Evening star., 1896-09-30
THE CRETAN STRUGGLE
What is Said in the East of the Turkish
Atrocities.
Alleged Find OF a Titian-Trade In
Greek Antiquities American
Capital in British Ships.
Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
| PATRAS. Greece, September Q, 1896.
The sound money party should have sent
| a special agent to those European countries
| where the currency has deprecated. A
| visit to Greece or Italy would be a valuable
| object lesson to the anti-gold bugs. In
| Greece a drachma, whose face value is
| twenty cents, is worth twelve usually,
| though values fluctuate every day. almost
every hour. In Italy If the government
officials can avoid being paid in Italian
money they Invariably do SO.
| Throughout Greece there is a great re-
| Jotcing over the partial victory won by
| Crete in her recent revolution. The new
organic law. comprising a scheme of re-
forms for Crete. proposed by the powers
| and sanctioned by the sultan, was pro-
muigated September g. In accordance with
the demands Of the Christian popula ton, 1t
| provides that two-thirds of the public func-
| tionaries shall be Christians: that the rev.
enue derived from the importation Of to-
| bacco shall remain in the island, and that
arrears of deficits incurred by expenditure
| not sanctioned by the Cretan assembly
shall be charge upon the porte.
The new assembly will meet six months
| after the sanction of the new regime in
conformity with the law of 1883. Mean
| while the reforms will be Professionally car
| ried out by the governor, who is a Cretan,
| and council, their due execution be .ng
guaranteed by the powers. The representa-
| Cves OF the powers propose the levying, un-
der the control Of the consuls. of Gus
| toms surtax, the proceeds of which are to
| be employed in compensating the inhabit-
ants for losses suffered by them in the
| late disturbances
The Armenian Question.
The Turkish atrocities in Armenia are
| much worse than the Spanish crueltes in
the Island of Cuba. A gifted Englishman,
| who Is in direct communication with Con-
stantinople. says of the Armenans: '"They
| certainly are not heroes they would
| have found means ere this to hang the sui
| tan from his own bed room window When
i Greece was under the heel of the Turk the
| children of the men of Thermopylae knsw
| how to exact vengeance for VENGEANCE: and
| for every Greek slain they slaughtered ten
| Turks. The CretanS today have the same
| courage, and. if left to themselves, would
| make short work of the sultan's butchers.
| POSSIBLY II is wrong but the world al
| ways adrnires rnen who can fight for the
| honor of their wives and the safety of their
| children. Tens of thousands of Armenian
| men have gone, like sheep to the shambles
| without striking blow, and the pity of the
| world is mingled with strain of scorn
| In great European capital on the sea,
| within striking distance of the combine ed
| neets or Europe, thousands of men, wo-
| men and children have been done to dea h
| with every refinement of devilish cruelty"
| The English gentleman has done the Ar
| menlanS an injustice in this hard criticism
10 my knowledge the Armenans have been
| organizing for this revolt for years A
| friend of mile was in TrebZond few years
| ago in conversation with n group of wealthy
| Armenlans. He asked: Why is 1t that You
| all submit to such slavery? You are rich
| and money is power!'' The most powerful
Armenian in the group turned pale and
| whispered: do not mention such things
aloud, but We are organizing for revolu-
tlon that VIII come with force, provided We
| are not found out until we are ready to
| strike. Then Europe will be appalled,"
The plans were discovered by the sultan
| and his emissaries before they were ready,
| was the result. The half has not been told
Of these massacres in America.
| Said to BE a Titan.
| Recently sa in home here two paint
| ings which have been heirlooms in the
| family many years. Feeling ! was in the
| presence OF two masterpieces, / started an
| investigation. which resulted in an expert
| expressing the opinion that one was a
| genuine Titan! So far as know anything
| OF the works of that great artist. the pic
| ture is undoubtedly his. Both belong to the
| school of the Italian Renaissance The one
thought to be the work of Titan represents
| David after his victory over Goliath sur
| rounded by group ol women. who are at
| once congratulatng him and ministering
| to his wants He holds the head of Co.
| Hath, which shows the mark made by the
| stone and bears the wonderful imprint Of
| death Davids head and those of the more
| beautiful of the women are crowned with
| the ru6dy locks Titan loved to paint the
other painting is a life-sized portrait of a
| Doge Of Venice.
| In spite Of the law about Greek antiuui-
| ties. great business Is done in them here
| sometimes they are genuine antiquities
| and sometimes they are not! The British
Museum paid, / think, 10000 or sl!OOO0
| for the latest genuine antiquity which LETT
| Greece. Some workmen were digging near
| the walls of the old Venetian Castle which
| stands on picturesque hill, overlooking
| this city of Patras. They struck something
| hard ard dug up one of the white marble
dancing fauns." two of which are men,
| toned as standing near the entrance to the
| Temple of Demeter.
There is an antiquity from the same
| hili long since the property of a Liverpool
currant firm. which will be offered to the
| Corcoran Art Gallery next winter.
Currants for This Country.
| Last year this port alone shipped s., 600, =
COO worth of currants to America. This
year large shipments are being made. 1t
| appears that the currant vines transplant
| ed from here to California bore curants the
| first year. Three ships are now getting
| currants here for New York, Boston, Chi
| cago and San Francisco. These ships are
| owred in New York, but fly under the
| British flag! They also officered by En-
| glshmen. There ere about ten genuine
! British boats after currants IN harbor and
| the union jack is everywhere ! wish the
| stars and stripes 1oated as proudly over
| every sea.
Fruits here are delicious and very cheap
| Bunches of grapes Weighing several pounds
| hang down in luscious and abundant clus-
ters from every grape vine. Figs, peaches
| pears, melons of every variety are brought
in every morning by countrymen, in huge
panniers strapped to the backs of docile
| dnnly hn
| where in profusion. The pink and white
oleander. which We cultivate fiourishes