No. 200.
Mr. Francis to Mr. Fish.
Athens, June 29, 1872. (Received July 22.)
Sir: There appeard in the semi-weekly issue of the New York Times of the 28th ultimo an article copied from the Ancona (Italian) Journal, stating, that nine Greek criminals of the worst description had been liberated by the Greek minister of justice from the penal colony on the island of Corfu, “on condition of their emigrating to the United States, and that on the 24th of April they were taken in chains from the stone-quarries of Corfu on board of the Italian bark Agamemnon, bound for New Orleans. The names of the alleged criminals are given, and the period for which each one was sentenced is stated, among them four highway robbers and two murderers.
The American correspondent of the London Times, writing from Philadelphia under date of May 31, repeats the same statement in substance, and announces that the Secretary of the Treasury had telegraphed to the collector of customs at New Orleans “to prevent the landing of the criminals when the Agamemnon arrived.”
In the Greek chamber of deputies on Monday last, the 24th instant, Mr. Lombados, the member from Zante, read these statements to the chamber, remarking that libels on Greece were very common in the English newspapers, and, therefore, to be expected; but it pained him to see an article copied into a respectable American journal that impugned the honor and integrity of the Greek government. He therefore called upon Mr. Metaxas, the minister of justice, to answer whether there was any truth in the statements, or the least foundation for them. Mr. M. responded that the article of the Ancona journal was false; he had no recollection even of the pardon of any criminals bearing such names. Subsequently, by a vote of the chamber, the minister was instructed to report to that body a list embracing the names of all the criminals to whom pardons had been granted, and of those whose punishment had been commuted, during the past five years.
On the 26th instant this report was made to the chamber. The minister of justice, Mr. Metaxas, then ascended the tribune, and stated, in [Page 250] substance, that from beginning to end the statement that Greek criminals had been shipped to America was false. No vessel had left Greece for the United States with such criminals on board; neither pardon nor commutation of punishment has been granted to criminals bearing such names as those reported by the Ancona paper; the story was a fabrication, a calumny upon himself, and upon the Greek government and people. Mr. Metaxas said he had requested Mr. Bulgaris, the minister of foreign affairs, to communicate this officially to the United States minister at Athens, so that the refutation of this last false and slanderous accusation against Greece may be the more thorough and complete.
I am, &c,