The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-28 00:00:00

THE MURDERS IN GREECE.

Two more official letters in connection with the Greek
calamity have been published. The first is from Mr.
Erskine, British Ambassador at Athens, to the Earl of
Clarendon. It was received on Wednesday, and is
dated April 16th, being thus sent off before the news
of the massacre was received. Mr. Erskine announces
that he had not been able to effect the release of the cap-
tives. It seems that the brigands were tampered with,
for our representative says :—" At one time they seemed
disposed to accept a ransom of £22;000 on condition that
hostages be given to ensure their reaching the frontiers
in safety; but in the course of the night they were visited
by persons from Athens, who arc believed by M. Zaimis to
have been despatched by some of the leading members of the
opposition, and who persuaded the brigands to insist
upon an unconditional amnesty, not only for themselves,
but for all their companions in prison—the supposed ob-
ject being to compel the Government to convoke an ex-
traordinary session of the Chamber, and thus afford the
Opposition a fresh opportunity of defeating the Ministry
and driving them from office." " The brigands," he adds,
" had sent into Athens to consult three advocates of
standing !" The letter concludes :—" This morning the
Minister of War, General Soutzo, called upon me to say
that a gendarme had arrived with a message to the effect
that in the course of yesterday the band had been ob-
served near a place called Agios Mercurios, making to-
wards Oropo, a village about 25 _ miles due north of
Athens, near the channel between Eubma and
Attica, and General Soutzo presumes that their
intention is to place their prisoners under
shelter in the neighbourhood of Oropo, where they will
have greater facilities of escaping than they had at Kera-
mides. Two of the prisoners were on horseback, and Ido
not feel the laast apprehension for their safety, as the
brigands are now aware that they can when they choose
obtain an exorbitant ransom, with liberty to convey it
beyond the reach of the Greek authorities." There is not
the slightest indication in this missive of pursuit by
troops, or of any of the follies which were committed
later.
The second letter is from the Earl of Clarendon to Mr.
Erskine. It is dated Wednesday, and is, of course,
written after the news of the final catastrophe had
arrived. The letter runs thus
" instructed you yesterday by telegraph to
state to the Greek Government that her Majesty's
Government trust that no exertion will be spared
for the destruction or capture of the rest of the brigands,
and that those who have been already or may here-
after be captured will be visited with the severest punish-
ment that can be inflicted by law on persons guilty of
such atrocious crimes as those they have committed. I
further instructed you to obtain at once, if possible, the
names and descriptions of the brigands still at large, espe-
ci illy that of the chief, and to inform Mr. Barron at Con-
stantinople. The object of this latter instruction was to
enable Mr. Barron to denounce them more effectually to the
Porte. For I desired M. Barron, by telegraph yesterday, to
communicate with the Porte, and with reference to the
possibility that the brigands, if hard pressed, might
seek refuge in Turkish territory, I instructed him
to press the Porte immediately to send orders to the
Turkish frontier authorities to seize any such brigands,
and deliver them at once to the Greek Government at
Athens, to be dealt with according to law; and
I also desired him to apprize you, by tele-
graph, of the result. The Turkish Ambassador in
this country has most kindly and considerately sent by
telegraph to his Government a message to the same effect,
and in the strongest terms : and I have further instructed
Mr. Barron this day by telegraph to submit to the Porte
whether, with reference to the great importance of
capturing the remainder of the band, it will not allow the
Greek troops who may be on the their track to pursue
them into the Turkish territory, in the event of there
being no Turkish troops at the time in the locality where
the brigands may have crossed. Musurus Pasha has further,
at my request, asked permission for the Greek troops to
pass the frontier in pursuit of the brigands ; and he feels
certain that the Porte will make no objection.. You will
learn from Mr. Barron the result of the representations
made to the Porte on this point. I have received this
morning your despatch of the 17th inst., and with refe-
rence to its contents I have at once instructed you by tele-
graph to use your utmost endeavours ro obtain the fullest
details respecting the visits alluded to in it as having been
made to the brigands; and the source from which the ad-
vice given to them proceeded, together with all particu-
lars as to the nature and purport of that advice ' • for it is
essential that her Majesty's Government should immedi-
ately have more complete information on these matters
than is contained in your dispatch. Her Majesty's
Government are also most anxious to learn under
what circumstances the solemn assurances given to
you not only by General Soutzo. but by the King and
President of the Council, as reported in your despatch
of the 12th of April, that most stringent orders should be
given against any further pursuit of the brigands by the
troops, were not observed ; whether the troops first
attacked the brigands, or were first attacked by them ;
and whether any communication was made to you of the
change of purpose announced to you in the first instance
by Gneral Soutzo."

The Pall Mail Gazette hears that the captives drew lots
as to which of them should be entrusted with the mission
of negotiating in Athens the ransom of his fellow-prisoners.
The lot fell to Mr. Vyner. To spare a wife the anguish
of suspense, Mr. Vyner gallantly pressed upon Lord Mun•
caster the acceptance of this duty. It appears that Mr.
Cecil Ashley, youngest son of Lord Shaftesbury, was Mr.
Vyner's travellin„,c, companion in Greece, and but for
an accident would have joined the party in their excur-
sion to Marathon. It happened that the homeward
steamer was to leave Athens on the following day, and as
there would be. no other for three weeks, Mr. Ashley;
who was anxious to be in England by the 12th of May,
reluctantly abandoned the idea of taking part in the
expedition.

Of course the papers are full of letters on this absorbing
subject. Everybody who has been captured by brigands,
or who has been one of the fraternity, writes to
detail his experience. Mr. Moens, who was made pri-
soner in Italy, together with the Rev. J. C. Murray
Aynsley, had to pay some 25,900, but they obtained
nothing in return. " Lord Russell's Government, then
in power, refused to back our claim, and the Italian Am-
bassador in London was told by it before we made the
claim that we had no more right to ask the Italian Go-
vernment to repay us than he would have were his pocket
picked on London bridge to reclaim the value from the
English nation."

COMIC PAPERS.
(From Punch.)
THE MOST FATAL FORM OF CONSUMPTION.—The con
gumption of strong drink.
_ _

MUCH WANTED.—In North Germany they have an
Assembly which they call " The Customs' Parliament."
A Parliament of that sort in this country would find a
good many bad customs to investigate and correct.
STRANGE THINGS DO HAPPEN.—Mrs. Malaprop says
she remembers years ago making an observation about an
" Allegory on the banks of the• Nile," but that she never
expected to live to read of one being caught in the
Thames.

THE ROYAL ACADEMY MADE EASY. Myope
(Myops ?) in the Times, appeals to the Royal Academy
for the publication of a pocket edition of their Catalogue
for the accommodation of near-sighted persons and others
who would like to visit the exhibition casually, but cannot
lug a big catalogue about. No doubt a small catalogue
would sell without interfering much with the sale of the
large one, of which most people would prefer the print.
Neither is it likely that many catalogues the fewer would
be sold if the Academy would have the pictures lettered
each with its subject and artist's name, as in the National
Gallery. Turning out the number of picture after picture
distracts the attention grievously, and in many cases turns
the head giddy. I can answer for one, and hope the Royal
Academy will consider not only " Myops's case, but
likewise that of VERTIGO.
RYE'S BABY-FARMING.—Miss Rye has found homes in
Canada for the first batch of seventy neglected children
rescued by her from a future of crime and misery in this
country, and announces that she has a hundred more
homes ready for the next hundred. This form of baby-
farming at least we can approve. Rye-bread ought
to be sweet, doubly seasoned, as it is, by the benevolence
of her that rescues and those that receive, these poor little
waifs and strays of humanity. Other promoters of emi-
gration look to it to reclaim lands ; Miss Rye turns it to a
nobler purpose—to reclaim lives. Mr. Punch is tempted
to parody the old song for the occasion, and to ask,
" Will a body meet a body coming with Miss Rye?
Will a body house a body ? Will a body try ?"

(From Fun.)

A BILL-STICKER.—A file.
SHOULD M.P.'s BE PAID ?—Yes ! Many of them—to
keep their mouths closed.

THE PUFF POLITIC.—The insurrection in Cuba is likely
to end in smoke, thanks to the int(rposition of the local
cigars.

A GREAT GUN.--This is good reading :—"Sir William
Armstrong has presented L:2,600 to the Newcastle-on-
Tyne Infirmary to help to carry out extensions. It is
intended to build an Armstrong wing." We always asso-
ciate gentleness with great power, and here's a proof of
the justice of so doing— a strong arm with an open
hand.

(From Judy.)
A HUNTING INCIDENT WE HAD ALMOST FORGOTTEN.
Sportsman (to lady) : `• It's slow work this drawing, all
the live-long day, blank after blank." Diana : `' Oh,
you're sure to find though, now, for papa fired at a fox
here yesterday, and missed him,"

MEXICO.—The Mexican Congress opened its
session on the Ist inst., when President Juarez, in his
massage, recommended the construction of a ship canal
across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Neither civil nor
military afradrs appear to be very promising. The revolu-
tionary leaders, including General Cadena, were
still in the field, and Placido Ve3a, with an army,
was threatening Mazattan, where there were no
Government troops. The son of the old General Santa
Ana, was ordered to be shot on the 2nd, but it is not
certain whether the sentence was carried out. Forced
loans were being ma,de-throughout Mexico, those made on
foreigners being called voluntary ! It is mentioned
as an item of curious intelligence that a Protestant news-
gaper had been started at the capital. _ _