GREECE 203 ing was despotic in principle, but mild and juitable so far as depended on himself. Ten after Otho's accession the popular dis- tisfaction reached its height, and the pal- was surrounded on the night of Sept. 14, by the army and the people, demanding constitution. After some hesitation the king ilded, and a political revolution was effected without violence. A national assembly was mvoked, and a constitution, the result of its )ors, was laid before the king on March 4, It received his sanction on the 16th. iring the ten years following its adoption, 3ek politics were in a state of almost con- it confusion, in which partisan contests were fed by foreign intrigues. The history of first decade of constitutional government Greece is a record of little more than party aggies for supremacy, turbulent elections, linisterial changes, and insurrections, which in le or two instances attained formidable pro- ions. The chief feature of this period of litical disturbance was the constant struggle power between the national party and the rious foreign elements, which in the peculiar ition of Greece were able to control its gov- lent in a very great degree. There were raent changes of ministry, and the material jrests of the country suffered. In 1847 a >matic difficulty, arising from an alleged jourtesy of the Turkish ambassador at Ath- threatened to involve the government in a ir with Turkey. In the next year a series of ive differences with England, arising out of demands made by her upon Greece for damages istained by British subjects under various cir- istances, threatened a far more disastrous It. The complications arising from these as, and especially from the claim of a cer- Pacifico, a Jew who was a British sub- continued for several years to disturb the bions between the two countries. In Jan- 1850, they had assumed so threatening aspect that a British fleet appeared off the 3us, and, the demands of the English ain- ador not being complied with, proceeded blockade Athens and to make many arbi- seizures of Greek shipping. The medi- of^the French was sought, but England 3ed it ; and Greece was compelled to yield r demands in order to avoid an actual In 1852 the failure of the grape crop pro- el much suffering among the people. In a severe earthquake caused serious loss of and property in many parts of the kingdom, iditti infested the Peloponnesus and central and several popular disturbances took At the outbreak of the Crimean war rreece took a decided stand in favor of Rus- but the threats of England and France jpelled the government to pledge itself to neutrality, and Piraeus was guarded by English and French fleets, which were not removed till 1857, after many protests of the Greek government. In 1859-'61 the question of the mexation of the Ionian islands, which had long been under the protectorate of Great Britain, was the most important and exciting feature of Greek politics. The opposition mani- fested by the people of the islands to English rule had for several years been manifested by popular demonstrations and even insurrections; and, in the already excited state of public feel- ing against England, these received the encour- agement and sympathy of the Greeks. But the powerlessness of Greece was too manifest to permit her undertaking a war ; and the matter ended, after long diplomatic negotiation, in the continuance of the former relations. In the mean time the general hostility felt toward the German king and the royal family had in- creased to such a degree that open demon- strations were made against them when they appeared in public. Dossios, a student who attempted to assassinate the queen in Septem- ber, 1861, was openly defended by many of the people ; and threats were everywhere ut- tered against King Otho. An attempt at con- ciliation made by him in January, 1862, when he promised the adoption of a series of liberal measures, failed through his unwillingness to go as far as the popular voice demanded. After several minor insurrections elsewhere, a revo- lution broke out in Athens on Oct. 22, 1862. It was speedily successful through the apathy of the army in the royal cause ; and on the 23d a provisional government was established by the leaders of the popular party. They im- mediately decreed the deposition of King Otho, and the calling of a national assembly. The king, who was absent on a voyage to the ports of the Peloponnesus, received the news of what had occurred as he reached the Pirasus on his return. "Without landing, he held a council with the diplomatic representatives in Athens on board his ship, and in accordance with their advice he issued a proclamation on the 24th taking leave of Greece, but without making a formal abdication; and shortly after he returned in an English frigate to Germany. On Dec. 1 a decree was issued by the pro- visional committee ordering the election of a new king by universal suffrage. Several can- didates for the throne had been brought for- ward by the great powers, Prince Alfred of England and the duke of Leuchtenberg being among the chief. At the first ballot Prince Alfred was elected by an immense majority, but he was afterward withdrawn by England on account of an existing agreement that no prince of either of the three special protecting powers of Greece (France, England, and Rus- sia) should accept the throne. At the same time England expressed, in effect, its willing- ness, provided a king should be elected to whom the English government could not ob- ject, to abandon its protectorate over the Ionian islands, and to give them up to Greece. The national assembly called by the provisional government met at Athens on Dec. 22, and confirmed the deposition of the Bavarian dy- nasty (Feb. 16, 1863). On March 30 Prince
