of the duty in 1859 sent up 

 the amount of the consumption in the United 

 Kingdom from 24,110 tons in that year to 32,081 

 in the year immediately following and 40,103 in 

 1865. The new reduction to 2s., which is almost 

 tantamount to the entire repeal of the duty, is 

 expected to give a still greater stimulus to the 



British importation of currants. To obtain from 

 France the same duty as is levied on Turkish 

 raisins the Greek Government offered to reduce 

 the tariff rates on fine silks and French wines. 

 In Belgium the decline in the price of currants 

 has brought the duty up to 50 per cent, ad valo- 

 rem. The Greek Cabinet opened negotations 

 with the Belgian Government to secure a con- 

 vention like that concluded with England in 

 April, offering in exchange for a reduction to 10 

 or 15 per cent, to grant advantages to Belgian 

 producers of iron manufactures, steel rails, paper, 

 and cotton goods. 



Railroads. There were 364 miles of railroads 

 open for traffic in 1889, while 237 miles were 

 building and 433 miles more were projected. 

 The Government, in May, 1890, raised a loan of 

 50,000,000 drachmai, bearing 5 per cent, interest, 

 which was taken by British and German capi- 

 talists at 89 per cent. This was only half the 

 amount that was authorized, but subscribers 

 could not be found for the remainder. The cost 

 of the International Larissa Railroad, for which 

 this money has been raised, is estimated at 55,- 

 000,000 drachmai. The Peloponnesus system is 

 being constructed 120 miles from Pyrgo to Nava- 

 rinOj and from Megalopolis to Sparta, having 

 been ordered in April, 1890, to complete the 

 Myli Kalamatta lines. 



Political Crisis. The extraordinary session 

 of the Chamber was closed on June 13, the ob- 

 structive tactics of the Opposition having pre- 

 vented the Government from carrying any meas- 

 ure of importance. The new taxes for restoring 

 the financial equilibrium and strengthening the 

 army and navy were a source of weakness to the 

 Government that imposed them. The apparent 

 failure of the conciliatory policy toward Turkey 

 and the neutral attitude that she adopted in the 

 Cretan question turned the scale against Tri- 

 coupis. There were about 1,500 Cretan refugees 

 at Athens in the spring of 1890, for whose sup- 

 port the Government contributed 2,000,000 

 drachmai. A large proportion of them returned 

 after the state of siege was raised on the island. 

 The Porte proceeded, without regard to Greek 

 susceptibilities, to settle the Cretan question by 

 depriving the Christians of a large part of the 

 powers of self-government that had formly been 

 granted, at the risk of precipitating a fresh in- 

 surrection. By suppressing the official use of 

 the Greek language in Epirus and other anti- 

 Hellenic measures it aggravated the situation, 

 and finally came the conflict with the Greek 

 patriarchate over the investiture of Bulgarian 

 bishops to complicate matters. During the elect- 

 oral campaign Tricoiipis gave a freer rein to 

 the Cretan and Panhellenic agitation, provoking 

 the Porte to repressive measures, supported the 

 CEcumenical Patriarch in his quarrel with the 

 Ottoman Government, and made Panhellenic 

 speeches without being able to turn the tide. 

 He was accused of having first encouraged the 

 Cretan insurgents, and then abandoning them to 

 their fate. With more justice he was blamed for 

 advising the islanders not to oppose the intro- 

 duction of a Turkish force, which had them at 

 its mercy when the strategical positions were 

 occupied. The firman of November, 1889, fol- 

 lowed, extinguishing the privileges assured in 

 the organic statute, and confirmed by the Berlin 



