The Government of Greece struggles on with a series of
disas- trous successes. Coletti has triumphed over the constitution in assembling a Legislature elected by fraud, force, corruption, and every means but a simple and fair exercise of the franchise. The Court has made itself his tool ; he holds the sword of state and the treasury, and governs his native land as a pirate might do who held in keeping the sword and purse and a pageant monarch. But the oppressed people will not be patient : Greece is in a state of incessant revolt; and even the creatures of the present system are provoked to resistance. General Griziotti, exasperated at some slight, raised a revolt in Eubcea; but it has been sup- pressed by the forces of the state, and victory lends to wrong the lustre of success.
The little affair of M. Eynard and his loan is not a leas signal instance of the same successful bungling. Much ridieule has been cast upon the worthy capitalist ; but it is surely the Greek Minister that cuts the contemptible figure. When Eng- land was pressing for the payment of the last instalment due on the guaranteed loan, M. Eynard stepped in with an offer of payment ; for which purpose he sent to Coletti au- thority to draw on him for the amount. The Minister, in words, declined the proffered assistance ; but after the lapse of some weeks he did draw. This was not what M. Eynard meant: he wanted to secure time for negotiations on the affairs of Greece ; and he reasonably says, that, as another instalment is just due, if England press for that, his bill would be paid into British hands without his obtaining the substantial consideration for it that he contemplated—two months for diplomatic consultations. His mode of acting—the appeal to the British Ministers col- lectively, and the standing upon a technical right to withhold acceptance of the bill—seems all very irregular and unbusiness- like, and lays him open to obvious sarcasms, which have not been spared ; but the real delinquent is Coletti. His refusal threw M. Eynard off his guard ; and his untimely use of the bill in a man- ner not contemplated by the worthy patron of Greece was in fact a breach of trust.
