The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-13
The Proposed Abdication Of the AinG
OF Greece-Monarchy IA Europe.

OF Greece-Monarchy in Europe.
cable despatch announces upon what
seems to be unquestioned authority the
speedy abdication Of the King o. Greece
The position Of this monarch Is peeu-
I liarly irksome and ncs a little ridiculous
I Greece is, in plain fact, a country WITH
out an upper or middle class population ana
the very civil list Of its Sovereign Is derived
! in part from foreign contributions. All those
wealthy merchants who are SO proud of their
Hellenic descent-the Rails, the Rodocona-
CHS. Spartalis, and that numerous mixed
race of Venetians, Turks and Genoese VINO
claim the Byzantine emperors and homeric
heroes among their ancestry-take
especial care to make their habitauons
far from their native laud. They may
be found in New York and in London, and
they congregate at Manchester, Marseil'es
Liverpool, Trieste, Calcutta and other large
commercial centres also at Constantinople,
where there is good deal of business doing
in the financial way. The Jews have only
just driven them out from the great corn
markets of Southern Russia; but they con-
tinue to hold their own both in Austria and "a
England Baron Sina, Germanized Greek, IS
one of the richest men in the world, and
Greek has just been elected TO the British
Parliament Commerce does not prosper
in Greece. The country produces little, and
that little is hardly worth expectation The
population is TOO poor to foster fourishing
import trade, and Athens has no Stock EX-
change or none worth notice, so that an
enterprsing commercial man would be
quite lost there. The public officers
and the commands IN the army or
navy are quite beneath the attention
OF ambition; and the whole interest Of the
windy, sun-dried little capital is concentrated
on the purses of travellers in search Of an
tiquities and IN the miserable intrigues of
petty court 1t is very scandalous place,
for all the Athenians ana strangers who are
there still spend their time in nothing else
but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
The late King Ohio and his Queen were really
very worthy people. He was quiet respect
able man, by no means waning in good
sense, who had taste for dabbling in litera-
ture Her Majesty was fond OF dancing and
fine raiment. Nothing evil could fairly be
! said about either of them, but if an inquiry
into their character had been made at any
BARRIERS shop at Athens the answers
would have been utterly disastrous to their
reputation; and one day, when they went
/ out to breakfast on the water, they were
dethroned and sent about their business.
King George, too, and his royal consort are
worthy folk enough They have q large pri-
vate property, which must be good for the
trade Of such a small town a Athens. and the
worst that can be told OF them is that the
KING drives a phaeton, and gossip says that
s'the gray mare is tre better horse" ANY
one acquainted, however, with the state Of
society in Athens might reasonably be dis
posed 10 doubt II the King and Queen have
ever been left for single day in peace at the
ordinary sort Of villa which is called the royal
palace.
There Is beautiful story which re-
lates that after the battle Of Issus the COM
pieie rout Of the Persian army put Alexander
< in possession OF the camp OF Darius, IN
which were his mother, wife and chill
dren. rumor had been spread that
Darius was slain, and Alexander, willing TO
give them comfort, paid them q visit As
be entered their tent Heph@stion. who was
rather taller than Alexander, was close by his
side, and, as soon as they approached, the
Queen-mother addressed herself to Hephms-
ton, supposing him to be the mighty con-
oueror Her attendants telling her Of her
mistake sne was much embarrassed but the
great Captain answered, at is of no impor-
lance, Madam, for b., too, is Alexander" We
hardly know which Of the two we should first
congratulate-him who rad the generosity to
make such a speech, or him who had the hap
piness to hear it spoken of himself 1t is one
Of the prettiest anecdotes of history but if
Hephastion had forced his way into his
Sovereigns dressing room and cried out 81
too, am Alexander" his behavior might have
been inconvenient, and the story Of it could
not have been told in as pleasant manner.
Now. that was the sort Of thing that
used to happen to King Ohio, and which
may possibly have happened to King George
Bright-eyed, laxative gentlemen, in the cos
tunes OF their country, consisting chiefly OF
white pethcoats and embroidered CATERS,
thrust themselves into his presence at all
hours to insist that he should turn out his
Ministers and appoint them or their friends
to the vacancies thus created. NJ Edmond
About relates that the ladies Of his court
openly wore jewelry which had been Just
stolen on the highway, and Hadji Petro, who
was strongly suspected Of being a brigand.
walked about with noble English ladies and
an armed guard at his heels to protect him
from molestation whenever he thought fit to
confront the King and have some talk with
him. II does not appear that brigandage
has been put down in Greece during the
reign Of King George, or that brigands
now are less powerful or less insolent