The Sun.
London, England, 1824-07-21 00:00:00

STATE OF GREECE.

117tiltACT OF A LETTER FROM THE ZION. COLONEL
• OA/4110Ra TO .1. ROWItING, ESQ.
In order to understand the policy of Greece,
it is necessary to contemplate the state of the
'Ottoman Empire, and the views of Russia, and
the Holy Alliance.
Turkey is evidently on the eve of its fall.—
The reigning family is nearly extinct ; its pro.
winces are disunited ; Egypt and Tripoly are
erase • too wise for its .government. A portion
rPVee is severed from it for ever, and .the
•lleljenists, wile bow to the. power of Turkey,
hate it in their hearts, and pant for revenge and
freedom. Even Alhaitin detests and threatens
fe throw off its hateful yoke. The Ottoman 111'.
• auk % era insubordinate, and the fleets having lost
01..4. Greek ?tenors are become impotent.
.Etu4siA.—ii this state of tottering decrepitude,
• Turkey is threatened by the brawny and disci-
. plioed legions of Russia, and the swarms of Per-
sia. While oti the other hod she is bolstered
• up by those nations who are ulanned at the am.
'bition and strength of the northern barbarians.
Ilor,s, A LLIANCE.—As for the Holy Alliance
'their views are known. This rumination of ty-
rants 'fins combined to support superstition, to
crush all learning, and to ensure a dark futurity,
for the purpose of preserving to themselves and
their progeny absolute rule. Austria and France
,have
therefore become the allies of the bitrba-
, Hans, and have formed a league against civilize-
tioo and the rights of men. If their policy sues
reeds they will naturally fail a prey to Russia—
. the state they have thoughtlessly contributed to
aggrandize : or should it fail, instead of being
satisfied to reign us virtuous and powerful magis-
= trates these Sovereigns will be humbled and must
bow to the people. The Holy Alliance having de-
creed in the councils of their gloomy cabinet
.that ell nations should be governed despotically,
their intentions towards Greece are known.
.7.••Sotne may derive consolation from a consideration
.'of the superior character of European to Asiatic
despotism. Towards the upper clsss it is per.
• hops milder. The lower orders and the soldiery
'in Turkey are however less enslavefil and better
....off than the boors and mercenaries of Russia.
POLICY Or GREECE—now is, the policy of
Russia and the Holy Alliance to be parried ?
it cannot be affected by any by-course, for silly
as the Greeks are, the spies, the priests, and
the diplomatists of the Barbaric league ere their
match, and will not allow them to make their
approaches undisguised to the citadel of freedom.
With courage, therefore, they. must advance, but
cautiously, and without giving offence. Mean-
while let them lay the solid foundations of their
rights, and court the friendship of England, of
America, and of all who love virtue. Whatever
may then he the fate of the Greek people, whe-
ther• dependent or independent ; whether repub-
lic 'or monarchical, they w‘ill have taken the best
means for promoting their liberties and their
hafTiness.
The public departments hi Greece next claim
your consideration.
The Executive body has hitherto been corn.
posed of Men of various Characters. At ono liars
infitleneed Mavrocordato, when the Primates, the I
Jatwists, and the foreign interests predominated.
The. leading features of the Government were
then artier, and souse say intrigue. At another
• time Collocotroni obtained by his martial and
extensive family connections an ascendandency :
"- thou prevailed the military power, united at first
with democratic, but ufterwards with oligarchical
interests; and lastly it sort of league was formed
'to put down the plunderers. Conduriotti was
~placed at the head of this. administration; and
.the•.lslands assumed their due weight. The
• executivecutive body has heretofore exercised a des
grove of power - that is inconsistent with re-
Government. The principles of a
wild liberty have all along prevailed in Greece,
but those of civil liberty are only beginning to
he duly appreciated and followed. The depre-
dJtions of the Military Chiefs and Oligarchs
• have brought home to the bosoms of the peasan-
lry the blessings of order, and of security of per-
Len and property. They begin with arms in their
'hands to defend their lands and purses ; aurl they
!look to their representatives for the proper op.
.prOpritttion of their revenues! :and the general di-
:-rertion of their armies nod fleets.
The Legislative Body is composed of person's
sciected by the civil and military oligarchs and
tizt? people. They naturally teals to the interests
of 'their electors. They are respectable in Chn,
4•aCter, but like most other public functionaries in
Greece are deficient its intellectual aptitude, and
Ase but little knowledge of business. They are
'frheitle ha order, and enemies to nil extortion;
And they, are careful of thelieeple's money. No.
could exceed the firmness and dignity of
their conduct, when attacked by the einiss:triel
eel Colocotroni. To raise the character of this
.body is an object of 'primary importance. This
i 4 to he effected by making the people take a
stronginterest in the elections, by pointing out
-to iliem able men fur their representatives ; by
•oljecting some important person for their Presi.
Avg, and by giving publicity to their proceed-
lugs. Aly exertions have hum directed to these
lillmorl3.
lUlSTEtts.—Navrocordato, Negris, and Co.
end others of the ablest Greelgs,have tilted
the !}flies e Ministers. When I reached Argos
'itarldinister except one for the Interior, a priest,
had .been appointed. .1 ventured strongly to an.
imadvert on this neglect, especially at a time
wiser; every arrangement Wat/ to be made far the
APPropriation,of tire loan aud the defence of the
country.
•`.llkukti-Nirritimosr or JosTteze—T he BYgautine
•aud parts of the,Napoleon codes prevail G reere.
Neither are, however onscit AttFiKit'd to, and the
_a
to Greece. .Shce lsus
iipdiarliaittwt
ii)s;tertirltolbsa is an :aritn.tt to tjut..eincattiegies
in its lowest stair•
slave her to-the end tirm!, ; she has no old pre,
.ludiceS and sacred mountains parchment to get
_rid of, and she is ready to wept the hest code
,of laws that can fir offered.t~;nsishe hesitate in
accepting one foluidid on the scrutinizing
prin-
ciples of Bacon) and supported at
every step by

reasons, the soundness of .which are almost mathe-
matically demonstrated?
Potace.—The Police is.best supported by the
military chiefs, especially at Athens. With the
exception of . thwtown of Missalonghi, personal
security prevails to n much greater degree Oan.
under the Turkish GovernMent. Associations
,
are extremely rare. Travellers move about with
great safety.
13 EFECTS.—This is a Government..of Prefects.
Under newly formed states, it is absolutely ne-
cessary that strong power should be vested in
certain persons in every district, and they should
beim& responsible for the constitutional tier-.
else of it. Unless these, local Authorities are es-
tablished; whatever the vigour of the central con-
troul, the distant provinces fall a prey to. some.
despot or to anarchy. In. Greece, the. Prefects
are ill selected. Instead of by education, by
publicity,. by the establishment and enforcement
of good laWs, by great rigour towards pirates,
and by the example of a scrupulous integrity on•
the part of the administration in all its financial
measures; in a word, by proving to the people
and the merchants how much it is their interest
to be industrious and honest.

' Iteveteues.—The people are not oppressed lty
the amount of taxes ; but they are ruined by the
manner in which the Captains and the Primates
collect them ; by the revenues entering the por.
ets of these individuals, instead of being sent to the
Exchequer ; by their being appropriated to pri-
vote purposes, instead of being devoted to the
protection of their lands and country from the
Turks, many parts of which dre. yearly overrun
and destroyed ; and by the occasional unlawful
exactions, and system of free, quartets pursued
by the captains. What are the remedies for
these evils ? The exposure of the abuse and its
fatal consequences,—The acquisition of power on
the part of the Government to enable them to
force the Captains and Primates to place the re.
venues in the public coffers ; the enrolment of
the people into a militia, hostile equally to fo-
reign and domestic enemies ; and an increased
vigour and activity on the part of the representa-
tive body.

LOA N.—The Greeks think they have but one
want—that of money.. This' is a false notion,
and attended .with bad consequences; because,
every department of the Government, all except
money, is neglected.. Endeavonrs were made to
remove this notion by proving that the richest
had been subdued by the poorest nations. The
Captains are in general averse to the loan, from a
dread that it would fall into the hands of their
antagonists, and deprive them of power. The
rest of the nation look forward to its arrival uith
a feverish impatience. They thought, and with
truth, that if well applied, it will not only secure
their independence, but also their freedom.
NViten I was at Argos, measures were taken to
bring the subject under the'coosideration of the
Government. The Sittings of the Legislative
Body were resumed ; .measures were recommend-
ed for the appropriation of the money, and for se.
curing the payment of the interest. I will not
.enter into a detail of the measures, as they em.
brace nearly the whole field of Government.
They ppeared exceedingly jealous of their power
over the peoples'-. purse, and as careful of their
motley, as they proverbially are of their own.

l'A-wriEs.--The political parties in Greece may
be said to be three. First, there are the Cap-
w,ho look to power and plunder., They
generally lean to the democratic into-rest, as a
means of preserving these advantages, and of
avoiding a• master under kingly government.
This party have riches and courage, but they
have poWerfal opponents, end can only preserve
their interests by. ranging themselveS on the hide
of the people—a fact which they begin-to appre-
ciate. I was always pouring this into their ears,
and the Military Chiefs considered me as their
friend, whereas I was merely consulting the good
of the muss. Secondly, there are the Primates
Und• Oligarchs: these, too, are for power al .1
plunder.' They look to a foreign King, as.the
metins'of supporting their influence.. The third
may be called the national party. They con4st-
of those who are not subdued by the military or'
civil Oligarchs. I. mean the peasantry, the mer-
chants-, the towns-people, some of the islanders,
•and a few fine spirits.- When invasion has been.
near, the national party have inclined towards
the Military Chiefs ; when at a distance, they
• have risen againSt their extortions. By degrees
they gain strength.
EincATloN.—From• what has been stated, it
appears thatqltere is u great want of educated
Men in Greece. .This is felt in the representa-
tive body, in the adminiatration of justice, in the
prefectures, in the army and navy--in short, in
every department of the State. By the P 81414611-
ment of schools and publicity, by courting the
ingress of settler; and travellers, and the re•
turn of enlightened Greeks to their coun.
try, this desirable end may in time be ob-
tained. . .

The defence of Greece now ClBllllB your atten.
tion.

NAvire—The Greek navy is composed chiefly
of merchant brigs from Hydra, Spezzia and
Ip-
sara. ' They amount to about to 80 sail. These
vessels have been maintained partly by private
contributions, and the sailors are skilful and
brave. The Greek fleet is of the same charac-
' ter as the Greek army. It is not equal to cope
with the combined Turkish fleet, but has gained
a mastery over it by it superior seamen and tac-
tics. When I say tactics I allude not to those of
an highly organized navy, for in these they are
'deficient ; but there are tactics for irregular fleets
as well as armies—for Corsairs and privateers us
for guerillas, Pindarie, and Stratists. This. too
is.the true
,military and naval policy for .Greece
to pursue. She cannot cope with the Turks in
regular warfare, but .she' can harrass and worry
them to denth.—Greece should have 4. good
frigates, 60 of her, own brigs, 3 or 4 steam vessels,
soine privateers,,and a few gun-boats in commis-
sion. She might then be secure against every
maritime power, with the. exception of England.
Perhaps •the CoMmittee.might be able -to procure
for Greece some .privateers, a steam vessel, and a
gun boat. a model'. One or two 'good naval
officers who could bend to native- prejorlives,, and
could submit with a strew: wind to
.36.rts .of