The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-12-08

AMERICAN ANNEXATION IN TIE LEVAN1.-
One Of the Vienna papers has made
the discovery, through its Athens CORES
pondent, that the object of thu visit Of
the American squadron, With. an Envoy
Extraordinary, to the Piraus, was of greater
political Importance THAI. the enforcement
of the payment of NJ. Knights indemnity
1t will be recollee.ed that it was suggested
lately by one OF the Paris journals, that our
design in ins.sting upon the abolition of the
Sounz dges was to raise muss, under pre-
teAco OF which we might be enabled to seize
upon some "snug little island" in the Baltic.
AS this thirst for little islands is, according to
our foreign critics, our all-absorbing propensi-
ty at the present moment, the Vienna journal
in question concludes that the main purpose
of the visit of an American Envoy to Athens
was to negotiate the purchase Of the island of
Milo, on which, it states, our government has
cast longing eye.
Now, the idea, whether it be correct or not,
is not a bad one.. Milo, would make first
rate naval depot for our Mediterranean
squadron. It is one Of the group of the Gen.
trail Cyclades, and has spacious bay on
the north side, stretching northwest and
southeast about six miles, which has
deep water throughout, and forms one Of the
best asylums for shipping on the Levant,
The whole extent of the island is only about
thirteen miles in length from east to west,
and about seven miles across in its greatest
breadth. 1t furnishes abundant supplies of
iron, alum, sulphur and salt, but no coal.
The more elevated parts Of the island present
naked and sterile appearance, but the low
grounds are said to be extremity fertile, pro-
ducing corn, oil, wine, cotton, oranges, and
other fYuits, in the greatest profusion. When
Thucydides wrote, Milo had already attained
historical Importance from it's contests with the
Athenians. The latter, however, finally sue
ceeded in subjugating its Inhabitants and in
putting most of them to the sword. The island
is now almost entirely depopulated, owing to a
variety of causes, the chief Of which may be
said to be the intolerant despotism under which
it has groaned for centuries. 1t contains, how
ever, two or three towns, the principal of which,
Milo, is situated near seine salt marshes, and
is consequently unhealthy. Frequent vista
tons of the plague may also be numbered
amongst the desagrsmens Of this otherwise
agreeable little prospective possession of ours
Most of these disadvantages would, no doubt,
be greatly mitigated, if not removed, by Ame-
rican enterprise and skill Artesian wells would
supply pure instead of the brackish water
which now causes so much disease, and strict
quarantine regulations might prevent the visits
of that dread Levantine rover-the plague
Under all the circumstances, we 60 in strong
for this new acquisition. 1t would give us, as
We have already said, just such an excellent
naval station and point dappui in the Levant
as Commodore Perry has succeeded in obtain
ing for us in the Japanese waters. Politically
speaking, it might be of great future use to
us-very great. With one leg on the Milo and
another on rock in the Baltic, like the
Colossus Of Rhodes Brother Jonathan would
be likely to cut conspicuous figure in Euro
pean affairs.