Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1896. Greece and Turkey.

Manawatu Herald, 6 August 1896, Page 2

Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1896. Greece and Turkey.

It appears from the late cablegrams that Turkey is anxious to embroil Greece in another war with her, which, judging how she fared previously, seems unwise. The Greeks are figh table gentlemen and their history is one more of wars than rumours of wars, and the struggle for independence from Turkish rule which ommenced in 1820 was not concluded until September 1829, when the Porte acknowledged his defeat. During the period mentioned the Gieeks undoubtedly showed both pluck and energy, and the son a of such fathers are not likely to be bo very different to them. Thus in the year 1822 when Greece had declared her independence we find, from the newspapers of that date, the Turks sacked several villages in the neighbourhood of Salonica in consequence of the inhabitants refusing to suffer themselves to be disarmed. The Greeks, complying with the wishes of their wives and daughters, immolated them with their own hands rather than they should be violated by the Turks. After the bombard ment of Chios, which the Turks captured, they massacred about 50,000 of the inhabitants, but the ; Greeks instead of being Bilenced sent two fireships, which, after eluding eleven Turkish warship?, penetrated into the canal at Ohio and succeeded by skilful manoeuvres in approaching the Admiral's ship of - 130 guns, One fireship go so near as to grapple it olpßely on the larboard side, applying the fire there. The story is told thus : — " The prodigious efforts of the crew at. length succeeded in disengaging the Admiral's ship from the fireship, after which the ship of the Captain Bey sunk it. But the second fireship also approached the Admiral's ship, and set fire to it, while the Turks were endeavouring to get rid of the first. Within threequarters of an hour the fire reached the magazine, and the ship blew up with a terrible explosion. The Captain Pasha, who had been severely wounded, but who did not wish to leave his ship, was forcibly pub into a boat by his attendants. A mast, howover, which immediately fell, wounded him mortally on the head, sunk the boat, and he was brought ashore on the wreck. He expired within an hour. Out of the whole crew, more than 2,286, scarcely 200 were saved. Two other ships of the line and a frigate were indebted for safety, to the extraordinary activity of their crews, but they were damaged. The fireship which had spread such ravages was driven by the wind through the midst of the Turkish fleet, which everywhere avoided it, and ran agound on Cape St. Helena where its own fire consumed it. The crews of the Greek fireships succeeded in escaping in their boats through the Turkish fleet." Some months later the Turks, by the assistance of foreign spies and native

traitors suddenly possessed them- I selves of Cornith, but the Grecian Senate made a levy of all men between 16 and 60 and got together an army of 30,000 men with which th^y surrounded the town and eventually captured it. The Government also called upon all Greeks who had ■ taken refuge in the Tonian Isles to j return and fight or bi liable to expa- j triation and confiscation. These were men who thoroughly meant business. During the following months the Turks completely destroyed 60 villages, and it is said, in onp, a considerable number of women and little children were shut up in a house and burnt. Still the Greeks kept up their courage, and when a large Turkish fleet had been de* spatched to Patrus, they also sent another one of 40 transports, 3 frigates, and a line of battleships with 8000 troops on board to ravage the Archipelago, hoping the Greek fleet would have all gone after the first Turkish one. The Greek Admiral gofc " wind " of this little manoeuvre and kept back part of his fleet lurking about Negropont, so that it fell upon the second Turkish fleet in the rocky and dangerous channel called Bocca-Silota. The Turks, taken by surprise, were panic struck. A Turkish frigate and sevoral transports were wrecked, others were sunk or captured, and the remainder pursued to Tenedos. Of the whole squadron only 11 or 12 vessels, 91 frigates^ arid the ship of-the-line re entered the Dardanelles. More than two thirds of the troops perished by the sword or the waves. We have given instances of the pluck of the Greek sailors and will conclude with ono account of What the soldiers and women were like. A large body of Turks, some 15,000, suddenly appeared ab the Souli mountains and he situation of the Greek? wa3 vary precarious, and they resolved to destroy their wives and children to prevent them falling into the hands of the enemy, and afterwards fco sell their lives as dearly as possible The Greek women, however, had influence sufficient to prevent this, and it was resolved that the women (who | insisted upon it) should arm, and 800 were selected. The men numbered 3000. With this force they attacked the enemy and drove them far south, the women vied with the men in feat 3of valour, and they secured 1300 prisoners and four pieces of cannon with the slight loss of 167 men and 17 women. Such people deserved their independence, and it seems most unwise to shake up such a hornet's nest by such a weak Power as Turkey.