Wilmington daily gazette., 1874-03-12

BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR THE GEM Or THE
LEvANT-THE REVIVAL OF COMMERCE AND
THE ARTs-RECENT ARCH BIOLOGICAL DIS
CoyERIEs. Il
Last evening the Hon. John NJ. Francis, late
minister to Greece. read paper before the
American Geographical Sociefy on "Greece as
tits" lie said: The Greece OF to-day is liv-
ing reality. but it is largely msappreheDded
and often misrepresented. Even many Of our
scholars have very imperfect ideas of the liv-
ing Greece. Greece embraces an area Of some
pa, 900 square miles 1t has population Of
about 100000 souls, Forty four years ago,
at the close of the war of the revolution, the
people we're very poor. There was not q VII
lage of tolerable size in the kingdom. Athens
was reduced to mere hamlet Of less than l.
900 inhabitants. Now she has q population
of over 5000 souls. Syra has population of
% 900, Patras of 10000, Corfu over 10000.
Prior to 1S4l there were no banks In the coun-
try. Now there are four in Athens haying
branches in all the principal towns of the king
dom, with paid up capital of $4,000. 900.
Specie payments have been maintained by
| them. The paid up capital with reserve Of the
| four principal Insurance companies aggregates
81 ,656,0o0. A steam navigation company
| founded in 1851, has paid up capital of $780,
900 ana ten steamships; another recently Or
ganized by Greek capitalists has fixed capi-
| tai of IS S0000 900. The mercantile maine OF
Greece is larger than that of any other coun-
| try in the world population considered There
| is an earnest effort to popularize and dignity
| agriculture. Schools are to be established, IL
bOr saving implements employed and the soil
worked in accordance with the latest methods
| of farming. There are abeut 1900, ,0O0 acres
of arabic land in the ekingdom of this less than
60D0, 900 are under cultivation.
Nearly all the known metals are to be found
in the country. Iron, argantiferOus lead and
copper ores are very abundant. The Laurium
lead mines were worked prohtably and exten
sively long before the Christian era. but near
ly 2 900 years ago were abandoned rs uprotit
| able. Scientific explorations determined that
there was value in The refuse left by the an
cient miners. In 1864 or 1865 Franco-Italiar
company was formed for working the Iauri
um mines. One year ago Greek capitalist
bought out this company forming JOINT stool
company with capital o. S4 900, 900. Othe
, miuing companies have also been formed
The average cotton crop of the country /
, about 5,5oO,o 600 pounds There: are extensiv
} cotton, silk, and iron manufactures. Greco
exports annually So 900, coo to $4,000 900 worl
of currants of olive oil s4,00oo0O, and larg
n quantities of cotton silk, and iron. There
no doubt Greece is capable of sustaining
population OF from ,00U, 600 10 5000, 900 souls
Greece stands next to Germany in educationa
enterprise. The schools are practically free
There are twenty-one literary, scientific, an
. art corporations and societies.
Excavations at Athens have brought 10 ligf
+ large bath or series of baths, covering spac
a of nearly two acres, designed probably fC
3 public use, during the period of Roman supr,
macy. On the island of Delos M. Bourne
:. has laid bare nearly the whole of an ancien
temple, probably the famous temple of Apoll
OF Delos, and the ruins of a city. $3.50
Mr., Francis spoke at length concerning Ii
(; politics business, social situation and religis
;, of Greece, and of the inhabitants. In conclu,
= ing he said; Greece is the gem of the Levsn
| Let our Invocation be that lis people may su
mount all difficulties in well doing, and wiz
: heroic effort under the guide of wisdom ar
i | Justice, prove themselves worthy sons Of illu
Il trious ancestry, never looking back, save +
d gether inspiration from glorious history.