Greece, and yet was called "an untoward event" by the Duke of Wellington, then Prime Minister of England, was due to the enthusiasm roused throughout the civilized world by the heroism of the Greeks, when the names of Marco Bozzaris, Canaris, Miaulis, Ypsilanti, Karaïskakis, Colocotronis, and others, were in everybody's mouth. But when the fixing of the frontiers of the new kingdom was being discussed, the jealousy of the great powers, with the exception of France, asserted itself as usual, and through the hostility of Prince Metternich, then Prime Minister of Austria, and the selfish policy of England under the Wellington ministry, Crete and most of the islands were ceded back to Turkey, and the new kingdom, scarcely containing eight hundred thousand souls, was made so small that Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, afterwards king of the Belgians, refused the Greek throne which was offered to him by the powers.
Greece thus began her political existence with a restricted territory, devastated by the long war, and with very scant resources. But gradually the country commenced to thrive, notwithstanding so many disadvantages, most of which were an inheritance from its late masters; agriculture made great strides, a pretty large commerce was
