GREECE. 



373 



no quorum had been present when they were 

 passed. The treaty with Germany relative to 

 the excavations in Olympia was again sanc- 

 tioned. The three hishops who had been ap- 

 pointed by the cabinet of Bulgaria were like- 

 wise impeached. The chronic disagreement 

 between ministry and Chamber again showed 

 itself in December, when Deligeorgis violently 

 opposed the appropriation demanded for the 



foreign embassadors and their secretaries. 

 The prime-minister threatened to resign if the 

 Chamber should refuse to make the demanded 

 appropriations, and the Chamber took sides 

 with him by acknowledging the necessity of 

 maintaining embassadors at Paris, London, 

 and St. Petersburg, and voting the appropria- 

 tions. The vote was 98 yeas and 42 nays. The 

 budget proposed for the coming year showed 



GENERAL VIEW OF MODERN ATHENS (FROM A RECENT PHOTOGRAPH). 



a deficit of 2,000,000 drachmas. On December 

 15th the twelve members of the high court 

 which is to try the impeached ministers were 

 selected by lot. 



The original Laurion* Company, which al- 

 most provoked an international conflict while 

 working the surface of Laurion, had made an 

 interesting discovery. The company had pur- 

 chased the subsoil corresponding to that sur- 

 face. This subsoil, which was not explored, 

 or, at least, not avowedly so, remained un- 

 worked and unknown. The company having 

 sold only the surface to their successors, an 

 engineer was directed by the old company to 

 examine this subsoil. He set himself to search 

 for all the wells now filled up which had served 

 in ancient times for the working of the mines, 

 and discovered a certain number. He exam- 

 ined some of them, and was greatly surprised 

 to find in the centre of the tract, in one of the 

 mines which seemed abandoned for ages, the 

 miners' tools leaning against the walls, small 



*See ANNUAL CYCLOPEDIA for 1872 and 18T3, article 

 GBEECE. 



heaps of minerals ranged behind each tool, 

 the mine, in short, in the very state the Greeks 

 surprised, doubtless, by some unexpected at- 

 tack had left it. The mine or mines were not 

 abandoned, therefore, on account of their being 

 exhausted ; excavations were made, and im- 

 mense horizontal layers of silver, lead, and 

 calamine were found, all of incalculable rich- 

 ness. Operations were immediately arranged. 

 A third company, with a capital of 500,000, 

 has since been formed by the efforts of the 

 original concessionnaires. 



The Government has introduced the study 

 of the Turkish language into all the gymnasia 

 of the country. 



The Turkish embassador in Athens, in March, 

 reminded the Greek Government of an old debt. 

 Forty years ago the Government of Greece 

 promised to pay to the Greek Patriarch of 

 Constantinople a certain sum, for releasing the 

 Church of Greece from his jurisdiction, and 

 recognizing the Holy Synod. This sum has 

 never yet been paid. 



No sympathy was felt by the Greeks with 



