The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-16 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 16, 1863.

THE KING OF GREECE.

The following is an extract from a letter dated Athens,
Nov. 6 :—I meant to write last week, but as we were in all
the excitement of the new King's arrival, I thought I
would wait until that great event was over, as it will, per-
haps, amuse you to hear how it all passed. From the mo-
ment the telegram came to say he was on board the Hellas,
and fairly sailed from Toulon, all the inhabitants of Athens
lost the little good sense nature has gifted them with, and
went stark mad. The town was full of strangers, come
from Turkey, Egypt, the lonian Islands, &c., with the usual
portion of English tourists—more than 30,000 it is said.
Of course, though he had been expected and hoped for for
nearly a year, nothing was ready. I met the Demarque
rushing frantically through the town to find linen to make
his sheets, and mattresses for his bed, and a carriage and
horses to bring him up from the Pirwas. However, by
the time he did at last land all was in perfect order. You
cannot think how pretty the town looked—all the balconies
and ehops were decked with flags, Turkish shawls, brocades
and myrtle and laurel in profusion, with a picture of his
Majesty of some kind or other on every house, strings of
coloured Chinese lanterns all across the streets, and lots of
triumphal arches, and over all the glorious blue sky and
bright sunshine of Greece. He was received at the Pirams
by a Royal salute of 101 guns from 11 vessels of different
nations in the harbour, the usual speeches, charity school
hymns, &c., and then nearly all the inhabitants of the
Piraaus ran alongside of his carriage up to Athens,
shouting " Zeto," and tossing their fers in the air, and
looking very picturesque with all their different costumes.
He came into Athens by the new entrance, which strikes off
near the Temple of Theseus, and comes by a wide, hand-
some street to the new Place de la Condoide, opposite M.
Domando's house, which is now the bank; thence along
the Rue d' Elole, and up the Rue d'Hermes to the new
cathedral, where there was a Ts Deum sung ; from there to
the square before the Palace (where we were stationed on
a balcony), and from there up to the Palace, where he
showed himself on the balcony, good-naturedly standing on
a chair that he might be well seen over the heads of all his
entourage- You cannot conceive the enthusiasm and ex-
citement of the people, who, after all, are just grown-up
children; but I think it is much to their credit that, in spite
of all their crowding to get a sight of him, there was not a
single accident or quarrel, and, still more wonderful, not
one gun fired, as Mr. Scarlett had told the authorities that
he was sure the young king would sot relish that mode of
rejoicing. In the evening there was a general illumina-
tion, which, with the help of the gay decorations, was really
very presentable, and as it was a lovely evening the whole
world walked about half the night. To be sure, the sniseen
scene is a great help to all fetes, with the Acropolis for back-
ground ; and the beautiful marble columns of the temples,
lighted up with an illumination look grand. The next morn-
ing he was walking about seeing all the antiquities, and in
the evening there were fireworks at the Temple of Jupiter,
at which about 60,000 people attended, and which the chil-
dren, who were there too, thought the most beautiful thing
that ever was seen. The first act of authority of the new
King was to order the throne which had been erected
for him in the cathedral to be taken down, to
request the people not to shout " Zeto" in the church, and
to desire that the soldiers should never enter the church
with their arms. On the Saturday he went to the National
Assembly and took the oaths (in Greek), in the evening
there was a great dinner at the Palace, and on Sunday
morning he walked down to the Greek church, accompanied
by one aide-de-camp, and attended the service, which
raised the enthusiasm at least 100 per cent. He walks
about all over the town in the most free and easy manner,
and takes every occasion of recommending simplicity and
economy. When Haydi Petro was presented to him,
covered with gold embroidery (and coming, of course, to ask
for a place), the King asked him if there were any gold
mines in his province, and then told him that he thought
the money thrown away which was spent in adorning one's
per: on, &c. Of course, we cannot judge yet of what sort of a
king he will be, but he has at least had the tact to debuter very
well, Count Sponneck seems a very clever, decided sort of
person, too, so that I really think it promises well. 1 hey
are busy now cooking a new Ministry, which is no easy
task. Charles Soutyo has been named Marechal de Palais,
and permission given to all King 0 tho's household, which
had been exiled, to return to Athens whenever they like, as
the King said he did not consider it at all just that any one
should be persecuted for having shown himself faithful to
his King. Next week he goes to Corfu to take possession
of the Seven Islands, and I hear there are great prepara-
tions making there too for his reception. Among others it
was said that seven young ladies, to represent the Seven
Islands, were to row him to shore, singing the national
hymn ; but I hear he hinted that he would greatly prefer
listening to the young ladies on dry land, and being rowed
by English sailors. We have had beautiful weather ever
since he came, and though we are nearly dying of thirst
for want of water, as it has not rained for nine mouths, no-
body complains."

The American Crocodile at the Zoological

Gardens.

Mr. P. Buckland in a letter to the Field, says:—
"In the last _Held I described this new arrival at the
Gardens. I have since communicated with Dr. P. L.
Sclater, secretary of the Zoological Society, on the subject,
who has been kind enough to place in my hands the follow-
ing lively account of the capture of this animal, extracted
from a letter addressed by Mr. Gray (corresponding mem •
ber of the society) to Dr. Sclater, the secretary ;—" Lant
voyage I instructed a friend of mine to purchase a large
specimen of a cainaln for me, the price not to exceed 100
dols. (all charges included). Two Indians offered to get
one for me, which they captured in the Deeke and brought
dead, consequently I only paid the expenses, A smart
active half-bred, named by myself Jacare' (a noted caiman
hunter), agreed to procure one to supply the place of those
which were defunct. In five days on my return to Car-
thagena from Vents Marta, I was visited by a friend, who
told me Jacare had turned a large alligator (caiman he
meant) into his court-yard that morning, and would
I make haste and have it removed, his wife being
nervous and afraid of it. After despatching my official duties
I went to view the ' beast.' It was in perfect health, and on
my approach barked like a mastiff, and, with one whisk of
his horny tail, cleared a cask of empty bottles, smashing all
and lacerating his tail thereby, but slightly.
"I ordered a cedar-wood box to be made for his enclosure
by 4 p.m. the next day (at any reasonable price). At the
appointed time for its readiness, I was shown a huge sar-
cophagus, which I at oncereduced myself, doffing my jacket
to the labour, much to the surprise of the dozen carpenters
who were too self-opinionated, even had they understood
(much more) my mongrel articulation of their language.
This done, I made them hammer it together firmly, fix
nails ready for the cover, and march off with it to the court
yard of my friend's residence.
" Now for the scrimmage! We discovered on opening
the gates of the cell in the court-yard, where he lurked im-
mured, that ho had grown savage and surly in captivity,
and determined upon resistance. I had invited a few of my
immediate friends inside from the suff,cation of the fancy
coloured mob outside who crowded at the street doors ; but
they soon were scared with one or two exceptions,and those
elevated themselves on tubs and other conveniences out of
his reach, in case he broke from the rope which secured
him by the tail; but seeing this pretty safe they at length
came to assist in the capture, which was not effected until
the strength and patience of all were nigh exhausted. lle
couched himself open-mouthed, and floundered like a shark
in our attempts to drop the noose round his jaws, that we
might lay hold of him fearlessly, banging in the panels of
the doors with his firm tail, and again getting among the
bottles, which he whisked right and left. Jacare, in the
most courageous and sang froid style, seated himself on the
reptile's back to bind the snout more securely, and then,
with the assistance of myself and colleagues, lifted him into
hilt coffin of a crib,' which I took the precaution to bed
with rushes that he might wallow on through the tropics,
and which at the same time would provide against the
colder passage of the Channel. Sliding the lid on about
three-quarters, we were enabled to relieve him of
his fetters and let his jaws at liberty ; then sliding the
cover the whole length, leaving a trap-door through which,
during the voyage, we might note the welfare of the
reptile. We proceeded with our menagerie, hoisted on a
mule cart, in triumph to the wharf, followed by a motley
moll of Ilispano-Indian juveniles, and adults of both sexes,
yelling and screaming in the zenith of their glee. Here,
on our arrival, we shipped him in a canoe hired for the oc-
casion ; the next sensation scene being the arrival alongside,
the crew suspecting, from the size and shape of the pack-
age, it was some Imperial soulless body homeward bound."
The creature is now in the gardens, and apparently in
good health, he is about eight feet long. lam glad that I
expressed my doubts in my last as to this beast being
a true alligator, for Dr. Sclater tells me that this specimen
is the American crocodile (Crocodilus Ainericanus), and not
the alligator. There is a very old joke that the difference
between a crocodile and an alligator is " the same as be-
tween a solicitor and an attorney." The real zoological
difference between the alligator and the crocodile is, that in
the former the lower canine teeth fit into a hollow or pit in
the upper jaw made for its reception, whereas in the latter
these same canine teeth project on the outside, as we see
sometimes the case in bulldogs. There is also a difference in
the toes—the crocodile having webs to his toes, the alliga-
tor's toes being only partly webbed, and the outer toe being
free, like a bird's claw. In America the terms alligator and
crocodile are in ordinary parlance, I believe, applied indis-
criminately to both species.

As we led our readers to anticipate, Major-
General George Bell, C. 8., has succeeded to the re-
giment vacant by the decease of General Roderick Macneil.
The transfer of Sir Patrick Grant from the 104th to the
78th Highlanders, furnishes the first instance of a Indian
officer becoming colonel of an old Line regiment.
financial details in connection with the transfer have been
arranged, but beyond this there is nothing in the change
which does not follow as a natural consequence of the
amalgamation of the Indian with the Imperial forces. The
old Line officers have nothing to complain of, inasmuch as
one of their own body is provided for in the person of
General Bell; and the 78th will not feel otherwise than
pleased at having a a new chief who is so closely identified
with the nationality whose fame they so admirably sus-
tains—dirmy and ,Nary Gazette,

beef and potatoes, or oxodised by an Irish atmo-
sphere, he is by extraction, both on his father's
and his mother's side, descended from some of the
oldest and most respectable families in Ireland,
being first cousin and brother-in-law of Lord Ash-
town, and connected with Lords Clancarty, Drog-
heda, and Dloomfield, the Whites of Woodlands,
and several Trench families in that country. And,
what is even more to the point in the sister isle, he
is an Irish landlord, poeeessing considerable pro-
perty there bequeathed to him by his father. His
father, who was a scion of the Trench stock of the
county of Galway, settled in England about sixty
years ago, at Motley, in Hants, where he rendered
most valuable services in 183 sto Lord Palmerston,
at a then celebrated county election. It is sup-
posed that to a giatitude for these services, as well
as to the patronage of the Bishop of Oxford, who
has always entertained the highest opinion of
Dr. Trench, the latter is indebted both for his pre-
sent promotion and for that to the Deanery of West-
minster. Dr. Trench's mother, an interesting vo-
lume of whose " Remains" was, it will be remem-
bered, published by her son last year, was grand-
daughter to the celebrated Dr. Chenevix, Bishop
of Waterford, and intimate friend of Lord Shaftes-
bury, of whom the story is told that, on King
George objecting to his appointment to an Irish
bishopric, as recommended by his friend, then
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, when "the King
wished he would look out for another Bishop," Lord
Shaftesbury somewhat tartly replied, " that he
wished,the King would look out for another Lord-
Lieutenant." Such is the extraction of the mart who
has been nominated Archbishop of Dublin—a cir-
cumstance which will no doubt help to allay the
fellings of disappointment of such Irishmen as may
still look unfavourably on the metropolitan see of
Dublin being twice in succession conferred on an
English clergyman. But whatever may be the
value of Irish extraction, the Dean of Westminster's
character as a scholar, philologist, and divine of
pious and exemplary life, as well as of kind and
gracious manners, is the qualification which will
most recommend him to the affection of the Irish
people ; and probably very few men could be found
better fitted to be placed at the head of the Irish
Church in the metropolis of Ireland at the present
conjuncture. The mantle of Archbishop Whately
has indeed fallen on him, and it will be no easy task
in some respects to fill the place of one who was a
very giant in intellectual strength and activity ;
but the circumstances of the country, political par-
ties, prejudices, the very aspect of things have
changed there since the day that Dr. Whately fire
seized the helm to guide the Irish Church through
the greatest perils to which it was ever, or probably
ever will be, exposed. At that time, when the war-
fare of party strife Caged with its deadliest animo-
sity, a man was wanted of determined purpose, in-
domitable resolution, comprehensive grasp of intel-
lect, and overwhelming power of argument, to take
the lead—a man so devoted to truth and to the wel-
fare of humanity, that no amount of obloquy or de-
traction could turn him from his purpose. Such a
man was found in Dr. Whately, raised up as it were
specially for the occasion, whose praises future ge-
nerations will record, on account of the success with
which he preached religious toleration, promoted
the education of the people, and raised the Irish
Church in the estimation of the world. But those
days are now gone by ; the lesson of toleration has
been learned, the bitterness of controversy is fast
passing away, and the man that is wanted now is
one who can rather throw oil on the troubled
waters, assuage the angry spirit of controversy,
C3M pose differences, draw opposing parties together
by the links of common agreement, and promote the
unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Such a man
it is to be hoped—it is to be presumed—has been
found, and that Lord Palmerston has in his days
shown as wise a discrimination in choosing the pre-
sent Archbishop of Dublin, as Earl Grey, more than
30 years ago, did in selecting his predecessor. It is
to be hoped that his archiepiscopate, among other
good works, may be distinguished by the termina-
tion of this unhappy but protracted religious war-
fare, with all its distrust, bitterness, and vitupera-
tion ? The promotion of Dr. Trench to Dublin has
been followed by that of Canon Stanley to the dean-
ery of Westminster. The rejected, or perhaps more
truly the rejector, of Dublin, becomes the accepted
in a position of scarcely less importance and influ-
ence than that of a bishopric, affording at the same
time a learned leisure which few bishops enjoy. The
associations of Westminster, its antiquity, its gran-
deur, its metropolitan connection, and social advan-
tages thence arising, offer inducements to a man of
Dr. Stanley's cast of mind which no Irish archbi-
shopric can possess. In such a field an ample scope
is afforded for the exercise of the ability, scholar-
ship, and refined tastes for which the name of the
Oxford Regius Professor is so widely celebrated.
ExAmiNuit.—lf any future measure of electoral
reform coulU give us all over the country constitu-
encies and members in such frank and cordial rela-
tions to each other as Mr. Henry Berkeley and the
electors of Bristol, that is a point at which we could
be very well content to say, Rest and be Thankful.
Nobody can read Mr. Berkeley's speech at the Bris-
tol meeting this week without liking the wholesome
English ring of the frank cordiality to which an
audience that crammed the Broad Mead Rooms re-
sponded with true heartiness. Such interchange of
goad will between member and constituency has lasted
now for the lifetime of a generation, during all which
time Mr. Berkeley has fought the battle of the bal-
lot in the interests not of the mean, but of the poor,
to the end that every constituency in the land may
have, as Bristol has, a representative after its own
heart, who has not bought it, and who can keep its
suffrages only by a frank and faithful independent
service. The Liberals often hurt their cause in local
contests by carrying their principle of independence
into a needless division about trifles ; and in larger
fields of discussion Liberals are often spoilt as party
men, and become hindrances to the due rate of
political growth by a philosophical indifferentism
based on the too quiet certainty that the right ad-
vance in the right time is inevitable. We are rather
apt, therefore, to go on wearing an out-grown poli-
tical garment till we split it, and so come at the
final argument for renovation. But on the whole
that which is thought the source of weakness in the
Liberal party belongs to its life and strength.
Its battle is for the utmost exercise of ra-
tional liberty, its aim is to encourage everywhere
the exercise of independent thought. But the
mainspring of Toryism is a high regard for autho-
rity. It is a sort of political Catholicism, and its
necessary result is to maintain unity by many
sacrifices of individual doubts to the faith taug
by its high priests. Such unity shows a broad
front, but is in England weaker than it looks ; as
weak as we, in fact, know it to be. For the pre-
dominant temper of the nation is on the side of
independence, which breeds individuality, and
therefore diversity of judgment. The Liberal party
mirrors back even in its faults the national charac-
ter, its weakness is the weakness and its strength
the strength of England. There will always be a
sound body of Englishmen who lay chief stress on
respect for authority of dignitaries, great names,
precedents ; and it is well for us that their common
principle ot thought is one that enables them always
to work together as "a compact body of men." If
it did not, they would be a rope of sand where they
are now a not unserviceable holdfast. But on the
other side every man who vigorously acts on his
fresh, independent impalse, and labours forward,
caring less to reverence what has been settled than
to strive towards the highest right, is a power in
the country speaking the true mind of an active
section of the English people. It is this that pro-
duces the apparent anomaly in England of a Liberal
party strong though it seems loosely formed of dis-
united parts, facing a Tory party numerically
strong in a Parliament of its own ealling and per-
fectly compact, while yet really so weak that it
has been able to profit nothing by the arguments
and counter-arguments dividing its opponents.
Nevertheless we must desire to see among Liberal
statesmen and politicians perhaps some occasional
sacrifice of opinion on trifles, and certainly a more
active determination to make the adaptation of laws
to the people advance at a pace fairly proportioned
to the progress of society.
Coma JOURNAL.—The Emperor has followed
up the idea which he so ably expressed in his speech
by issuing a letter to each of the European
i
ro ean
Sovereigns, asking them in courteous and elo-
quent terms to form part of a general European
seems, all the much-vexed questions w
Congress to meet at Paris, and to dhieccesst,tavaPes
so
t
rtant States
long agitated the larger and more
rsaelfish or Con-
ofanti-
Europe. That, on the part of Fin 3
'S will not be made to sery n
greefully guaranteedby
constitutional principles is
no
b Providence
PoCe this
these words: " Called to the throle,
butle
less
trained
allowablen
her to ignore the rights of
for me than any ot
andth the school'he
oafd v thee
r s iFt
Ornate aspirations of people."
Sovereigns and the legt
yr,enitchis
perhaps
observes—" If I take the
And again his Alajesty
initiative in such an overture I do Lot yield to an
impulse of Tanih but, as lam a Sovereign the
_ty,
most ere
diced with ambitious projects, I have it at
heart to prove by a frank and loyal step that my
sole object is to arrive without a shock at the peeie.
cation of Europe." So that not only is his purpose
to bring about a well-regulated and legitimate as
well as popular state of things, but he also ex•
Pressly declares that he wishes to arrive
at a
d, pacification of Europe," and that, too, " without
shock " of preliminary war or contention. The only a
part of the Emperor's letter, as well as of his
speech,
to which we can in any way object is that in
which
he epeaks of the treaties of Vienna as things of the
pest,and not to be observed by the Powers ot Europe,
'l.'. is somewhat loose political morality
although it is true that men like Victor ; for,
Emmanuel
(and we hear somo readers whispery like Napoleon

himself 1)
they firsthave not always acted in good faith when.
obtained possession of their present
dominions, it is none the less imperative on great
nations like England, Austria, and France, to ob-
serve treaties and stipulations to which they are
pledged by the acts of their former representatives.
The Emperor, under the guise of a compliment
(which carried under it a sting of some sharpness),
brought forward the example of England herself
as having violated previous parts by her cession of
the lonian Islands against the wishes of Austria
and the other protecting Powrs, whom she was
bound to consult on the que estion. It was very
" generous," doubtless, to give away that which
never belonged to us. But though this country on
this occasion certainly betrayed the trust confided
to it by the Great Powers, the treaties of Vienna,
Westphalia, and many others, are none the less
binding upon good faith and honesty, in spite of
the contrary assertions of the Bonapartes, who have
little reason to look back with satisfaction to the
year 1815. It remains for Napoleon to render them
null by obtaining the consent of the contracting
parties to their revocation ; and if this can be done
with safety and advautage to Europe, by all means
let the counsels of the Emperor and M. Drouyn de
Lhuys prevail in the Congress which is shortly to
assemble at. Paris. The Emperor announces himself
ready without, preconceived system to bring to
an International Congress the spirit of moderation
and justice, ordinarily the portion of those who
have endured so many various trials." But will the
other potentates of Europe be equally inclined to
, follow kis commendable example ?