s ordinary as
regards its architecture--it was built by one of the Lords High. The
situation is altogether admirable, with a view of the harbor and town.
But the especial loveliness of Mon Repos is to be found in its gardens;
their foliage is tropical, with superb magnolias, palms, bananas, aloes,
and orange and lemon trees. There are flowers of all kinds, with roses
clambering everywhere, and blossoming vines. The royal family who rule,
or rather preside over, the kingdom of the Hellenes are much respected
and beloved at Corfu. The King, who was Prince William of Denmark--the
brother of the Czarina of Russia and of the Princess of Wales--took the
name of George when he ascended the throne in 1863. He was elected by
the National Assembly. Now that he has been reigning nearly thirty
years, and has a grandson as well as a son to succeed him, it is amusing
to turn back to the original candidates and the votes; for it was an
election (within certain limits) by the people, and all sorts of tastes
were represented. Prince Alfred of England, the Duke of Edinburgh, was
at the head of the list; but as it had been stipulated that no member of
the reigning families of England, France, or Russia should have the
crown, his name was struck off. There were votes for Prince Jerome
Napoleon. There were votes for the Prince Imperial. There were even
votes for "A Republic." But Greece, as she stands, is as near a republic
as a country with a sovereign can be. Suffrage is universal; there is no
aristocracy; there are no hereditary titles, no entailed estates; the
liberty of the press is untrammelled; education is free. Everywhere the
people are ardently patriotic; they are actively, and one may say almost
dangerously, interested in everything that pertains to the political
condition of their country. This interest is quickened by their acute
intellects. I have never seen faces more sharply intelligent than those
of the Greek men of to-day. I speak of men who have had some advantages
in the way of education. But as all are intensely eager to obtain these
advantages, and as schools are now numerous, education to a certain
extent is widely diffused. The men are, as a general rule, handsome. But
they are not in the least after the model of the Greek god, as he exists
in art and fiction. This model has an ideal height and strength, massive
shoulders, a statuesque head with closely curling hair, and an unruffled
repose. The actual Greek possesses