The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-07 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON:, FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 7, 1862.

THE INSURRECTION 1N GREECE•

(Frpin the Levant Herald of Feb. 26.)
ATHENS, FEB. 19.
The comedy of the insurrection has developed
rapidly since my last, and appears now to have so
nearly reached its denouement that the failure of the
conspiracy may, I think, be fairly foretold. On the
15th the King, accompanied by M. Botzaris, went
to Corinth, where a strong force of royal trocps was
rendesvouzing before marching onArgos and Naup-
lia, but he returned on the following morning to the
capital, where everything continues quiet. On the
17th an advance was made from Corinth, and after
a short resistance on the part of the insurgents in
the defiles between that town and Argos, Col. Hahn
made good his approach to within a couple of miles
of the latter town, where he encamped for the night.
Yesterday he entered Argos some hours after a
strong party of the rebels evacuated it, taking with
them into Nauplia a half battery of artillery and a
large convoy of provisions. It is said that a large
proportion of the inhabitants of Argos are favour-
able to the insurrection, and that several arrests have
been made in consequence, but no military execu-
tions that I can hear of have taken place. The
policy of the Government in fact seems to be wisely
conciliatory instead of vindictive, and as soon as
the insurgents see that their success is even doubt-
ful—through want of general support—it is more
than probable that they will offer to lay down
their arms on the condition of an amnesty, which
will in all likelihood be accepted. A telegram
from Corinth of this morning indeed already
reports that this is the beginning of the end,
three of the principal rebel officers having, it states,
offered their own and their men's submission to
Colonel Han on these terms. Still, the insurgent
force in possession of the Nauplia forts is strong,
and stores of every kind are abundant ; but it is
said here that the leaders have no concerted plan
of action, and are already quarrelling among them-
selves. Those in command of the smaller force in
Tripolitza are said to be in a similar state of dis-
union, and, as the inhabitants of that district are
believed to be hostile to the movement, the capture
or voluntary submission of this party is considered
imminent.

Here in Athens, as I have said, all is quiet. It
is believed, however, that the conspiracy had friends
and accomplices in higher regions than those to
which the persons mentioned in my last as having
been arrested belonged ; but the prematureness, it
is generally believed, of the outbreak at Nauplia
prevented any overt action, and nothing of this
kind, therefore, has occurred. It is said that the
plan of the conspirators was to assassinate the King
at a Court ball, which was to have been given on
the 15th, but that the rumour of some compromising
correspondence having been seized at the Post-office
led the Nauplian chiefs to precipitate action, and
hence their outbreak a couple of days before that
fixed for the tragedy at the palace.
The Precurseur of Athens publishes the follow-,
ing address of the King to the troops at Corinth,
on their departure for Argos :
" I have learnt with profound grief," said his
Majesty, " that men to whom I do not wish to ac-
cord the honourable title of soldiers which you bear,
that these men, I say, have tarnished by revolt
their military honour. They have thus become
perjurers to the Constitution and laws, which, in
the interest and for the safety of the country, im-
pose as a first duty on every soldier fidelity and
submission to the King, the supreme chief of the
army.

" in calling upon you to reduce to obedience these
perjurers, I have confided to you the honour of the
Hellenic army ; by your valour and fidelity you
will wash away the stain which they have at-
tempted to fix upon themselves.
" I am happy to announce that my entire faith-
ful people have unanimously offered to co-operate
with you in the struggle to firmly establish institu-
tions which they regard at their just value as the
surest guarantee for their present well-being and
for their future glory."
The Commander-in-Chief of the army, General
G. Hahn, replied in the following terms in the
name of the troops :—" Sire,--I partake, with all
the officers placed under my orders, the indignation
expressed by your Majesty against the perjurers.
Turning to the officers present, he asked them,—
" Gentlemen, is this so ?" A unanimous reply in
the affirmative was given. He then continued,—
"In guaranteeing the fidelity of the army under
my command to its supreme chief, I have the con-
viction that it will give me fresh proofs by its
valour, and at the price of its blood, in favour of
tranquillity, of order, and of the august throne of
your Majesty." The speech was warmly applauded
by the officers, who then gave some hearty cheers
for the King.

arrival were seized by Moorish soldiers, under the
direction of the United States Consul, placed in irons
and imprisoned in the Consul's house. These gen-
tlemen themselves had of course no suspicion that
such an act could be perpetrated in the territory of
a neutral Power, or they
would never have exposed
themselves to the treatment they have experienced.
Their surprise at the position in which they find
themselves is very generally shared by the public,
and it may be as well, therefore, to give some ac-
count of the circumstances which explain it. With
Morocco, as with most Mahomedan countries, Chris-
tian Powers have stipulated that their subjects shall
not be amenable to the laws of the Moslem, but re-

main under the jurisdiction of the representative of
their own Government. No provision could be

better calculated to Prevent the Sultan being em-
broiled with foreign States. Each of the latter being

left at liberty to deal with its own subjects resident

in his dominions, a fruitful source of complaint and

troublesome discussion is %t once removed. Even

the determination of nationality in individual eases
does not give trouble to the Moorish authorities;
for the representatives of the Christian Powers

investigate this question themselves, and each is, of

course, careful to prevent any subject of his own
Government being placed under the jurisdiction of
another. It can be easily understood then, how,
under this arrangement, the Moorish authorities of
Tangier, who have little knowledge of, and less in-
terest in, the rebellions and revolutions of Christen-
dom, should, on the requisiton of the American
Consul, have lent the assistance of the Moorish sol-
diers, as a matter of course, and without any sus-
picion that the affair was of more importance than
the arrest and imprisonment of a couple of disorderly
seamen. The Sultan, who is still smarting from
the collision which he vainly strove to avert with

owee;rywaicltl, that may result in a
doubt,
~be most
o n
anxiousChr itsot aan P
avoid
id
every
difficulty with another. When he was lately in-
formed that various independent States in Italy

had passed as a united kingdom under the sceptre
of Victor Emmanuel, he replied that the affection
would, for the
single Italian
fhuet uh raed felt,b be
af ol
lr
e theon eseparated So tna t e
thes
kingdom. In the same spirit, no doubt, His Sheri-
fian Majesty, when he hears of the mighty struggle
carried on beyond the Western waters, will be pre-
pared to retain for the United States, if they remain
united, the full measure of his love, or to apportion
it impartially among the several Confederations,
should the contest result in dismemberment. Un-
fortunately, however, this calm and lofty spirit of
universal benevolence cannot help the Sultan much
in his present difficulty. The acts of the belliger-
ents themselves have imposed on him the necessity
of deciding on the course he must adopt towards
them. In his desire to be in amity with all the
world, the Sultan would probably follow the policy
of rigid neutrality observed by European States.
But if those States, with all the light thrown upon
the principles of international law by writers of
authority, and with precedents to guide them in the
application of those principles, still find it not so
easy to define what is a strict neutrality, what must
be the difficulty of a Government like the Moorish,
ignorant of the very elements of international
law ? Unfortunately, too, the very nature of
the perplexity may deprive the Sultan of the
assistance he would derive in other questions
from the opinions of the European representatives,
since the requirements of a strict neutrality would
possibly prevent them affording any counsel in the
matter. The relative positions of the United
States and Morocco in this business seem similar to

those of Austria and Turkey after the suppression

of the Hungarian rebellion in 1849. Turkey, like
Morocco, has conventions with the Christian
Powers, by which each or the latter States has
established tribunals for the trial of its own sub-
jects residing in Turkish territory. Austria and
Russia, relying on such conventions, demanded the
surrender of the Hungarian refugees who had
sought an asylum in Turkey, but the demand was
indignantly rejected by the Turkish Government,
and Kossuth, it will be remembered, afterwards
quitted Turkey in a United States' vessel of war.
In one point the position;:of Morocco differs from
that of Turkey in 1849. Hungary had been
crushed by the combined efforts of Austria and
Prussia, and could not have exacted retribution for
the treatment of her sons if Turkey had surren-
dered them. It was the more creditable, therefore,
inithe Turkish Government to resist the pressure of
its powerful neighbours, and to vindicate its right
to shelter political refugees. On the other hand,
the civil war in America still continues, and should
the Confederate States succeed in severing their
connection with the North, it is certain that they
will call Morocco to a sharp reckoning for the im-
prisonment or ill-treatment of Southern citizens."
The Chronicle of the 27th says :

The lest accounts from Tangiers state that- the
officer of the Sumter and the late United States'
Consul at Cadiz were still imprisoned in the Con-
sulate of the United States. The latter had made
an unsuccessful attempt to escape. It appears that
their landing at Tangiers was accidental. They
were passengers to Cadiz in the French steamer
Ville de Malaga, which touched at Tangier on her
way, and the gentlemen who are now imprisoned
merely landed to take a walk through the town,
leaving their luggage on board the steamer.
Whether the Moorish Government will insist
upon setting the prisoners at liberty or leave them
in the custody of the United States' Consul must
depend, we should suppose, on the nature of the
understanding existing between the Moorish Go-
vernment and the representatives of Christian
States. In every independent State the power of
placing restriction on personal liberty is an attri-
bute of the sovereign authority. The Sultan has
chosen, in order to avoid matters of dispute with
Christian States, to delegate this power to a cer-
tain extent to the representatives of those States,
leaving each to deal, within certain limits, with the
subjects of his own Government. Now, if the Sul-
tan has by treaty stipulations permanently divested
himself of this sovereign attribute, and permitted
Christian States to have the absolute control, under
all circumstances, over their own subjects resident
in his dominions, such an engagement would vir-
tually amount to a treaty for the extradition of all
offenders, and unless he has made the reservation
so scrupulously maintained in all extradition trea-
sthieasllbet
notw include politicaleencivilised offences,
Powers, that its provisions
cases like the
present might fall within its scope ; but, on the
other hand, if, as we think more likely to be the
case, the delegation of a certain portion of his sove-
reign power by the Sultan to the representatives of
foreign States does not rest upon any written con-
tract, but is merely a convenient expedient to in-
sure his keeping on friendly terms with Chris-
tian States, it is, we think, clear, that the Sultan
retains the right of regulating, limiting, and con-
trolling that power for the exercise of which he is
responsible. Now, we believe that the consular
jurisdiction in Morocco was established to take
cognisance of offences committed in the country,
and not for those committed beyond the limits of
the empire. We believe, moreover, that the Sul
tan in consenting to this jurisdiction had no inten-
tion to weaken or destroy—and has not, in fact,
weakened or destroyed—the right to make his
territory an inviolable asylum for persons charged
with political offences—a right which every
independent State makes it a point of
honour to guard so jealously. If this view be cor-
rect, and if the United States consul in Tan-
giers has,through the inadvertence of the local autho-
rities, obtained the assistance of the public force to
capture and bring within his jurisdiction per-
sons not lawfully subject to it, the Moorish Govern-
ment will probably vindicate the infringement of
its rights by insisting on the liberation of the pri-

soners.
di 3 o'clock.—At the moment of going to press the
Lion Delge has arrived from Tangiers, and the pas-

sengers and letters brought by her report that the
prisoners at the United States' Consulate were yes-
terday embarked in the United States' ship of war
Ino, which was sent from Algeciras for the purpose
of receiving them. The Moorish Minister, it ap-
pears, had demanded their release ; but the United
States' Consul in reply said that he would strike kis
flag and quit the country if he were interfered with
in the disposal of his prisoners. The Minister's
courage failed him when he saw a war-cloud brew-
ing in the distance, and he allowed the prisoners to
be embarked. The affair occasioned intense excite-
ment among the European populace. They armed
themselves, closed the port gates, vainly asked the
interference of the European representatives, and
then went in a body to the United States' Consulate
to demand the release of the men. The British
Minister, it is said, afterwards went to the Con-
sulate at the request of the United States' Consul,
and the riot was quelled. The Moorish authorities,
however, deemed it prudent to have the armed
American party who took down the prisoners to the
beach escorted by Moorish guards to prevent any
collision with the populace."
The following Government notice had been
issued :
_

" Secretary's-office, Gibraltar, Feb. 20.
"With reference to the neutrality ordered to be
observed in British possessions between the United
States and the States calling themselves the Con-
federate States of America, notice is hereby given,
that no signals are to be made communicating to
one belligerent the proceedings of the other.
" By command,
" S. FREELING, Colonial Secretary."

The French war steamer Tanger, which left,
Cadiz for Vera Cruz on the 14th ult., with part of
the Zouaves originally embarked in the Fontenoy
was driven back by heavy westerly gales, and
anchored again in Cadiz Bay on the 20th.
The Spanish steamer Ferrol, 2 guns, Lieut. P.
Vinas, 32 days from Havannah, arrived at Cadiz on
the 20th ult. The steamsloop Liniers, Commander
Aubaredes, left on the same day for the eastward.
The screw corvette Buenaventura, two guns, Com-
mander Antonio Soroa, left Cadiz for the eastward
on the 22d.

The following British me. it steamers had
arrived out at Gibraltar 20th, the Cadiz,
Capt. J. Russell, from Londor d, the Atlantic,
Capt. A. Horsfall ; the Eupl, Capt. H. Bon-
fellow; and the Hecla, Car Inglis, all from
Liverpool—former for M'.,t le other two for
Genoa, &c. ; 25th, the Cori-. Japt.F.lll‘Novin,
from Liverpool for 111 altp Constantinople ;
26th, the Pera, Capt. T. Jar from Southamp-
ton, with mails, for Malta exandria.

EXPERIMENTS Al

BURYNESS,

Some interesting and in xperiments were
made at Shoeburyness o last, in the pre-
sence of the Lords of 1, .alty and a large
number of scientific offic, ,entlemen, with a
view of testing the resistr 2d by an iron target
built up to resemble a of an iron frigate's
side, and specially desit Mr. Fairbairn, sen.,
to show how the teak b to the armour plates
might be dispensed d increased strength
obtained by a combin• ironwork alone. It
is necessary, in order ly understand the ob-
ject and result of this leriment, to state that
when our first iron frig. were designed of the
Warrior class nearly e. .tillerists and scientific
men were agreed in the Jpinion that the armour
plates would require a wooden backing to deaden
and distribute over a larger surface the tremendous
concussion with which the shot would strike. It
was accordingly determined that the first frigates
should be plated with 4-inch armour, backed up
with a double layer of teak beams laid transversely,
in all 18 inches thick, and on this plan the Warrior,
Black Prince, &c., have been constructed. A tar-
get representing a section of the Warrior thus built
was fired at last October at Shoeburyness dur-
ing nearly two days, and, though every
description of solid shot from Armstrong
guns and 68-pounders were hurled at it singly
and in salvoes of six at a time, this method
of construction was shown to be practically invul-
nerable. No such satisfactory results in the way of
resisting the tremendous impact of the shot have
been obtained fiom any other target tried at Shoe-
buryness before or since. But the Ironplate Com-
mittee had been led by many experiments, some
previous and some subsequent to that at the War-
rior target, to believe that greater advantages would
be gained by increasing the thickness of the armour
plates and reducing that of the teak backing. Ac-
cordingly in the three iron frigates now building
by the Thames Ironworks, Mr. Laird, and Mr. Mare,
it was decided to increase the thickness of the
armour plates from 41 to 51 inches, and to diminish
that of the teak from 18 to 9 inches. The Admi-
ralty, however, reserved to themselves the right of
still further altering the contract up to a certain
date, and having the plates of 61 inches without any
teak backing at all, in case there should be found
in the interim such a combination of ironwork as
would offer equal resistance, and thus do away with
the necessity of putting a destructible material like
wood between indestructible armour plates, which,
when once fixed, ought never to be removed. This
object was so desirable that many attempts have
been made to overcome the difficulties, which this
method of construction presented, the greatest of all
being that of fastening the plates to the target in
such a way as would enable the bolts to withstand
the tremendous jar the whole of the rigid and un-
yielding fabric receives when struck by a 200.
pounder in full-flight. During last summer Mr.
Fairbairn, sen., constructed an entirely iron target
of small size ; but the experiments at this proved the
difficulties that would have to be overcome in securing
the plate, as with the jar caused by every shot the
bolts gave way, till most of the plates were brought
to the ground, and the target virtually destroyed.
On Tuesday another much larger target of Mr. Fair-
bairn's, constructed on a different plan, was again
tried, to determine whether the 18 inches of wood
between the armour and iron skin is necessary to
prevent the bolts and rivets being destroyed by the
vibration. This target, which was constructed by
Messrs. Fairbairn and Co•, of Manchester, was 20
feet long by 10 feet high, with a porthole in the
centre. The two large plates going the length of
the target above and below the port were each 20
feet long, 3 feet 4 inches wide, and 4 inches thick.
The plates on each side of the narrow port were
only 9 feet long, but of the same width and thick-
ness. The two large upper and lower plates were
each secured by 15 2-inch bolts, fastened with
powerful screw nuts at the back, and the two
centre plates by eight bolts of a similar description.
These plates were fastened to 1-inch wrought-iron
plates, representing the skin of the ship, and be-
hind each line of bolts were straps of wrought iron
10 feet long by 9 inches wide and three-quarters of
an inch thick. The entire mass was supported by
ribs, representing the sides of a ship, 18 inches deep
and 18 inches apart, made of 7,--inch plates, secured
by angle irons 4 inches by 4 inches, and three-
quarters of an inch thick ; while the back of the
ribs was still further strengthened by four hori-
zontal strips of wrought-iron, 12 inches wide by
half an inch thick. The armour plates were not
wrought, but rolled by Messrs. Brown and Co., of
Sheffield, and the tonguing and grooving by which
the Warrior's plates are dovetailed together was
not resorted to in this instance, the plates being
planed flat at their edges, and entirely dependent
on the bolts for keeping their places. The whole
target was an admirable piece of workmanship, and
outwardly seemed strong enough to resist anything.
The experiment seemed to excite great interest,
and the principal iron manufactures and iron ship-
builders were present from all parts of the kingdom.
Among others were the Duke of Somerset, Lord
Mountcharles, Lord De Grey, Lord Clarence Paget,
Sir William 4rmstron6, Sir John gap Admiral