The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-27 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 27, 1863

Vassos, one of the deputies of Lousia, ascended the
Tribune. Although dressed as a civilian, his hand-
some, soldierlike appearance, and the earnestness of
his countenance, in spite of his youth, were alone
sufficient to attract attention, had not the subject
he was bringing forward already monopolized the
interest of the Assembly. He called on the Assembly,
in inapr,ssive and deeply felt words, to set aside
for once mere legality, and exclude, by its own
sovereign right and in the interest of the public, a
man who figured in the election of Kythnos, and
whose presence would pollute the Assembly. This
man was Stathopulos, the late Dimarch of Kythnos,
who figured so prominently in what is here called
the Tragedy of Kythnos.
The garrison of Nauplia had risen against the
, late Government, but a whole month passed with-
out finding an echo anywhere in the country. At
List, towards the end of February, two generous

youths determined to throw themselves into the
movement. They were Leutzalio and Moriatini,
both of them officers in garrison at Syra, and the
latter a son of the President of the Areopagus, the

highest tribunal in Greece. They not only per-
suaded the company of soldiers who were in garri-

son to join, but likewise the population, so that in
a few hours they got possession of the town and
established a Provisional Government. Having suc-
ceeded so far, they determined to liberate, as a first
step, the political prisoners who were confined in
the island of Kythnos. For this purpose they took
possession of the steamer Carteria, belonging to the
Greek Ccmpany, and embarked on it, with the sol-
diers and a number of volunteers from the town,
having previously taken the precaution to cut the
telegraph wire. But they had forgotten the Aus-
trian Lloyd steamer, which was in harbour, and
they had scarcely left when this latter started to
convey the news to Athens. In consequence of
this news the steam frigate Amalie, having taken
four companies of choice troops on board, made
immediately for the island of Kythnos, where she
arrived just at the moment when the young men,
having liberated the political prisoners, were on
the point of embarking. It was too late to
escape, and the force brought against them was
so great that there was little chance of resistance;
nevertheless, the leaders, dividing their small force,
occupied a garden to the right and left of the place
where the troops from the Amelia were landing.
When the troops advanced Leutzalio came out
alone to meet them with a white flag, but before he
had time to speak a volley was fired, and he fell
pierced by several bullets. Moriatini and a young
man who had joined them, Scarvelli, who tried to
follow, had the same fate ; the others, seeing their
chiefs fall, dispersed in the island, where they were
taken up by the authorities. The three corpses,
pierced with bullets and bayonet wounds, were
stripped, thrown into an open boat, and paraded all

round the Amalie, after which they were thrown on
the beach. The Dimarch Stathopulos, in spite of
the representations which were made to give these
young men a decent burial, had them interred on the
beach, not even allowing a priest to go through the
funeral service, declaring that they did not deserve
better for having polluted the island with their blood.
Little was known in Europe about this tragedy when
it occurrea, but it has become deeply engraved in
the Greek mind'; the victims became the first heroes
of the revolution, and their names are sacred in the
opinion of the people.
You may, therefore, imagine the effect produced
on the assembly by Vassa's words stigmatising the
late Dimarch of Kythnos. He spoke as friend and
companion in arms of those who fell ; and there
was the father of one of the victims, Moriatini, the
respected President of the Areopagus, still wearing
deep mourning for his fallen son.
Yet, in spite of the deep emotion which had
seized all the assembly at this late but noble tribute
to generous, although perhaps misguided patriotism,
sufficient self-command was left not to condemn
without proofs. There was Deligorgi, one of the
prisoners, and now Minister of Public Instruction,
who was present, and could confirm or contradict
the facts. He was called for, and confirmed every
word. In vain did Deliganni, one of the clearest
intellects and best debaters of the Assembly, come
forward with rare courage and beg the Assembly
not to be carried away by feelings, which are not
always good guides, but to adhere to strict legality,
which, however unsatisfactory now and then, or even
repugnant, is the only safe guide for an Assembly.
He was listened to with calm, nay, intense interest,
but he could not save the Deputy Stathopulos, who
was excluded by a unanimous vote of the House.
There was even a tendency to upset his colleagues
for having entered into a combination with such a
man, but when the subject was taken up next
morning the emotion had subsided, reason had re-
gained its sway, and the other members for the
island were confirmed ; nevertheless the constitu-
ency is debarred this time its right to send another
representative instead of the one excluded.
Another rather interesting scene occurred during
the report on the election of young Dosios, against
whom the charge was brought that he had forfeited
his right of representing his country as he had
taken service in the Italian army during the war of
1859.60. The Assembly ruled that instead of for-
feiting his right he had well deserved of his country
by taking part in the struggle of a noble people to
achieve its own national idea.
A rather humorous scene took place about the
election of the brothers Rouffo at Patras, sons of one
of the members of the Provisional Government who
had a considerable share in bringing about the re-
volution. It was a question whether they had the
age required, but before the doubts were cleared up
the House gave them by its sovereign power the
few months which they may yet want to have the
legal age.
As the Assembly otherwise is most anxious to
establish the sway of principle and legality, these
isolated cases of playing with its sovereign powers
are harmless. Nay, they are a healthy symptom in
an Assembly which pretends to, and does certainly
in a great measure represents the feelings of the
I people.

CROMLECHS.—We may be as certain that crom-
lechs were tombs, and not altars, as we are that
Sanscrit and Teutonic are kindred languages ; but when we
ask who made the cromlechs, whether Cymry, Gael, or
Turanian, we have got into the region of theory. Some
theories indeed, are much more likely Alan others; but still
they are theories, and not certainties. That the cromlech
was a tomb, and not an altar, is absolutely certain; for the
cromlech, whole and perfect, has been disinterred from
within its tump, and the skeletons of its occupants have
been found within the cromlech. Here is demonstrative
proof, which none but a madman can refuse to accept. One
hardly need the subsidiary proofs, archteelogical and geolo-
gical, which of themselves pretty well upset the altar theory.
But if we go on to argue that cromlechs and various other
objects are of earlier date than the Cymry, because their
Welsh names simply describe their appearance, and do not
express their use, we have got hold of a very ingenious and
probable argument ; but still ono which does not lead us
beyond a strong presumption. It is certain that the
Welsh name cromlech or crooked stone describes the
object in its present state of ruin, and neither expresses its
Purpose nor its original appearance. This affords a very
strong presumption, but not an abso'ute certainty, that the
cromlechs are due to an older people than the Cymry, and
that when the Cymry entered the land, they were already
broken down and their use forgotten. It affords an abso •
l
taygtehoaft
tthhee
enyaremrye waswh onofitrgetiverneebreydthtahteparticu-
luartetrciebrteaoinr
e
pi crom-
lechs;tlse
,noarmbteoumtd
isi
fftyedrnoeoentst
bnbeorl tao
una beg
hs
toeolaudt
of
ffil ye
tr phe
are ot vs:agnitehaeaotrfa
ettehhee OssbajametCte:pdaenaoyd.
Boview.

A wedding card is nothing but a demand for a
civil letter—a complimentary bill of exchange -'-
able at sight in congratulations. Now a letter of congrpaLt3 u
tions, of all species of compulsory composition, is the most
burdensome to the author. There is nothing on earth to say,
and the creative act of making something out of nothing i:
intolerably troublesome. People have different modes or
escape from the perplexity, according to the habit of their
minds. Some few have really the talent of maundering on
:or three pages of note-paper without any meaning at all.
Others lie boldly, and expatiate in panegyrics invented for
of view. With Ve
n;i
ot ht b
But
ehtne
df hr
roeoml
up
notdhf
the occasion. Those are most to be envied who are suffi-
ciently unreserved to take the matter up in a religious point
well. But, for all, it is an unprofitable affliction which might
verycociowigenlle be spared. it is not quite so bad as a letter of
enisthneoy
People d
there-
fore, there is v • very little hope of relief from the existing ob.
escape.
ligations. We must take what we can get, and be thankful
to pass through our liveschancedi e ;
and, of
has fow disagreeable ceremo-
nies as the folly of our wgeneration will permit, Saturday
-I?eviev) on " 2Vo Cares," cagatrfdethsewrtheexts they
get
through very