The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-14 00:00:00

ADVENTURE WITH GREEK BRIGANDS,

The following letter is from an Irish officer in the
navy to his relatives in Dublin, dated Athens, August
1 :—" Since my last letter, in which I gave you an ac-
count of our cruise among the islands looking for pirates,
we have been left quiet for some time ; but this state of
affairs did not last long, for there has been a great deal
of excitement caused by an adventures in which some of
our fellows were the principal heroes. On Sunday last
two pic-nic parties left Athens for the day, going to
the mountains around Pentilicus, one of which was
Greek, and the other an entertainment given at our
camp at Pentilicus by the French Secretary of Legation
to 17 or 13 gentlemen. Two of our officers rode out to
the camp, which is situated in a very cool, pleasant
place, and the day having passed over, they were re-
turning slowly down. a hill, between 9 and 10 o'clock in
the evening, within two miles of Athens, when they
saw two carriages at a standstill, which they sup-
posed were the parties of pleasure stopping for a
while. At the moment that the officers were pass-
ing, out jumped three fellows with muskets, who,
pointing them close to their heads, seized the
bridles of their horses and demanded money in
Greek. Being completely done for on all sides,
and not having the revolvers they usually carry along
with them on these country excursions, they were
obliged to yield and deliver up their purses. While
handing them out they were led towards a valley, where
they saw a set of ladies and children crying, with some
disconsolate men, who had just given up their watches
and money to the robbers. In taking the money from
one of the officers, the brigands let go the bridle of the
horse, which the other seeing, he cried out to his friend,
`Now is your time ;' with that he gave the rascal a blow
between his eyes, which sent him, gun and all, flat on his
back, and then they spurred their horses, darting forward
about six yards, when two shots were fired at them, one
of which struck the horse in the heart, killing him on
the spot, and throwing the rider on the road headlong.
The other ball went through M—'s coat above the
shoulder, grazing the skin, and passing afterwards by his
friend's head. Up again he got to mount the other horse,
when another shot was fired, and the horse fell groaning
on the ground, very nearly catching the rider under the
saddle. No sooner down than up again, and seeing no
one closer than 1,200 yards, the officers ran for it, as
hard as they could, making a guess that the muskets
could not be so quickly reloaded, and that the brigands
would have enough to do to mind their prisoners. Lucki-
ly, the officers got clear and reached Athens uncapped,
having lost their caps in the scrimmage. They then
went straight to the police-office, but they seemed so
slow, sending about to different people, that they thought
it better to complain to the ambassador, who sent a
special messenger down to make the Greek authorities
energetic, as it was thought the French Secretary's
party were still in durance vile. Even so, the
authorities seemed afraid, and sent back to the am-
bassador, who then went himself to the Minister of
War, and got 100 soldiers, but too late—the robbers
escaped. If the people can be believed, none were even
known to be about the place. The brigands were so
mad at the escape of the two officers that they said they
would have cut their throats if they had caught them,
for attempting to make off, as they thought the whole
garrison would be out on them when the information
reached—therefore they set all the prisoners free. One
of the detained was the Secretary of Police, whose
watch they kept as a souvenir, who passed with the
robbers for a tailor, he renouncing ali Governmental
honours. The French admiral and our ambassa-
dor will take this business in hand, and make the
Greek police have some energy and rapidity. In the
meantime all kinds of reports are flying, mostly exag-
gerated, but it is, on the whole, considered quite a
desperate case. The brigands are 16 in number, and if
the first three could be caught and shot the rest would
disperse. They were lying in wait for the captain's
party also (of which they had notice), but, not returning
to Athens until 3 o'clock in the morning, they escaped,
and got home safe. Our officers will always in future
carry their revolvers with them, so that both French
and English will not surrender again in a hurry."—
Dublin Freeman's Journal.

A letter in the Pays from Lille, mentions the arrival
there, on Wednesday, of Lady Raglan, on her way with
her family, to Paris. The widow of the late lamented
Field Marshal is, it is said, one of the visitors to the
Imperial court. _ _

BIRMINGHAM MUSICAL FESTlVAL.—Yesterday morn-
ing, at the Hanover-square Rooms, there was a full
rehearsal of Costa's new oratorio, Eli, composed for and
about to be performed at the approaching Birmingham
Ta'Activnl The reheasal was arranged by the Birmin,g•
ham committee, auu I*/"., of at,.,
mittee and "Orchestral Steward," came to town in
order to attend. All the principal singers were present ;
namely, Madame Castellan, Madame Viardot, Mr.
Sims Reeves, Herr Formes, and Mr. Weiss ; and there
was a full muster of the metropolitan members of the
•rchestra and chorus.

MEDICAL OFFICERS IN THE ARMY AND NAVY.—A
return has just appeared giving the names of persons ap-
pointed physicians, surgeons, assistant-surgeons, acting.
assistant-surgeons, and dressers to the army and in the
hospitals of Scutari, Smyrna, &c. The list occupies
a space of seven pages. A. large number of the medical
officers are qualified by regular diplomas, or by being
members of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons and Phy-
sicians. The dispensers are qualified by a general edu•
cation and apprenticeship under druggists, and were
mostly examined by the Messrs. Savory. The dressers
are qualified by simple attendance at hospitals.
SOUTHAMPTON, Monday, Aug. 13.—Her Royal High-
ness the Duchess of Kent and his Royal Highness the
Duke of Cambridge arrived at the docks to-day from
Osborne on board the Royal yacht Fairy, Captain
Crispin, and proceeded per South-Western Railway in
the Royal carriages to London at 3 o'clock. Viscount
Hardinge, Commander-in• Chief, left in the Fairy for
Osborne on a visit to her Majesty and Prince Albert.
THE FRENCH LOAN.—Messrs. Baring and Co. issued
yesterday their circular letters of allotment of the French
loan. The last price of the scrip was 21 to R premium.
THE TURKISH LOAN.—The official notification from
the Turkish Minister, appointing a day for the attend-
ance of capitalists to hear the terms on which it is pro-
posed to issue the new guaranteed loan of 5,000,0001., is
expected in the city immediately.
PORT OF LONDON.—In the general business of this
port during the past week there has been considerable
activity, and among other heavy cargoes three of tea have
been reported. The total of ships entered inwards was
240, being 10 more than in the previous week. The
number cleared outward was 144, showing an increase
of 26. Out of these 44 were in ballast—an unusually
large quantity—the proportion of foreign and British so
clearing being 15 of the former and 29 of the latter.
THE GENERAL SCREW STEAM COMPANY.—The ac-
counts of this company for the half-year ending the 30th
of June, made up preparatory to the meeting on the
24th inst., show a net profit of 118,8981., out of which
22,3121. has been carried to the reserve fund, which now
amounts to 121,2831. The insurance fund has also been
increased to the extent of 18,0001. by the result of the
half-year's risks, and has reached 36,2231. At the meet-
ing 21. per share surplus capital is to be returned to the
shareholders, apart from the distribution of profits.
BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOIL THE ADVANCEMENT OF
SCIENCE.—The approaching meeting of the British As-
sociation in this city promises to be eminently success-
ful. We understand that Colonel Rawlinson, whose
name is se familiar to the public in connection with the
deciphering of the cuneiform inscriptions upon the
Assyrian monuments, has consented to deliver a lecture
on the subject of these investigations, at one of the even-
ing meetings. Another lecture, we are informed, will
be delivered at an evening meeting, on natural history,
by Dr. Carpenter, the distinguished physiologist. The
agricultural chemists are expected to muster strong on
the occasion, and important papers are expected both
upon agricultural and manufacturing chemistry, and the
absorbing subject of food adulteration will likewise, in
all probability, be introduced in the chemical section.
It should be borne in mind that admission to any of the
sectional or evening meetings is only to be obtained by
the purchase of a member's ticket. A list of eminent
savans whe have intimated their intention to be present
at the meeting will speedily be published ; and we doubt
not that the strangers who contemplate visiting Glasgow
on the occasion will be received with the hospitality for
which our citizens have always been distinguished.—
North British Daily Mail.
HOP INTELLIGENCE.—MAIDSTONE, Aug. 9.—The
ac-
counts that reach us from the plantations in this neigh
bourhood are uniformly good ; the bine is very titarbion's
FloV:
healthy, and of good colour, and the mould,
which some three weeks since serious aPPorre .
were entertained, has made no apparent ilaeaseheavy
have yet to learn the effects of the recent very
y apparent.
rains ; but at present little if any
i:sr without which
We hope now for sunny hot weather,
there is little doubt but that we shall get more mould.
The duty is variously estimated but from what we
can learn, present appearances warrant us in callinge
it from 270,0001. to 280,000 L,
ss4nedhave received_ some are inclined
to nd
to name a still higher suns%
reports from Aylesford, A
lngand
ton, Barrning, B
Bearstead, Loose, Ot
East
eat Parleigh,
Leeds, Yalding, Hunt° i
West Mulling, wrotham, S
Chatham, Staple-
hurst, Marden,
tockbury, Bred-
hurst, Ditton, East and
teriag East Sutton,
„on, Chart Sut-
ton , Sutton, Sutton Valiance, Boughton Monchelsea,
Nettlestead, Teuton, and Linton. All these accounts
agree that there is no disease in the plant, and that the
trifling
mould is a veryimportance thus far.—Stlssex
ExpCßOWress.
N LANDS (SCOTLASI)).—it appears that the gross
amount realised from sales of Crown lands in Scotland
amounted in 1846 to 6,5401. ; in 1848 to 3,4111. ; in
1853 to 12,0401. ; and in 1854 to 2,965/. The gross
amount realised from the rents on produce thereof during
the 10 years from 1845 to 1854 'varied from 2,3791. to
3.1011, per annum.