384 



GEEECE. 



inal offenders in England and Wales in 1865 

 (we have no later returns) were : committed 

 for trial, 19,614; convicted, 14,740; acquitted, 

 4,842. In Scotland: committed for trial, 2,56V; 

 convicted, 2,360 ; acquitted, 207. In Ireland, 

 committed for trial, 4,657; convicted, 2,663; 

 acquitted, 1,966. These numbers are exclusive 

 of the arrests and summary trials of the police 

 and police courts. Still the statistics indicate 

 a great decrease in crime, and a better organ- 

 ized administration of justice than formerly. 



GREECE, a kingdom in Europe. King, 

 George I., second son of the King of Denmark, 

 born December 24, 1845 ; elected " King of the 

 Hellenes " by the National Assembly of Athens, 

 March 18, (old style, 30), 1863. Area, about 

 20,105 miles, population (in 1861) 1,329,236, 

 and, according to a census of 1864, above 1,400,- 

 000. The budget for 1866 estimated the rev- 

 enue at 28,337,600, and the expenditures at 

 27,192,840, drachmas (one drachma is about 

 equal to eighteen cents). The public debt, ac- 

 cording to the statements made by the Govern- 

 ment to the Legislature in 1865, was 11,000,- 

 000 sterling, or 308,000,000 drachmas ; accord- 

 ing to the Almanack de Paris (1865) it amount- 

 ted to 450,000,000 drachmas.* 



A new ministry was formed on February 6th, 

 under the presidency of Roufos ; another on June 

 16th, under the presidency of Bulgaris. The 

 latter was on December 30th succeeded by one 

 under the presidency of Oomondouros. 



The government and the people of Greece 

 took a profound interest in the insurrection of 

 Candia. Committees were formed to supply 

 them with money and arms, and thousands of 

 volunteers rushed to their aid. In order to 

 embarrass the Turks, efforts were also made in 

 Greece to stir up insurrectionary movements in 

 the Turkish provinces of Epirus and Thessaly. 

 In September, the Government addressed a 

 note to the three protecting powers, asking 

 their intervention in behalf of the Cretans. 



Early in December the French and English 

 ministers in Athens made serious representa- 

 tions to the Hellenic government, in consequence 

 of an order issued for the despatch to the 

 northern frontier of three bodies of troops, and 

 of other warlike preparations which had for 

 some time past been going on in Greece. These 

 remonstrances, however, produced no effect ; 

 the troops were forwarded without delay, and 

 the only explanation the foreign ministers were 

 able to obtain from the Greek president of the 

 ministry relative to the acts mentioned was 

 that these troops were intended to keep in 

 check the organized bands of brigands, which, 

 he alleged, frequently fell upon the neighbor- 

 ing districts in Greece, and created a continual 

 state of disquietude and consternation among 

 the inhabitants. He added that he could not 

 conceive how such a measure could be looked 

 on as implying any menace to Turkey, as the 

 troops would, on the contrary, have the effect 



* For latest statistics of army, navy, and merchant-vessels, 

 gee ANNUAL CTCLOP-EDIA for 1865. 



of securing that State against any risings in its 

 southern districts an event which he could 

 not look upon as improbable, considering the 

 disturbed state of the public mind. 



Public opinion was dissatisfied with the 

 ministry of Bulgaris as not 'going far enough in 

 aiding the Greeks, and when the new cham- 

 bers met, on December 22d, the candidate of 

 the opposition was elected president by an al- 

 most unanimous vote. In consequence of this 

 vote,' Bulgaris tendered his resignation, and a 

 new ministry was formed, on the 30th of De- 

 cember, as follows: Comondouros, President 

 and Home Minister; Botzaris, Minister of War; 

 Ch. Tricoupi, Minister for Foreign Affairs; 

 Kehaya, Finance ; Christopulos, Justice ; Lom- 

 bardo, Marine. On December 31st, Comon- 

 douros addressed the Legislature, giving the 

 following account of the home and foreign 

 affairs : 



You are aware that the public security is not in a 

 satisfactory condition, that the power of the law has 

 become weakened, and that our financial position is 

 very sad. We have but little money in the exchequer, 

 we are over head and ears in debt, and our army is 

 in the greatest want. You are aware, gentlemen, that 

 our soldiers are entirely without those modern fire- 

 arms and equipments which all other European gov- 

 ernments have deemed it necessary to adopt. Such 

 is the picture of our actual condition. Our duty is 

 to respond to the desires of the nation ; to organize 

 pur finances by means of judicious retrenchments, 

 indispensable loans, and taxes legally imposed upon 

 articles generally ; to improve the administration ; 

 to place the equipment of our army on a level with 

 that of the other armies of Europe ; to put really 

 into practice the constitutional provisions respecting 

 the national guard ; to give vigor to the laws ; and, 

 in tine, to reestablish public order, which is the 

 sole basis upon which we can rely in order to obtain 

 the required results. 



With respect to foreign affairs, our desire is to 

 maintain friendly relations with all the powers, and 

 the efforts of the Government will be earnestly di- 

 rected to the attainment of that object ; but although 

 such is our intention, and the Hellenic kingdom 

 neither desires nor invites troubles, an event has 

 taken place altogether independent of its will; a 

 commotion has occurred in neighbouring countries 

 arising from local causes, for which Greece is in no 

 way responsible-, but which threatens, nevertheless, 

 to compromise its internal order and the harmony of 

 its foreign relations. Is it possible that the Hellenic 

 people can remain indifferent in presence of women 

 and children whom the beneficent hand of the pro- 

 tecting powers has saved and landed upon our soil ? 

 If these events have touched our august benefactors, 

 what much greater emotion must they have caused 

 us, who are united to the people of Crete by the ties 

 of a common origin, a common religion, and the 

 gratitude which we owe them for having contributed 

 to our independence ? But even in presence of these 

 sentiments we wish to fulfil faithfully the duties 

 which neutrality imposes upon Greece. No one can 

 blame us if we, also, lend every assistance to the 

 fugitives. No one can make it a matter of reproach 

 to Greece, that, while on the one part she respects 

 the international rights of others, she at the same 

 time does not forget the duties of neutrality of the 

 Hellenic people. What Hellenic Government could 

 possibly forget them ? 



I have said already, and you know it yourselves, 

 gentlemen, that the position in which the Cretan in- 

 surrection has placed Greece is essentially a false 

 position, since it has been considered possib'e that 



