In the summer of 1843, the Athens encountered a serious problem from flock combined with intense water scarcity. Drought influenced rivers, wells and wells, drastically lowering the city’s water supply and favoring the reproduction of locusts. Local authorities, desperately, “defended” the locusts: each dead grasshopper was compensated for 20 minutes (drachma), resulting in citizens collecting and destroying tens of thousands of locusts.

The French traveler, a priest, philologist and poet Raoul de Malherbe had written his impressions of his journey to Greece in the book entitled “L ‘Orient, 1718-1845. Histoire – Politique – Religion – Moeurs, etc. “

See how he described the “attack” of locusts:

“… We went down to a huge swamp that crossed a paved road. And then there was a huge valley in front of us, burned by the sun and plagued by myriad grasshoppers, chased by the storks with their flies. We recognized the enormous utility of these birds in a country where locusts cause so much damage … “.

After a great tour of Thessaly and Epirus, accompanied by his compatriot Saint-Maur, in June 1843 they arrive in Athens, where they are warmly welcomed by the Greek ambassador in Paris, Ioannis Kolettis. De Malherbe explains to the Greek qualified that the purpose of his journey is to collect information on the spirit of residents in terms of moral, historical and religious, in order to publish the results of his recordings in newspapers and especially in one, which has been founded in France for this purpose.

He even tells him impressions of his inland journey so far, making special reference to the fertility of Greek soil, which could – as he points out – offer generously valuable land of the earth, both for domestic consumption and export. He talks about cereals, cotton, tobacco, olives, wine and raisins and so much more, just ten years later, will validate on his own trip to Greece, his compatriot, academic and journalist Edmond Francois Valentin About (“Greece can do it”

“Only this year, dear friend, is facing the curse of every blessed soil. Black sky we saw over the fertile plain in Zavlani (today’s Paliopyrgos of Trikala). An countless population of locusts fell above the goods of the plain … “the French priest concludes in Kolettis to hear surprised that that plain is not the only one who is attacked by the harmful insect. This summer the vineyards and gardens of Athens in the countryside of the Patissia are flocking of the harmful insect. The weather became an ally of the disaster. There has been a nightmare drought and then a short period of rainfall, followed by a more nightmare drought than the previous one.

According to experts, the spread of the insect favored dry conditions. It usually migrates either to the nymph stage or at the stage of its acne, so it becomes particularly harmful.

The frightening outburst in Athens

Spring has reserved the ideal conditions for the hatching and development of the grasshopper. “… it was raining with the tulum. This so desirable rain now cooled everything, the terrible drought decreased. In Attica, the crumbs of the wheat is bad … “Queen Amalia wrote to her father in mid -April of the same year, while in another letter in early summer she complained about the terrible heat.

Outside of the weather, this summer Attica is a period of excruciating water scarcity. It is known to be supplied by a few wells and fountains and its rivers, which in the spring filled rain water, in a short period of time drought. Some savvy businessmen promise water to the unfortunate Athenians, instead of a crude price, but the solutions they propose do not work and the Mayor of Anargiros Petrakis must manage the lack of water, which – in addition to others – dries the seeds of Athens!

“In the summer of 1843, many suffering was against the Greek capital. Apart from the permanent, almost wound of water scarcity, in addition to the various businessmen, who, as locusts, had survived the unhappy municipality of Athens, with their proposals and promises to discover cheap and abundant waters. And the lack of security was widespread both in the city and in the countryside of the Attica, ”the President and the Secretary General of the Athenian Association, Dimitrios Skouzes and Dimitrios Elder respectively, recorded at the time of the city’s water supply.

The appearance of locusts has caused enormous concern to the city’s residents, including those who have seeds in Patisia and the Marathon are forced to spend the night in their fields in search of and destroying the acres (stages of growth in the past). The fruits of the vineyards and the bastards, especially the famous Patissian tomato, have already been useless for this season. In order not to lose the next, the only way to kill the nymphs, which have been made up of the fertilized insects to the few inches below the surface of the soil, is to dig the earth.

Many Athenians do not hesitate to give the phenomenon and metaphysical dimension. They integrate the wound of locusts into the general gloomy climate at the expense of the authoritarian royal regime, which will lead to the famous Revolution of the Constitution at the end of the summer (3 September). Meanwhile, newspapers are finding publications on the bad finances of the Municipality of Athens, a situation that suspends the execution of any development work in the city. Both the constant bleeding loans to find a solution to the problem of lack of water, and the inability of most Athenians to meet their financial obligations towards the municipality, have dried the fund. Some publications also talk about the threatened bankruptcy.

The solution costs something more

However, the most serious problem this May 1843 is the locusts that shadow the sky of Attica, and Mayor Petrakis, as he finds that the phenomenon does not say to retreat, is forced to take the last measure. Despite the cash weaknesses, it defines the harmful insect! The newspapers publish the mayor’s decision: Every grasshopper gathered will be compensated with 20 minutes of the drachma!

Hundreds of Athenians, landowners and non -land owners, young and non -man, and laughing, are pouring out with shovels and sacks in the country’s countryside, from which they often pass through the municipality’s carts to gather the … arrested harmful material.

In the June 2nd issue of the same year, the newspaper “Aeon” publishes: “The last measure that our municipal authority was taken on the pursuit of Akridos was the only salvation to the Athens Land. This had to be caught for weeks ago without giving this bugs to grow and hurry to get more money to exit more money. However, the evil was made and we could only declare the willingness of Mr Commander and Mayor of Athens, who persecuted the friendly suburban Lord Conovon in the extermination of this scourge. “

The hunt for the grasshopper was very successful and as a result it is found that the problem was much greater than it seemed … The “hunters” of the harmful insect managed to concentrate about 60 tonnes of locusts (seven of which were no longer compensated, as they were free of charge). In fact: “The amount of the concluded Akros went up to forty thousands of Okades as a guerrilla, an kernel of each 20 minutes, except that, which was achieved by the inhabitants of Athens for free per twenty -grade each, which goes up.”

The problem of the grasshopper is solved. It cost, of course, more than something, but hack. Anyway, there is another loan of 50,000 drachmas on behalf of the municipality. A lot more will be spent on the permanent problem of water scarcity …

Sources:

– “In Athens, once … the city and its streets tell their history”, D. Iliopoulos (Greek Letters, Athens 2000)

– E-Fimeris Digital Library of Newspapers and Magazine Press

– “The Chronicle of the Athens Water.” D. Skouze – D. Elder (Athens 1963)

– “L’Orient 1718-1845. Histoire, Politique, Religion, Moeurs, Etc.”, R. De Malherbe (Gide et Cie, Libraires – Editeurs, Paris 1846)

– “Greece of Otto”, ed. About (ed. Metachimo, Athens 2018)

– Anecdotal letters by Queen Amalia to her father / 1836-1853 (Estia Bookstore ed., Athens 2011)

– Greek literary and historical archive