In fighting for power, the Greeks are pulling their new
con- stitution to pieces. Coletti has swamped the Senate by the exer- cise of the Royal prerogative, in creating sixteen Senators. In doing so, he has shocked the political scruples of Metaxa to such an extent, that the alliance between them, already loosened by some differences on religious points, has been broken, probably for ever ; and Metaxa has retired from office. The two together formed a coalition against Mavrocordato, and Coletti remains alone to reap the advantage. It seems impossible, however, that a position thus gained and used can long be maintained, in spite of the chief's false alliance with France ; for no extraneous sup- port can uphold so violent a title, even if the alliance were less hollow and insubstantial than it is. Coletti is called the head of the " French" party in Athens ; but we doubt whether there is really any such party, or any " English" party. Russian in- fluence has been felt more practically in the working of Grecian intrigues than either English or French ; and such a thing as a Nappist party may be less of a shadow : but the three factions are only different shapes of really Greek opinion. Coletti repre- sents the Greek as barbarized by the rule of Turkey—the melo- dramatic, piratical, cunning soldier-adventurer, faithless, lawless, and audacious ; who construes government to be the mere con- trivance and power of the strong to exaot obedience from the credulous and weak he represents Greece as modified by Ma- hometan rule. Metaxa, on the one band, looks for an improved manner of goveinAment in the snore systematic despotism of North-eastern Europe, the semi-civilized astuteness of Russia ; representing Greece in its Sclavonian affinities. Mavrocordato, on the other hand, would import the mixed popular and official government of Western Europe ; and represents Greece emerging Into modern history. There seems to be no sufficient development of nationality and popular opinion to give substance or stability to either party. Coletti is only called the head of the French faction because he is a centralizer and consorts with French ma- ricenverers : it is not, however, on an enlightened bureaucracy, such as that of France, that he relies, but upon an Oriental cen- tralization, half-military, half-freebooter. What France preaches as statecraft, he translates into the idiom of his gang; and he is hurrying Greece into a new revolution, the form and results of which neither he nor his instructors can foresee, because they are not agreed upon the terms in which they commune. The cun- ning of the French diplomatists overshoots itself in trying to make Greece, through Coletti, morally a dependency of France ; for they can establish no hold through so uncertain a means. Had they fostered the growth of the European party, they would more forcibly have strengthened their own influence, At present, England alone has done so ; and therefore the European party appears to be an English party ; which makes the French jealous, while it weakens Greece and retards her national progress.
