The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1878.

Kumara Times, Issue 469, 28 March 1878, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1878.

As pointed out by us {he other day, the Eastern Question has again assumed a phase which points to no other conclusion than that a general European war. is still as inevitable as we considered it to be before peace negotiations were entered upon between Russia and Turkey. Taking it for granted then that neither Russia nor England will budge another inch from the positions now assumed by them, the ultimate fate of Constantinople becomes an interesting question. In yesterday’s issue we quoted from Guizot, who twenty years ago said with reference to the old Byzantine capital, “It cannot be independent; it must, therefore, be Greek.” Forty years ago—twenty years before Guizot spoke,—Cobden foresaw the same thing. He wrote,—“Do- not believe the lying and slandering accounts which the dulness of some travellers, the envy of Levant merchants, and the Franks of Constantinople utter against the Greek character. The raw material of all that is noble, brilliant, refined, and glorious is still latent in the character of this people—overlaid, as is natural, with the cunning, falsehood, meanness, and other vices inherent in the spirits of slaves. All the East will be Greek, and Constantinople, no matter under what nominal sovereignty it may fall, will, by the force of the indomitable genius of the Greeks, become, in fact, the capital of that people.”

Both Guizot and Cob den were farseeing men. Other prophecies of theirs have within our own day been fulfilled; and there can be no doubt that recently the Greeks have shown an inclination to assert themselves’ amongst the nationalities of Europe. It will be remembered that at one time it seemed possible that the Duke «.f Edinburgh would accept the crown of Greece, which subsequently fell to the lot of his Danish brother-in-law. The latter, it is well known, is not enamoured of his position ■ and it is quite on the cards that although Her Majesty’s advisers did not see their way to allow a scion of the Royal Family to reign at Athens, the objection might be removed were he to ascend the throne at Constantinople, whence from the breaking up of the great Roman Empire until four hundred years ago, the destinies of Grsecia were ruled. It is, of course, a mere speculation as to who will be the first monarch of a restored and regenerated Greek Empire; but that such restoration and regeneration will take place before very long seems more than probable.