The Express. — 1846-12-30 (London, England)

GREECE—A letter from Athens of December 10 (published in the Chronicle) contains the following representation of the state of affairs under French influence, furui,hing fresh details of tile brigandage which afflicts the country. M. Coletti is said by his medical attendants to be vadually getting butter, but it is not probable that he will be able to take any personal part in the direction of public affairs for some time ; meanwhile, the ministry which exists but in name, goes on as it can, doing nothing, which perhaps is a great deal better than if it were doing anything. Louis Philippe's representatives at Athens are not, however, idle, M. Piscatory, the French Minister, and M. Rougoux, the French consul, openly governing Greece, as has been must admirably exposed in the Karteria, Athenian newspaper. It says.—" Whoever wishes to have a knowledge of our independence, has only to go just now to the Audit Otfi:e, where he will see the French Consul, M. Rougoux, composing, with the assistance of the members of that office, the budget of 1847. This is exactly wnat took place last year, as our readers will remember. The budget being composed by the diplomatic agents of France, just means this, that the government and the treasury of Greece are under the control and immediate direction of the French ministry ; which clearly amounts to the fact, that we are under the influence of systematic foreign interference; or rather, that our affairs are directly administered by the French government." The Chambers have commenced the discussion on the address of the King. It is nut of much consequence what may be adopted, for, even if the Chambers should have the good sense to forcibly point out to his Majesty the crying evils which afflict the country, as they partly did by their address last session, it is more than probable the same perfect contempt will be paid to any such exposition, while Greece is under the guidance of M. Coletti and M. Piscatory. Mr. Baillie Cochrane, the late Member for Bridport, is now here on a visit to Sir Edmund and Lady Lyons. The interest which Mr Crichrane has always taken in the affairs of Greece in parliament, causes the Greeks to look upon his visit to this country with great interest. Brigandage continues in various parts of Greece, and still accompanied by tortures and assassinations. In the village of Diminio, in the province of Corinth, the superintendent of the Senator Vlassie, named Agrapidaki, and his servant, were assassinated by brigands on the 29th of November, in the house which they occupied, and who stole a sum of 3,000 drachmas. Accounts from Missolonghi of the 6th instant state that a baud of thirty six brigands entirely pillaged the small village of Vato, near Varmaki, after having murdered two persons, and wounded several others. A letter from Lamia, dated the 29th November, which has been published iu the Athens newspapers, gives an account of a most revolting outrage committed by agents of the government. According to this letter, a brigadier of the gendarmerie. a gendarme, and three militia soldiers, entered the village of Daitza, in the night of the 26th ultimo, and, after shutting up in his house the mayor's assistant and other persons, the two gendarmes forcibly entered the homesteads of persons named Galatopoulo and Tigana, seized the women, tortured and beat them, and then subjected them to the worst brutalities. In Europe, nay, in Turkey, or Egypt, or anywhere out of Greece, the question may and will be asked, how long are such atrocities, which have been going on in Greece ever since M. Coletti has assumed power, to be tolerated? It is certainly no use a-king the question here, as it is perfectly clear that they will continue just so long as M. Coletti's system is in force, and is so unaccountably upheld by King Otho. The French naval force, at present at the Piraeus, consists of an 80-gun ship, a corvette, a brig, and three war-steamers, two of them, the Cuvier and the Casini, being very large steamfrigates.