The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-18 00:00:00

THE REVOLUTION IN GREECE.

(From the Times Correspondent.)
ATHENS, Nov. 2.
I arrived yesterday afternoon too late to send
you even a rough sketch of kingless Athens by the
Austrian mail, which left shortly after my arrival,
but, having some faith in first impressions, I will
pen mine down before they are effaced, although
another week must pass before I can forward them
to you.

As last time, about six weeks ago, when com-
ing from Corfu along the Gulf of Corinth to
Athena, it fell again to my lot to travel with exiled
Greek patriots on their way home. They were those
who had been at Constantinople since the Nauplia
affair. Their lot had been harder than that of most
of their countrymen, for while the latter lived
unmolested under the aegis of Great Britain, in
the lonian Islands, and were allowed to make the
most of their position as popular heroes and martyrs,
the Greek Mission at Constantinople went out of
its way to annoy those who had taken refuge there
and have them sent away.
No wonder our steamer was most inconveniently
crowded, every one being eager to seize this first op-
portunity since the revolution in Greece to return
and make up for lost time. What with these exiles
and a deputation of the Greeks of Constantinople,
come to congratulate the Provisional Government
in the name of their countrymen, our vessel might
have been taken for the good ship Argo carrying
another batch of adventurers to a new Colchis,
rather than for the mail steamer of that very staid
and very respectable company the Messageries Im-
periales of France.
If modern Greeks have inh( rited one quality more
than another from the ancient Hellenes it is an
almost morbid interest in political discussions. Even
in ordinary times, and on the commonest subjects,
it is astonishing what an amount of excitement
they can get up at the shortest notice; how much
more under so exceptional a provocation as the
present one. Forty hours of almost uninterrupted
talking and discussion seemed too short to ex-
haust that all absorbing topic. From early davi n
heralded in by the scraping of the decks above, and
the appearance of seedy-looking waiters below, till
late at night, when lamps begin to twinkle and look
sleepy, politics run high ; no reverence for that
sacred moment when the clinking of knives and
forks announces the beginning of dinner, ana even
in the dead of night some spirit more restless than
his companions disturbsyou by his haunted dreams,
or by getting up and hurrying out, as if anxious to
impart some bright idea which had suddenly oc-
curred to him. There you could see them all day
long, pacing up and down the deck in twos or threes
with rapid stride, and glowing with the excitement
of conversation, or else standing about in larger
groups listening to some unusually eloquent talker
who was holding forth.
Coming from the land of silent and dignified
Osmanlis, whose most lively conversations rarely
exceed the rate of 60 words an hour, this movement
and bustle was almost overpowering, and the only
hope seemed that even Greek liveliness would swear
itself out at that pace before half the voyage was'
over. Vain hope. We found the Greek steamer
from Syra at the Dardanelles bringing fresh news
from Athens, and they were important enough.
Our last news had been that the King had retired
to Salamis, and that the representatives of England
and France accompanied him on board their respec-
tive men of war. It might still be a question whe-
ther some of the influences favourable to him would
not be brought into play, and with them the way
opened to a reaction. This apprehension had ceased
now, for the Greek steamer brought the news of
the King's departure to Trieste on board her Ma-
jesty's ship Scylla, Capt. Lambert (the very ship
and captain who were at Messina when Garibaldi
crossed the Straits in 1860', and of the return of
the representatives of France and England at
Athens. As usual in such cases, the facts were
embellished by slight additions, such as the King's
having been prevented from landing at Corfu by a
popular demonstration, and the Provisional Go-
vernment being recognized by the Western Powers.
It was enough to make our Greek friends on
inciniterec
boardkl quite
or la7k atnhaogs ee4abritei.cl e They
native
alongside ,
produc-
tion which the natives are in the habit of bringing
the steamers, for oysters,
all, for those quaint jugs and cur ous gilt lions in
ori-
gin of which popular belief attributes to the army
pottery—a specialtte of the Dardanelles, the
of Xerxes. Not satisfied with this they improvised
a Pnyx on the afterpart of the deck to the great
distress of the lieutenant, whose babords and tri-
bords were overpowered by the noise around. An
athletic-looking monk, with shaggy hair and flow-
ing beard, was holding forth to the motley crowd
which gathered round him with that indiscrimi-
nate familiarity which even the lowest classes in
Greece assume as a kind of natural right, and it was
not without considerable trouble they were made
at last to understand that if they did not move off
they had a fair chance of going on shore at Kilidi
Bahr instead of getting to Athens.
The skies seemed to take pity on the impatience
of our Greek fellow passengers, and rapidly did
the good ship Indus skim along the clear waters
with all sails set, yet too slow for those restless
travellers. " Eleven knots," said the log, and dis-
appointment was visible in the countenances of the
crowd which had collected to witness the operation.
The present and future had too much absorbed all
minds to leave anything for the past, and Mount
Ida, the plain of Troy,
rrenedevose,nandglatnheee frothother his-
toricaloor spots never attracted
Hellenes, who ungratefully forgota how much of the
interest which Europe takes in
theirnam e affairs
oftho
those
owing to the charm which the very
spots has for Western ears.
At last the morning dawned which was to bring
us to the end of our journey.
Although there was
no chance of arriving before noon all
taken out
best arpetbags and parcels were
wasto prepare
for the great moment—clean shirt-collars
forpeen ede a,
ral yn
d d tahwen
made
their appearance, and the wet towel was plied about
the face a second or two longer than the morning
before.
We had passed Cape Sunium, With its ruined
temple standing out against the blue sky, like a
beacon visible from afar, and were in Attie waters,