GREECE. 



383 



cils; rails, spikes, etc., for railways; sewing- 

 machines; diving apparatus; type; pipe for 

 water, etc. ; nails, screws, and parts of machin- 

 ery ; violins and other similar instruments, as 

 well as all musical instruments made from either 

 wood or metal ; all scientific instruments; clocks 

 and parts thereof intended for public buildings ; 

 paper-pulp; emery-paper; asphaltum, paste- 

 board, and paper ; looking-glasses, spy -glasses, 

 India-rubber hose and sheets, and vessels of all 

 kinds. There was a further notable special 

 concession made to Germany, that of admitting 

 duty free German spirit intended to be mixed 

 with wine. 



The Grseco-German Commercial Treaty. This in- 

 strument was signed at Athens on July 9th, 

 and ratified by the Greek Chamber at the third 

 reading on Dec. 30, 1884. While on the part 

 of Greece the duties are lowered and the above- 

 named articles admitted duty free, Germany 

 has reduced the duty on currants from twenty- 

 four marks to eight marks the 100 kilogrammes, 

 as was done with raisins under the provisions 

 of the Hispano-Germ&n commercial treaty of 

 1883. In 1882 Germany imported 62,157 met- 

 rical cwts. of 100 kilogrammes currants; in 

 1883, 73,258. The concession made by Ger- 

 many was therefore quite important. 



Viticulture* The amount of currants and 

 grapes annually exported from Greece aggre- 

 gates in value between 50,000,000 and 70,000,- 

 000 francs. The currant-crop begins in August, 

 and nearly the entire amount produced is ex- 

 ported before the year comes to a close. The 

 shipments on Dec. 31, 1884, had reached 77,- 

 133 tons from theMorea; 8,062 from Cepha- 

 lonia, and 11,810 from Zante together 97,005 

 tons, against 84,212 tons in 1883, and 82,074 in 

 1882. Wine-making is also gaining in im- 

 portance rapidly, and the Greek wines are 

 highly esteemed, both at home and abroad. 



Lead-Mines. The Laurium mines, originally 

 worked by the ancient Greeks, since 1873 have 

 been the property of a French company that 

 works them successfully, producing during the 

 first half of 1884, 3,926 tons of lead, of 2,240 

 pounds, worth 1,877,558 francs, and leaving a 

 net profit of 325,323 francs. Since 1873 the 

 company has distributed 92'55 francs per share 

 in dividends. The lead is argentiferous, and 

 the bullion is shipped to France and England 

 to be desilverized. 



Isthmus of Corinth Canal. In this work, of the 

 8,000,000 cubic metres of earth to be removed, 

 1,300,000 had been dug at the close of 1884, 

 by means of enormous dredging-machines op- 

 erating at both ends of the canal. On the side 

 of Corinth there was only a kilometer and a 

 half offering technical difficulties, but at Kala- 

 maki the obstacles are greater; yet, as locomo- 

 tives and cars will assist in taking away the 

 earth, it is estimated that the canal will be 

 dug in three years. It will measure six kilo- 

 metres in a straight line. Even now, there is 

 a great movement of passengers at that point 

 over a branch line of the Athens-Patras Rail- 



road. More than 800 steamers now touch an- 

 nually at the two sides of the isthmus. The 

 Austrian Lloyd Steamship Company alone de- 

 clares that it will pass, of its own vessels, 1,000,- 

 000 tons per annum through the canal, as soon 

 as the transit shall be in operation. 



Railroads. There are now in operation, the 

 line from Athens to the Pira3us, 8 kilometres ; 

 the one from Volo to Larissa, 61 kilometres; 

 from Pyrgo to Katakolo, 12 kilometres ; from 

 the Piraeus to Eleusis, 36 kilometres ; and from 

 Kalamaki to Corinth, 9 kilometres: together, 

 126 kilometres. Rapid progress was made in 

 1884 on the line from Athens to the Laurium 

 lead-mines, and in October it was reported 

 that a syndicate of German bankers had been 

 formed for the purpose of constructing a rail- 

 road from Larissa to the Graeco-Turkish fron- 

 tier, and thence to Salonica, where it will join 

 the Turkish system of railways. The Govern- 

 ment is ready to guarantee the interest on the 

 bonds to be issued to build this line. 



Telegraphs. The number of offices in opera- 

 tion in 1883 was 127; length of lines, 5,952 

 kilometres ; of wire, 6,223. Number of mes- 

 sages sent, 617,525. Receipts, 896,031 francs ; 

 expenses, 953,030 francs. Early in July, 1884, 

 the islands of the ^Egean Archipelago were 

 united by a submarine cable with the Greek 

 land-lines. The British " Eastern Telegraphy 

 Company " obtained the privilege of working 

 this cable, and, after securing the concession, 

 immediately laid the cable. 



Postal Service. The number of post-offices in 

 1883 was 213, forwarding 5,081,739 letters and 

 postal-cards, 3,185,388 newspapers, and 84,- 

 356 pamphlets and samples: together, 8,351,- 

 483 items of mail matter. Receipts in the 

 same year, 903,563 francs; expenses, 565,861 

 francs. 



Commerce. The foreign trade movement in 

 Greece, during the period from 1879 to 1883, 

 was as follows : 



The total commercial movement in 1883 was 

 distributed as follows : 



The chief articles imported and exported in 

 1883 were : 



