GREECE. 



GREEK CHURCH. 



413 



Islands came to an end on the 2d of June. On 

 that day, at eleven ox-lock, the last remaining 

 regiment in this citadel marched out, and their 

 guard at the main gate was relieved by a Greek 

 guard of gensdarmerie. At noon the command- 

 er of the English forces, Sir Robert Garrett, ac- 

 companied by his staff, mounted to the flag-staff 

 of the citadel, and as the British red ensign was 

 unfurled at the mam of the MwTbonyugh, the 

 English colors at Cape Sidero, Fort Neuf, and 

 Vido were simultaneously lowered, and the blue 

 and white flag of Greece was hoisted in their 

 place. A salute was fired by the Greek artillery 

 from what but a minute before had been the 

 English saluting battery. The Marlborough re- 

 plied in splendid style, and the union of the 

 Ionian Islands with Greece was consummated. 

 The reports in most of the English papers inti- 

 mated that the lonians were regretting their 

 severance from the English government; but 

 Uiis assertion is not borne out by facts. On 

 the contrary, everywhere the event was cele- 

 brated with" the utmost enthusiasm. The senti- 

 ments expressed in the following farewell ad- 

 dress from the Municipal Council of Corfu to the 

 parting English, may be regarded as the opinion 

 of the immense majority of the lonians. 



By a generous decision of your august Queen, the 

 wishes of this Grecian land hare been granted, and 

 vou are about to leave this island, on which you have 

 resided with us for half a century ; and nobly have 

 you behaved toward us. The Municipal Council of 

 this island, under the influence of the unspeakable 

 joy which it experiences in this memorable change in 

 its destiny, at the moment of its entering a new ca- 

 reer of national existence, cannot, without emotion, 

 witness vour departure and leave unexpressed the 

 sentiments of sympathy that it entertains for the 

 great nation to which you belong. As free citizens 

 of a free nation you will not be indignant at the exu- 

 berant joy of a people passing from foreign protec- 

 tion to national liberty, nor will you consider it in 

 any way connected with your departure, which affects 

 us" exceedingly, and causes us to express from our 

 hearts the warmest wishes for your welfare, and for 

 that of your ties of illustrious country to which we 

 feel bound by gratitude and hope. Farewell, brave 

 sons of England ! Forget, as we do, whatever may 

 tend to mar our mutual love. Love us, as we love 

 you, and desire that we may imitate your national 

 virtues. 



On the 6th of June the King of Greece ar- 

 rived at Corfu, and was enthusiastically cheer- 

 ed by the people. On July 30th the Ionian rep- 

 resentatives arrived at Athens, and then* recep- 

 tion may be described as a perfect national fc-te. 

 The elections, after a short debate, were all de- 

 clared valid, the oath of allegiance was taken, 

 and the fusion of the two countries in the as- 

 sembly was complete. 



King George was too young to effect person- 

 ally any marked influence upon the politics of 

 the country; and his chief adviser, Count 

 Sponneok, soon became extremely unpopular. 

 The passionate conflict between the parties con- 

 tinued, and sometimes even turned against the 

 new king, to whom, on August 26, a member 

 of the National Assembly addressed the follow- 

 ing insulting letter : 



ATITEXS, August 2& 



SIKE : To expel Otho, a sovereign, who, as an indi- 

 vidual, we acknowledged to be a worthy man, we 

 Hellenes did not hesitate to stake the fate of our 

 countrv, because the royalty under Otho had become 

 a centre of intrigue. Sire, the whole of the capital 

 of the kingdom is convinced, and within two days all 

 Greece will be so likewise, that your court has de- 

 scended in a mass into the political arena, and made 

 use of your name in a scandalous manner on the oc- 

 casion of the election of President for the National 

 Assembly. Shre the object of the contest for the 

 presidency was evidently the correction of your court, 

 which for some time past has been conspiring against 

 the oath made by the constitutional king toward the 

 nation a court which a great national majority is 

 endeavoring, by peaceful measures, to replace in its 

 proper sphere. Corruption has, however, gained the 

 day, and the victory of the courtiers is both preju- 

 dicial to the king and a misfortune to the nation. 

 Sire : the policy now pursued alienates the king from 

 the love of the people, a love on which you have 

 based your strength and your authority. Greece 

 cannot possiblv tolerate such a course, and myself, 

 the most humble of your subjects, moved by the" grief 

 which I feel, from my attachment to my king and to 

 my country, supplicate your majesty to save from 

 further embarrassment the land in which you have 

 declared you wish to live and die a Hellene. 



Your Majestv's very sincere and very obedient 

 subject, EUTHIMIO PLASTERAS, 



Kepresentative of Lepanto. 



The assembly expressed its indignation at this 

 letter, on Friday, Aug. 26, by a majority of 193 

 to 27; twenty-eight members abstaining from 

 voting. 



GREEK CHURCH. The Greek Church is a 

 kind of ecclesiastical confederacy, consisting, 

 hitherto, of ten groups of churches which, 

 while professing the same faith, were inde- 

 pendent of each other in point of administra 

 tion.* 



The year 1864 has produced some important 

 changes in the mutual relations of these groups 

 of churches. The churches of the Ionian Isl- 

 ands were, in consequence of the union of the 

 Islands with Greece, detached from the patri- 

 archate of Constantinople, and connected with 

 the Holy Synod of Athens. The Churches of 

 the Danubian principalities were likewise de- 

 tached from the Patriarchate of Constantinople 

 and proclaimed to be an independent Church. 

 In Austria, where, hitherto, all the Greek 

 churches were subordinate to the Archbishop 

 of Carlowitz, they have now been separated 

 into two distinct organizations, one of which is 

 formed by the dioceses of the Serbian nation- 

 ality, which remain under the jurisdiction of 

 the Archbishop of Carlowitz. while the othei 

 will embrace the dioceses of the Roumanian 

 nationality, for which a new Archbishopric has 

 been established in Transylvania. 



The most important event in the Greek 

 Church is the movement toward intercom- 

 munion with the Anglican Churches. This 

 movement is greatly enlisting the interest of 

 the Russians. An interesting account of the 

 disposition of the heads of the Russian Church 

 with regard to this subject was published last 



* For a full account of these ten groups see 4.v>TAL Cv 

 CLOP.EDIA for 1863, p. 404. 



