A 
 
 PICTURE OF GREECE. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 / 
 
LONDON 
 
 PRINTED BY S. AND R. BENTLEY, DORSET STREET. 
 
J5ru} raved/ by Jdenry Meyer. 
 
 ANDREA MIAOULI 
 
 JDMJJRAL OF THE- GREEK FLEET 
 
 I. ondon,,/Published/ by Henry Coditrn. New. Burlington _ 
 
 Street'. 
 
ADVENTURES IN GREECE; 
 
 BEING THE 
 
 PERSONAL NARRATIVES 
 
 OF 
 
 JAMES EMERSON, ESQ. COUNT PECCHIO, 
 
 W. H. HUMPHREYS, ESQ. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. T. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PUBLISHED FOR HENRY COLBURN 
 
 BY R. BENTLEY; BELL AND BRADFUTE, EDINBURGH; 
 AND JOHN CUMMING, DUBLIN. 
 
 1834. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2018 with funding from 
 Getty Research Institute 
 
 https://archive.org/details/adventuresingree01tenn 
 
PREFACE, 
 
 BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 The following -Narratives respecting Greece, are 
 laid before the Public in all their original freshness, 
 as written on the spot; and if any trifling discrepan¬ 
 cies in the statement of events, or opposition of opi¬ 
 nion, be found among them, it must be recollected 
 that such slight variations, instead of impugning the 
 authority of any of the parties, may be regarded as 
 strengthening it in the whole ; whilst on all matters 
 of importance they will be found to agree equally in 
 their narration of facts, and in the conclusions which 
 they draw from them. The respective authors were 
 each actively engaged in the important transactions 
 which have taken place in Greece during the last 
 twelve months ; Mr. Emerson, in particular, was 
 personally concerned, not only in the land-service, 
 but also in some of the naval engagements between 
 the Greeks and their enemies, which he has descri- 
 
VI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 bed in the most vivid colours in his Journal. Count 
 Pecchio was a commissioner,, authorized by the 
 Greek Government; and his Narrative combines the 
 elegance of a descriptive tour, with the importance 
 of an historical document; whilst that of Mr. Hum¬ 
 phreys displays a warmth of feeling, and acuteness 
 of observation, that fully justify the praises he has 
 already received in the work of Colonel Stanhope, 
 and the letters of Lord Byron. 
 
 That the affairs of Greece have, even since the 
 following pages went to press, suffered an almost 
 
 “-total eclipse 
 
 Without all hope of day,” 
 
 belying the anticipations of those who would have 
 risked their property and blood in the noble strug¬ 
 gle for her liberties, must be deemed more a mat¬ 
 ter of regret than of astonishment; and whilst we 
 may grieve that the predictions in her favour, with 
 which these Volumes conclude, are thus fated not to 
 be verified, we must yet feel additional conviction of 
 the truth of the statements to her disadvantage, 
 which are impartially set forth in them ; and in which 
 the parties are unfortunately but too well borne out 
 by the events that have occurred since they left 
 the country, which they have so well described, and 
 would so generously have served. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 OF THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 JOURNAL. 
 
 Page 
 
 CoRru. View of the Bay and Island—Town and Im¬ 
 provements, Roads, &c—Lately discovered Temple— 
 
 Appearance of the Interior—Psallidas (Athanasios)_ 
 
 Ionian University—Situation, &c—Lord Guilford— 
 Origin, object, and support of the University—Profes¬ 
 sors—Costume, Students, and Success . . 5 
 
 Zante. Town, Interior, Valley of Zacynthus, &c.— 
 Produce—Character of the Population—Benefits ac¬ 
 cruing to the Ionian Islands from the Residence of the 
 British . . . . . .13 
 
 d 
 
 Journey to Naroli di Romania. 
 
 Morea. Clarenza—Origin of the Title of the Dukes 
 of Clarence—Review of the Revolution for the last Six 
 Months—Prejudice against regular Troops—The late 
 Rebellion, its Causes and Suppression . .17 
 
 January. Blockade of Patras resumed—Preparations of 
 the Porte during Winter—Of the Egyptians—Disposi¬ 
 tion of the Government—Prospects of the late Cam¬ 
 paign . . . • .25 
 
 Feb. 24th. Landing of the first Egyptian Force—Relief 
 
 of Patras—Attempts on Navarino and its Defence . 33 
 
 March 20th. Encampment of the Egyptians at Navarino— 
 Description and Importance of that place—Progress of 
 the Roumeli Valisi in Western Greece—His Arrival at 
 
vm 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Arta—Defection of Ulysses—Description of his Cave 
 in Mount Parnassus—His Object, and the Measures 
 of the Government for his Reduction—State of Affairs 
 at the end of March—State of Clarenza—A Greek 
 House of the lower order—Route to Gastouni—River 
 Peneus . . . . 
 
 Gastouni. Its ruinous State, and former Importance— 
 The Eparch and his House—Lord Charles Murray— 
 Route from Gastouni across the Alpheus 
 Pyrgos. A Greek Coffee-house—Present and former 
 state of the Town—Its Trade—The Eparch—Olympia 
 Agolinitza. The Town and our Reception—Route 
 across the Mountains . . . 
 
 Crystena. Late Ravages of the Greek Troops—Our 
 Departure and Road—Curious Natural Phenomenon— 
 Country and State of Agriculture 
 Andruzzena. Town and Governor—A Greek House 
 of the better class—Departure, and appearance of the 
 Country . . . . 
 
 Karitena. The Town, its former Commerce and pre¬ 
 sent Ruin—Road to Tripolizza—The Plain of Man- 
 tinea ..... 
 
 Tripolizza. State of the former Capital of the Morea 
 —Its Fortifications—Bazaars, and State of Trade— 
 Civil Government—Arrival of Conduriotti on his way 
 to Navarino . . . . 
 
 March 27- Departure—Tremendous Pass of the Parthe- 
 nian Mount—Route to Napoli di Romania 
 Napoli di Romania. Appearance from Sea—Its De¬ 
 fence and Fortifications—State of the Town—Trade, 
 Population, and Climate—Greek Government—Its 
 Measures .... 
 
 Executive Body. Character of Ghika Botazi, Vice 
 President—Cristides, Secretary—John Coletti—Spe- 
 liotaki—Petro Bey Mavromichalis—Tricoupi 
 Legislative Body. Minister of War, Adam Ducas 
 —Minister of the Interior, Pappa Flescia—Minister 
 
 Page 
 
 34 
 
 49 
 
 55 
 
 59 
 
 60 
 
 62 
 
 75 
 
 77 
 
 80 
 
 82 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 IX 
 
 Page 
 
 of Justice, Theotaki—A Greek hotel—Count Porro 
 and Count Santa Rosa—Advice to Philhellenes— 
 Mischief arising from not burying the dead Arabs— 
 Reception of the Minister of the Interior . . 89 
 
 March 28th. Skirmish at Navarino, in which the son 
 of Petro Bey is killed—Despatch from Goura, and 
 Desertion of Ulysses by his followers—Festivities, and 
 the Celebration of Easter . . . . 97 
 
 April 6th. Entry of the Roumeli Valisi into Western 
 
 Greece . . . . . 100 
 
 April 20th. Disposition of the Greek Fleet—Capture of 
 Turkish Transports—Description of the Residence of 
 the Executive Body—Arrival of a portion of the 
 Loan and its reception—Feelings of the Greeks to¬ 
 wards Lord Byron—Surrender of Ulysses—Approach 
 of the Turks to Messolunghi and its state of Defence . 105 
 April 19th. Important action at Navarino . .114 
 
 April 27th. Ari’ival of Roumeli Valisi at Messolunghi, 
 
 and Report of a Deserter . . . 117 
 
 April 25th. Departure of the Roumeliots from Navarino 
 April 30th. Unsuccessful Attempt of the Fleet at Candia— 120 
 Departure for Hydra—State of Communication with 120 
 Napoli di Romania—Description of Spezzia—Scene at 
 sunset—Island of Thoco . . . .121 
 
 Hydra. Town, Houses, Population, &c.—Dress and 
 appearance of the Men—Women—History of the 
 Island—Mr, Masson, a Philhellene—Gicca Giouni one 
 of the Primates—Character of the young Hydriots 
 —Situation of the Island—The Hydriot Journal— 
 Prospects of the future importance of Hydra . .127 
 
 May 6th. Loss of the Island of Sphacteria—Kreisi, a 
 Hydriot Primate—Particulars of the Fight at Navarino 
 —Death of Captain Psamado—Death of Count Santa 
 Rosa—Effect of the loss on the Hydriots—Progress of 
 Affairs at Messolunghi and Anatolia . . 136 
 
 May 8th. Surrender of Old Navarino . .148 
 
X 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 May 12th. Brilliant affair of the Fleet at Modon—Mo- 
 
 reots Murmur at the Confinement of Colocotroni . 153 
 May 16th. Return of the President to Napoli—Charac¬ 
 ters of Prince Mavrocordato and George Conduriotti 157 
 Spezzia. Town and Inhabitants—Eparch—Interview 
 with Bobolina—Her death—Interview with Coloco¬ 
 troni at Hydra—Departure in a Fire-ship for the 
 Fleet—Construction and Expense of Fire-ships— 
 Method of using them—Conduct of the Brulottiers, 
 and a list of the most distinguished—Arrival at the 
 Fleet, and reception from the Admiral. . . 159 
 
 The Fleet. Number and Constructon of the Vessels 
 —Method of Payment—Seamen and Captains— 
 Officers and Discipline—Discordance of the different 
 Islanders—Conduct of the Captains—Insubordination 
 of- the Crews—Domestic Economy, Meals, &c.—List 
 of the bravest Commanders—George Sokini—An¬ 
 tonio Kreisi—A. and A. Raphaella—Lalluho—Libes- 
 chi—Apostoli—Miaulis’ ship and officers—Super¬ 
 stition of the Greek Seamen—Present Object of the 
 Fleet. . . . . .173 
 
 May 23rd. Loss of Navarino—Greek Fleet meet the 
 Egyptians off Cape Matapan—State of Messolunghi 
 and Western Greece. . . .193 
 
 May 26th. Enemy attack Messolunghi—Fleet, Skirmish 
 with the Egyptians—Conduct of the Enemy—Import¬ 
 ance of Frigates and Steam-boats to the Greeks . 196 
 May 30th. Liberation of Colocotroni and fresh Prepara¬ 
 tions in the Morea—Messolunghi in danger . 207 
 
 June 2nd. Enemy sail for Suda in Candia . 201 
 
 June 3rd. Prospects at this Moment—Turkish Fleet ap¬ 
 proach Hydra—Conduct of the Fleet on that occasion 206 
 June 1st. Saktouri’s Victory at Capo d’ Ovo—Junction of 
 
 the Fleets off Falconera . . . .215 
 
 June 4th. Arrival at Milo . . .217 
 
 June 5th. Murder of Turkish Prisoners by Zacca—Situa¬ 
 tion of the Enemy, and Designs of the Fleet at Suda 219 
 
CONTESTS. 
 
 XI 
 
 Page 
 
 June 14th. Action at Suda—Conduct and Letter of gene¬ 
 ral Roche—Critical State of Messolunghi—Departure 
 from the Fleet—Boarding an Austrian Brig—Passage 
 to Hydra, and Description of a sunrise and sunset in 
 the iEgean—Appearance of the Cyclades—Insubordi¬ 
 nation of the Crew at Neos . •. . 226 
 
 June 20th. Ibrahim Pacha at Tripolizza . . 242 
 
 June 25th. Massacre at Hydra—Fight with the Egyptians 
 at Mylos—Death of Ulysses—Burning of Argos and 
 Retreat of the Pacha—Arrival at Napoli and State of 
 the Town—French Faction and General Roche . 244 
 
 June 30th. Arrival of the Egyptian Fleet from Suda—State 
 of Messolunghi, and Ravages at Patras—Sail for Zante 
 in H. M. S. Cambrian .... 266 
 
 July 4th. Return of the Greek Fleet to their harbours— 
 Turks sail to Messolunghi—Conduct of the Greek 
 Ships at Matapan—Breaches of Neutrality by the Aus¬ 
 trians—Fleet still at Hydra—Influence of Captain 
 Hamilton with the Greeks—Application of the Islands 
 to be put under British Protection—Factions at Napoli 
 —Infamous Mutiny of the Hydriot Sailors . . 268 
 
 July 18th. Colocotroni’s Movements—State of Messo¬ 
 lunghi—State of Napoli and the regular Corps—At¬ 
 tempt to assassinate Mr. Trelawney—Sail for Athens, 
 Salamis, Piraeus, &c. .... 273 
 
 Athens. Fortifications and Acropolis—Town and State 
 of its Antiquities*—Philo-Muse Society—Piracies at 
 Hydra, and Conduct of the British Ships . .279 
 
 Aug. 1st. State of the War in general—Cape Colonna . 289 
 Tino. Produce, Population, &c—State of Scio . 295 
 
 Smyrna. Population, Town, &c.—State of the Greeks 
 and Armenians—Plague and Fires—State of Samos— 
 State of Ipsara—Fate of the Greek Expedition to 
 Alexandria—Success at Messolunghi—Retirement of 
 Ibrahim Pacha to Tripolizza . . . 297 
 
 Sept. 8th. Retirement of the Turks from Messolunghi— 
 
 Insurrection in Candia—Exchange of Prisoners . 307 
 
Xll 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 SUPPLEMENT. 
 
 Page 
 
 Present State of Commerce in Livadia, Attica, and Morea— 
 
 Its Produce and Exports—Process of Caprification in 
 the Culture of Figs—Future Prospects of Trade in 
 Greece—Population and Character of the Greeks, 
 Albanians, Roumeliots, Moreots, Messenians, Lal- 
 liots, Mainotes, Hydriots and Spezziots, Islanders 
 —Superstition—Physicians—Appearance and Dress— 
 Vanity and Extravagance in Arms—Grecian Ladies . 312 
 Religion. Number and Character of the Pappas— 
 Influence in War—Attachment of the Greeks to their 
 Religion—Observance of Fasts . . 334 
 
 Education. A Greek School—State of Literature— 
 Periodical Press—Censorship of the Hydriot Journal . 338 
 Army. Infamous System of the Capitani—Insubordi¬ 
 nation of the Soldiery—Manner of irregular Warfare— 
 Comparison between Ancient and Modern Greek . 341 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 State of Greece at my Departure—Ibrahim Pacha— 
 Colocotroni—Napoli di Romania—the Government— 
 
 State of the Greek Legislature.—Progress and Pros¬ 
 pects of the Revolution—Necessity of a Reform in the 
 Government—Deficiency of the Army and Navy— 
 Summary and Conclusion. . , . 347 
 
JOURNAL 
 
 OF A 
 
 RESIDENCE AMONG THE GREEKS, 
 IN 1825. 
 
 BY 
 
 JAMES EMERSON. 
 

PREFACE. 
 
 The following pages have been committed to the 
 press more from a desire to present a faithful pic¬ 
 ture of Greece as it is at this moment, than from 
 any feelings of personal gratification. We are but 
 too ready to believe the truth of those statements 
 which coincide with our own wishes; and conse¬ 
 quently, all those unfounded reports which have 
 been circulated by means of the public prints, and 
 which appear so truly ridiculous to one acquainted 
 with the real state of the country, have met with a 
 ready credence from the public: but the failure of 
 the expectations thus raised, has already had, and 
 must continue to have, an ill effect, for the pang of 
 disappointment is more than proportionate to the 
 excitement of hope. 
 
 In the statistical portion of the following extracts, 
 
 I have avoided any notices of the antiquities of 
 Greece, which have been already so often explored, 
 and so ably described; and confine myself solely to 
 
 B 2 
 
4 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 the political and intellectual advancement of the 
 country. In the details of the former, I have ex¬ 
 perienced, in common with all others, a difficulty 
 of ascertaining plain unexaggerated facts; but those 
 which I have given, have been either collected from 
 eye-witnesses or agents, or by personal observation. 
 As to the dates, from the little attention paid to 
 them in Greece, it is almost an impossibility to give 
 them with correctness; those, however, of which I 
 was doubtful, I have omitted—and inserted none 
 but such as I have had from convincing authority. 
 
 London, Nov. 1, 1825. 
 
JOUHNAL. 
 
 1825, March l%th .—On Saturday, March 
 the 12th, we sailed from Malta for Corfu, in 
 His Majesty’s ship the Hind, Lord John S. 
 Churchill, commander. Our passage was quick, 
 though the weather was, like all that I have 
 observed in the Mediterranean, variable, and 
 liable to sudden and violent squalls. After 
 passing Leucate and the promontory, still deno¬ 
 minated by the fishermen 4 4 the Lady’s Leap,” 
 we drove along the coast of Albania, close by 
 Prevesa and Parga; and on Wednesday morn¬ 
 ing, the 16th, came to anchor in the Bay of 
 Corfu. The view here was magnificent; far to 
 
6 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the east lay the stupendous range of Pindus, 
 and the Albanian mountains, 
 
 “ Arrayed in misty dun, and purple streak 
 their barren and uncultivated peaks towering- 
 high above the wreaths of morning mist 
 that curled around them 4 and, to the left, the 
 richly-wooded hills of Coreyra formed a de¬ 
 lightful back-ground to the picturesque town ; 
 and its impregnable fortress, seated on a dou¬ 
 ble cliff which overhangs the bay. After being 
 admitted to pratique , we went on shore. The 
 quarter of the town which first presents itself, 
 is calculated to give a most favourable idea of 
 the island, presenting a superb esplanade, one 
 quarter of which contains the beautiful pa¬ 
 lace erected during the residence of the late 
 governor, Sir Thomas Maitland; to the left are 
 seen the lofty peaks of the fortress, and at their 
 base the old Venetian palace, now occupied as 
 the Ionian university. In front is a fine lawn. 
 
GREECE IN 182.5. 
 
 7 
 
 decorated with a Grecian fountain, and opening 
 out into a splendid view of the ocean, and the 
 woody hills which formed the ancient kingdom 
 of Alcinous. On the right, a line of good build 
 ings and a colonnade, separate this quarter 
 from the low unhealthy houses and narrow 
 streets of the old town. The latter, however, 
 is beginning to assume a much more pleasing 
 appearance ; the principal streets having been 
 all broken up, are now intersected by sewers, and 
 well Mac-Adamized; presenting a far different 
 air from those which yet retain the ruinous 
 pavements laid down by the Venetians; but as 
 the work is still going on, a short time may 
 see the whole completed, and give the Corfiots 
 another occasion of gratitude for the residence 
 of the English. 
 
 Except the natural beauty of the country, 
 there are but few objects of interest to arrest 
 the traveller. About two miles from the town, 
 a small temple has been lately discovered; it is 
 
8 
 
 GBEECE IN 1825. 
 
 seated on a bank overlooking the sea, and from 
 its situation, was probably dedicated to Neptune. 
 It now consists only of a few broken and dilapi¬ 
 dated columns, the fall of the impending bank 
 beneath which it is situated, having lately rebu¬ 
 ried the greater part in its ruins. The walk hi¬ 
 ther from the town is superb ; a road recently 
 made by the English, conducted us through 
 woods of olives and fig-trees, fields bordered 
 with geraniums and acanthus, and thick groves 
 of peach-trees and oranges, which sheltered us 
 from the burning sun, and filled the air with de¬ 
 licious, though oppressive perfumes. Our road 
 wound by the side of a thickly-planted hill; 
 where, through vistas of cypress and acacias we 
 had occasional views of a splendid lake beneath, 
 embossed within the velvet border of the sur¬ 
 rounding hills. 
 
 Corfu may be considered as the present 
 seat of Grecian literature; as well from its 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 9 
 
 having supplied the place of Scio, in the esta¬ 
 blishment of an university, as from the number 
 of Greeks of talent who reside on the island. 
 At the head of these is Psallidas, # (Athanasios,) 
 who is considered by his countrymen as the 
 nearest rival of the venerable Coray. He is a 
 little, round-faced, good-humoured looking man, 
 whose latitude, if it does not exceed, certainly 
 equals his longitude; and his features, though 
 well-formed, contain in their expression much 
 more of a gourmand than of a literary character. 
 He was obliged to leave Janina several years ago, 
 in consequence of his apprehensions from his 
 patron, Ali Pacha, and now subsists by teaching 
 ancient and modern Greek at a school in Corfu. 
 His conversation, when I waited on him, was 
 shrewd and spirited; its only drawback being 
 an affected contempt of the talents of Coray, f 
 envy of whose justly earned fame seemed to 
 
 * See notes to 2d Canto of Childe Harold. 
 
 t See Notes to Childe Harold. 
 
10 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 have sharpened the cutting sneers of his literary 
 rival. 
 
 One of our first objects of enquiry was the 
 progress of the Greek monarchy; and for this 
 purpose, we took an early opportunity to wait 
 on the chancellor, Lord Guilford. After winding 
 through the intricate, and apparently endless, 
 passages of the old palace where his lordship 
 resides, we were ushered into an antiquated room 
 surrounded by shelves, containing a valuable 
 collection of oriental and other manuscripts. 
 Here, seated at a table covered with papers, 
 and placed before a blazing wood fire, we found 
 Lord Guilford, dressed in the ancient robes of 
 Socrates; his mantle pendant from his shoulder 
 by a golden clasp, and his head bound by a 
 fillet embroidered with the olive and the owl 
 of Athens. 
 
 It is to his lordship’s unrelaxed exertions 
 that the present institution owes its existence; 
 and it is still maintained almost exclusively by 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 11 
 
 his liberality; very little pecuniary assistance 
 being granted by the Ionian Government. The 
 library, which now contains about 4000 volumes, 
 consists almost entirely of donations from his 
 lordship; and, perhaps, his most important gift 
 is the time and attention which he devotes to its 
 interests. 
 
 The university, which is founded on the 
 most liberal principles, the necessary expense 
 for each student being a mere trifle, was opened 
 on the 13th Nov. 1824, for the instruction of 
 students in the four faculties of theology, law, 
 medicine, and philosophy. The professors are, 
 or ought to be, by the laws of the foundation, 
 Greeks: two of them, however, Mr. Belfour, 
 professor of law, and Mr. Lusignan, of belles 
 lettres, are Englishmen. The remainder, Tho- 
 clitus Pharmachidi, professor of theology; Sig¬ 
 nor Epaminondas, of music; Prossaleudi, of 
 sculpture; and the Signori Caraudino, Asopio 
 Piccolo and Giovanni, in the different branches 
 
12 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 of humanity, science, &c., are all Greeks, 
 either from the Islands, from the adjoining 
 continent, or from Smyrna. 
 
 The dress of the professors is that of the an¬ 
 cient Greek philosophers, and differs in nothing, 
 save colour, from the chancellor’s; that of the 
 students is likewise from the antique: it was 
 designed by Signor Prossaleudi, and is at once 
 picturesque and classical. 
 
 The latter is worn solely by the students, or 
 those admitted to the grade of philologi, the 
 younger pupils of the grammar-school appear¬ 
 ing in their ordinary costume. 
 
 It is gratifying to add, that the success of the 
 institution is amply repaying the ardent expec¬ 
 tations of its patron. The younger classes are 
 crowdedly attended, and the philologi already 
 amount to upwards of 200; the greater number 
 of whom are from the continent of Greece, 
 and Corfu, the other Islands supplying but a 
 very small proportion. Its progress is giving 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 13 
 
 a stimulus to literary exertion : several works 
 have been lately printed in Romaic for the 
 different schools. When we waited on Signor 
 Piccolo, professor of elocution and moral philo¬ 
 sophy, we found him engaged in translating one 
 of Dr. Brown’s essays for the use of his class; 
 and he had, a few days before, published an 
 edition of “ Descartes’ Search after Truth,” in 
 modern Greek. 
 
 The number of students is daily increasing; 
 and I have no doubt that a few years will see 
 this patriotic institution the agent of widely 
 diffusing education through this now uncivilized 
 country, and be the first means of teaching 
 Greece the value of that liberty for which she 
 is making so noble a struggle. 
 
 March 21st.—After a delightful sail of 
 two days along the shores of Albania, Santa 
 Maura, and Cephalonia, we this evening came 
 to an anchor in the roadstead of Zante. This 
 island, particularly the coast opposite Elis, is 
 
4 
 
 14 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 extremely beautiful; the hills, though abrupt 
 and rugged, are magnificently wooded, and its 
 green slopes and shady olive groves still vin¬ 
 dicate for it the title of “Nemorosa Zacynthus. 11 
 
 Early the following morning we went on 
 shore; and having nothing to detain us on the 
 island, we determined to go over to the Morea 
 the same day, and for that purpose engaged 
 passages in a small vessel which was to sail in 
 the evening. 
 
 The town of Zante, which contains 16,000 
 inhabitants, is built at the foot of a semicircular 
 range of hills which form the harbour, and the 
 houses being all white-washed, it has a peculiar¬ 
 ly gay and lively appearance. The hills to the 
 rear are formed of a sort of white clay, and in 
 every spot where they are not precipitous or 
 washed away by the mountain-torrents, they 
 are thickly planted with olives and vines. Be¬ 
 hind them lies the celebrated valley of Zacyn¬ 
 thus, which, in point of beauty and extent, 
 
 i 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 15 
 
 approaches nearer to the unrivalled Val d’Arno 
 than any spot I have seen; it is richly planted, 
 highly cultivated, covered with elegant villas, 
 bounded by picturesque hills, and commands a 
 splendid view of the Ionian Sea and the distant 
 mountains of Roumelia; so that, combining 
 every advantage of situation and scenery, it 
 justly merits all the encomiums which have 
 been heaped upon it. 
 
 The produce of Zante is remarkably abund¬ 
 ant : there are two species of olives, and forty of 
 grapes, found on the island:—of one of the latter, 
 the “ raisin de Corinthe 52,000/. worth are an¬ 
 nually exported, under the name of Zante cur¬ 
 rants. All the fruits of this island are delicious ; 
 it produces melons, peaches, and apricots in 
 abundance. Its corn alone, or at least the grea¬ 
 ter part of it, is obliged to be imported. The 
 population, amounting to 40,000, are said to be 
 the most dissolute part of the Ionian Republic ; 
 a proof of which may be deduced from the num- 
 
16 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 ber of gibbets which disfigure the surrounding 
 hills: two years ago, however, the whole po¬ 
 pulation were disarmed by an order from the 
 Ionian Government; since which time the Island 
 has remained in a state of perfect tranquillity. 
 
 The same improvements are carrying on 
 here as at Corfu ; and the same admirably clean 
 streets and superb roads attest the presence and 
 exertions of the English. It is truly delightful 
 to observe the astonishing improvement which 
 a few years have made in these Islands, and 
 which is clearly discernible when compared with 
 the traces of barbarism which yet remain. 
 Little more than ten years since, they presented 
 merely a scene of anarchy, bloodshed, and po¬ 
 verty : now, their increasing trade, the protec¬ 
 tion of their mercantile interests, the security 
 of fives and property, their public buildings, 
 their roads, the improvements in their revenue, 
 the removal of popular sedition, and the con¬ 
 tentment so clearly discernible in the popula- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 17 
 
 tion, render these Islands an object of envy and 
 admiration, and afford their inhabitants lasting 
 occasions for gratitude to Great Britain. 
 
 March 23d.—Late yesterday, we embarked in 
 a small trabaccolo, under the Episcopal flag; and 
 this morning at 8 o’clock, we went on shore at the 
 little hamlet of Clarenza, situated on the site of 
 the ancient Cyllene. This town was formerly of 
 considerable extent, as the debris of its ruins, 
 and the remains of a few churches of the bas 
 Empire still indicate. At the present time it 
 consists merely of five or six ruined huts, and 
 derives its only importance from being a con¬ 
 venient landing-place for the small craft which 
 carries on a petty commerce with Zante. # 
 
 Being now fairly landed in Greece, I shall 
 give a rapid sketch of the political state of 
 
 * This village is said to give title to the English 
 Dukes of Clarence; one of the Dukes of Clarenza 
 having married into the Hainault family, a descendant 
 of which (Philippa) was afterwards queen to Edward 
 
 III. 
 
18 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 affairs on my arrival; and detail the subsequent 
 events in the order of their occurrence. 
 
 No campaign since the commencement of the 
 Greek revolution ever opened with such brilliant 
 prospects of success, and under such favoura¬ 
 ble circumstances, as the present; and yet 
 none has ended apparently so unfortunately, 
 nor tended so little towards the ultimate acqui¬ 
 sition of freedom. The causes of this, indepen¬ 
 dent of the peculiarities connected with the 
 character of the Greeks, are, doubtless, the 
 unusual energy and activity with which the 
 enemy have conducted their movements. In 
 the Morea, the Greek army had no longer 
 their often-vanquished opponents, the Turks, 
 to contend with. They had to combat with a 
 semi-civilized enemy, and to cope with the 
 Egyptians—a force nearly equal to their own 
 in number, and superior in skill, as far as a dis¬ 
 ciplined soldier has an advantage over a wild 
 irregular warrior. Their enemy has been led 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 19 
 
 on by commanders not only of military expe¬ 
 rience, but possessed of a thorough knowledge 
 of the country and the national character. 
 The leaders of the Greeks were merely the 
 chieftains of a warlike peasantry, with no other 
 skill or experience than arose from habits of 
 predatory warfare. To compensate, however, 
 for the want of practical knowledge, they were 
 now advanced to that point, where only a few 
 isolated fortresses remained to be reduced, and 
 requiring none of those extensive plans for a 
 campaign, wherein want of experience might 
 have led to fatal errors. 
 
 Another disadvantage under which the Greeks 
 laboured, was the want of disciplined troops to 
 match the forces of their invading enemy. Hav¬ 
 ing arrived, as was apparent, at the last stage of 
 the struggle without regular troops on their 
 own part, and unopposed by them on the side 
 of their enemy, they were totally unaware of 
 their superior advantages, and imagined that 
 
20 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 they had but to give the finishing blow by 
 means of their kleftis and guerillas, as hereto¬ 
 fore ; this idea, however, was merely with the 
 populace. The governor saw clearly that, in 
 case of their having their liberation, such an 
 immense body of uncontrolled troops, accustom¬ 
 ed for years to idleness, would be a long time 
 in returning to their former habits of industry, 
 and, with no check on their excesses, must be a 
 perpetual cause of confusion. The idea of a 
 national guard was therefore proposed; it was 
 gladly accepted by the governor, and even at¬ 
 tempted to be realized; but such was the uni¬ 
 versal opposition and contempt with which it 
 was treated by the ignorant and over-bearing, 
 that it was with the utmost difficulty a small 
 number were formed into something like a 
 regular corps ; and even these were long ra¬ 
 ther a subject of ridicule, than of imitation, to 
 their countrymen. Another cause, likewise, ope¬ 
 rated strongly to repress the attempt:—at that 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 21 
 
 moment the entire effective force, and indeed 
 safety of the nation, was vested in the capitani 
 or kleftis; who, supported each by his peculiar 
 clan of followers, were but too sensible of their 
 importance. They saw clearly, that the organi¬ 
 zation of regular troops, under the immediate 
 control of the Government, must not only de¬ 
 press their own consequence, but operate as a 
 check on their movements : they, therefore, both 
 publicly and privately, condemned and opposed 
 the motion, and the Government were too weak 
 to enforce compliance with a demand so directly 
 adverse to the wishes and interest of the entire 
 military force of the nation. The measure 
 was consequently introduced with caution, and 
 proceeded in so slowly, that at the opening of 
 the campaign only 500 had been enrolled ; and 
 this number was barely sufficient for the garri¬ 
 son of the capital. 
 
 It was, therefore, with entirely undisciplined 
 troops that the Greeks were obliged to meet the 
 
GREECE IN 182.5. 
 
 attack of their well-organized and powerful 
 enemy, and the event, as might be dreaded, has 
 proved disastrous. Scarcely in one instance have 
 they made their usual noble stand against their 
 new invaders, or rather against the new weapons 
 raised against them ; for they have almost inva¬ 
 riably given way before the Egyptian bayonets. 
 To a light-spirited people like the Greeks, mis¬ 
 fortune and success are attended with equal ex¬ 
 cesses of elevation or discouragement; one fai¬ 
 lure followed quickly on another, till at length 
 they seemed to succumb beneath their repeated 
 discomfitures, and wait in apathy and inactivity 
 for the crisis of their affairs. But I am, perhaps, 
 anticipating my narrative , and shall, therefore, 
 give a rapid glance at the events previous to my 
 arrival, and hasten to those of which I was a 
 spectator. 
 
 The winter had been spent by the Greeks, as 
 usual, in a state of inactivity ; which proved to 
 them productive of the most disastrous results. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 The great evil which has ever been a dead 
 weight on the exertion of the Greeks, is a total 
 want of union amongst their leaders. Indepen¬ 
 dent of the common cause, each seems to have a 
 separate interest of his own; and this, whether 
 it be popular fame or personal aggrandizement, 
 has always preponderated, and been the cause of 
 dissension and disunion. During the winter these 
 frequent differences had been carried to an alarm¬ 
 ing extent:—it is needless to recapitulate all the 
 petty accessions of jealousy between barbarians; 
 it may suffice to say, that they were such, and so 
 numerous, as to produce a feeling of extreme irri¬ 
 tation in the minds of the Moreots. Perhaps, the 
 exciting cause of all might be traced to a par¬ 
 tiality shown by the Government to the Roume- 
 liots. There certainly is something in the cha¬ 
 racters of the two districts that forms a striking 
 distinction between the inhabitants of the Mo- 
 rea and their more northerly neighbours, and 
 inclines us to lean involuntarily to the latter. 
 
u 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 There is a meanness, and inclination to treachery 
 and avarice, in the breast of a Moreot, that distin¬ 
 guishes him from the wild, open-hearted, though 
 ferocious Roumeliot; and, however we may feel 
 pity or even affection for the one, we naturally 
 yield the preference of admiration to the other. 
 Several instances of partiality had, certainly, been 
 shown by the Government to the Roumeliots, 
 which tended to irritate their rivals. The Mo¬ 
 reot chiefs, likewise, were jealous of not sharing 
 in the increasing power of the Government: sus¬ 
 picion, on the part of the latter, had given rise to 
 frequent quarrels; and as little conciliation was 
 employed, on either side, to allay the exaspera¬ 
 tion arising from daily dissensions, the conse¬ 
 quence was an insurrection on the part of the 
 Moreots against the Government, at the head of 
 which was Colocotroni and his sons (men whose 
 insubordination had long been a cause of serious 
 alarm to the Government), Niketas, Demetrius 
 and Nicholas Deliyanni, General Sessini, Andrea 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 25 
 
 Zaimi, Andrea Londos, and Giovanni, and Pa- 
 nageola Notapopuolo. The Government imme¬ 
 diately called in the aid of the Roumeliots, two 
 of whom, Generals Izonga and Goura, aided by 
 the counsels and presence of John Coletti, 
 member of the executive body, took command 
 of their forces. The Moreots carried on the civil 
 war with considerable spirit for some time, and 
 proceeded even so far as to attempt the cap¬ 
 ture of Napoli di Romania ; but at length, after 
 some delay and bloodshed, the insurgents were 
 dispersed, and the rebellion pretty well quelled, 
 by the beginning of December. The evil effects, 
 however, of this ebullition of popular anarchy, 
 were not altogether done away with till late in 
 the ensuing year; but its most disastrous con¬ 
 sequences were, its being the means of pre¬ 
 venting the reduction of the fortress of Patras, 
 which the Government might easily have taken 
 during the winter. In consequence of this de¬ 
 lay, it was now the middle of January before a 
 VOL. i. c 
 
26 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 few vessels sailed up to the Gulph of Corinth, 
 and, aided by some land forces, recommenced 
 the blockade ;* whilst an active pursuit was set 
 on foot after the fugitive leaders of the late in¬ 
 surrection, who had taken refuge in the different 
 holds of the Morea, and the Government, slowly 
 recovering from its confusion, began prepara¬ 
 tions to carry on the blockade with proper 
 means and spirit. 
 
 In the mean time, the Porte was spending 
 the recess in a widely different manner. Fully 
 aware of the importance of the Albanians, for 
 the conquest of Western Greece, a person was 
 immediately appointed to the command of that 
 district, who was supposed to have sufficient 
 influence with the soldiery. For this purpose, 
 Omer Pacha was removed to Salonika, whilst 
 the Roumeli Valisi was transferred from Larissa, 
 
 * It is much to the credit of the Ionian Government, 
 that this blockade, however public, was immediately 
 recognized by a decree of the Ionian senate. 
 
GREECE TN 1825. 
 
 27 
 
 as a person qualified to accomplish the views of 
 the Porte, and to supply his place in the 
 Pachalic of Yannina and Delvinatsi, to which 
 the Sultan promised to add Roumelia, with 
 Messolounghi and Anatolia, in the event of his 
 subduing them. He was furnished with full 
 power and means to raise the requisite troops, 
 which he immediately commenced at Larissa, 
 intending afterwards to pass over to his new 
 Pachalic; and having there, likewise, increased 
 his army, to descend upon Missolonghi with 
 his united forces, levying soldiers as he passed 
 along by Prevesa and Arta. 
 
 On the part of the Egyptians measures were 
 going forward with equal energy. It is reported 
 that the Sultan had promised to add the Morea 
 to the command of Mechmet Ali; should he 
 be so fortunate as to reduce it. Whether or not 
 the Porte would be so short-sighted as to yield 
 so important a point as the Morea to so danger¬ 
 ous a neighbour as the Viceroy of Egypt, it is 
 c 2 
 
28 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 difficult to determine; but it is certain that the 
 Egyptian Pacha has, during the campaign, in¬ 
 terfered with nothing beyond the Peloponnesus, 
 and that his efforts there have been carried on 
 with a vigour and success, unparalleled in the 
 annals of modern oriental warfare. 
 
 His fleet, which wintered in the harbour of 
 Suda in Candia, set sail under the command 
 of his step-son Ibrahim Pacha, on the 23d of 
 December, for Rhodes, where it arrived on the 
 1st of January, 1825. Here 5000 disciplined 
 soldiers awaited him; with these he was to 
 return to Candia, and, having completed his 
 armament there, to sail for the Morea without 
 delay. At the same time transports with provi¬ 
 sions were actively fitting out at Constantinople 
 for the use of the garrisons at Modon and Patras. 
 
 Affairs continued in a favourable situation 
 at the commencement of February. The last 
 remnant of rebellion had long since been quell¬ 
 ed ; a few of the leaders, or ocvrapTOi as they are 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 29 
 
 called, had left the Morea and taken refuge in 
 Kalamos, an island, appointed by the Ionian 
 Government for the reception of Grecian Re¬ 
 fugees. The remainder had surrendered to the 
 Government; and the same vessel which brought 
 Conduriotti from Hydra, to resume his func¬ 
 tions at Napoli de Romania, returned with 
 the chiefs of the rebellion on board ; the Go¬ 
 vernment having resolved to confine them in 
 Hydra, as that island was more remote from the 
 scene of action, and less liable to afford them 
 occasions of creating fresh seditions. Accord 
 ingly, on the 17th of December, Colocotroni 
 and his companions embarked on board the 
 Enuo, and in a few days landed at their desti¬ 
 nation ; their new asylum being the monastery 
 of St. Nicholas, on the craggy summit of one of 
 the wildest hills of Hydra. 
 
 The blockade of Patras was now going on 
 with vigour; orders were issued daily for the 
 collecting of fresh troops, and the sending of 
 
30 
 
 GItEEC E IN 1825. 
 
 additional ships from Hydra; and the direction 
 of the forces both by land and sea, as well as 
 the presidency of the Government, was conferred 
 on Conduriotti. 
 
 The prospects of this moment were, perhaps, 
 the most brilliant since the commencement of 
 the revolution. The liberators were now in full 
 possession of the Morea, with the exception of 
 Patras, and the unimportant fortresses of Mo- 
 don and Coron. Almost all Western Greece was 
 in the hands of the Government. The country 
 was just freed from a rebellion, which had ex¬ 
 posed the principles of three of the chieftains 
 who were disaffected, and enabled the Govern¬ 
 ment to remove them from their councils and 
 measures; a fourth portion of the Loan was at that 
 time arrived, and a fifth expected; whilst, about 
 the same time, a second Loan had been effected 
 in England, so that the funds of the Govern¬ 
 ment were now replenished with ample means 
 for a long campaign. Thirty ships composed the 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 31 
 
 blockading squadron before Patras, aided by a 
 large body of land troops. The garrison within 
 was already reduced to straits for provision, as 
 appeared by some letters which arrived at Zante 
 from persons within the walls, and a capitula¬ 
 tion was expected in a very short time. Constant 
 communications being maintained between Mes- 
 solounghi and Larissa, and the activity of the 
 Romeli Valisi’s movements being ascertained, it 
 was determined to prepare in time to oppose him ; 
 and for this purpose, Nota Bozzaris, together 
 with Generals Suka and Milios, set forward with 
 a sufficient body of troops to occupy the pass of 
 Makrinovo, the ancient Olympus, through which 
 it was necessary he should pass. Thus prepared 
 at every point, the spirits of the soldiers were 
 raised to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, and it 
 seemed that Greece wanted but one step more 
 to defeat her northern invaders, deliver the 
 Peloponnesus, and complete the work of free¬ 
 dom. 
 
32 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 It was, however, towards the end of the 
 same month that the first disastrous stroke oc¬ 
 curred. Frequent letters from Crete had in¬ 
 formed the Government of the return of Ibra¬ 
 him Pacha from Rhodes, and of the vigour 
 with which he was hastening the completion of 
 his preparations. The progress of the blockade 
 at Patras was now observed with double inte¬ 
 rest, as its fall was daily expected, and as there 
 was no other probable means of checking the 
 armament of the Egyptians, than by withdraw¬ 
 ing the squadron which was cruising before the 
 fortress. This being a desperate resource, was 
 of course deferred to the last moment; till at 
 length advices arrived of the immediate de¬ 
 parture of the expedition from Candia : further 
 delay was impossible, and just at a moment 
 when the garrison was ripe for surrender, the 
 squadron sailed, unfortunately too late. Such 
 was the deficiency of communication across the 
 Morea, that almost on the same day that the 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 33 
 
 fleet sailed from Patras, (24th February), the 
 Egyptian squadron of four corvettes, and nu¬ 
 merous brigs and transports, in all thirty sail, 
 anchored off Modon, and disembarked 6000 
 soldiers, infantry and cavalry, well disciplined, 
 and commanded chiefly by European officers. 
 
 The troops immediately encamped around 
 Modon, whilst the ships returned without de¬ 
 lay to Suda in Candia. A few days after, 
 Ibrahim Pacha, at the head of 800 men, ad¬ 
 vanced to the summit of the range of hills 
 which rise at the back of Navarino. The in¬ 
 habitants were instantly struck with terror and 
 flew to arms, whilst 700 Roumeliots, under the 
 command of General Ciabella, poured immedi¬ 
 ately into the fortress. The Pacha’s object, 
 however, appeared to be merely to take a sur¬ 
 vey of the situation of the fortress: he re¬ 
 mained quietly at his station for some hours, 
 and then returned to his encampment. It was 
 now clear that Navarino and the adjacent coun- 
 c 5 
 
34 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 try was to be the immediate seat of war : the 
 attempt on Patras was consequently totally 
 abandoned, and the troops drawn off to be 
 marched farther South. 
 
 March 20.—Both parties, however, remained 
 quiet till the 20th of March, when Ibrahim 
 Pacha having received a second reinforcement 
 from Candia, (his ships having evaded the Greek 
 squadron,) took up his position, and placed his 
 camp, with 14000 soldiers, before Navarino. 
 
 The capture of this town was a considerable 
 object to the Turks, not only from its position, 
 but from the circumstance of its being the 
 best, or one of the best, protected ports in the 
 Morea. The harbour, which is of consider¬ 
 able dimensions, is protected by the island of 
 Sphacteria at its entrance, which is so narrow 
 that whoever has possession of the Island can 
 prevent all ingress or egress from the town by sea. 
 
 The situation of Navarino perfectly agrees 
 with Thucydides’ description of Pylos: from 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 35 
 
 some remains of antiquity in the neighbour¬ 
 hood, there can be little doubt of its identity ; 
 in fact, a village about half a mile distant, 
 built immediately at the foot of the cliff, on 
 which stands the fortress called Old Navarino, 
 still bears the name of Pylos. New Navarino, 
 or Neo-Castro, as the Greeks more usually call 
 it, formerly contained 600 Turks and about 160 
 Greeks; the former of whom were remarkable 
 for their villany—the latter, like all the Mes- 
 senians, for their sloth and effeminacy. It now 
 contained merely 200 inhabitants and a small 
 garrison; having fallen into the hands of the 
 Greeks during the early stages of the revolu¬ 
 tion. The fortifications, like all the others in the 
 Morea, were the work of the Venetians, and 
 though not peculiarly strong, were in a pretty 
 fair state of repair. Every precaution was now 
 taken by the Greeks : a garrison amounting to 
 2000 soldiers, principally under the command 
 of Hadji Christo, Joannes Mavro-michales, 
 
36 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 son to Petro Bey of Maina, were thrown 
 into the fortress; a small corps of artillery, 
 amounting to fifty or sixty men, were sent off 
 with all haste from Napoli; and the command 
 of the fortifications was given to Major Col- 
 legno, who lost no time in assuming his post. 
 Provisions were sent in from all parts of the 
 Morea, sufficient for a long siege; large bodies 
 of Roumeliots, under the command of their 
 respective generals Giavella, Karatasso, Constan¬ 
 tine Bozzaris, brother to the hero Marco, and 
 General Karaiscaki took positions in the rear 
 of the enemy. Conduriotti and Prince Mavro- 
 cordato prepared to set out from Napoli with 
 fresh troops; and though affairs were threaten¬ 
 ing, there existed the strongest hopes, from the 
 spirit of the soldiery and the state of the 
 fortress, that they would be able to make an 
 effective stand against all assaults. 
 
 In the meantime the Roumeli Valisi was 
 geting on with unprecedented energy in his 
 
GREECE TN 1825. 
 
 37 
 
 Pachalic. On the 10th of March he had reached 
 Yannina from Larissa, and on the 20th he had 
 arrived with 15,000 men at Arta, from whence 
 he was hourly expected to set out for Makri- 
 novo; but as the greatest confidence was reposed 
 in the troops who had been sent forward to 
 occupy the passes, no immediate apprehension 
 was felt at Messolounghi, 
 
 In Western Greece things were not going 
 on so well. Ulysses, the powerful chieftain of 
 Livadia, had been induced by some extraor¬ 
 dinary motives to withdraw himself from the 
 Government, and even apparently attach him¬ 
 self to the enemies of his country. Neither the 
 circumstances of the affair, nor his reasons for 
 so doing, have ever been well understood or 
 generally known; but, doubtless, the primum 
 mobile was self-interest and ambition. It is 
 singular how long this crafty chieftain was 
 enabled to maintain unsuspected his specious 
 show of patriotism ; but those alone were his 
 
38 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 dupes, who were strangers to himself and his 
 country ;—all who dwelt beneath his rule too 
 well knew him to be selfish, mercenary, rapa¬ 
 cious, and cruel. His immense resources, be¬ 
 sides rendering him an object of suspicion 
 and jealousy to the Government, were likewise 
 the means of arousing within him an ambition 
 which is said to have aimed at the sovereignty 
 of Greece; and it was consequently with a jea¬ 
 lous eye that he beheld the growing power and 
 popularity of the Government, to all of whose 
 members, but chiefly to Mavrocordato, he had 
 already become obnoxious. He had lately for¬ 
 tified for his residence, and as a strong-hold in 
 case of extremity, a cave on Mount Parnassus, 
 said to have been discovered by himself. It 
 was reached by ascending a perpendicular cliff' 
 of one hundred feet in height, which was ac¬ 
 complished by means of three ladders succes¬ 
 sively drawn up after passing them; thence 
 arriving at a small platform, a number of 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 m 
 
 descents and windings which conducted to the 
 interior, rendered it totally bomb proof. The 
 cave itself was capable of accommodating 2000 
 persons, and contained a constant spring of 
 fresh water. Here Ulysses had placed a few 
 pieces of cannon, a supply of small arms, and a 
 sufficiency of ammunition and provisions for a 
 ten years 1 siege ; and hither he had removed his 
 treasures and his family, and concealed himself 
 with Mr. Trelawney, an English gentleman, who 
 had attached himself to his fortunes, and mar¬ 
 ried his sister. 
 
 Petty causes of dispute were now seldom 
 wanting to widen the breach, and separate him 
 more and more from the Government; till at 
 length he drew off his forces from the united 
 army of Greece, withdrew himself from its 
 counsels, and seemed to confine his attentions 
 solely to his own province and possession in 
 Livadia. 
 
 The Pacha of the Negropont had been one of 
 
40 
 
 GHEECE IN 1825. 
 
 his early friends, and he now renewed the ac¬ 
 quaintance for the purpose of answering his own 
 views : what those were have never been under¬ 
 stood clearly, but his means of accomplishing 
 them were, at least, extremely liable to suspicion. 
 Frequent letters, and, at length, frequent confer¬ 
 ences, of all which the Government had due 
 notice, passed between him and the Pacha. The 
 object of Ulysses is stated to have been the 
 possession of the Negroponts; it is at least 
 evident, as well from his former conduct as 
 from his treating with an inferior, that he has 
 no intention of attaching himself to the party 
 of the Sultan ; be it as it may, he w^as now 
 declared a traitor by the government. Unable, 
 or perhaps too haughty, to give an explanation 
 of his motives to his personal enemies, he pre¬ 
 pared to meet force by force. Goura, his own 
 captain, and a wretch who had owed his for¬ 
 tune to Ulysses, was placed at the head of the 
 forces in Attica, to blockade the cave and 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 41 
 
 reduce him to allegiance. Ulysses immediately 
 assembled his followers, but never on any oc¬ 
 casion accepted of the assistance of the Turks. 
 Some slight skirmishes had already taken place ; 
 but, as the soldiers of Ulysses were daily desert¬ 
 ing, as well from an unwillingness to fight against 
 their countrymen and Government, as from 
 being allured by the threats and promises of 
 Goura, he was beginning to feel himself 
 somewhat straitened; and gradually retreating 
 towards the country North of Euboea, he con¬ 
 tinued to hold out against his pursuers, whilst 
 the cave was left in charge of his family and a 
 proper garrison. 
 
 Such was the state of affairs at the moment 
 of my landing in the Morea. Frequent skir¬ 
 mishes had commenced at Navarino, but nothing 
 of any importance had occurred on either side: 
 at Patras, the last body of troops, to the 
 amount of a few hundreds, were just marching 
 off for Navarino, and the garrison, released 
 
42 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 from all apprehension, had received a supply of 
 provisions, purchased from a ship in the har¬ 
 bour, with money landed from a French frigate. 
 In Roumelia all were in active preparation, to 
 meet the approach of Roumili Valisi at Makri- 
 novo, for which purpose General Iskos was 
 ordered to march northward and take command 
 of the troops occupying the passes. Whilst in 
 Attica, Goura was busily employed in observ¬ 
 ing the motions of his former friend and patron. 
 
 March 23 .—Previous to recommencing my 
 journey, I shall introduce a few remarks on the 
 difficulties and means of travelling at present 
 existing in Greece. The Morea, with the excep¬ 
 tion of a few miles along the coast, consists en¬ 
 tirely of hills piled one above the other; and in 
 the short tour which 1 mean to describe from 
 the western to the eastern coast, from Clarenza 
 to Napoli di Romania, through Elis, Arcadia, 
 and Argolis, we did not meet with a level valley 
 of more than a mile in circumference, with the 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 43 
 
 single exception of the little mountain plain in 
 which Tripolizza is situated. There are no 
 roads; the Turks, whilst the country remained 
 in their possession, deeming it a temptation of 
 heaven to make them, and identifying their 
 national indolence with their resignation to Pro¬ 
 vidence, by shrewdly remarking, that had God 
 designed them to pass with rapidity from one 
 place to another, He would have given them 
 roads. To the Greeks, next to their own bra¬ 
 very, the want of roads is their chief security ; 
 as in the present wild state of the country no 
 invading army could penetrate far beyond the 
 sea-coast. The only practicable passages over 
 the mountains, are the tracks along the rocks that 
 have from time immemorial been marked, rather 
 than beaten, by the hoofs of the mules and moun¬ 
 tain poneys : these generally take the least cir¬ 
 cuitous route; and as the hills of the Pelopo- 
 nessus are usually precipitous and rugged, the 
 ascents and descents of these mountain passes, 
 
44 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 even supposing them roads of the most superior 
 construction, are by no means such as concur 
 with European ideas of security. On the con¬ 
 trary, these tracks afford the most direct chan¬ 
 nels to the mountain streams that roll down to 
 join the rivers at their foot, and have therefore, 
 from time to time, carried away every particle of 
 soil that formerly filled up the interstices of the 
 rocks; which, consequently, afford a pathway of 
 loose slippery stones, over which the mules and 
 poneys step with an instinct and security quite 
 astonishing. Again, with the exception of one 
 bridge across the Alpheus at Karitena, and a 
 very few arches of the most primitive construc¬ 
 tion thrown across some narrow streams, there 
 are no bridges. The broader part of the Alpheus, 
 near its mouth, we passed in a ferry: the Peneus, 
 Helisson, and a few other rapid but fordable 
 rivers, we waded over. There are, of course, no 
 wheel carriages, and in a country such as this, 
 we may well suppose there are no inns. On 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 45 
 
 arriving at a village, we usually applied to the 
 Eparchos or Astynomos (the governor and his 
 vice),who found us lodging for the night; usually 
 an empty room, into which we brought our 
 trunks and bedding; and having with difficulty 
 procured firewood, we cooked what provisions 
 we had brought with us, or could procure from 
 the peasants,—brown bread, eggs and milk, 
 though seldom the latter; and having made our 
 supper and spread our cloaks on the earthen 
 floor, we stretched ourselves upon them, rather 
 to await the day-light than to sleep. 
 
 My object being to get on with all expedition 
 to Napoli di Romania, I immediately on my 
 arrival at Clarenza set out to look for horses to 
 convey my baggage to Gastouni; and for this 
 purpose entered one of the ruinous houses which 
 formed the remnant of a city, and the fifth part 
 of the present village. It was only just after 
 day-break, but we found the inhabitants had 
 already risen. 
 
46 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 The house consisted of one large apartment, 
 in the further end of which, separated from the 
 rest by a screen, were stretched the carpets on 
 which the owners had passed the night. The 
 other contained a large heap of wheat prepared 
 for market; whilst the middle of the floor was 
 occupied by a blazing wood-fire, round which 
 squatted the lords of the mansion, about half a 
 dozen paltry dressed Greeks. The walls were 
 hung round with their richly ornamented pistols, 
 ataghans, sabres, and tophaics, or musquets, 
 which, with a few wooden wine flasks, and two 
 or three primitive cookery utensils, formed the 
 only furniture of the establishment: no seats, 
 no tables, no beds—in fact, no other ne¬ 
 cessaries than were barely requisite for the 
 sustenance of life. The description of this 
 house may serve as a picture of all those of the 
 same class in Greece;—nothing certainly can 
 be more miserable than their manner of exis¬ 
 tence. The only addition which I could make 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 47 
 
 to an inventory of their furniture, would be 
 occasionally a few more cookery materials; 
 a plate or goblet, (knives and forks being total 
 superfluities,) a barrel for wine, a vase, formed 
 of wicker-work and clay, for holding water, and 
 sometimes a hollow cone of burned clay, which 
 being heated and inverted over a flat stone, 
 forms an oven for bread, or for cooking an occa¬ 
 sional meal of flesh meat. Having, with diffi¬ 
 culty, procured here two little horses, which 
 were barely sufficient to carry our baggage, we 
 set out on foot for Gastouni, which lies about 
 eight miles distant. Our route lay over a level 
 plain once celebrated for its fertility, but now 
 almost uncultivated: we traversed it by a path 
 seldom wide enough to admit of two per¬ 
 sons walking abreast. The ground, even at 
 this early season, was covered with a profusion 
 of wild and beautiful flowers, which, with the 
 immense beds of thyme, that grew in every 
 direction, loaded the air with fragrance : the 
 
48 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 only shrubs or trees were now and then a 
 solitary olive, springing up amidst thickets of 
 myrtles and lentiscus, which grew in abundance, 
 and round their roots sprung a luxuriant crop 
 of crocuses and acanthus. In every direction 
 were browsing extensive flocks of sheep, the 
 tinkling of whose bells, joined to the chirruping 
 of grasshoppers, and the picturesque dress of the 
 shepherds, who still bore the classical crook, told 
 us, at once, that we were approaching Arca¬ 
 dia. After passing the wretched villages of Ye- 
 trombey and Kurdiokoph, we approached the 
 banks of the Peneus. The plain now T grew 
 swampy, and intersected by numerous mar¬ 
 shes, whence the croaking of a myriad of frogs 
 formed a serenade by no means so classical as 
 the tinkling of the sheep bells. On arriving 
 at the river, we found that we must prepare to 
 ford it, as even on this frequented track there 
 was no bridge or ferry across it; we, therefore, 
 mounted one of the little horses which carried 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 49 
 
 our baggage, whilst our conductor led the fore¬ 
 most ; and thus we crossed the classic stream, 
 whose waters scarcely reached our horses’ bodies. 
 Landing in safety on the opposite bank, half an 
 hour brought us to our destination, and about 
 mid-day we entered Gastouni. 
 
 The plain, after we crossed the river and 
 approached Gastouni, became pretty well culti¬ 
 vated ; the corn in the fields was just springing, 
 and the peasants, in every direction, were be¬ 
 ginning to trim their vineyards. There were 
 a good many olive-trees in the immediate vi¬ 
 cinity of the town; but they grew solely in 
 the ruined and uncultivated gardens of the for¬ 
 mer Turkish inhabitants. 
 
 This extensive town, which now pres 2 nts 
 merely a mass of ruins, was formerly one of the 
 richest in the Peloponnesus; being inhabited 
 solely by Turks, who carried on an extensive 
 trade in fruits and oil, which were shipped 
 from a little harbour on the coast formed by 
 
 VOL. i. n 
 
50 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the mouth of the Peneus; but even before the 
 bursting out of the Greek revolution, it was in 
 a most dilapidated state, having been sacked 
 by the Schypelars, or bandit peasantry, of the 
 neighbouring district of Lalla. At the moment 
 I passed it, it presented one of the most striking 
 pictures of solitude and misery I have ever 
 witnessed. Seated in the midst of the immense 
 plain I have just described, its view was bounded 
 merely by the ocean and the sky; its houses 
 desolate and overthrown, and its streets grass- 
 grown and noiseless. Its population having 
 been almost exclusively Turks, their residences 
 were, as usual, destroyed by the victorious 
 Greeks; and its passages were now choked up 
 with the weeds which have sprung up amidst 
 the debris of their mud walls and ruins. Its 
 inhabitants are very few, and at the moment 
 of our arrival, they were probably enjoying 
 their mid-day sleep; as the only living beings 
 we saw were a few lazy soldiers basking amongst 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 51 
 
 the ruins, who scarcely raised their heads to 
 gaze on the passing Franks; and we walked 
 through apparently uninhabited streets, where 
 not a sound was audible, but the busy hum of 
 clouds of insects, who were flitting round in all 
 directions under the burning sun-beams. 
 
 Having discovered the house of the Astyno- 
 mos, or governor, we dismounted our baggage, 
 and accepted his invitation to share his dinner, 
 whilst he sent to procure horses to enable us to 
 reach Pyrgos that same night. This house, 
 which was one of the finest in the town, was 
 approached by a court yard, and consisted of 
 two stories: the lower one was occupied as a 
 stable, whilst the upper, to which we ascended 
 by a ladder and platform in front, contained 
 two apartments—one serving as a kitchen and 
 the residence of his suite and soldiers, the other 
 as the office of himself and his secretary : the 
 latter was fitted up d la Turque , with stained 
 windows, and a low divan which ran round the 
 n 2 
 
52 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 room, and on it were strewn the carpets and 
 * cushions whereon the inmates of the mansion 
 reclined by day, and slept by night. 
 
 The Eparch himself was a fine military-look¬ 
 ing Hydriot, who had a short time previous 
 been appointed to the office. He wore a scarlet 
 turban wrapped fantastically round his head, so 
 that one end fell on his shoulder, whilst the 
 other was brought very tastefully under his 
 chin : his dress was altogether splendid, and his 
 arms richly embossed, whilst his mild and oblig¬ 
 ing manners bore nothing of the military cha¬ 
 racter of his costume and appearance. During 
 the time of our conversing with him, our 
 baggage was undergoing a most alarming inves¬ 
 tigation from both the eyes and hands of his 
 attendants in the court yard below, who were 
 fitting on our cloaks and snapping our guns. 
 The calibre and strength of our pistol barrels, 
 attracted their attention; the locks they never 
 thought of examining, and as the stocks were 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 53 
 
 no way ornamented, they were directly con¬ 
 demned as useless; however, in a short time our 
 horses arrived, and having discussed our dinner 
 of fowls and fresh curds, we took our leave of 
 our host, and bade adieu to Gastouni. 
 
 I cannot here avoid paying a slight, but sin¬ 
 cere, tribute to the merits of the unfortunate 
 young nobleman who breathed his last in this 
 deserted spot—Lord Charles Murray, son to the 
 Duke of Athol. He visited Greece in 1824, 
 and his mild attentive manners gained for him 
 the esteem of all who knew him there. Dr. 
 Millingen, who afterwards mentioned hint to 
 me, related some circumstances which spoke vo¬ 
 lumes in his praise : amongst others, that when 
 Millingen had been attacked by a severe fever 
 in the summer of 1824, whilst separated from 
 all the other Englishmen in Greece, Lord 
 Charles, who was the only Briton near him, 
 paid him the most unremitting attention during 
 his illness ; watched by him night and day, pre- 
 
54 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 pared his food and medicine, and frequently at 
 midnight, when all around were asleep, stole to 
 his bedside, to see if he was enjoying a like res¬ 
 pite from his sufferings. Poor fellow! very shortly 
 after, with scarcely a friend, or even an attendant 
 beside him, he fell a victim, himself, in this de¬ 
 solate spot to the same fatal epidemic from 
 which his kindness had rescued his friend. 
 
 Our route, on leaving Gastouni, lay over the 
 same plain by which we had been passing in the 
 early part of the day ; but it now became more 
 uneven and rugged, and the banks of thyme 
 which had scented the air in the morning were 
 exchanged for extensive swamps and dykes, 
 whose perfume, if not so fragrant, was at least as 
 powerful. Over or through these we were obliged 
 to scramble in order to keep up with our horses, 
 who, accustomed to the route, found no diffi¬ 
 culty in leaping or fording them, even with the 
 heavy burthen of our baggage. We here met 
 a party of Greek soldiers, whose ragged habits, 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 55 
 
 savage air, and barbarous arms, gave us no fa¬ 
 vourable idea of their caste: they, however, treat¬ 
 ed us with civility, offering us their wine, which, 
 though not of the primest vintage, and full 
 of resin, was a delicious draught under the 
 burning heat of the day. On parting with them 
 we continued our route towards Pyrgos. When 
 we arrived late at night, after a most fatiguing 
 march through the moor, and over a small chain 
 of mountains which intersects it, it being too 
 late to see the Eparchos, or inquire for other 
 lodgings, we drove to what our conductor term¬ 
 ed “ the caffe,” but such a caffe ! On opening 
 the low chinky door, it presented the prospect 
 of a long dingy mud-walled apartment, with a 
 few dirty tables and benches ranged round the 
 walls; on which were stretched a number of sol¬ 
 diers on their march from Patras, whilst in the 
 middle of the earthen floor a dozen others were 
 sitting round the embers of a wood fire, the 
 smoke of which rose eddying round the roof till 
 
56 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 it found an exit through the numerous open¬ 
 ings in the tiles. On requesting an apartment 
 in which to pass the night, we were shown a 
 little platform, raised about afoot from the 
 floor in one corner of the house, and boarded in . 
 here we strewed our cloaks on our baggage, and 
 slept the delicious sleep of the weary ; from 
 which, however, we were aroused at sunrise by 
 the noise of the crowds, who even at that early 
 hour were hurrying in to sip their para’s worth 
 of the berry of Mocca. 
 
 The town of Pyrgos is in the best state of 
 preservation of any that I have ever seen in 
 Greece; which arises from its having been 
 totally inhabited by Greeks, who formerly car¬ 
 ried on an extensive trade in wine; the 
 country adjacent being particularly well adapted 
 to the culture of vines. The only traffic, how¬ 
 ever, which now subsists is the transportation 
 of sheep and cattle to the Ionian Islands; and 
 its only trade, a manufacture which is, however. 
 
GHEECE IN 1825. 
 
 57 
 
 very extensive, of dresses, arms, and pistol 
 belts. The shops are pretty numerous* and in 
 general well stocked with those articles, as wetl 
 as with shawls, cloths and cotton goods; and 
 at each door the children, and even men, 
 were busily employed in the manufacture 
 of gold thread, and braiding for the em¬ 
 broidery of the vests and greaves. It contains 
 a good church, and the cathedral of the arch¬ 
 bishop of Gastouni, to which see Pyrgos be¬ 
 longs. In the course of the morning we called 
 on the Eparchos to procure horses, which he 
 accordingly sent off a messenger for. He was 
 a fine lively old man, who seemed to reason 
 with extreme acuteness on the politics of the 
 day. He spoke much of Lord Byron, and 
 regretted that Greece had lost its two great¬ 
 est friends, Marco Bozzaris and Byron. In 
 speaking of the Holy Alliance, (Ispu (Tv^w/^ia) 
 he took occasion to place a fx at the com¬ 
 mencement, which, without much affecting the 
 d 5 
 
58 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 sound, produced a considerable alteration in 
 the sense. 
 
 In the evening, having procured horses 
 and passports, we again set out on foot for 
 Agolinitza. The plain still continued, not 
 however so uneven, but sandy, and covered only 
 with thistles. About one mile from Pyrgos 
 we came to the banks of the Alpheus, now the 
 Rouphia, a muddy turbulent stream, to pass 
 which we paid twenty paras for ourselves and 
 our horses. A short distance farther brought 
 us in front of an opening in the hills to our 
 left, from which we had a distant view of the 
 plain of Olympia, over which numerous flocks 
 of sheep were browsing in all directions. Few 
 traces of ancient splendour now remain; the 
 exact spot on which was the Hippodrome is un¬ 
 certain, and no vestige remains of the splendid 
 temple of Jupiter Olympius, which once con¬ 
 tained the chef-d'oeuvre of Phidias. 
 
 On our arrival at Agolinitza, we were accom- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 59 
 
 modated with a room in a miserable cottage : 
 here, after sapper, we lay down on our cloaks, 
 but were long unable to sleep, as our muleteers, 
 who shared our quarters, after having finished 
 their canonical supper of bread, snails, and 
 leeks, finding their heads heated, and hearts 
 softened by the genial influence of the grape, 
 which not even the rigidity of a Greek Lent 
 interdicted them the use of, commenced a sere¬ 
 nade, if not sweet, at least sonorous; but as 
 amongst their songs, 66 favrs notifies toov ‘EAAvjvwv 
 made a prominent figure, we were content to 
 put up with the inconvenience. 
 
 The following day, finding it difficult to pro¬ 
 cure horses, it was late ere we were enabled to 
 leave the village. Agolinitza is built on the 
 acclivity of a picturesque hill, which commands 
 an extensive prospect of the Ionian sea, the 
 adjacent country, and the windings of the 
 Alpheus. The town itself is in ruins, the houses 
 desolate or destroyed, the few inhabitants im- 
 
60 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 poverished and sickly; and with no other means 
 of subsistence than fishing, and the cultivation 
 of a few olives. Our house, which had formerly 
 been Turkish, was situated in the midst of a 
 garden, that appeared to have been once finely 
 laid out, and which still contained abundance of 
 almonds, olives, and orange trees, now in full 
 bloom, whilst around their roots many a neg¬ 
 lected rose and tulip were wasting their 66 sweet¬ 
 ness on the desert air.” 
 
 The woman who owned the cottage had been 
 very attentive in procuring us every thing we 
 wanted, and demanded for her trouble only 
 sixty paras, about 7id. which included eggs, 
 bread, milk, fire, and lodgings; and the grati¬ 
 tude with which it was received, equalled in 
 singularity the moderation of the charges. Our 
 route now, as far as Cristena, was very fine. 
 Hitherto we had been passing almost constantly 
 along the shore, with no variety of prospect, 
 and nothing to diversify the dull, endless plain 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 61 
 
 around us: now turning to the left, we com¬ 
 menced penetrating into the heart of the 
 country, by a pass in the mountains, which 
 commanded a splendid prospect of the plain and 
 villages we had just left, as well as the romantic 
 hills which we were entering. These hills were 
 covered with magnificent forests of pines, echo¬ 
 ing with the song of a thousand birds, the lively 
 chirp of the grasshoppers, and the hum of 
 crowds of bees which flew wantoning from 
 flower to flower, amidst the beds of thyme and 
 aromatic shrubs that covered the ground. The 
 peaceful character of the scene was occasionally 
 diversified by the scream of an eagle, as he rose 
 from the wild rocks that raised their hoary 
 summits above the surrounding pines, and 
 soared through the sluggish clouds that lay 
 lagging on the sky far beneath his flight. After 
 descending those delicious hills, we entered 
 upon a valley equally beautiful; along which 
 a little branch of the Acheron wound, like a 
 
m 
 
 GREECE IN 1826* 
 
 silver thread, through groves of pines and olive 
 trees; and on this delightful spot, on a small 
 eminence covered with lentiscus and fruit trees, 
 we gained the first sight of Cristena. Even 
 this retired little valley had lately been under¬ 
 going its share of the miseries of war. A party 
 of Greek soldiers, on their march from Patras, 
 had committed such ravages a few days before, 
 that, on our arrival, we found the town almost 
 totally deserted; only a few of the inhabitants 
 having as yet returned from their retreats in 
 the adjacent mountains, whither they had re¬ 
 moved their families for security, till the tide 
 of terror should have swept past. 
 
 The following morning, after having, as usual, 
 spent the night in the vacant apartment of a 
 cottage, we set out for Andruzzena, which was 
 about twenty-four miles distant, or as the Greeks 
 calculate it, eight hours; their reckoning gene¬ 
 rally allowing three miles to an hour. Our route 
 still continued through the same magnificent 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 6S 
 
 scenery as the day before, the wildness of the 
 scene and the peculiar character of the moun¬ 
 tains strongly resembling the singular valley of 
 Mallaverne, in Savoy. The country, however, 
 became gradually richer, and produced a greater 
 variety of trees and plants; olives, oaks, and 
 acacias were mingled in greater numbers with 
 the hardy branches of the mountain pines, and 
 the ground was thickly covered with mastics 
 and myrtles, through natural arbours of which 
 the road frequently wound under a shade totally 
 impervious to the sun-beams. 
 
 The naturalist may, perhaps, be interested by 
 being informed that our route was crossed in 
 this place by a singular procession : it consisted 
 of upwards of a hundred large black catter- 
 pillars, which were performing their migration 
 from one spot to another. They were led by 
 three ranks two deep; the remainder followed 
 in line, each taking hold of the rear of his pre¬ 
 decessor, and performing their movements at the 
 
64 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 same moment; the rear was again closed by three 
 lines, two deep ; and the whole moved on slowly, 
 but with extreme precision across our path. 
 
 Towards mid-day, or about ten miles from 
 Andruzzena, the country assumed a different as¬ 
 pect ; and leaving behind us the delicious valleys 
 and forests which we had traversed with so much 
 gratification, we entered on hills heaped together 
 in the most promiscuous confusion. Not a valley 
 was to be seen of a mile in breadth, nor a plain 
 which we could not walk round in an hour : 
 here every trace of cultivation ceased,—not a 
 ploughed spot, a cottage, or any mark of an 
 agricultural population,—not a human being was 
 to be seen, save a goatherd, a shepherd, or a 
 straggling soldier, and from the summit of those 
 lofty, solitary hills, we looked down on a vast 
 expanse of country, flourishing in neglected lux¬ 
 ury, and on valleys, adapted in the highest de¬ 
 gree for cultivation, that had never, or at least, 
 not for ages, felt a ploughshare. Our road was 
 
GliEECE IN 1825. 
 
 65 
 
 continually bad, being nothing more than a 
 pathway, beaten up and down the rocks, distin¬ 
 guishable from the surrounding wilderness only 
 by being a little more traversed and polished. As 
 it afforded the readiest passage for the mountain- 
 torrents, they had from time to time carried away 
 every particle of soil from around it, and it now 
 presented merely a causeway of loose and slip¬ 
 pery stones, over which however the little moun¬ 
 tain horses stepped with astonishing security and 
 precision. Almost all the streams we passed 
 to-day, and they were not a few, were coloured 
 with iron, and almost every rock bore a strong 
 metallic appearance; but there did not seem to 
 exist any trace of their having ever been explored. 
 At length, after passing many a glen, and cross¬ 
 ing many a brown but transparent stream, we 
 arrived at the foot of the last barren mountain, 
 from the summit of which we were to gain a 
 sight of Andruzzena. In our way to it, how¬ 
 ever, we passed the remains of another town, 
 
66 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 called Fanari; it was once inhabited solely by 
 Turks, and, though now destroyed by revolu¬ 
 tionary fury, continues to give its name to the 
 district, though the seat of the magistracy has 
 been transferred to Andriizzena. 
 
 After a tedious descent of several miles along. 
 the narrow pathway that wound round the 
 verge of the hill, we arrived at Andruzzena, 
 (the ancient Trapezus,) seated amidst a grove of 
 cypresses on the acclivity of an opposite moun¬ 
 tain, and with its numerous buildings presenting 
 a fine prospect from a distance; but which was 
 wofully belied on entering it, by filth and 
 misery. It was now sunset, and as we slowly 
 wound up the steep ascent, we observed a few 
 soldiers collected on a small eminence, at the 
 entrance of the town, to observe our approach. 
 On coming up to them, and asking for the re¬ 
 sidence of the : a fine military-looking 
 
 young man, in a superb Albanian dress, stepped 
 forward, and presented himself as the person for 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 67 
 
 whom we were inquiring: we applied to him, as 
 usual, to find us lodgings. He apologized for 
 the misery of the town, and offered us whatever 
 accommodations his own residence afforded. We 
 accordingly accepted his hospitality, and ac¬ 
 companied him to his house. It was situated 
 near the entrance of the town, and, like that of 
 the Eparch of Gastouni, was approached by 
 a court-yard. It consisted, likewise, of two 
 stories, the better Greek houses seldom exceed¬ 
 ing that height. The lower of these was now 
 fitted up as a prison for malefactors; and to the 
 upper we ascended by a balcony, which ran 
 along the entire front of the house, and served 
 as a corridor to the several apartments, which 
 had no internal communication with each other 
 On entering, we came into the apartment of the 
 chief, which composed one-half of the extent of 
 the mansion, the remainder being divided into 
 his bed-room, kitchen, and apartments for his 
 suite. 
 
68 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 During the few days which bad weather ob¬ 
 liged us to remain with him, we had sufficient 
 leisure to make some observations on his cha¬ 
 racter and manners. The latter, like those of 
 the higher orders of his countrymen, were de¬ 
 cidedly Turkish. The room in which he re¬ 
 ceived us was fitted up in complete Ottoman 
 style, with stained-glass windows, inlaid ceiling, 
 splendid carpets, mats, cushions, and numerous 
 vases of gold and silver fish. On taking our 
 seats, we were, as usual, presented with a chi¬ 
 bouque and some coffee; whilst our news was 
 eagerly inquired after by our obliging host. 
 He was about twenty-five years of age: he had 
 formerly enjoyed a confidential situation under 
 the present Government, viz. the disposing of 
 the forfeited Turkish lands in his province, and 
 on the expiration of his commission, had obtained 
 the government of his present eparchy. His dress 
 was accurately national, but formed of the most 
 costly materials, and covered with an abundance 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 69 
 
 of braiding and embroidery ; whilst his pistols 
 and silver-mounted ataghan were of exquisite 
 design and workmanship. Though his conver¬ 
 sation was lively, his manners were indolent and 
 oriental: he reclined almost the entire day on a 
 velvet cushion, surrounded by his attendants, 
 smoking his chibouque, sipping coffee, or count¬ 
 ing over and over again the polished beads of 
 his amber combolojo. Of his dress he was par¬ 
 ticularly vain, and received with evident plea¬ 
 sure all the praises which we bestowed upon it. 
 On such occasions, he usually arose, set forward 
 his elbow, turned out his heel, and surveying 
 himself from top to toe, replied with evident 
 complacency, <e vou, to (poprj^oi (xae eivoci apnsTOv 
 xotXov” “ Why, yes, our costume is certainly 
 pretty.” 
 
 Our fare, during our stay, consisted of lamb, 
 fowls, milk, eggs, and vegetables; and though 
 it was Lent, our accommodating host made 
 no scruple to join in our uncanonical repast. 
 
70 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 Our breakfast was, generally, made up of curds 
 and eggs, with a little milk and cheese; but the 
 dinner was a somewhat more perplexing affair. 
 Our table was a small round board, raised half 
 a foot from the floor; and round this we were 
 obliged to squat tailor-wise; as to have stretched 
 our limbs would have thrown us at rather an 
 incommodious distance from our provisions. In 
 this posture, by no means an agreeable one to 
 the uninitiated, we were obliged to remain 
 during the tedious process of a Grecian repast, 
 which seldom occupied less than an hour. Our 
 first course consisted of boiled rice, mixed up 
 with yaourl or sour curds, eggs fried and 
 swimming in olive oil, and a mixed dish of 
 boiled vegetables, chopped leeks, spinage, sorrel, 
 and mustard-leaves. The second, a stewed 
 fowl stuffed with plum-pudding, roast lamb, 
 and cairare, rather an odoriferous dish, com¬ 
 posed of the entrails of the salmon and 
 cuttle fish, fermented and tempered with oil. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 71 
 
 Our third remove contained milk in all its 
 different preparations of curd, cheese, and run- 
 net, various combinations of boiled, roast, and 
 whipped eggs; the whole washed down with 
 plentiful draughts of Samian wine, supplied 
 by a cup-bearer, who in proper oriental style, 
 stood constantly behind the cushion of his chief¬ 
 tain. Our desert, as it was winter, consisted 
 chiefly of oranges and dried fruit, figs, dates, 
 and raisins; on the whole, our feasts were 
 not only classical, but palatable: and when all 
 was concluded, a comfortable room, in which to 
 strew our beds, was a favour as acceptable as it 
 was uncommon. On the morning after our 
 arrival we set out, accompanied by our host, to 
 visit the temple on Mount Cotylus. We now, 
 for the first time, mounted a Greek horse; and 
 our manner of riding, together with our appre¬ 
 hensions from the ruggedness and steepness of 
 the paths, rendered our method of travelling by 
 no means desirable. 
 
72 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 Our steeds were of the little mountain breed, 
 of no very comely appearance, and when ca¬ 
 parisoned in the broad wooden straddles, on 
 which we mounted, and which covered nearly 
 the entire surface of their little bodies, made no 
 very Bond-street figure. We, however, followed 
 the example of our host, and mounted; and, 
 having our feet adjusted in the two looped ropes, 
 which, suspended from either side, supplied 
 the place of stirrups, and were of a length that 
 brought our knees in close contact with our 
 necks, we set forward on our march. The path 
 wound, as usual, along the mountains, and was in 
 some places so narrow, as scarcely to leave room 
 for the animals to put one foot before the other, 
 in making the advance step, whilst a slip would 
 have hurled us at once among the rocks below. 
 In others, it was so steep, as, when descending, 
 to bring the tails of our horses in a line con¬ 
 siderably above the horizon of their heads. 
 Shame, however, and the narrowness of the 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 73 
 
 paths overcame our feelings of self-preservation, 
 and obliged us to keep our seats; and, though 
 considerably alarmed at first setting out, as 
 our steeds commenced slipping from one rock to 
 another, we soon discovered that precaution was 
 as useless as apprehension; and, after a few 
 unavailing attempts to induce our poneys to take 
 the line which seemed to us the safest, we were 
 obliged to resign all right of governing, and 
 trust entirely to their instinct and discretion: 
 we immediately reaped the advantages of this 
 arrangement; and, after two hours of stepping, 
 slipping, and sliding, we arrived at our des¬ 
 tination. 
 
 This was the first Grecian temple that we had 
 had an opportunity of examining, and its effect 
 was truly sublime: situated in a hollow on the 
 summit of a lofty mountain, from which the tops 
 of the surrounding hills were alone visible, round 
 snowy peaks of which a sea of hoary mist was 
 now curling and boiling, forming a deluge of 
 
 VOL. i. 
 
 E 
 
74 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 rain, with which we were drenched on our re¬ 
 turn. The most perfect stillness and solitude 
 reigned around us, broken only by the sighing 
 of the wind, and the fitful scream of the eagle 
 as he soared above us. It was to this temple 
 that Pausanias repaired to appease the shade 
 of the murdered Cleonice, 
 
 and aroused 
 The Arcadian evocators to compel 
 The injured shadow to depose her wrath. 
 
 Byron — Manfred. 
 
 The earth around is strewn with broken pillars, 
 capitals, and fragments of mutilated marbles; 
 but the greater number of the outward columns 
 are still standing, and support the frieze, so as 
 accurately to mark out the extent of the temple. 
 
 I never beheld a spot so calculated to arouse 
 ideas of religious sublimity; and I remained 
 long lingering among its holy ruins, till the 
 thick drops of the coming showers warned us to 
 return. We descended the mountain as the rain 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 75 
 
 poured down in torrents, and reached Andruz- 
 zena so completely drenched, and with such 
 prospects of the continuance of the storm, as to 
 preclude the possibility of our departure. We 
 accordingly halted with our kind host for the 
 remainder of the day, and the following morn¬ 
 ing recommenced our route towards Tripolizza. 
 
 The route from Andruzzena to Kaulena, one 
 of the chief towns of Arcadia, still continued 
 wild, uncultivated, and only half inhabited. Our 
 roads naturally bad, were now rendered abo¬ 
 minable by a heavy rain; and, after a toilscme 
 march of twenty miles over mountain after 
 mountain, we descended late in the evening the 
 Acropolis of Kaulena, crowning the summit of 
 a craggy cliff, overhanging the precipitous and 
 confined banks of the Alpheus. This town, the 
 largest of the one hundred-and-thirty villages 
 which form the eparchy, is approached by an 
 antique and picturesque bridge thrown across 
 the rapid stream of the river, and was formerly 
 
76 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 one of the most important in the Morea; as the 
 province to which it belongs is peculiarly rich, 
 being watered by all the streams that swell the 
 course of the Alpheus. 
 
 Kaulena carried on a considerable trade in 
 tobacco, silk, dried fruits, and tolerable wine. 
 It was the residence of the celebrated Klefti 
 Colocotroni, and being one of the first to raise 
 the standard of freedom, felt the full fury of the 
 Turks ; insomuch, that a portion of troops sent 
 from Tripolizza destroyed almost the entire 
 town; whilst the unfortunate inhabitants were 
 obliged to desert their houses, and fly for refuge 
 to the neighbouring mountains, or inclose them¬ 
 selves within the walls of their impregnable cita¬ 
 del. It now presents little more than a mass of 
 ruins ; the few houses still standing being inha¬ 
 bited by a few impoverished families, who sub¬ 
 sist solely by the partial culture of the fields in 
 the vicinity. 
 
 Our route from hence to Tripolizza on the 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 77 
 
 following day, though extremely wild, was still 
 diversified and interesting: it passed for a con¬ 
 siderable way along the summit of a range of 
 hills, commanding a fine prospect of an ex¬ 
 tensive valley, watered by the Alpheus, which 
 toiled along it, swollen by hundreds of tri¬ 
 butary streams, till its course was hidden in 
 the windings of the surrounding mountains. 
 
 Our march was long and tedious, through 
 hills which at a distance seemed totally impas¬ 
 sable; and at length, towards sunset, we reached 
 the superb plain, which contains the remains of 
 Mantinea and Togeium, and the more modern 
 ruins of Tripolizza. After some delay at the 
 gates of the town, to arrange our passports, we 
 were admitted; and having a lodging assigned 
 us by the Police, we were conducted to an 
 apartment, which, though miserable enough, 
 was splendid in comparison to those in which 
 we had lately been reposing. 
 
 Before the year 1821, Tripolizza, being the 
 
78 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 residence of the Pacha of the Morea, was gene¬ 
 rally considered as the capital of the Peninsula. 
 It is situated in a spot intended by nature to 
 be extremely beautiful but so neglected as to 
 present quite a contrary appearance. A superb 
 range of hills forms an amphitheatre of about 
 four miles in breadth, and six or seven in length, 
 and this spot, which cultivation might render 
 a paradise, is now barren, unvaried, and scarcely 
 bears a single tree. 
 
 Tripolizza, like all other Turkish towns, con¬ 
 tains but few embellishments: a sort of high 
 garden-wall which surrounds it, a few paltry 
 towers, and a weak citadel badly situated, con¬ 
 stitute the entire fortifications that were so long 
 an object of dispute to the imbecile arms of the 
 insurgents, at the opening of the revolution. 
 The streets are in general narrow, but, being 
 watered by numerous rivulets, are a little 
 cleaner than usual: the bazaar contains nu¬ 
 merous well-stocked shops; but here, and in 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 79 
 
 the beyesteen, the principal merchandise seems 
 to be arms and wearing apparel, which are to 
 be found better and cheaper in those places 
 than in any other part of the Morea. The 
 greater part of the town is now in total ruin, 
 especially those streets which are in the imme¬ 
 diate vicinity of the walls. A few, however, 
 of the principal Turkish houses have escaped; 
 and one of these, the palace erected by Vely 
 Pacha, son of the execrable Ali, whilst Pacha 
 of the Morea, is now converted into the office 
 of the police; the whole, however, is a picture 
 of misery, filth, and dilapidation. The civil 
 government is, as usual, an eparchy ; and a con¬ 
 siderable garrison, constantly in the town, is 
 under the command of General Xidi, governor 
 of the fortress. The Greek churches here are 
 paltry edifices, though many of them are 
 adorned with basso-reliefs and columns, from 
 the neighbouring ruins, at Mantinea: of the 
 Turkish mosques which still remain, one has 
 
80 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 been converted into a school for mutual in¬ 
 struction, the others are occupied as store¬ 
 houses. 
 
 About twelve o’clock to-day, Conduriotti, 
 the President of the Executive body, and 
 Prince Mavrocordato arrived in Tripolizza on 
 their way to Navarino. The cannon from the 
 wall and the several batteries announced their 
 arrival by repeated peals, the echoes of which, 
 amongst the surrounding amphitheatre of hills, 
 were sublime beyond description. 
 
 For a military agent, the President’s mo¬ 
 tions have been rather dilatory: he left Napoli 
 on Sunday last, and has been three days in 
 reaching Tripolizza, a distance of eighteen or 
 twenty miles. 
 
 On Thursday morning, after passing the 
 night at a little hamlet called Yaourgitika, we 
 set out for Napoli di Romania. Our road lay 
 over, or rather down, the tremendous pass 
 of the Parthenian Mountain : a narrow path, 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 81 
 
 called the Bey’s Causeway, wound along the 
 shelf of a terrific precipice, whilst on our left 
 yawned a glen of tremendous depth, with a 
 brawling stream toiling through its centre. 
 After passing this sublime scene, which lasted 
 for about one mile and a half, we entered on 
 a small valley, which contained the ruins of a 
 desolated khan, and having passed it, com¬ 
 menced ascending the last chain of hills which 
 separated us from the Gulph of Napoli. The 
 view here was sublime in the highest degree; 
 all around spread the most luxuriant but soli¬ 
 tary hills; the sun was oppressively warm, and 
 myriads of glittering insects were sporting in 
 his beams; a long team of camels were slowly 
 winding up the steep ascent, whilst the tinkling 
 of their bells, and the songs of their drivers, 
 were softly floating down on the breeze. A 
 short turn brought us in sight of the ocean ; 
 the 44 deep dark blue iEgean,” slumbering be¬ 
 neath an almost breathless sky, with the high 
 e 5 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 rock of Napoli towering amongst the eminences 
 on its shore. In another hour, our view opened 
 widely, and we had an unrivalled prospect of 
 the Argolic Bay, with Hydra and Spezzia on 
 its distant entrance; whilst below us lay Na¬ 
 poli di Romania, Zerynthus, Argos, and the 
 marsh of Lerna, the whole bounded by the 
 distant chain of Epidaurus. A rapid descent 
 brought us to the shore, and, in half an hour, 
 after stowing our baggage on board a caique, 
 at the little dogana of Mylos, we landed on the 
 quay at Napoli. 
 
 The harbour of Napoli is formed by the 
 abrupt projecture of a steep cliff across the 
 north-eastern side of the bay, and is protected 
 by the batteries of the town, as well as by a 
 small castle, built on a rock in its centre. The 
 view, approaching by sea, is striking and beau¬ 
 tiful. The houses, however deficient in other 
 respects, are large, and rise up abruptly from the 
 water’s edge along the northern side of the steep 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 83 
 
 cliff I have mentioned. Another lofty hill, a 
 little more to the east, which still retains the 
 name of the Palamede, is mounted with a good 
 battery, and commands both the town and har¬ 
 bour. This citadel is generally considered im¬ 
 pregnable, and I believe, with any other sol¬ 
 diers than Greeks or Turks, it would be so. 
 The former, in fact, only obtained possession of 
 it by blockade, and when all the Turkish gun¬ 
 ners on the hill had been reduced by famine to 
 seven! The fortifications of the town are all 
 Venetian, and consist of an extensive wall, now 
 rather out of repair, three sea batteries, and one 
 on the cliff on which stands the town. One of 
 those which commands the access to the town is 
 called La Batterie du Terre , and mounts seven 
 excellent brass 43 pounders; the second, La 
 Batterie da Mer , is now converted into an ar¬ 
 senal and cannon foundry ; the third, called, Les 
 Cinq Peres , commands the town on the west 
 and the entrance to the harbour, deriving its 
 
84 > 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 name from mounting five superb Venetian 60 
 pounders. On the whole, the city, if well gar¬ 
 risoned, might be considered as impregnable, at 
 least to its present enemies. 
 
 The interior of the town, with the exception 
 of one large square, contains nothing but miser¬ 
 ably narrow filthy streets, * the greater part in 
 ruins; partly from the ridiculous custom of de¬ 
 stroying the residences of the Turks, and partly 
 from the effects of the cannon whilst the Greeks 
 
 * Nothing, perhaps, applies with more aptitude to the 
 appearance of Napoli di Romania, than the following 
 verse from Childe Harold, descriptive of Lidion : 
 
 “ But whoso entereth within this town 
 That shining far celestial seems to be. 
 Disconsolate will wander up and down, 
 
 ’Mid many things unsightly to the eye ; 
 
 For hut and palace show like filthily. 
 
 The dingy denizens are reared in dirt. 
 
 No personage of high or mean degree. 
 
 Doth care for cleanness of surtout or shirt, 
 Though shent with Egypt’s plague, unkempt, un¬ 
 washed, unhurt. 
 
 Canto 1st, Stanza xvii. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 85 
 
 were battering the town from the little fort in 
 the harbour. The remaining dwelling-houses 
 are spacious, and some even comfortable. In 
 all of them the lower story is appropriated 
 to the horses, and from this we ascend by a 
 spacious staircase to the upper inhabited apart¬ 
 ments. The best house is that of the late 
 Pacha, which is now the residence of Prince 
 Mavrocordato. 
 
 Trade seems totally destroyed at Napoli: be¬ 
 fore 1821, it was the depot of all the produce of 
 Greece, and carried on a most extensive com¬ 
 merce in sponges, silk, oil, wax, and wines; it 
 now possesses merely a little traffic in the impor¬ 
 tation of the necessaries of life. The shops, 
 like those of Tripolizza, are crowded with arms 
 and wearing-apparel, and the inhabitants all 
 carry either the Frank or Albanian armed cos¬ 
 tume. The climate is bad, and the place has 
 been frequently ravaged by the plague, which, 
 in one instance, towards the latter end of the 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 last century, reduced the population from 8 to 
 
 2000. 
 
 The unusual filth of the streets, and its situa¬ 
 tion, at the foot of a steep hill, which prevents 
 the air from having full play to carry the efflu¬ 
 via arising from it, together with the habitual 
 dirty habits of an overstocked population, con¬ 
 stantly attracted round the seat of the Govern¬ 
 ment, subject it to almost continual epidemic fe¬ 
 vers, which, both in the last winter, and at this 
 moment, have committed dreadful ravages. Its 
 climate is, in fact, at all times thick and un¬ 
 healthy, and far inferior to that of Athens, or of 
 many of the towns in the interior of the Morea. 
 The affairs of the Government had all been so 
 arranged before the departure of the President, 
 and Prince Mavrocordato, his secretary, that a 
 constant communication was to be kept up with 
 the forces north of the Isthmus, as well as the 
 camp at Navarino. The Vice-President, Bota- 
 zi, a good-natured honest Spezziot, not over- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 87 
 
 stocked with intelligence, but bearing a high 
 character for honour and principles, had taken 
 (?onduriotti’s chair in the executive body. Cris- 
 tides, an intriguing active man, acted as secre¬ 
 tary, and the other members remained at their 
 posts as usual. Of these, John Coletti, a phy¬ 
 sician by profession, and, as such, formerly in 
 the pay of Ali Pacha, is by far the most clever 
 and intelligent: of his sterling patriotism, how¬ 
 ever, there are few in the Morea, or even among 
 his own countrymen, who are not rather scepti¬ 
 cal. The exactions which have been carried on 
 in Roumelia by his agents, and with his appro¬ 
 bation, have rendered him odious to the people 
 whom he represents; and his intriguing spirit, 
 forbidding countenance, and repulsive manners, 
 have gained him, both with the Moreots and 
 foreigners, a character for cunning, avarice, and 
 dangerous ambition. Nevertheless, his acknow¬ 
 ledged abilities have given him such an ascen¬ 
 dency with the President and the executive 
 
88 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 body, that he may be considered the spring 
 of its movements. Of the other two, Speliotaki, 
 is a mere nobody, who would never be heard 
 of, were it not for the attaching his name to the 
 proclamations of the Government; and Pe- 
 tro Bey, the Mainote, is a good-humoured 
 round-faced fellow, who seems remarkable for 
 nothing more than his appetite and epicurism. 
 Amongst the members of the legislative body, 
 none seem to make any prominent figure except 
 Spiridion Tricoupi, son to the late Primate of 
 Messolounghi, representative of that town. Hav¬ 
 ing been secretary to Lord Guilford, and a few 
 years resident in England, he adds, to an ex¬ 
 tensive information, a good knowledge of Eng¬ 
 lish. The meetings of the legislative body, 
 though containing about fifty members, are 
 usually taciturn, or enlivened only by colloquial 
 discussion, Tricoupi being the only member 
 who ever attempted 66 a speech.” It was lately 
 proposed to publish their proceedings in the 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 89 
 
 Hydriot Journal, but the motion was immedi¬ 
 ately negatived by the overpowering majority of 
 the silent members. Of the other ministers con¬ 
 nected with the administration, by far the most 
 promising is Adam Ducas, Minister of War, a 
 young man descended from one of the most 
 ancient and honourable Greek families. I say 
 promising, because, though at present almost 
 ignorant of the duties of his office, he seems 
 well aware of his deficiency, and is anxious on 
 all occasions to remedy it. 
 
 But, perhaps, the most singular character 
 amongst all the Greek legislators is the Minister 
 of the Interior. His name is Gregorius Flessa, 
 by profession a priest; and having, in the early 
 part of his life, been steward of a monastery, 
 (foxcaos') he is now generally known by the two 
 names of Gregorius Dikaios, and Pappa Flessa. 
 A naturally vicious disposition had early given 
 him a distaste for his profession, and, on the 
 commencement of the revolution, he joined 
 
90 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the standard of his country as a military volun¬ 
 teer. Having manifested his bravery on many 
 occasions, he was at length promoted to a com¬ 
 mand, and in several actions conducted himself 
 with distinguished courage. He now totally 
 abandoned the mitre and the robe for the more 
 congenial employments of the army and the 
 state; and at length, after a series of active and 
 valuable services, he was appointed by the Go¬ 
 vernment to be Minister of the Interior. Here, 
 with ample means, he gave unbridled license to 
 his natural disposition. His only virtue is an 
 uncorrupted patriotism, which has all along 
 marked his character, and has gained him the 
 confidence of the Government, whilst they despise 
 its possessor. Such a character, though in an 
 office of trust, is by no means a popular man. 
 The scandal which the open commission of the 
 most glaring immoralities has brought upon his 
 original profession, has entailed upon him the 
 contempt of all parties, though his diplomatic 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 91 
 
 abilities, if artifice and cunning may deserve 
 that name, added to his patriotism and bravery, 
 have secured him the good will of the Govern¬ 
 ment. 
 
 Of the minister of justice, Teotochi, little 
 more is known, than that he was obliged to 
 abscond from the Ionian Islands, for some 
 fraudulent practices. The name of the minister 
 of the police I have never heard, and from the 
 abominable filth of the city, and the dilapi¬ 
 dated condition of its streets, I fancy the office 
 must be a sinecure. 
 
 April 1. On our arrival yesterday, we were no 
 little delighted to be informed by a Greek, that 
 the town contained some excellent hotels, xaAa 
 Jsvo&o^sta ; but on applying at the Locanda di Co- 
 locotroni, on the Marino, we were somewhat sur¬ 
 prised on being shown into an apartment, which 
 contained neither a bed, a chair, a table, or any 
 other garnishment than the plastered walls. 
 However, there was no resource; and as a good 
 
92 
 
 GREECE IN 1825* 
 
 canteen and beds, which we had forwarded from 
 London, supplied the deficiency at least in ne¬ 
 cessaries, if not in comforts, we took possession 
 of our present apartment, till we should be able 
 to procure others more convenient within the 
 walls.* 
 
 We this morning called on the only Phil- 
 hellenes at present in Napoli; Count Porro, 
 and Count Santa Rosa, two expatriated Ita¬ 
 lian noblemen, who have volunteered their 
 services to the Greek cause. Count Porro has 
 been appointed to a situation, something equi¬ 
 valent to a privy counsellor, and is about to 
 remain in Napoli with the Government. Santa 
 Rosa’s talents, as a legislator, being either un¬ 
 dervalued or unavailing, he has adopted the 
 
 * I should mention that our “hotel” likewise con¬ 
 tained a pretty fair ordinary; in the bill of fare of 
 which; at the head of a long list of Greek dishes, Poag&p 
 was peculiarly conspicuous, perhaps in compliment to 
 the English. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 93 
 
 determination of setting out for the camp, with 
 his musquet and ataghan as a Palikari. 
 
 In fact, at a moment of commotion like the 
 present, this is the only line in which the ser¬ 
 vices of a stranger can be productive of any 
 advantage, unless he be, a person but too much 
 wanted ’, one whose fortune and talents can 
 place him, at once, at the head of affairs. Any 
 other, joining the ranks merely as a soldier, 
 amongst undisciplined troops, accustomed to 
 no command save that of their domestic chiefs, 
 can render no service beyond that which his 
 personal strength may yield; and in that he 
 will be far inferior to the rest of his associates, 
 accustomed as they are to all the privations and 
 hardships of mountain warfare. As an assistant 
 to Government, his efforts must be at once 
 unsolicited and unavailing, besides exposing 
 him to the annoyances arising from the petty 
 intrigues and clashing interests of his col¬ 
 leagues, who, however deficient in steady 
 
94 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 principle, still consider themselves equal to the 
 management of their own affairs. The uni- 
 versal commotion attendant on the present cri¬ 
 sis of the war, must oppose a barrier to the 
 exertions of one whose desire is the mental and 
 civil improvement of the people; as, till the 
 primary object of national existence, at present 
 threatened, be secured, national improvement, 
 though most important, must be a secondary 
 consideration. In fact, the only man who can 
 at this moment render a material service to the 
 Greeks, must, as I said before, be one whose 
 fortune may enable him to purchase popularity 
 with the army, whose talents may qualify him 
 to lead them, and whose rank and character 
 will secure him the co-operation and counte¬ 
 nance of the Government, and whose influence 
 will be competent to reconcile these contending 
 factions. A person capable of joining these re¬ 
 quisites, is the only one whose co-operation can 
 advance the cause of the Greeks, and to any 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 95 
 
 other a residence amongst them must be only 
 productive of disappointment and unavailing 
 exposure. 
 
 On walking out of the gates towards the 
 Palamede, I was struck with a spectacle which 
 I did not expect to have met with in a coun¬ 
 try possessing the religion and professing the 
 charity of Christians. In the outer passes of 
 the fortification, lay the bodies of two Arabs, 
 putrifying under a burning sun, and within 
 one hundred yards of the inhabited part of 
 the town; the religion or prejudices of the 
 Greeks not even permitting them to cast a 
 little earth over the bones of their infidel 
 enemies:—such is one of the many thoughtless 
 causes of the unhealthy climate of Napoli di Ro¬ 
 mania. Such instances show the wide field for 
 the friendly exertions of their fellow Christians, 
 in the amelioration of the degraded character 
 of the Greeks; and show but too clearly the 
 malignity of a war where vengeance does not 
 
96 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 even cease with life; whilst they prove the utter 
 impossibility of any accommodation between 
 the two nations, or of ever again uniting them 
 under the same Government, whilst such a re¬ 
 pulsive hatred breathes in either breast. 
 
 April Ath —This morning, at twelve o’clock, 
 I waited with my letters on the Minister of the 
 Interior. He was at dinner even at that early 
 hour: I awaited his leisure in an outer re¬ 
 ception-room, through w r hich his servants were 
 passing to and from his table, bearing dishes 
 whose costliness and variety bore complete tes¬ 
 timony to the bon gout of the ecclesiastical di¬ 
 plomatist. After a short delay, I was shown 
 into another apartment, splendidly furnished 
 with silken cushions and costly carpets, where 
 he soon after made his appearance. He seated 
 himself a la Turque , whilst his military suite 
 ranged themselves round the apartment on 
 their cushions at the higher end of the room. 
 After I had been presented with a pipe and a 
 
 i 
 
GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 97 
 
 little china cup of coffee placed in a case of 
 filagreed silver, he read my letters, and gave me 
 an immediate answer. His appearance is that 
 of a perfect debauchee ; and a peculiar glance 
 from his eye gives an air of suspicion to fea¬ 
 tures otherwise well formed and pleasing. It 
 is much to be* regretted that the exigencies of 
 Greece oblige her to confide her offices of honour 
 to such agents. 
 
 Letters arrived to-day from the camp at 
 Navarino: it appears that skirmishing has al¬ 
 ready commenced with great spirit round the 
 walls. On the 28th of March, the enemy had 
 made an assault on the town, but were opposed 
 by the united forces of Karatazzo and Joannes, 
 youngest son to Petro Bey: the former, afterper- 
 forming prodigies of valour, was very narrowly 
 rescued by his followers from the midst of a 
 crowd of the enemy; and the latter, a young 
 man of superior bravery and talents, received 
 a wound in his arm, which being dressed by an 
 
 VOL. I. F 
 
98 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 unskilful surgeon, was afterwards the cause of 
 a mortification, which terminated in his death. 
 In this action 150 Greeks perished, and a propor¬ 
 tionate number of the enemy; as the surviving 
 Greeks succeeded in securing upwards of 100 
 musquets and bayonets of English manufacture, 
 which were immediately forwarded to Tripo- 
 lizza, and distributed to a body of artillery, 
 who set out for the camp. A despatch likewise 
 from Goura announced the total abandonment 
 of Ulysses by his troops, and his having retired 
 to Tolauda, on the sea-coast opposite Euboea, 
 where he was closely besieged by the troops of 
 his quondam eleve, who had the strongest hopes 
 of shortly presenting him to the Government. 
 
 ]0th April , (Sunday.) —To-day being the 
 festival of Easter, Napoli presented a novel 
 appearance, viz. a clean one. This feast, as 
 the most important in the Greek church, is ob¬ 
 served with particular rejoicings and respect: 
 Lent having ceased, the ovens were crowded with 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 99 
 
 the preparations for banqueting. Yesterday 
 every street was reeking with the blood of lambs 
 and goats; and to-day, every house was fra¬ 
 grant with odours of pies and baked meats. 
 All the inhabitants, in festival array, were hurry¬ 
 ing along to pay their visits and receive their 
 congratulations : every one, as he met his friend, 
 saluted him with a kiss on each side of his face, 
 and repeated the words, Xpicrro; otvevTYi ei Christ 
 is risen.” The day was spent in rejoicings in 
 every quarter; the guns were fired from the 
 batteries, and every moment the echoes of 
 the Palamede were replying to the incessant re¬ 
 ports of the pistols and tophaics of the soldiery. 
 On these occasions the Greeks (whether from 
 laziness to extract the ball, or for the purpose 
 of making a louder report, I know not) always 
 discharge their arms with a bullet: frequent 
 accidents are the consequence. To-day one 
 poor fellow was shot dead in his window, and 
 a second severely wounded by one of these ran- 
 f 2 
 
100 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 dom shots. In the evening a grand ceremony 
 took place in the Square: all the members of 
 the Government, after attending divine service 
 in the church of St. George, met opposite the 
 residence of the executive body ; the legislative, 
 as being the most numerous, took their places 
 in a line, and the executive passing along them 
 from right to left, kissing commenced with great 
 vigour, the latter body embracing the former 
 with all fervour and affection. Amongst such 
 an intriguing factious senate as the Greek legis- 
 lation, it requires little calculation to divine 
 that the greater portion of these salutations 
 were Judas’s kisses. 
 
 This evening a courier arrived from Mes- 
 solunghi, with news of a discouraging nature. 
 The passes around Makrinovo, through which it 
 was expected that the Romeli Valisi should 
 descend on Western Greece, had been distributed 
 to several of the bravest generals of the Roume- 
 liots; viz. that of Makrinovo itself, to Nota Boz- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 101 
 
 zaris; Karbassura, to General Izonga ; and at 
 Ponitza were stationed a sufficient number of 
 able troops, under various capitani. General 
 Iskos, who had been appointed to the command 
 of the whole, had set out from Messolunghi, 
 after some delay, to assume his post; but a few 
 days after, a letter was received from him, dated 
 the 6th of April, which stated that on his arrival 
 at Mackrinovo, where he expected to join Nota 
 Bozzaris, he had found the enemy encamped, 
 at the positions of Vlicha and Japischoris, on 
 this side the mountain; the Greeks having de¬ 
 serted their post, and left the pass open to the 
 enemy, who had thus entered Western Greece 
 with all their forces. Izonga also, with all his 
 •own troops, and those stationed at Itnizza, had 
 passed over the Achelous without once coming 
 into contact with the enemy : thus leaving the 
 whole country North of the river open to the 
 unopposed ravages of the enemy: the inhabitants 
 of Keromero and Valto, and the other villages 
 
102 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 most exposed to their march, having passed over 
 with their families to Kalamos, where they had 
 been most humanely received by the British 
 resident. The enemy have thus partly gained 
 their point, and accomplished an entrance into 
 Western Greece; but as numerous passes and 
 positions still remain, by which their descent 
 on Messolunghi may be harassed, the senate of 
 Western Greece were taking all advisable steps 
 towards that end. 
 
 April 1 \th .—This evening, as we walked out 
 of the Palamede Gate, the plain to the East of the 
 town presented a lively and interesting spectacle: 
 the fineness of the day, together with the con¬ 
 tinuance of the festival, had induced crowds of 
 the inhabitants to stroll round the walls and the 
 plain; numbers of beautifully dressed females 
 were assembled in groups on the grass, listening 
 to the guitar and the flute ; bands of horsemen, 
 mounted on beautiful Arabians, were sweeping 
 over the plain, hurling the djereed, and at the 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 103 
 
 same time managing their spirited little steeds 
 with astonishing skill, wheeling round at the 
 sharpest angle, and reining up at the shortest 
 point in the midst of their utmost velocity ; in 
 every quarter bands of musicians were sur¬ 
 rounded by troops of dancers, performing their 
 spiritless Romaica, and enlivening its whirling 
 dulness by the rapid discharge of their pistols; 
 whilst groups of children, in fancy dresses and 
 crowned with flowers, were sporting round their 
 delighted parents. No one, to have witnessed 
 this scene, could have supposed himself in the 
 midst of a country suffering under the horrors of 
 war, nor surrounded by hundreds of families 
 scarce one of whom could congratulate itself 
 on not having lost a friend or a brother in the 
 fray. 
 
 April 20.—During the last fortnight, very few 
 changes of any importance have taken place in the 
 Morea: the same system of almost daily skirmish¬ 
 ing continues at Navarino. These petty contests 
 
104 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 are, perhaps, equally disadvantageous to both 
 parties: the Greeks, it is true, are in general 
 the sufferers, but as they still hold their posi¬ 
 tions, each day is but adding to that exaspera¬ 
 tion which will finally lead to some desperate, 
 and perhaps decisive effort; whilst to the Egyp¬ 
 tians this daily diminution of their numbers 
 must be productive of an equivalent depres¬ 
 sion of courage. The president and the Prince 
 Mavrocordato have arrived at the camp, and 
 taken a position in the vicinity : the whole troops 
 of the Government now amount, it is said, to 
 25,000; but this can never be ascertained with 
 accuracy, as numbers are constantly departing 
 to look after their families, and returning again 
 to the camp, and the plunder ; and besides, no 
 reliance can be placed on the statements of the 
 capitani, who are not over-nice in making an 
 exact return of the numbers for which they 
 draw their daily rations and pay. However, the 
 forces which are assembled are perfectly suffi- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 105 
 
 cient for the defence of the fortress; and, under 
 the prudent direction of the president, may be 
 sufficient to baffle the efforts of the enemy. 
 
 The Greek fleet is now divided into two 
 squadrons: one, containing the Ipsariots and a 
 portion of Hydriots, to the amount of twenty- 
 two gun-brigs, and eight fire-ships, are cruising 
 amongst the Islands and off Mytilene, to ob¬ 
 serve the departure of the Turkish fleet, which 
 has not yet passed the Dardanelles, but awaits 
 at Gallipoli the arrival of the Capitan Pacha. 
 
 The second, consisting of twenty-six ships 
 and brigs of war, with six brulots, under the 
 command of Miaoulis, is cruising off Cape Mata- 
 panand Cerigo, to observe the movements of the 
 Egyptian squadron, who are again expected 
 with reinforcements and stores. 
 
 Austrian, Ionian, and even English ships 
 laden with Turkish grain and provisions, are 
 daily arriving at Napoli, after being made prizes 
 by the squadrons off the coast. These have 
 f 5 
 
J 06 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 invariably regular papers from their respective 
 consuls, and clear for the Ionian Islands; but 
 in general the confessions of the captains on 
 some other circumstances condemn them. Seve¬ 
 ral, however, have been reclaimed by their re¬ 
 spective powers, and, though no doubt could 
 be entertained of their being Turkish property, 
 still, as their papers were correct, and mere sus¬ 
 picion is no plea for detention, they have accord¬ 
 ingly been surrendered. 
 
 A report had lately been circulated at Con¬ 
 stantinople, that Navarino had fallen, that Tri- 
 polizza was in the power of the Egyptians, 
 and Napoli besieged by land and sea. So firmly 
 was this accredited, and from so good authority 
 had it been proclaimed, that congratulations 
 had even been sent to the Sultan from the dif¬ 
 ferent foreign ambassadors. 
 
 It was, perhaps, on the faith of this report, 
 that on the 13th of April three vessels under 
 Austrian colours appeared at the entrance of 
 
GREECE 1ST 1825. 
 
 107 
 
 the harbour of Navarino, laden with provisions 
 for the enemy. The commandant, having 
 some suspicion of their intentions, hoisted the 
 red flag on the fortress; and the three ves¬ 
 sels entering in full confidence, were, after a pro¬ 
 per examination, declared lawful prizes, and 
 their cargoes immediately commenced unloading 
 for the use of the garrison. At the same time 
 other letters had arrived from Goura of^ the 
 utter desertion of Ulysses’ followers, and his 
 having now retreated, with a very few atten¬ 
 dants, to a monastery in the vicinity of Tolauda, 
 which Goura was now strictly blockading. 
 
 21st. ~ I was this morning presented by the 
 Minister of War to the members of the execu¬ 
 tive body. Their present residence is a very 
 large Turkish house near the walls : the ground 
 floor of which is a stable, the second story a 
 barrack, and the third, the office bureau of the 
 Grecian Government, a plain small room, sur^ 
 rounded by a divan, and ornamented by a large 
 
108 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 French chart of Greece and the Islands; here, 
 round a plain deal table covered with papers, 
 sat the few descendants of Themistocles and 
 Epaminondas, to whom was intrusted the rege¬ 
 neration of the 66 lost land of gods and godlike 
 men. 11 
 
 To-day the Lively, from London, came to 
 anchor in the bay, having on board 20,000/. of 
 the former, and 40,000/. of the newLoan; accom¬ 
 panied by Count Pecchio and Count Gamba, 
 agent of Messrs. Ricardo, the contractors. 
 Arrivals of this kind infuse the liveliest joy 
 into the hearts of the Greeks, the greater part 
 of whom do not rightly comprehend the mean¬ 
 ing of a 66 loan,” but very simply conclude that 
 it is some European method of making a pre¬ 
 sent. Immediately on its arrival, the usual dis¬ 
 charge of pistols commenced ; and the following 
 evening it was brought into the town, whilst 
 the band of the regular regiment in the square, 
 were playing 66 God save the King,” and 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 109 
 
 the crowd accompanied it with shouts of Z sito 
 Tewphe —Long live King George.'” 
 
 2 5th .—Having this morning removed, with 
 Count Gamba, to apartments assigned us by the 
 Government in the palace of the late Pacha, we 
 had, shortly after, a visit from an old Roumeliot, 
 Captain Demetrius, who had been attached to 
 Lord Byron. On seeing Gamba, he embraced 
 him with sincere affection ; and immediately, on 
 mentioning Byron, burst into tears; saying, 
 that in him he had lost a father, and Greece her 
 truest friend. His language, in speaking of him, 
 was at once feeling and poetical. In describing 
 the hopes which Byron’s fame had created in 
 the heart of the Greeks, he said, that as soon 
 as they understood that a great English effendi 
 was coming to assist them, they waited his 
 arrival like young swallows for their mother ; 
 “ and he came, and he gave his counsels, and 
 his fortune, and his life; and when he died, we 
 felt like men suddenly struck with blindness. 
 
110 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 when the only thing that could equal our sor¬ 
 row for his loss, was our perplexity for the 
 future.” 
 
 Such are universally the terms in which I 
 have heard Byron mentioned, which proves that 
 the Greeks have, at least, the merit of thankful¬ 
 ness to their benefactors ; though their enemies 
 will say, that on this occasion, their regret arises 
 rather from disappointment than from gratitude. 
 
 Letters of importance have arrived to-day 
 from every quarter. Among the rest, from 
 Goura, to state the surrender of Ulysses, 
 who had at length submitted to his rival, and 
 had been sent a prisoner to the Acropolis at 
 Athens. I do not believe that this unfortunate 
 chieftain ever had, or ever designed to join the 
 Turks. Had he wished to do so, a man of his 
 power and influence would never have treated, 
 about an affair of so much consequence, with 
 the Pacha of the Negropont; he would have had 
 communication with a higher power. It is most 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 Ill 
 
 probable that he merely wished to withdraw 
 himself from the Government, to whose members 
 he had rendered himself obnoxious ; and confi¬ 
 dent in their abilities to achieve their freedom, 
 he only wished to increase his own possessions 
 and power, which the subsequent liberation of 
 Greece must have confirmed to him. For this 
 purpose he had opened his communication with 
 the Pacha ; and it is now pretty well understood, 
 that his treaty concerned the delivering up of 
 the Island to himself. Well aware of the hostility 
 of the Government, and their desire to get rid of 
 him, as well as the difficulty of justifying him¬ 
 self from the accusation of communication with 
 the enemy, he had determined to oppose Goura 
 by force, but in po one instance with the assist¬ 
 ance of the Turks; and it is now on the stipu¬ 
 lated terms of a trial, that he has surrendered to 
 the Government, which will, of course, take place 
 as soon as there is sufficient leisure. The cave is 
 still blockaded by Goura’s troops, but, as it is 
 
m 
 
 GREECE IK 1825* 
 
 in the possession of his most faithful dependants 
 and his family, with sufficient provisions, its 
 capture, unless with the consent of its inmates, 
 must be an impossibility. 
 
 Despatches from Messolunghi stated, that 
 immediately after the news had arrived of the 
 Turks having passed Makrinovo, a deputation 
 was sent off to those generals who had deserted 
 their posts, to induce them to recross the Achelous 
 and attempt to seize those passes from whence 
 they might impede the progress of the enemy. 
 In pursuance of this, Izonga and General 
 Makres set out for Ligovitzi; but on the first 
 notice of their approach, the enem}' likewise 
 advanced, and seized the position before they 
 came up : in consequence of which they were 
 obliged to fall back upon Lesini. Here they 
 were still followed by the enemy; and a short 
 conflict ensued, when the Greeks were obliged 
 to repass the river, and, the enemy continuing to 
 advance, encamped at Podololavitza; whilst the 
 
GREECE TN 1825. 
 
 113 
 
 Boumeliots, aware of their inability to check 
 their progress, retreated with all expedition to 
 Messolunghi to secure it, and place the garrison 
 in proper order for defence. 
 
 The approach of the enemy is now daily 
 expected: in the mean time, the civil govern¬ 
 ment of the town have, inconsequence, taken all 
 the necessary steps. General Stornari has been 
 appointed to the command of the fortifications, 
 assisted by Georgio Likata and others, to whom 
 the disposal of the garrison and the care of the 
 batteries have been entrusted. 
 
 To the care of Nota Bozzaris, Souka, Milios, 
 and others, has been committed the defence of 
 Anatolia, with the preparation of a number of 
 boats to navigate the shallows round the town, 
 for the procuring of provisions. They are like¬ 
 wise to take all precautions to maintain a 
 constant communication with Messolunghi: the 
 fortifications of both towns, adds the letter, are 
 in admirable condition to withstand all attacks, 
 
114 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 and, with the glorious examples of the failure 
 of Omer Vrione and Skodra before their eyes, 
 there is no doubt of our garrisons doing their 
 duty. 
 
 The letters from Navarino contained the 
 statement of a most important action on the 
 19th instant. The camp of the Egyptians had 
 been placed at the east of Navarino, and a bat¬ 
 tery of a few guns erected on a small eminence 
 South of the fortifications, whence an incessant 
 cannonade has now commenced. 
 
 The positions in the rear of the enemy had 
 been all occupied, with an intention of cutting 
 off their communication with Modon, and were 
 now extended almost in a circle. The left ex¬ 
 tremity was intrusted to Hadji Christo, Hadji 
 Stephano. and Constantine Bozzaris, brother to 
 the renowned Marco. The right was commanded 
 by Giavella and Karatazzo ; whilst the centre 
 was occupied by a body of Moreots, under 
 General Skurtza, a Hydriot, whom Con- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 115 
 
 duriotti’s interest had invested with a high 
 command, together with a few other capitani. 
 On the evening of the 18th instant, intimation 
 of the intended attack in the morning had 
 been learned from a deserter, and notice in con¬ 
 sequence sent to the different generals. The 
 commander of the positions on the extremities 
 were fully prepared; but in the centre Skurtza 
 had as yet neglected to make the necessary en¬ 
 trenchments and petty lines, behind which alone 
 the Greeks are capable of making any stand. 
 He accordingly applied for additional assistance, 
 and early in the morning Bozzaris set out to 
 his position with a chosen body of his soldiers. 
 About nine o’clock the attack of the Egyptians 
 commenced on the position of Hadji Christo, who 
 sustained the onset with extreme courage: at the 
 same time, another party, with three cannon and 
 one mortar, commenced the attack on the right, 
 where they met with an equally brave resist¬ 
 ance from Giavella and his followers ; whilst a 
 
116 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 third, supported by a body of Mameluke 
 horse, charged on the centre. The two extre¬ 
 mities kept their position with astonishing bra¬ 
 very, though no less than three hundred shot 
 and shells fell within the lines of Giavella. In 
 the centre, howover, the want of their accus¬ 
 tomed tambours soon threw the soldiers of 
 Skurtza into confusion ; and after a short stand, 
 they commenced a precipitate retreat, leaving 
 the soldiers of Bozzaris to oppose the enemy 
 alone. These were soon cut to pieces; and it 
 was with extreme difficulty, that himself and 
 twenty-seven followers escaped with life, after 
 witnessing the fall of almost ail the chosen sol¬ 
 diers of his brother Marco, who had died in his 
 defence. Upwards of two hundred Greeks lost 
 their lives in this engagement. Xidi and Za- 
 pheiropuolo, two of the bravest leaders, were 
 made prisoners; and four other distinguished 
 capitani perished in the fray. 
 
 The day following, the enemy, elated with 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 117 
 
 their success, attempted an assault on the walls : 
 the efforts of the garrison, however, assisted by 
 a band of Arcadians in the rear of the enemy, 
 were successful in driving them off with the loss 
 of 100 slain and 20 prisoners; whilst the Greeks 
 took possession of their newly erected battery, 
 but, not being able to carry off the cannon, 
 contented themselves with spiking them all, and 
 retired again within the walls. 
 
 May 5th .—Letters from Messolunghi of the 
 1st inst. arrived to-day: they contain intelli 
 gence of the arrival of Turks at Anatolia and 
 Messolunghi, and particulars of their move¬ 
 ments. On the failure of the attempt to oppose 
 their crossing the Achelous, part of the troops 
 which had retreated to Messolunghi were again 
 sent out to occupy various posts in the sur¬ 
 rounding country ; whilst the remainder awaited 
 the approach of the enemy, who continued their 
 route without delay or opposition ; and on the 
 evening of the 23rd of April, the first detachment 
 
118 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 having crossed the Achelous, near the town, en¬ 
 camped before Anatolia; while other compa¬ 
 nies succeeding, occupied all the country in the 
 vicinity on both sides of the river. On the 27th 
 they made their first appearance at Messolunghi, 
 and encamped in the olive-groves to the amount 
 of 5000, whilst occasional small parties conti¬ 
 nued constantly pouring in. 
 
 A deserter, who had fled to the Greeks the 
 day after, informed them that the whole arma¬ 
 ment amounted to 25,000; but that, as numbers 
 of them were still on their march, and at Arta, 
 not more than 10,000 in all, were now at Ana¬ 
 tolia and Messolunghi; that even these were 
 at present in distress for provision, and that 
 their artillery consisted of only two pieces of 
 small cannon, but that it was arranged that 
 others were to be sent from Patras. 
 
 Some slight skirmishes had already taken 
 place at the olive-groves, in which a few had 
 been slain on both sides; but at the departure 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 119 
 
 of the despatches the enemy had not as yet 
 commenced any active operations. 
 
 At Navarino the affairs of the siege go on as 
 usual: the enemy have erected fresh cannon on 
 the battery, and a constant discharge of shot 
 and shells continues, though they have as yet 
 gained no material advantage. Unfortunately 
 dissensions still continue between the troops ; 
 and the passage of the Roumeliots through the 
 Morea has been attended with constant ra¬ 
 vages and violence to the Moreot peasantry, 
 their contempt for whom has been rather heigh¬ 
 tened by the events of the late rebellion, which 
 has terminated so proudly in the triumph over 
 the Antarti. 
 
 Since their arrival at the camp, there has ne¬ 
 ver been any thorough co-operation between the 
 troops of the two districts : the defeat of C. 
 Bozzaris' troops on the 19th instant, which he 
 justly attributes to the negligence and pusillani¬ 
 mity of the Moreots under Skurtza, had materi- 
 
120 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 ally served to widen the breach between them. 
 The authority of the president has had no 
 weight in allaying their mutual animosity ; and 
 at length, on the arrival of the Turks at Messo- 
 lunghi, the Roumeliots, at once expressed their 
 determination to leave the defence of Navarino 
 to the garrison and the other troops of the Pe¬ 
 ninsula, and to set out immediately to the assis¬ 
 tance of their own homes. Accordingly, on the 
 30th instant they arrived at Lugos, to the num¬ 
 ber of 3000, under their respective generals, 
 Giaella, Karaiscachi, and Bozzaris, where they 
 still remain, but in a day or two are to set 
 out for their respective positions as assigned by 
 the Minister of War. 
 
 The Moreots are now taking arms with 
 great spirit to supply their place; and the two 
 rebels, Zaimi and Londo, who had been driven 
 from their refuge at Kalamos by the English 
 resident, have returned to the Morea, sub¬ 
 mitted to the Government, and are now raising 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 121 
 
 troops for their assistance in their native dis¬ 
 trict of Kalabrita. 
 
 At Hydra, continual firing had been heard, to 
 the south of the Morea, during the entire of the 
 28th and 30th instants; but, as the weather 
 has been extremely calm ever since, it was only 
 to-day that news of the event arrived here. 
 It appears that Miaulis’ squadron, of twenty- 
 two sail, had fallen in with the Egyptian divi¬ 
 sion, on their return from Suda, with soldiers 
 and stores, on the 28th instant. As soon as 
 they had approached each other, a smart can¬ 
 nonade commenced; but, as there was no wind 
 to work fire-ships, this was of slight avail. At 
 length, on the evening of the 30th, a gentle 
 breeze springing up, the brulots made an at¬ 
 tack ; but with no success—two were ineffec¬ 
 tually burned, and the Greeks being unable to 
 stay their progress, the Egyptians passed on, 
 and have succeeded in making their debark¬ 
 ation at Modon. 
 
 Transports, laden with Turkish property, 
 
 VOL I. G 
 
122 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 continue to arrive daily at Napoli; where, 
 after a proper investigation, they are in general 
 condemned. 
 
 Monday , 9th May .—Yesterday evening, I 
 embarked, in one of the country ca'iques, for 
 Hydra. Though there is so great an intercourse 
 between this important Island and Napoli di 
 Romania, there is no other regularly established 
 means of passage, nor any other conveyance, 
 than these exposed, open boats; between forty 
 and fifty of which ply regularly between the 
 two places. They are, generally, of about fifteen 
 or twenty tons burthen, carry a large mainsail 
 and a jib, and are managed by two or three 
 men and a boy: they are capable of holding, I do 
 not say of accommodating, from twenty to thirty 
 passengers. They usually set sail from Napoli 
 di Romania in the evening, for the purpose of 
 catching the land-breeze, which always blows 
 out of the Argolic bay at night; and, in gene¬ 
 ral, reach Hydra the following morning, the 
 distance being only about thirty-six miles. We 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 123 
 
 had weighed from Napoli about nine o’clock, our 
 caique containing twenty-two passengers; but 
 the wind having failed during the night, we had 
 not advanced more than ten miles. On awaking, 
 this morning, we were lagging on the smooth 
 waters beneath the unshaded beams of a scorch¬ 
 ing sun. To our right rose the rugged hills of 
 Sparta, and to our left the mountain of the Ar- 
 golis and Cranidi; whilst straight a-head was the 
 little rocky Island of Spezzia, which we passed, 
 about mid-day, with the assistance of our oars. 
 
 The Island is merely a mass of pudding-stone, 
 with a slight sprinkling of soil, on which spring 
 a few lentises and thyme. The town, situated 
 on the eastern shore, contains about seven hun¬ 
 dred houses, which slope up towards the hill; 
 and being all clean and neatly white-washed, in¬ 
 terspersed with numerous wind-mills, the whole 
 has an unusually light and happy appearance. 
 It was now a complete calm, and, as we slowly 
 toiled past Cape Oursiris, which is defended by 
 a battery and a few cannon, we had a distinct 
 g 2 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 124 
 
 view of Hydra; the white arms of the little 
 town clasping the rugged bosom of the wild 
 rock, on which it is situated. Instead, however, 
 of steering directly for it, we were obliged, as 
 the nearest way, to pull north of the Island of 
 Thoco; which intervenes between it and the 
 main. Here we landed, about six o’clock, to 
 refresh the sailors ; and, whilst lounging on the 
 rocks, enjoyed a deliciously reposing prospect. 
 The bosom of the broad strait, uncurled by a 
 single breath of wind, was only agitated by the 
 shoals of porpoises, which continued gambol¬ 
 ling and splashing along it; and when these, too, 
 ceased, it lay like a smooth unrippled mirror. 
 The sun now sunk behind the hills of Argos, 
 and his luxuriant tints, spreading over a cloud¬ 
 less sky, and gently melting away towards the 
 upper horizon, were reflected, with the purple 
 summits of the mountains, in the polished bo¬ 
 som of the lake beneath, till all, both earth and 
 sky, seemed one mass of glory. 
 
 We appeared to be at the very point where 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 125 
 
 Byron wrote his matchless introduction to the 
 second canto of the Corsair. Before us were the 
 mountains of Argolis; to the right was dimly 
 visible the line of Cape Colonna, and the en¬ 
 trance to Egina and Salamis; whilst we were 
 slowly moving down upon Hydra. 
 
 Slow sinks, more lovely ere his race be run, 
 
 Along Morea’s hills, the setting sun ! 
 
 Not, as in northern climes, obscurely bright. 
 
 But one unclouded blaze of living light! 
 
 O’er the hush’d deep the yellow beam he throws. 
 Gilds the green wave, that trembles as it glows; 
 
 On old Egina’s rock, and Hydra’s isle. 
 
 The god of gladness sheds his parting smile; 
 
 O’er his own regions, lingering, loves to shine; 
 Though these, his altars, are no more divine ! 
 Descending fast, the mountain shadows kiss 
 Thy glorious gulph, unconquer’d Salamis; 
 
 Their azure arches, through the long expanse. 
 
 More deeply purpled meet his mellowing glance; 
 
 And tenderest tints along their currents driven, 
 
 Mark his gay course, and own the hearsay heaven; 
 ’Till darkly shaded from the land and deep. 
 
 Behind his Delphian cliff he sinks to sleep.” 
 
126 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 About nine o’clock, after again pulling nearly 
 two miles along the coast, we put into a little 
 bay, where the sailors proposed passing the 
 night: we then went up into the Island, to a 
 shepherd’s hut, for the purpose of procuring 
 milk and fresh bread. This little Island, which 
 is about six miles from Hydra, and is altoge¬ 
 ther dependant on it, contains sufficient verdure 
 to graze a few sheep, and produce some vege¬ 
 tables. The only spots capable of cultivation, 
 are owned by Hydriots, the inhabitants being 
 miserably poor. The night, as we returned 
 to our boat, was delicious—-not a breath was 
 stirring;—the dEgean slept around us in dim 
 and misty silence;—the heavens were studded 
 with the pure stars, whose lustre was undimmed 
 by the slightest film of a cloud, and on every 
 thorn was hung the glowing bells of the fire-fly, 
 whose mimic sparkle rivalled the little twinkling 
 orbs above them. After regaining our caique, 
 we wrapped ourselves in our capotes, and lay 
 down to await the morning breezes. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 127 
 
 May 1 1th, (Tuesday .)—At ten o’clock this 
 morning, after beating up against a strong head 
 wind, which blows almost constantly during the 
 morning from the N. E., through this strait, 
 we came to anchor in the harbour of Hydra. 
 The town, on approaching it from the sea, pre¬ 
 sents an extremely beautiful prospect; its large 
 white houses rise up suddenly from the sea, 
 along the precipitous cliffs which form its har¬ 
 bour ; every little crag displayed the white sails 
 of an immense number of windmills, and every 
 peak was bristling with a battery. In the back¬ 
 ground, the rugged and barren summits of the 
 rocks which form the Island, with scarce a speck 
 of cultivation or a single tree, are crowned with 
 numerous monasteries. On one is stationed a 
 guard to observe the approach of ships; and 
 his look-out extending to an immense distance, 
 the Hydriots, have, in general, the earliest inti¬ 
 mation of any important naval movement. The 
 streets, from the rugged situation of the town, 
 are precipitous and uneven, but, to one ar- 
 
128 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 riving from the Peloponnesus, their cleanliness 
 is their strongest recommendation. The quay, 
 for the entire sweep of the harbour, is lined 
 with store-houses and shops, which carry on 
 the little external traffic that still remains, 
 whilst their number shows the former extent of 
 the Hydriot commerce. 
 
 The houses are all built in the most sub¬ 
 stantial manner; and, with the exception of their 
 flat roofs, on European models. The apart¬ 
 ments are large and airy ; and the halls spa¬ 
 cious, and always paved with marble. The walls 
 are so thick, as almost to supersede the necessity 
 of our sun-blinds in the niches of their deep- 
 set windows. But, independent of the strength 
 of the habitations, the neatness and extreme 
 cleanliness of them are peculiarly remarkable, 
 and speak highly for the domestic employments 
 of the Hydriot ladies ; who are still not entirely 
 freed from the sedentary restriction so univer¬ 
 sal in the East. The furniture, half Turkish 
 and half European, combines the luxury of one, 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 129 
 
 with the convenience of the other, whilst its 
 solidity and want of ornament show that it has 
 been made for comfort, and not for ostentation. 
 
 The appearance of the population is much 
 more prepossessing than that of any other 
 class of the Greeks: the women are in general 
 pretty ; but an universal custom of wearing a 
 kerchief folded over the head, and tied under 
 the chin, destroys the fine contour of their 
 features, and makes them all appear to have 
 round faces. A short silken jacket neatly or¬ 
 namented, and a large petticoat, containing an 
 immense number of folds and breadths, gene¬ 
 rally of green stuff, bordered with a few gaudy 
 stripes, complete their simple costume. The 
 neat slipper so universal in the north of Italy, 
 which so delicately shows the turn of the ancle 
 and heel, is likewise worn by the Hydriot 
 ladies; whose jetty hair and sparkling eyes, 
 graceful figures, and beautiful hands, all en¬ 
 hanced by their half European manners, ren¬ 
 der them, if not the most beautiful, at least 
 g 5 
 
130 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the most interesting females I have seen in 
 the Levant. 
 
 The men are invariably athletic and well 
 formed; their dress combining all the lightness 
 of an oriental costume, with the grace of an 
 European one;—their short jackets are covered 
 with neat embroidery, and their only person¬ 
 al ornament is the handle of their machaisa, 
 or stout knife, the sole weapon carried by an 
 islander in Hydra. Their pantaloons, which 
 reach merely to the knee, are the most singular 
 part of their dress; being nothing more than a 
 very broad and shallow sack of dyed cotton, 
 with a swing case at the top, and two holes at 
 each corner of the bottom, so that when drawn 
 on, the superfluous folds fall down in a bag 
 behind, whilst ample plaits above add consi¬ 
 derably to the grace of the figure. 
 
 The harbour, though constantly crowded, 
 contains only such vessels of the fleet as have 
 returned for repairs ; or a few Ionian and Mal¬ 
 tese crafts, that carry on a petty trade in corn 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 131 
 
 The glorious share which this little Island has 
 taken in the regeneration of Greece has brought 
 it so conspicuously into notice, that its history 
 is well known; a few fishermen and others, 
 forced from the neighbouring continent by the 
 oppression of the Turks, raised the first nu¬ 
 cleus of a town ; to which afterwards crowded 
 numbers of others from Albania and Attica, 
 in similar circumstances. The descendants of 
 these, together with the refugees who took 
 shelter here after the unsuccessful expedition 
 of the Russians to the Morea, form the present 
 population of the island. Their commerce be¬ 
 fore the commencement of the French Revo¬ 
 lution was a mere trifle; consisting solely of a 
 little traffic, in small coasters, with the neigh¬ 
 bouring islands. When, however, the French 
 were shut out from the Baltic, the supplying 
 them with corn from the Archipelago was 
 chiefly in the hands of the Hydriots. It was 
 then that they first commenced building large 
 vessels, in which they afterwards carried their 
 G 5 
 
132 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 commerce as far as England and America. In 
 1816, according to Mons. Pouqueville, they 
 possessed 120 vessels, of which forty were of 
 400 and 600 tons burthen: the number is 
 now considerably increased, and all are em¬ 
 ployed in the glorious task of liberating their 
 country. Their services in this struggle are 
 the more honourable, as their interference is 
 the pure offspring of patriotism, and not the 
 effects of oppression. For many years they 
 had purchased from the Porte the liberty of 
 governing themselves. No Turk was resident 
 on the Island, nor ever suffered to advance 
 into the town beyond the quay ; their tribute in 
 money was a mere trifle, and their only griev¬ 
 ance an obligation to furnish annually 150 sai¬ 
 lors for the Ottoman fleet, in which also many 
 of themselves were serving through choice, and 
 even a few had been advanced to the rank of 
 Capitan Pacha. 
 
 The trade of Hydra is now totally gone, and 
 it is probable will never be restored, at least 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 133 
 
 in the Island; as, even if successful in acquiring 
 their freedom, the Hydriots will choose some 
 situation more adapted for commerce, and de¬ 
 sert the present, to which they have only been 
 driven by necessity. 
 
 On our arrival this morning, we took up our 
 residence, for the few days we intended to stay, 
 with Mr. Edward Masson, an amiable Scotch 
 gentleman, who has now been a resident in 
 Greece for some time, with an intention of 
 attempting to improve the moral character of 
 its inhabitants, by the establishment of schools, 
 and such other measures as may be conducive 
 to his object. 
 
 In the course of the morning, we called upon 
 Mr. Gicca Giouni, one of the youngest of the 
 primates. His house, though very extensive, 
 was, in every spot, a specimen of neatness. 
 Frequent intercourse with Europeans has given 
 a polish to his manners ; and an extensive edu¬ 
 cation, added to a naturally strong understand¬ 
 ing and sterling principles, render him one of 
 
134 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the most interesting of his countrymen. I 
 mention his name, as well as a tribute to his 
 merits, as, because, in describing him I have 
 merely drawn the picture of numbers of the 
 sons of the primates of Hydra, in whom ad¬ 
 vancement in information, and in a conscious¬ 
 ness of the necessity of removing the stigma so 
 universally, and, unfortunately, so often justly 
 attached to the character of a Greek, give good 
 promise of the principles which we may expect 
 to find in the future senate of Greece. Litera¬ 
 ture, as may be expected, has not as yet made 
 much progress in Hydra; it is, however, well 
 calculated to be the future nurse of regene¬ 
 rated learning in Greece. There are, at present, 
 numerous schools for the lower orders, and 
 one kept by a student of the college of Scio, in 
 which the children of the more wealthy islanders 
 are instructed in ancient and modern Greek, the 
 language of the Island being Albanian. Num¬ 
 bers of the primates are possessed of many va- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 135 
 
 luable books, and these, at the instigation of 
 Mr. Masson, are now to be collected together, 
 for the purpose of establishing a public library. 
 A Journal, called 6 tou N opov (the friend of 
 the law), has been established on the Island; the 
 press, and the font of types, which is merely 
 sufficient to print two small folio pages, being a 
 gift from the French Committee. The Journal 
 is under the direction of Sign. Chiappa, and is 
 printed twice a week, in impressions of 500 
 copies each number. 
 
 I have never witnessed a stronger desire of 
 knowledge than in the youth of the Island ; 
 and, in fact, though the commercial prospects 
 of the Hydriots may, for the moment, be 
 clouded, there can be no doubt that the start 
 which they have already got of their country¬ 
 men, and their own natural bias to improve¬ 
 ment, will continue to give them the leading 
 hand in the administration of the affairs of 
 their country; and that this little spot, the 
 
136 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 abode of a few obscure fishermen, will yet be the 
 most enlightened, the most civilized, and the 
 most renowned portion of liberated Greece. 
 
 The greatest anxiety had prevailed all day 
 through the town, as two of their vessels had 
 been descried early in the morning from the top 
 of the hill, from whose appearance it was con¬ 
 cluded that they were the bearers of important 
 intelligence. It was sunset before they arrived, 
 and their news was by no means such as to dis¬ 
 pel the gloom of the islanders. They came from 
 Navarino, and brought the disastrous intelligence 
 of the loss of the island of Sphacteria, which 
 commands the harbour, and had been taken by 
 the Egyptians on Sunday last. As those ships 
 had escaped with difficulty, they could give no 
 other intelligence than that numbers of Hydriots 
 had been stationed on the Island for its defence, 
 and that they must necessarily have fallen vic¬ 
 tims : this uncertain report was calculated to fill 
 every bosom with anxiety for the fate of their 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 137 
 
 friends or relatives. The loss of this position 
 is a most unfortunate stroke, as the Egyptians 
 have now got the garrison of Navarino block¬ 
 aded both by sea and land, and the event can 
 scarcely be doubted ; for, though there is little 
 chance of the enemy taking it by assault, it 
 must finally fall by famine, unless rescued by 
 a miracle. 
 
 12th, Wednesday .—Anxiety still prevails on 
 the Island, as no other ships have yet arrived; 
 but as some are seen under way, we may expect 
 news in the course of the day. We this morn¬ 
 ing called on Signor Kreisi, one of the oldest of 
 the Primates; his house, like all those of Hy¬ 
 dra, was extremely large, clean to a proverb, 
 and furnished in that substantial but simple 
 manner, which gives at once an air of opulence, 
 neatness, and comfort. The old man received 
 us in his drawing-room, an immense apartment, 
 with walls so thick that the windows seemed 
 sunk in the walls of a fortress. The ceiling was 
 
138 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 neatly stuccoed, the floor covered with an Egyp¬ 
 tian mat; there were no ornaments on the 
 neatly white-washed walls, and the only variety 
 of furniture was a large sofa, which filled one 
 end of the room ; a set of mahogany tables, 
 which occupied the other ; and fifty cane-bot¬ 
 tomed chairs, which lined the two sides ! 
 
 The old man is now verging on fourscore, and 
 his grandfather being one of the earliest settlers 
 on the Island, he knows, both from experience 
 and family tradition, every detail of its rise and 
 progress. He has seven sons, all of whom are 
 at present in the service of their country on 
 board the fleet; and of his youngest, Atha- 
 nasio, he spoke with peculiar pride. Already, 
 at only the age of twenty, he commands one of 
 his father’s brigs, and has on several occasions 
 distinguished himself by his bravery. 
 
 About mid-day the first of the expected ships 
 arrived; it was that of the bravest commander 
 of the fleet, Capt. Anastasius Psamado, and, 
 unfortunately, arrived without its commander, 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 139 
 
 who had been slain on the Island. We had now 
 a full detail of the action. On Saturday, the 
 6th, the enemy had made an attempt to land a 
 body of troops at the castle of Old Navarino, or 
 Pylos. For this purpose, early in the morning, 
 a large division of the Egyptians commenced 
 an attack on the fortress, with the intention of 
 harassing it, whilst the fleet was to come up 
 and make its landing. Their plan, however, 
 was thwarted in every way, the resistance which 
 they met with from the garrison, under the 
 command of Hadgj Christo and the Archbishop 
 of Modon, kept them in check by land, whilst 
 the approach of the Greek fleet prevented the 
 debarkation of the troops at the castle. A smart 
 action, therefore, continued all day; and in the 
 evening the enemy retired to their former posi¬ 
 tion at Petrochori, whilst the fleet fell back in 
 the direction of Modon. The Greek squadron 
 then kept beating off the town, and only eight 
 ships, of which that of Psamado was one, re¬ 
 mained within the harbour of Navarino. 
 
140 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 Early on Sunday morning, the enemy’s fleet' 
 was again observed under way in the direction 
 of the fortress : the Greek ships were unfortu¬ 
 nately at some distance from the shore ; and, as 
 it was almost a perfect calm, with just a breath 
 of wind from the coast, they were extremely 
 slow in approaching nearer the town, whilst 
 the enemy were gradually moving on along the 
 land. Some intimation having been given of 
 their determination to make an attack on 
 Sphacteria, no time was now lost in attempting 
 to put it in a situation for defence. The Island 
 contained but one landing-place on the western 
 side, which was defended by a small battery of 
 three guns, and a garrison of two hundred sol¬ 
 diers, under the direction of a brave young 
 Hydriot, Stavro Sohini, and General Anagnos- 
 tara. For the purpose, however, of working 
 the guns more effectually, a party of sailors 
 were landed from the ships in the bay, under 
 the command of Psamado; whilst Prince Mav- 
 
GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 141 
 
 rocordato, with Count Santa Rosa, remained on 
 the Island, to direct the operations of the whole. 
 About one o’clock the ships of the Pacha had 
 advanced very near the Island, whilst those 
 of Miaulis were fruitlessly attempting to ap¬ 
 proach. The former now divided into two 
 squadrons, one of which took up its position at 
 the entrance of the harbour, to prevent the 
 egress of the eight ships within ; whilst the other 
 remained off the Island between the main to 
 oppose the approach of the Greek fleet, whilst 
 they sent off fifty armed boats, containing 1500 
 men, to attempt a landing on the Island. Im¬ 
 mediately on their approach, the little garrison 
 commenced firing upon them, and for some time 
 maintained their position nobly ; but at length, 
 overpowered by number, and surrounded from 
 behind, they fell pierced by a thousand wounds, 
 and, without the exception of a man, were cut to 
 pieces indiscriminately, whilst the enemy seiz¬ 
 ed on the battery. Amongst the number of the 
 
142 
 
 GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 slain, were the two brave leaders, Sohini and 
 Anagnostara, who fell amongst the very last, 
 after making a most desperate resistance. 
 
 The divisions stationed at other points of 
 the little Island now fled in confusion, and the 
 ships in the harbour, infected with the general 
 panic, got under way immediately ; and what is 
 surprising, passed unopposed through the very 
 division of the Egyptian fleet, placed to detain 
 them ; but who, on their approach, left them 
 a free passage, no doubt fearing that some of 
 their numbers might be brulots. Psamado’s 
 brig alone remained, for the purpose of sav¬ 
 ing its commander and the remainder of the 
 Hydriots still on the Island. These shortly 
 after made their appearance, and the party, with 
 Prince Mavrocordato, escaped on board : but 
 just as the boats again reached the shore, for 
 the purpose of bringing off others, a party of 
 flying soldiers crowded too eagerly into, and 
 sunk them. 
 
 In a moment after, his brave sailors saw 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 143 
 
 Psamado approach with a few followers, weak 
 from the loss of blood: he gained the beach, 
 though desperately wounded, and sat down on a 
 stone, waving his cap in one hand for the assist¬ 
 ance they could no longer render him, and with 
 the other brandishing his ataghan before the 
 enemy, who were fast gaining on him. In a few 
 moments they came up, and this brave fellow, 
 with his handful of men, fell literally under a 
 shower of bullets. The Island was now com¬ 
 pletely in the power of the enemy; not a 
 Greek was left alive upon it, and at last the 
 solitary ship of Psamado prepared to make 
 her way out, through the entire fleet of the 
 enemy, who had now drawn up round the en¬ 
 trance of the harbour. A desperate fight was 
 the consequence, which, however, she main¬ 
 tained during four hours of a dead calm, and 
 finally accomplished her escape from the fire of 
 the entire forty sail of the Egyptians, with the 
 loss of two men killed and six wounded. Three 
 hundred and fifty soldiers perished on the 
 
144 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 Island, and ninety seamen in killed, wounded, 
 and missing; actually a greater number than 
 Hydra had lost during the four years of the 
 revolution. 
 
 Amongst the number of those who that day 
 fell in the cause of Greece, was Count Santa 
 Rosa. Disappointed in his attempt to free his 
 own country from the Austrian Sultan, and in 
 consequence an exile from his home, he had 
 joined the cause of Greece, with the gene¬ 
 rous intention of helping her to the acquirement 
 of those blessings, which his native country 
 had failed in attempting to regain. His supe¬ 
 rior abilities were, however, brought to a wrong 
 mart: amongst the intriguing, factious mem¬ 
 bers of the Greek legislature, he found it im¬ 
 possible to serve her in any situation becoming 
 his rank and talents; and at length adopted the 
 resolution of joining the band of liberators as a 
 volunteer, without any regard to pecuniary ad¬ 
 vantage or military rank, which, in fact, his 
 ignorance of the language, as well as of the cu 3 - 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 145 
 
 toms of the country, rendered him unqualified 
 for: and in the dress of a common soldier, with 
 his ataghan and musquet, he joined the camp 
 at Navarino. This step was taken against the 
 urgent advice of his friends, who represented it 
 as at once imprudent, unbecoming, and attended 
 with no important advantages. Hurried on, 
 however, by his own feelings, he followed a 
 resolution which has conducted him to his fate; 
 and, whilst we disapprove the measure, it is im¬ 
 possible not to do honour to the motives which 
 prompted it, and sincerely to lament its conse¬ 
 quences. His fate and his fall have, however, 
 been glorious, and for him fortunate. Separated, 
 to all appearance, for ever from his family, 
 a ceaseless anxiety for whom was the canker of 
 his existence, and an exile from a country after 
 which his heart yearned, no other prospect was 
 before him than years of sorrow and hope¬ 
 less regret. He has fallen on the field of fame; 
 and, whilst we drop a tear of heartfelt regret 
 over his memory as a friend, we must still 
 
 VOL. I. H 
 
146 
 
 GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 rejoice, that as a patriot his high-born spirit 
 has fled beyond the reach of tyrants. 
 
 During the day, several other vessels arrived 
 from the fleet, and the rocks on the beach were 
 crowded with groups of females, eagerly watch¬ 
 ing their approach. As they slowly came with¬ 
 in the harbour, every voice was raised in anx¬ 
 ious inquiry for the safely of their brothers, 
 or their relatives; and many a straining eye 
 sunk in tears and despair, as each learned the 
 orrowful intelligence of their fate. I never 
 witnessed a more mournful sight: the few, but 
 burning, heart-wrung tears of the aged, and the 
 clamorous grief of the young; the bitter resig¬ 
 nation with which the mother and the widow 
 heard the confirmation of their fears; and the 
 agonies of disappointed hope in the daughters 
 and sisters of the slain ;—but such are the 
 attendants of war ! 
 
 May 15th, Napoli di Romania.—Letters 
 from Messolunghi, up to the 7th instant, were 
 received to-day by the Government. They con- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 147 
 
 tain the following particulars:—On the 3rd in¬ 
 stant, despatches arrived from General Saphaca, 
 stationed in the vicinity of Cravari, which state, 
 that a division of the enemy having passed the 
 Evenus, entered the district still denominated 
 the Venetico ; and advancing by rapid marches, 
 made many prisoners of the peasantry, whom 
 their sudden approach found altogether un¬ 
 prepared tor resistance. They, at length, ad¬ 
 vanced upon Velvitzena; but here they met 
 with a stout resistance, both from the inha¬ 
 bitants and the troops of Saphaca ; who, after a 
 fight of three hours, succeeded in releasing all 
 the prisoners, and driving them to Neo-castro, 
 a fortress in the vicinity of Lepanto ; whilst the 
 Greek troops immediately occupied the positions 
 of Loidorikion and Velvitzena. In the mean¬ 
 time, the enemy before Messolunghi and Ana¬ 
 tolia, are commencing their lines and intrench, 
 ments for the attack, though interrupted by the 
 usual frequent skirmishes, in which a few are 
 killed on both sides. It appears, from the 
 h 2 
 
148 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 report of deserters, that the affairs of the enemy 
 are very badly managed, there being but a pre¬ 
 carious supply of provisions, and, in conse¬ 
 quence, frequent scarcity, and constant dissen¬ 
 sion. Kiaoutaches, the commander, has set out 
 for Krioneri, in order to have more convenient 
 communication with Youseph, Pacha of Patras, 
 from whom they daily expect a supply of artil¬ 
 lery and other necessaries; for the purpose of 
 transporting which, a few small Turkish craft, 
 under the command of Mahmoud Capitan, are 
 at present lying at Patras. 
 
 May 16th.—The news of to-day contain, as 
 was expected, advices of the unfortunate con¬ 
 sequences of the loss of the Island of Navarino; 
 viz. the surrender of the important position of 
 Palaio Castro. On the evening of the same day 
 on which the successful attack was made on the 
 Island, the enemy again advanced upon the old 
 castle. This ancient fortress is situated on a 
 little promontory, or rather a peninsula, con¬ 
 nected with the shore by two narrow isthmuses; 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 149 
 
 the space between being occupied by a large 
 salt-water lake. Both those narrow strips were 
 fortified, and well defended; but whilst the 
 struggle was at its height at the one, the enemy 
 making a diversion, seized upon the other; and 
 thus, unfortunately, got possession of the only 
 spring which supplied the fortress with fresh 
 water. At sunset, the action ceased, by the 
 onemy’s retreating to their position; but not 
 before they made prisoner, Hadgj Christo, one 
 of the bravest Moreot commanders. 
 
 The loss of the well was a destructive blow 
 to the hopes of the garrison within the fortress: 
 as long as it was in their possession, enclosed by 
 their fortifications, they had neglected bringing 
 a supply within the castle, in case of an emer¬ 
 gency, and they now found themselves shut up, 
 with but little provisions, and water merely 
 for a few days ; whilst the encroachment of the 
 enemy on their lines, gave them a decided ad¬ 
 vantage in their attempts on the castle: but, 
 with no apparent resource, they determined to 
 
150 
 
 GBEECE IH 18 25 . 
 
 hold out to the last, and only surrender with 
 lrfe. # 
 
 The following morning, the attack was re¬ 
 newed by the Egyptians, and after a continual 
 
 * The Messolunghi Journal ('eaatjwxcc Xpovtxu ) of the 
 25th April (7th May,) contains the following mira¬ 
 culous intelligence:— 
 
 The situation of Anatolia is such, as to render the 
 supply of fresh water very precarious and small; and 
 the only well in the vicinity, has lately, by some mis¬ 
 management of the Gourians, fallen into the hands of 
 the Turks. The small stock of water within the well, 
 was soon quickly exhausted, and the worst consequences 
 were feared for the town. On the 80th of April, a 
 soldier from one of the houses near the beach, had gone 
 down to bathe in the sea, in order to obtain some relief 
 from the heat; by accident he applied some of the water 
 to his lips, and to his utter astonishment, found it per¬ 
 fectly sweet! He returned in a transport of joy and 
 astonishment to the town; and on publishing the circum¬ 
 stances, the inhabitants immediately thronged to the 
 beach, with vases and other vessels, and carried up such 
 a quantity, that the town now stood in no apprehension 
 of suffering from want of water !!! 
 
 The following are the words of the Journal : 
 
 ’Auo iv olKf](xa nelfievov 'urX'pcriov rrjs &a,Aa<r<rris, 'fjdeXrjcreV' 
 "vas <tt pdTicuTTjs va. SpocrurOf) diro rov Kavcrwva, /uecra els t rjw 
 &a\a(T(rav : Kara rv^W o.vtos & avdpooiros eA a§ev oXiyov 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 151 
 
 fire, maintained with desperate resolution on the 
 side of the besieged, they were obliged again 
 to retire, without any other advantage gained. 
 
 On Tuesday, early in the morning, the enemy 
 were again on the march towards the fortress, 
 and the little band of heroes within were again 
 prepared for a desperate defence ; when, most 
 unexpectedly, a capitulation was proposed, by 
 two of the French officers in the Pacha’s ser¬ 
 vice. 
 
 It was long debated within, whether, aftei so 
 many instances of perfidy on the part of their 
 enemy, they should again trust themselves to 
 
 Xaxraov v'Swp els to (TtS/ao-top, Kal to evpe yXvKvTarou avrl 
 
 aXpvpov - . 5 Anopdv Sid to (rvp§e§i]Kds tovto, to e/coi- 
 
 vono'a](Tev evOvs els oXovs’ Kal apecrus erpe^ev ev wXrjdos av~ 
 Qpdmcov els rov alyiaXou, teal evp6vres aX^dlcrrarov rd <rvix€av, 
 (Tvvr\Qpoi<TQt]7av oXol peXayrivovs, Kal 8id(popa ayfeia teat 
 , ‘irpoo’§Xe(p0T]crav t6(Tov dnovepov 9 ware r) xffoXiopKOvpeVT) tsjcXis 
 ZevQeXei -ardax* 1 eXXeixf/iv ovre vepov, Kal eiropevcos ovre Sixf/as. 
 Tyv 19 Kal 20 (1st and 2nd of May) e^rjKoXovde to idiov, 
 Kal e7rXripO(pop'/i dycrov and tt\v meipav Kal eKelvoi ohives ttr av- 
 tot e els Totavra rsrapet^eva (rvp§e§rjKOTa, d/u<pl€aXXov Kal ra 
 e Karrjyopouv. 
 
 M eaoXdyfiov, 25 AnpiXiov. 1825. EXXrjviKa XgoviKa, 
 
 ApiOp 33® s . 
 
152 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 his mercy; but, on the strong representation of 
 the negociators, on reflecting that the Egyptian 
 Pacha might act with more clemency than his 
 Turkish predecessors, and above all, on the 
 consideration, that if not taken by assault, and 
 so be deprived of all claim on mercy, they must 
 soon fall by famine, they resolved to march out. 
 
 The terms being accordingly agreed on, the 
 whole garrison, amounting to 1070 men, now 
 under the command of General Luca, and Mr. 
 Jarvis, an American Philhellene, surrendered 
 their arms at the feet of the Pacha, and being 
 escorted for a few miles by a small body of 
 horse, were permitted to depart in safety. 
 
 In no country, which has been the seat of 
 war, has the appearance of affairs been so vari¬ 
 able, or their events so difficult to calculate, as 
 those of Greece ; one day merely belying the 
 hopes of the former, and its prospects again 
 changed by the events of the succeeding. De¬ 
 spatches are now daily arriving from different 
 quarters; and it is singular, that two are sel- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 153 
 
 dom received from different points that bring 
 equally favourable or unfortunate intelligence. 
 The gloom which the arrival of a body of the 
 capitulated garrison had this morning created 
 in Napoli, was changed into universal rejoicings 
 and delight, on account of the happy intelli¬ 
 gence which succeeded in the evening. 
 
 A despatch was received from the Eparch of 
 Calamata, giving a detail of one of the most 
 successful attempts of the terrific fire-ships that 
 has yet occurred. 
 
 Immediately after the loss'of the Island, while 
 the Greek fleet continued cruizing off the coast, 
 the squadron of the Pacha separated into two 
 divisions, one of which remained in the vicinity 
 and harbour of Navarino ; whilst the other, con¬ 
 sisting of two frigates and four corvettes, with 
 numerous transports, moved down to Modon, 
 where, on the 12th instant, they were followed 
 by Miaulis, with four fire-ships and twenty- 
 two brigs. In the evening of the same day, 
 a most favourable breeze setting in from the 
 h 5 
 
154 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 south-east, he made his signal for the fire-ships 
 to enter the harbour. Besides the Egyptian 
 squadron, there were likewise within, a num¬ 
 ber of other Austrian, Ionian, and Sicilian 
 craft, making in all, about thirty-five or forty 
 sail. The enemy, on the advance of the fire¬ 
 ships, immediately attempted to cut their cables 
 and escape, but the same steady breeze which 
 drove on the brulots, and blew direct into 
 the harbour, prevented their egress. The conse¬ 
 quence was, that they were thrown into the 
 utmost confusion, ran foul of each other, and 
 finally were driven, en masse , beneath the walls 
 of the fortress; where the brulots still advanc¬ 
 ing upon them, the whole Egyptian squadron, 
 with a few Austrian and other ships, in all, 
 twenty-five,fell victims to the flames. Only a very 
 few of the smaller European craft, which lay 
 further out from the town, succeeded in making 
 their escape, and brought the particulars of the 
 event to the Pacha of Navarino. In the mean¬ 
 time the missiles, caused by the blowing up of 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 155 
 
 the shipping, and cannon, falling within the 
 walls, set fire to a store-house, containing a large 
 quantity of ammunition and provisions, which 
 blew up with a tremendous explosion, which 
 was visible for several miles from sea. Owing to 
 the panic on the first appearance of the Greeks, 
 not the slightest opposition was made by the 
 Egyptians; and after destroying the squadron of 
 the enemy, the brulottiers succeeded in regaining 
 their own ships without the loss of a single man. 
 Miaulis, immediately after, sailed for Calamata, 
 from whence the first news of his success 
 reached Napoli di Romania, by land; but the 
 weather being too stormy for caiques to put to 
 sea, several days elapsed before official intel¬ 
 ligence arrived from Hydra ; which, however, 
 confirmed the former statement. 
 
 The first effects of this glorious intelligence 
 were visible in the joy depicted on every coun¬ 
 tenance. For some time before the greatest de¬ 
 spondency prevailed in every quarter; the unsuc¬ 
 cessful engagement of the fleet off Candia, the 
 
156 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 frequent defeats of the troops in the vicinity of 
 Navarino, the loss of Sphacteria, and the subse¬ 
 quent surrender of the old fortress, had ope¬ 
 rated strongly in damping the ardour of the 
 Moreots. They now began to murmur against 
 their leaders, and to regret that the bravest 
 and most beloved of their chieftains should re¬ 
 main in confinement at Hydra, whilst their fol¬ 
 lowers were sustaining the most dispiriting de¬ 
 feats. They again brought up all the causes of 
 dislike to the Roumeliots—their exactions, their 
 ravages, and their final desertion; and, at length, 
 demanded the liberation of the Antarti, and that 
 Colocotroni should be set at the head of the 
 Peninsular army. The measure was discussed 
 at a meeting of the legislative body, and had 
 not as yet been either negatived nor assented 
 to ; when, just at this crisis, arrived the timely 
 intelligence of this signal success. Hope was 
 again revived, the liberation of the rebel chief¬ 
 tains was forgotten, and with fresh ardour new 
 levies of soldiers were commenced throughout 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 157 
 
 the Morea; whilst a proclamation was issued at 
 Napoli, that all above a certain age should take 
 up arms, and make a desperate effort to save 
 the fast falling fortress of Navarino; which, with 
 a garrison of twelve hundred men under Gene¬ 
 ral Iatracco, Major Collegno, and a second 
 son of Petro Bey, still continued to hold out, 
 though cut off from all communication by land 
 or sea; with a stock of provisions barely suffi¬ 
 cient for twenty days, and with no bodies of 
 troops to occupy the positions in rear of the 
 enemy, or in any degree to thwart or harass 
 their efforts. 
 
 This evening the president and Mavrocordato 
 arrived at Napoli di Romania, in a brig, from 
 Calamata, where the former had retired after 
 the loss of old Navarino and the dispersion of 
 the troops, and the latter had landed after his 
 escape from the Island. 
 
 Whether their thus totally deserting the vi¬ 
 cinity of such an important struggle, at the pre¬ 
 sent crisis of the fortress, be advisable, may be 
 
158 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 doubted; though their object be the embody¬ 
 ing and sending off fresh forces, it would per¬ 
 haps have been more advantageous to have re¬ 
 mained in the neighbourhood, and not (at least 
 in appearance,) thus to leave the blockaded 
 garrison to their fate. 
 
 I was rather disappointed in the appearance of 
 Mavrocordato: his figure is small, and any thing 
 but dignified or prepossessing. The little of his 
 countenance which is visible through his bushy 
 hair and eyebrows, and his fiercely-curling mus- 
 tachios, indicates more of childishness than in¬ 
 tellect, though the deep glance of a penetrat¬ 
 ing eye gives it an occasional animation. His 
 manners, like that of all Fanariots, though easy 
 and obliging, contains too much of an over¬ 
 strained politeness, which seems like intriguing 
 servility; and this,'together with a studied light¬ 
 ness of conversation, and an extremely silly 
 laugh, renders the first impression of him by 
 no means favourable. George Conduriotti, the 
 president of the executive body, is a plain in- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 159 
 
 active man, of no talent, but unshaken integrity. 
 His family came originally from Condouri, a 
 village in the vicinity of Athens, but have been 
 long resident at Hydra; where an unprece¬ 
 dented success in trade, together with an un¬ 
 blemished reputation, have rendered him and 
 his brother the most opulent, and amongst the 
 most honourable inhabitants of the Island. A 
 desire to please the Hydriots, whose exertions 
 have been so important in advancing the suc¬ 
 cess of the revolution, has no doubt been the 
 leading cause of his election to an office for 
 which he is so ill qualified both by nature and 
 education; but to which, however, his honoura¬ 
 ble character, gives an importance in the eyes 
 of his countrymen, which the higher talents of 
 others might be less efficient in conferring on it. 
 
 20th May(Spezzia ).—This little Island,where 
 I arrived to-day, with Count Pecchio, in a caique 
 from Napoli, is almost a miniature likeness 
 of Hydra ; the Island, it must be allowed, is less 
 rocky and better cultivated, but the origin and 
 
160 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 character of its inhabitants are the same. The 
 town is built on the eastern shore of the Island, 
 and contains about 3000 inhabitants ; its streets 
 are better than those of Hydra, and its houses 
 as good; and the same taste for cleanliness and 
 comfort seems to pervade the domestic character 
 of both. It furnishes sixteen ships for the Greek 
 navy, and two fire-ships : the sailors are equally 
 active and expert; but the brullotiers have 
 never as yet distinguished themselves. # The 
 town, from its situation, is almost incapable of 
 defence ; and the few useless batteries which lie 
 along the shore have, in a great degree* been 
 dismounted, for the purpose of placing the guns 
 in their ships of war. The inhabitants, how¬ 
 ever, are under no apprehension ; as, from their 
 vicinity to the continent, a number of troops 
 
 * One fire-ship, furnished to the fleet by the Spezziots, 
 has now been sailing with them nearly five years, with¬ 
 out ever attempting any exploit. Its captain is called 
 Athanasius; and the brulot, which is a constant object 
 of mirth to the Hydriots, is always termed by Miaulis 
 the “ Immortal Fire-ship.” 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 161 
 
 could be had almost at an hour’s warning ; and 
 besides, they deem that its situation, and the 
 narrowness of the strait which separates it from 
 the Morea, will be sufficient defences against the 
 approach of the Turks, whom a dread of the 
 fire-ships would deter from attempting a landing 
 on the Island. 
 
 On coming on shore we were met by the 
 Eparch, a fine looking old Spartan, and by pro¬ 
 fession a pappas or priest. Like all others of. 
 his rank, he seemed perfectly master of the 
 politics of his nation, and spoke feelingly and 
 justly of her prospects and her disadvantages: 
 on speaking of the latter, the want of talent and 
 principle in the leaders of the Government, and 
 the total deficiency of confidence or unanimity 
 amongst the Capitani and soldiery, he said, 
 that poor Greece was still but an infant state 
 —that it was cruel to expect manly perfection 
 in a child, or matured virtue in an enfranchised 
 slaveand such,” said he, “ are our Government 
 and our rulers: and as to these dissensions, 
 
1 62 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 there were but two men to found Rome, and, al¬ 
 though they were brothers , one slew the other 
 Before leaving Spezzia, we waited on its most 
 celebrated inhabitant, Signora Bobolina: her 
 house is one of the best on the Island; and its 
 inmates, her five brothers and her daughter, are 
 by far the finest looking family I have seen in 
 Greece. Though her person, rather embon¬ 
 point , contains little of the Amazon in its air; 
 she is still a comely woman, and retains traces of 
 early beauty. Her manners savour something 
 of her character, and display rather too much 
 of the virago: her reception, however, was ex¬ 
 tremely kind and hospitable. We were treated 
 with coffee, chibouques, and sweetmeats; and, 
 on finding that we could not prolong our stay 
 for a few days, she was extremely disappointed 
 that our limited time did not even allow us to 
 partake of a dinner which she had ordered to 
 be prepared for us. As a kinswoman of Coloco- 
 troni, her daughter being married to one of his 
 sons, she expressed great satisfaction at the pro- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 1 63 
 
 spect of his release; and said, that if he were 
 again placed at the head of the Moreot army, 
 she ’would herself join his standard with her five 
 brothers.* 
 
 Hydra, Saturday , May Slst—Three fire¬ 
 ships, which have been lately fitted-up, were 
 this morning to sail to join the squadron, which 
 is now cruising off Cape Matapan. Anxious to 
 see something of the economy and management 
 of the celebrated Greek fleet, I accepted the 
 offer of one of their captains, to conduct me to 
 
 * This extraordinary woman survived but a very few 
 days, being shot through the head in a fray on the 2d of 
 June following. It appeared that one of her brothers 
 had seduced a girl of the Island; her friends surrounded 
 the house of Bobolina, for the purpose of forcing the 
 young man to marry her. The Amazon, who harangued 
 them from a window, had, it seems, been rather too pro¬ 
 fuse of her abusive terms, when a shot from the brother 
 of the injured girl put an end at once to her life and her 
 eloquence. 
 
 Such, however, is the regard for female virtue in 
 those Islands, that the delinquent was never brought to 
 a trial; whilst the universal voice of the inhabitants 
 compelled the brother of Bobolina' to marry the girl a 
 few days after. 
 
164 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the ship of Miaulis, for whom I was furnished 
 with letters from his family. Before starting, I 
 obtained permission from the Government of 
 Hydra, to visit the rebel chiefs confined on the 
 Island. They have lately been brought down 
 from their residence in the lofty monastery to a 
 house in the town, where they are confined 
 under the care of a guard of Roumeliots. 
 
 The generality of them exhibit nothing pe¬ 
 culiar in their appearance, being like the rest of 
 their countrymen, wild, savage-looking soldiers, 
 clad in tarnished embroidered vests, and dirty 
 juctanellas. Colocotroni, was, however, easily 
 distinguished from the rest by his particularly 
 savage and uncultivated air : his person is low, 
 but built like a Hercules, and his short bull- 
 neck was surmounted by a head rather larger 
 than proportion warranted; which, with its 
 shaggy eye-brows, dark mustachios, unshorn 
 beard,* and raven hair falling in curls ; over his 
 shoulders, formed a complete study for a painter. 
 
 * As a mark of grief or unslaked revenge. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 165 
 
 He had formerly been in the service of the 
 English, in the Ionian Islands, as a serjeant of 
 guards; and spoke with peculiar pride of his ac¬ 
 quaintance with several British officers. By some 
 circumstance he had become acquainted with the 
 character of Sir Hudson Lowe, and took occa¬ 
 sion to speak of him, not in the most flattering 
 terms of eulogy. He was in high spirits at the pro¬ 
 spect of his liberation; a measure which is not, as 
 yet, abandoned ; his ideas of the state of the war, 
 and his means of liberating the country, were, 
 however, rather wild. He totally discountenan¬ 
 ced the organizing of regular troops, a measure 
 which, he said, could never be successfully accom¬ 
 plished in Greece; since, not only the prejudices, 
 but the inclination, of a people strongly attached 
 to their own customs, were opposed to it. His 
 plan was in the first place, by the most vigorous 
 measures, (which he declared at length) to dis¬ 
 possess the enemy of the few holds which they 
 still retained in the country, and regularly as 
 they should fall into the hands of the Govern- 
 
166 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 ment to destroy every fortress, preserving only 
 one of the most important, which was to be 
 kept as the residence of the senate. By this 
 means the enemy were to be deprived of all 
 power of remaining, or retaining any position in 
 the country; whilst the Klefts and their fol¬ 
 lowers, as heretofore, would still be able to 
 hold the mountains, and rout every force which 
 could successively be sent against them. On ob¬ 
 jecting, however, that this means of retaining 
 the country would be a dead weight on the pro¬ 
 gress of civil improvement, he said, that politi¬ 
 cal security was first to be attended to, and civi¬ 
 lization would follow in time; that this would 
 make the nation warriors, and serve to main¬ 
 tain their dauntless spirit in its native vigour. 
 Tactics might render them Frank soldiers, but 
 this would retain them Greeks. He seems very 
 confident of his ability to drive out the Egyp¬ 
 tians, if only set at liberty, and again placed at 
 the head of his Arcadians. It is difficult, how¬ 
 ever, to decide, whether his promised advanta- 
 
GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 167 
 
 ges may lie a counterbalance to such a compro¬ 
 mise of consistency on the part of the Govern¬ 
 ment, or, whether it may not be too far risking 
 the public security. During my visit, he spoke of 
 his enemies in the Government with moderation 
 and no appearance of rancour; but to several 
 others, who had seen him, previous to his pros¬ 
 pect of liberation, he had not conducted himself 
 with equal caution; he, however, said little; but 
 on the name of Mavrocordato, or Coletti, being 
 mentioned, he gathered his brow, compressed his 
 lips, and baring his huge arm to the shoulder, 
 he flung it from him with an expression of deep 
 and desperate determination. 
 
 It was late in the evening before a monk 
 from one of the neighbouring monasteries ar¬ 
 rived to bless the ship ; but this ceremony once 
 performed, all was in readiness, and at sunset we 
 sailed from Hydra. The captain was a young 
 man, called Theodoracki, nephew to the Ad¬ 
 miral, who has been employed as a brullotier 
 almost ever since the commencement of the war ; 
 
168 
 
 GREECE IN 1825 
 
 and on several occasions, especially at Mytilene 
 and Candia, has conducted himself with distin¬ 
 guished bravery. The ship in which I sailed, 
 was an old Ipsariot, of 260 or 300 tons, and was 
 purchased by the Government for 40,000 pias¬ 
 tres, or about 800/. whilst the fitting out and 
 stowing her with combustibles, could not cost 
 less than 800/. more. This, however, is one 
 of the largest and most expensive which has yet 
 been made ; the generality being no more than 
 two-thirds the size, and of proportionate cost. 
 The vessels usually employed for this service, 
 are old ships purchased by the Government. # 
 Their construction, as fire-ships, is very simple ; 
 nothing more being wanted than active com¬ 
 bustion. For this purpose, the ribs, hold, and 
 sides of the vessel, after being well tarred, are 
 lined with dried furze, dipped in pitch and lees 
 of oil, and sprinkled with sulphur ; a number of 
 
 * Grukomaki Tombazi is at present employed at Sa- 
 lamis in an experiment to build brulots of new timber, 
 but of so light a construction, as not to exceed the price 
 of the old ones. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 169 
 
 hatchways are then cut along the deck, and 
 under each is placed a small barrel of gun¬ 
 powder ; so that at the moment of conflagration 
 each throws off* its respective hatch, and giving 
 ample vent to the flames, prevents the deck 
 being too soon destroyed by the explosion. 
 
 A train which passes through every part of 
 the ship, and communicates with every barrel, 
 running round the deck and passing out at the 
 steerage window, completes the preparation be¬ 
 low ; whilst above, every rope and yard is well 
 covered with tar, so as speedily to convey the 
 flames to the sails; and at the extremity of 
 each yard-arm is attached a wickered hook, 
 which being once entangled with the enemy’s 
 rigging, renders escape, after coming in contact, 
 almost a matter of impossibility. The train, to 
 prevent accidents, is never laid till the moment 
 of using it; when all being placed in order, 
 and the wind favourable, with every possible 
 sail set, so as to increase the flames, she bears 
 down upon the enemy’s line, whilst the crew, 
 
 VOL. i. i 
 
170 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 usually twenty-five or thirty in number, have 
 no other defence than crouching behind the 
 after-bulwarks. When close upon the destined 
 ship, all hands descend by the stern, into a 
 launch fitted out for the purpose, with high 
 gunwales and a pair of small swivels 5 and, at the 
 moment of contact, the train is fired by the 
 Captain, and every hatch being thrown off, the 
 flames burst forth, at the same instant, from 
 stem to stern; and ascending by the tarred 
 ropes and sails, soon communicate with the rig¬ 
 ging of the enemy’s vessel, who have never yet, 
 in one instance, been able to extricate them¬ 
 selves. In fact, such is the terror with which 
 they have inspired the Turks, that they seldom 
 make the slightest resistance. On the distant ap¬ 
 proach of the fire-ship, they maintain, for some 
 minutes, an incessant random cannonade; but, 
 at length, Jong before she comes in contact, 
 precipitate themselves into the sea, and attempt 
 to reach the other vessels, scarcely one remain¬ 
 ing to the last moment to attempt to save 
 
GREECE IN 1325. 
 
 171 
 
 the devoted ship. Sometimes, however, armed 
 boats are sent off from the other vessels of the 
 fleet, but they have never yet been able either 
 to prevent the approach of the fire-ship, or seize 
 on the crew whilst making their escape; and, 
 though fire-ships are in other countries con¬ 
 sidered a forlorn hope, such is the stupidity 
 and terror of the Turks, that it is rarely that 
 one of the brulottiers is wounded, and very sel¬ 
 dom, indeed, that any lose their lives.* The 
 service, however, from the imminent risk to 
 
 * I once mentioned to Miaulis, the facility with which 
 the brulottiers might make prizes of those almost de¬ 
 serted ships, instead of burning them; but he said, that 
 it had been found impossible, as the Greek sailors had 
 an invincible antipathy to boarding, and feared, that 
 even if they did scale the enemy’s ship, some lingering 
 one of the crew might blow her up, to prevent her fall¬ 
 ing into their hands; and, in fact, said he, there is but 
 little use in it, in the present state of our navy: as, on 
 one occasion, when a Turkish vessel was brought as a 
 prize into Spezzia, there arose such contentions con¬ 
 cerning the right to her, that the Government were 
 obliged to tow her out again to sea, and burn her, to 
 prevent the quarrel of the claimants ending fatally. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 172 
 
 which it is exposed, is rewarded with higher 
 pay than the ordinary seamen ; and on every 
 occasion of their success, each brulottier receives 
 an additional premium of 100 or 150 piastres. 
 
 To the captains, likewise, rewards have fre¬ 
 quently been offered, but been as often refused ; 
 as they replied, that they should consider it a dis¬ 
 grace to accept a recompense for doing their duty 
 to their country. The number of those brave fel¬ 
 lows is from twenty-five to thirty, and though 
 many have nobly distinguished themselves, the 
 widely-spreading laurels of onehave unfortunate¬ 
 ly overshadowed the honours of the rest. It is 
 needless to say, that this individual is Constan¬ 
 tine Canaris. There are 9 however, many others 
 whose fame has not extended so far, though 
 their actions have been equally daring and suc¬ 
 cessful : amongst those is Captain Pepino, the 
 companion of Canaris in his famous exploit 
 of burning the vessel of the Capitan Pacha at 
 Scio, and the man who, with Georgio Potili, and 
 Alexander Dimama, achieved the late success- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 173 
 
 ful enterprize at Modon. Of the remainder, 
 Giorgio Capa Antoine, Anastasius Callogan- 
 ni, Demetrius Raphaella, and John Mondro- 
 sa, have shown the most undaunted bravery 
 in the various actions at Tenedos, Mitylene, 
 Samos, Scio, Cos, and Candia, and are rewarded 
 by the most lavish praises of their countrymen, 
 who have celebrated their names in the popular 
 songs of the Island. 
 
 May 23.—Finding that Miaulis’ squadron 
 was at anchor at Marathonise, in the Gulph of 
 Kolokythia, the ancient Laconicus Sinus, we this 
 morning passed north of Cerigo, and came to 
 anchor in the evening with the fleet abreast of 
 the ancient Cranae. My reception from Mi- 
 aulis was in the highest degree kind and hospi¬ 
 table, and, on learning that my intention was to 
 stop for a short time with the fleet, he requested 
 me to remain on board his own vessel, and 
 immediately assigned me a state room off his 
 cabin. 
 
 Miaulis is a man from fifty to sixty years 
 
174 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 old, his figure somewhat clumsy, but with a 
 countenance peculiarly expressive of intelli¬ 
 gence, humanity, and good-nature. His family 
 have been long established at Hydra, and he has 
 himself been accustomed to the sea from a child. 
 Being intrusted at nineteen by his father with 
 the management of a small brig which traded 
 in the Archipelago, his successes in trade were 
 equal to any of his countrymen, and about fif¬ 
 teen years ago, he was amongst the richest of the 
 islanders; but the unfortunate loss of a vessel 
 on the coast of Spain, which, together with her 
 cargo, was his own property, and worth about 
 160,000 piastres, reduced his circumstances to 
 mediocrity. A few years, however, in some 
 degree recruited his fortunes, so far as, at the 
 opening of the war, to enable him to contribute 
 three brigs to the navy of Greece. He had 
 at one time been captured, with two other 
 Spezziot vessels, by Lord Nelson: his compa¬ 
 nions, after a strict investigation, still maintain¬ 
 ing that their cargo was not French property. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 175 
 
 were condemned ; whilst his frankness in admit¬ 
 ting the justness of the capture, notwithstand¬ 
 ing that circumstance evidently convicted him, 
 induced the British Admiral to give him his 
 liberty. I never met any man of more unaf¬ 
 fected and friendly manners. He seems totally 
 above any vaunting or affectation, and only 
 anxious to achieve his own grand object—the 
 liberation of his country, alike unmoved by 
 the malice and envy of his enemies, or the 
 lavish praises of his countrymen. The bravery 
 of his associates is mingled with a considera¬ 
 ble portion of ambition; but with him there 
 seems but one unbiassed spring, of steady ster¬ 
 ling patriotism. 
 
 The number of vessels at present employed 
 in the Greek fleet does not exceed sixty-five ; 
 of these, forty are Hydriots, sixteen belong to 
 Spezzia, and the remainder are the remnants of 
 the Ipsariot squadron. The number of brulots 
 is, of course, constantly varying, but seldom ex¬ 
 ceeds fifteen, and is frequently so low as one or 
 
176 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 two. Of the vessels of war, about six or seven 
 carry three masts, and are of three or four 
 hundred tons burthen; the remainder are 
 all brigs and single-masted schooners, of from 
 one hundred to two hundred and fifty tons; 
 the greatest number of guns carried by any ves¬ 
 sel is eighteen, and these are almost always of 
 different calibre, in consequence of having been 
 brought from different forts, or purchased at 
 various times. The weightiest are a few eigh¬ 
 teen pounders in Miaulis, and Sokini’s brigs; 
 the remainder, in general, twelve cannonades, or a 
 few long guns of the same weight of metal. The 
 entire Greek fleet is as yet the property of 
 individuals; and, though the sailors are paid 
 by the Government, as well as an allowance 
 made for the disbursements of the vessels, the 
 owners are, in general, subject to a main part 
 of the expenses of those vessels. Conduriotti 
 and his brother have furnished ten, Tombazi 
 three, Miaulis three. The rest are, in general, 
 fitted out by individuals, or are the joint proper- 
 
GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 177 
 
 ty of the captain and his family. The beauty 
 of their models, and the taste displayed in the 
 cutting of their sails, have rendered the Hydriot 
 vessels peculiar favourites with foreign seamen; 
 and it is remarkable, that this symmetry is 
 merely the result of imitation; the Hydriot 
 builders constructing their vessels solely from 
 custom, and by the eye, having no regular sys¬ 
 tem or mathematical guide for their direction, 
 and this, too, with most imperfect tools ;—two 
 sheep-skins, for instance, worked by the hands, 
 supplying the place of bellows. Seven only of the 
 fleet have been built in Toulon and Leghorn, 
 and the other ports of the Mediterranean ; and 
 these are more remarkable for carrying a weighty 
 cargo, than for the grace of their models. 
 
 The number of seamen employed in each ship, 
 varies from 100 to 60, and their pay from 
 70 to 40 piastres a month. Their activity and 
 alertness, as sailors, are already well known ; but, 
 from the narrow circle in which they have been 
 accustomed to trade, very few having passed 
 i 5 
 
178 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the Straits of Gibraltar, they are not what may 
 be called experienced seamen ; and the number, 
 even of captains, who have studied navigation, 
 is so small, that they have frequently been enu¬ 
 merated to me, and do not, I think, exceed ten 
 or a dozen; the necessity of this branch of 
 education, being obviated by their coast voyages 
 and short seas. 
 
 As to the discipline or government of their 
 ships, such a thing scarcely exists. There is, 
 however, a kind of system which is observed in 
 a few ships ; and which, it is understood, should 
 be adopted in all. Under the captain, who has 
 of course the internal management of the ship 
 entirely at his disposal, and is subject to no 
 orders save the admiral’s, there is another offi¬ 
 cer to whom, under the title of NauxA>jpos is en¬ 
 trusted the navigation of the vessel; and, who, 
 in some degree, answers to the sailing-master in 
 our navy. Next to him, in rank, is the Tpapu 
 uotrsog or captain’s secretary ; who, besides wri¬ 
 ting his dispatches, keeps likewise a purser’s 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 179 
 
 account; and to him succeeds the steward, who 
 has the serving out of the ship’s provisions to 
 each mess; and, as a remnant of Turkish dis¬ 
 cipline, the cook closes the list of officers. Petty 
 officers, gunners, or captains of quarters, there 
 are none: and in fact, as I have said, it is in 
 very few ships that even those mentioned above 
 exist; for, even here the same insubordination 
 and want of union, which has been so widely 
 prejudicial to the best interests of Greece, reign 
 as universally as on shore. 
 
 The principal seat of discord is with the 
 Spezziots, who, jealous of the superior power and 
 means which have qualified the Hydriots to 
 take the lead in the affairs of Greece, have never 
 ceased to express their discontent, and find fault 
 with the actions of these fellows ; nor ever yet 
 consented to co-operate with full spirit and 
 unanimity, even in measures where a consolida¬ 
 tion of forces was needful to ensure success. 
 With their own admiral, their own system of dis¬ 
 cipline, and even their own code of signals, their 
 
180 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 squadron always sailing in a body, and aloof 
 from the rest, they seem rather an appendage 
 than a part of the fleet; and have never failed 
 to disobey any orders, or rather* refuse any re¬ 
 quests of the Hydriot commander, which have 
 not coincided with their own views of interest, 
 advantage, or convenience. The unfortunate 
 Ipsariots, on the contrary, with no longer any 
 native land to fight for, no national superiority 
 to support, deprived of kindred and connec¬ 
 tion, and, in fact, isolated beings, cast upon 
 the world and their own exertions, with no spot 
 of earth which they can claim as their own ; 
 only struggling to liberate a land where they 
 can again place the remnants of their families 
 and fortunes, in some spot which they may 
 yet be able to call by the endearing name of 
 home; aloof from all faction, and swayed by no 
 contending interests—these men have ever dis¬ 
 played the most undaunted bravery, and gladly 
 coalesced in every measure proposed for the 
 common advantage; and consequently uniting 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 181 
 
 themselves with the most efficient body, the 
 Hydriots, have, in common with them, shared 
 the envy and ill-offices of their countrymen in 
 Spezzia. 
 
 An unfortunate spirit of jealousy has thus had 
 influence enough over individuals to separate 
 the feelings of the navy in general; and private 
 motives of envy and ambition have created similar 
 factions amongst the capitani of each particular 
 Island—places of favour, interest, ambition, and 
 even pay, giving rise to constant dissensions, 
 bickerings, and insubordination. Amongst the 
 commanders, however, the most frequent cause 
 of disunion is vanity. I have never met any 
 body of men so greedy of applause as the Hy¬ 
 driot captains; and the prospect of being the 
 subject of an ode, or even an elegy, of being 
 eulogized in the Hydriot Journal, or mentioned 
 in English newspapers, would be sufficient to 
 stimulate numbers of them to attempt any enter- 
 prize, however hazardous; consequently, the suc¬ 
 cesses or advancement of one, in proportion as 
 
182 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 it casts the fame of his fellows into shade, ex¬ 
 cites a spirit of envy and discontent, and whilst 
 this creates one faction of those whose minds 
 are irritated by disappointed ambition, a worse 
 feeling has produced a second and a most dis¬ 
 honourable class. 
 
 After the surprising exploits and well-earned 
 fame of the Greek fleet, it may perhaps appear 
 strange to assert, that those actions have been 
 accomplished solely by the brulottiers, with the 
 assistance of not more than 12 or 14 ships out 
 of all the fleet; and that the remaining 45 or 50 
 have rendered no other service to the cause of 
 their country, than by their show adding to th.e 
 apparent force of her navy, and tending to aug¬ 
 ment the terror of the enemy by a display of 
 numbers. Yet such is actually the fact, and 
 one, which the powerless arm of the Government 
 has, as yet, been unable to remedy. This cir¬ 
 cumstance arises from the ships being all pri¬ 
 vate property, and whilst the few brave fellows, 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 183 
 
 who hesitate at nothing to accomplish their ob¬ 
 ject, boldly face the most powerful force of the 
 enemy, others, less ambitious of honour, and 
 more wary, content themselves with hanging 
 aloof, and discharging a few harmless cannon 
 beyond the range of the enemy’s shot; urging, 
 as an ostensible reason, the folly of risking 
 more lives than are necessary for the protection 
 of their brulottiers ; or, if more closely pushed, 
 making no scruple to declare that they do not 
 wish to have their own small ships exposed to 
 the heavy fire of the Turkish frigates, when 
 neither their own means, nor the allowance of 
 the Government, are adequate to repair the da¬ 
 mages they might sustain. Thus deprived by 
 vanity or selfishness of the greater bulk of his 
 fleet, Miaulis, with about a dozen faithful and 
 subordinate followers, to aid the noble fellows 
 who work the fire-ships, and who have never 
 yet shrunk from their duty, has achieved every 
 action which has tended to advance the liberty 
 
184 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 of Greece, and to bring its struggle towards a 
 conclusion. 
 
 But it is not amongst the Captains alone that 
 those deplorable feelings have been productive 
 of unfortunate results: imitating the example 
 of their commanders, and well aware of the ineffi¬ 
 ciency of the Government to inflict punishment 
 for disobedience, the crews invariably manifest 
 the same spirit of turbulence and insubordina¬ 
 tion. Proud of their newly acquired liberty, 
 and impatient of any restraint, they will not 
 listen to the name of subjection, or obedience to 
 orders; and the circumstance of every crew 
 being composed of different descendants and 
 relatives of the same family and name, and 
 commanded by a person who is nearly connect¬ 
 ed by blood or marriage with almost every sea¬ 
 man on board, gives the captain an unwilling¬ 
 ness to proceed to extremities, which must 
 only tend to irritate the feelings of his family ; 
 and, unsupported by the measures of an effi- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 185 
 
 cient Government, be finally productive of no 
 other consequences than further disobedience 
 and more widely-spread discontent. In conse¬ 
 quence of this, it is not the will of the admiral, 
 or the wishes of the captains, but the consent of 
 each crew, that must be obtained, previous to 
 entering upon any important measure. If it 
 meets their views of advantage or expediency, 
 there is little difficulty in its completion ; other¬ 
 wise, there is no power to enforce its execution. 
 However, as all parties are well aware of the 
 extent of their respective influence, open quar¬ 
 rels are never heard of. If the admiral’s orders 
 are agreeable to the captain, and his measures 
 appear advisable to the crew, all goes on well; 
 if not, and it should happen that the demand is 
 negatived, the affair drops, and some new move¬ 
 ment is adopted, without dispute or useless 
 recrimination 
 
 In the domestic economy of each ship there is 
 consequently a great deal of confusion and irre- 
 
186 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 gularity. No man on board has any regular 
 quarters or post assigned him; on the issuing of 
 an order from the captain it is repeated by every 
 mouth from end to end of the ship, and all crowd 
 with eagerness to be the first to perform the 
 most trifling service. This is of course produc¬ 
 tive of extreme bustle and confusion, especially in 
 the eyes and ears of a stranger, and frequently 
 occasioned me no little alarm; as from the shouts 
 and trampling over head I have often deemed 
 the ship in danger, but on hurrying upon deck 
 found it was merely some trivial duty, about 
 which all were contending, such as setting a 
 studding-sail, or hoisting up the jolly-boat. 
 
 The only regular duty on board seems to be 
 the discipline at dinner hour. The provision of 
 the sailors are not of the best description, con¬ 
 sisting principally of salt and dried fish, sar- 
 dellas, and Newfoundland cod; but to make 
 amends for this, they have excellent biscuit, 
 (sliced bread, leaven baked, being the real bis¬ 
 cuit,) and the best Grecian wine. Mid-day and 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 187 
 
 sunset are the hours of dinner and supper, and 
 before that time every mess, consisting of six 
 persons, has its little table prepared between 
 two of the guns. As soon as the signal is given, 
 each table is served by the steward with its 
 allowance of fish, bread, oil, wine, and vinegar, 
 the eldest man of the mess acting as dispen¬ 
 ser, the youngest boy as cup-bearer. During 
 the dinner-hour the steward continues walking 
 round from mess to mess, to see that each table 
 has its regular allowance of wine and bread, and 
 during the whole ceremony the utmost silence 
 and decorum is preserved. The tables of the 
 captains, and particularly that of the admiral, 
 are, however, much better served, as at every 
 Grecian port which they put into, the inha¬ 
 bitants vie with each other who shall send to 
 the fleet the most acceptable presents of fresh 
 provisions, vegetables, fruit, wine, cheese, and 
 sweetmeats; and these, together with the stock 
 of European stores and French wines, render 
 their living rather luxurious. 
 
188 
 
 GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 Having already mentioned the names of those 
 of the brulottiers who have distinguished them¬ 
 selves in the cause of their country, it is only 
 justice to enumerate those whose services in the 
 fleet have been of equal avail. Amongst the 
 most prominent of these it would lately have 
 been my duty to mention Anastasius Psamado, 
 whose intrepidity and courage are the theme of 
 many a Hydriot song ; but he has fallen as be¬ 
 came a hero ! Of those who survive, perhaps 
 the most remarkable is Georgio Sokini, whose 
 name is well known to all the European ships 
 on the Levant station, by whom he has annually 
 been chosen as their agent on any treaties with 
 the Greek fleet or Government. He it is who 
 has planned the present code of signals made 
 use of by the Hydriot and Ipsariot divisions of 
 the Greek fleet. His ship is in the cleanest and 
 best order of any that sail under the national 
 colours, and his bravery has been eminently dis¬ 
 played in the actions of Spezzia, Mitylene, and 
 the affair off the coast of Zante. Captain An- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 189 
 
 tonio Kreisi is at the same time one of the most 
 intelligent and active captains of the fleet, and 
 his undaunted courage has been of the utmost 
 avail in almost every action since the commence¬ 
 ment of the revolution. Captain Panagiota, a 
 clumsy, heavy-looking man, is generally sup¬ 
 posed by the Hydriots to be mad, from the har¬ 
 dihood which he constantly displays in every 
 action. If any ship is foremost in pursuit, in 
 reconnoitre, or in action, it is sure to be Pana- 
 giota’s; and on every occasion, which demands 
 a display of downright courage, without asking 
 wherefore, he is the commander always em¬ 
 ployed by Miaulis. The exertions of Saktouri, 
 the vice-admiral, and the two brothers,Alexander 
 and Antonio Raphaella, John Lullaho, Anargiro 
 Libeschi, the Ipsariot Admiral Apostoli, and 
 the few leaders of the same Island who still re¬ 
 main, are above all praise; and it is a sufficient 
 commendation to say, that all the actions attri¬ 
 buted to “ the Greek fleet,” are solely the result 
 of the bravery and patriotism of those few noble 
 
190 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 Greeks, whose actions and courage are sufficient 
 to vindicate for them the proud title of the 
 “ descendants of Themistocles.” 
 
 The vessel of Miaulis is a Hydriot built brig, 
 of about three hundred tons; carrying four¬ 
 teen twelve-pound carronades, and four long 
 eighteens : the crew are about ninety in number, 
 and are almost all the remote relatives of his 
 own family. His son Antonio is the second in 
 command, a young man of pleasing manners and 
 distinguished courage ;* and the secretary Hic- 
 cesios Latris, is a student of Scio, and a mem¬ 
 ber of one of the most honourable Greek fa¬ 
 milies of Smyrna. The cabin is fitted up 
 very neatly, and ornamented with drawings of 
 some of his distinguished battles, and furnish¬ 
 ed with a divan, for the accommodation of the 
 constant crowd of captains who form his coun- 
 
 * The other members of his family consist of a daugh¬ 
 ter, now a widow, his eldest son, Demetrius, a mer¬ 
 chant and junior primate of Hydra; and his youngest, 
 John, a lad of nineteen or twenty, commander of one of 
 his father’s brigs. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 191 
 
 cil: behind it is a small chapel, furnished with 
 numerous paintings of the Virgin and Saint 
 Nicholas, before which an ornamented lamp is 
 kept constantly burning. This, however, is not 
 peculiar to the Mars;* as every ship in the fleet 
 has its Virgin and lamp, before which the 
 captain and cabin officers pay their morning 
 and evening devotions: and at every sunset, a 
 censer of myrrh is borne round the deck, the 
 perfume of which is inhaled by every indivi¬ 
 dual of the crew, whilst he devoutly crosses him¬ 
 self, and repeats his vesper to the Virgin. 
 
 After the burning of the Egyptian squadron 
 at Modon, the Greek fleet had been obliged to 
 retire to the bay of Kolokythia to careen, and 
 to take in fresh water and stores. Its object is 
 now to return immediately with fresh brulots, 
 which are daily arriving from Hydra, and make 
 an attempt to destroy the remaining Egyptian 
 vessels, at present at anchor at Modon. The 
 preparation of the ships is proceeding quickly , 
 
 * v Apijs , Miaulis’ ship. 
 
192 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 and the day after to-morrow we expect to 
 sail. 
 
 May 25.—This morning, by day-break, the 
 fleet got under weigh. Its appearance was ex¬ 
 tremely beautiful, the snow-white Levant sails 
 glittering in the sunbeams, and the squadron of 
 about forty sail, spreading over the bay, “like 
 wild swans in their flight.” The wind was light, 
 but favourable, and we bore down gently to¬ 
 wards Cape Matapan. 
 
 Miaulis had, as usual, taken his stand at the 
 stern : here he remains almost without inter¬ 
 mission, sleeping at night in a little cabin built 
 over the tiller, and sitting on it by day, to 
 watch the movements of the fleet. Nothing 
 can exceed the anxiety and unwearied diligence 
 with which he discharges the duties of an office 
 so replete with crosses and thwartings, more 
 from its internal annoyance, than from soli¬ 
 citude for the movements of the enemy. As he 
 sits all day, a la Turque , with his feet doubled 
 under him, he has contracted a habit of picking 
 the soft leather of his shoes. The affairs for 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 193 
 
 the last month have been most perplexing, and 
 the good old Admiral’s slippers are now in 
 ribands. 
 
 About dusk, as we lay off the Cape, a Spez- 
 ziot schooner arrived from cruising off Modon: 
 she brought the disastrous intelligence of the 
 loss of Navarino. Since the surrender of the 
 old fortress, the united efforts of the Egyp¬ 
 tians had been directed to the speedy reduction 
 of Navarino; and whilst the fleet in the har¬ 
 bour prevented the arrival of any fresh rein¬ 
 forcements or stores, the land troops occu¬ 
 pied every pass in the rear; so that the garri¬ 
 son within, reduced to straits both for water and 
 provisions, and harassed by the incessant can¬ 
 nonade and bombardment of the enemy, who 
 had now nearly effected a breach in the wall, 
 cut off from all communication with their 
 friends both by sea and land, and with no 
 other prospect than a speedy reduction, were 
 glad to accept the proposal of a surrender. 
 Accordingly, a few European vessels having 
 
 VOL. I. IC 
 
194 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 arrived, who undertook the capitulation, and 
 guaranteed the observance of the treaty, the 
 garrison surrendered on the 23d inst. and were 
 all transported to Calamata, with the excep¬ 
 tion of Iatracco and Petro Bey and General 
 latracco, who were retained prisoners, and a 
 young English physician, who could not with¬ 
 stand the temptation of 50 dollars a month, 
 in addition to his present pay from the Greeks, 
 and in consequence joined the standard of the 
 Pacha. 
 
 Thus has terminated an event which must 
 prove destructive to the hopes of the campaign. 
 Independent of the damp which it must neces¬ 
 sarily throw over the fluctuating courage of the 
 Moreots, it gives the enemy a key to the entire 
 western coast of the Morea; where there are no 
 other fortresses to oppose his progress, as the 
 country consists altogether of open plains, which 
 ©an afford no impediment to the movements of 
 his cavalry. But the loss of such a superb har¬ 
 bour is its most deplorable consequence, as it 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 195 
 
 now gives the enemy a secure hold to winter in 
 the country. 
 
 May %6th. — Determined to continue his 
 route towards Navarino, where he still hoped 
 to meet with the Egyptian vessels, Miaulis had 
 scarcely rounded the promontory this morning, 
 when the whole of the hostile fleet appeared in 
 sight, about ten miles a-head, and apparently 
 steering for Candia. Their intention must be 
 to bring thence fresh troops to follow up the 
 Pacha’s successes. As it is an important object 
 to retard their movements, the Greeks are de¬ 
 termined to follow in their course, and, if pos¬ 
 sible, accomplish their purpose of firing them. 
 Immediately on our appearance, they fired a 
 few guns, and made a signal to unite themselves; 
 after which, they shaped their course somewhat 
 more southerly, whilst the Greeks bore down on 
 their line as quickly as the light wind would 
 permit them. 
 
 Despatches of the 12th inst. from Messo- 
 lunghi were to-day received by Miaulis; they 
 k 2 
 
196 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 contain a statement of the progress of affairs, 
 and pray for some vessels to be sent up to the 
 Gulph of Lepanto, to keep up a communication, 
 as well as to thwart the movements of the few 
 Turkish craft which are still cruising there, 
 and about Patras. From these it appears that 
 the war is proceeding with great spirit in the 
 district of Cravari, to the east of Messolunghi. 
 On the 6th of May, a body of 200 Roumeliots, 
 under various capitani, attacked a position of 
 the enemy at a village called Pappadia, which 
 was defended by 2000 men, under the command 
 of Banousa Sebrane. The action commenced at 
 day-break, and lasted till late in the evening, 
 ending, as usual, with slight loss to the Greeks, 
 the taking of the position, and the flight of 
 the enemy, with sixty killed and a number of 
 prisoners. At Anatolia, on the day follow¬ 
 ing, a similar success had attended the efforts of 
 the Greeks in repelling an attack of the enemy. 
 At Messolunghi, the Turks had continued their 
 preparation for the attack till the 10th inst. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 197 
 
 when they commenced throwing bombs and 
 shot, which the garrison failed not to return 
 with equal vigour. Numbers of Greeks are 
 daily deserting from the ranks of the enemy, 
 and bringing reports of his situation and in¬ 
 tentions. On the 12th inst. nine who had 
 made good their escape, were received within 
 the walls. They confirmed the frequent re¬ 
 ports of the scarcity of provisions in the ene¬ 
 my’s camp. It appears that his numbers before 
 Messolunghi are 14,000, under the command of 
 Kiaoutaches and Youseph, Pacha of Patras; that 
 they have now five cannon and one mortar, and 
 daily await the arrival of others from Lepanto 
 and Patras; that the remainder of the troops 
 are principally stationed throughout Cravari; 
 and that this day (12th inst.) news arrived at 
 the Turkish camps, of the straits to which the 
 division under Banousa Sebrane were reduced. 
 It appears that after their late defeat at Pappa- 
 dia, they had taken refuge in a monastery, be¬ 
 tween Lodorikion and Cravari. Being here also 
 
198 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 harassed by the Greeks, they attempted a se¬ 
 cond flight, but were obliged to retire again 
 with the loss of sixty men, and eighty wounded. 
 Totally deprived of provisions, they had now 
 been obliged to eat their horses, and begged 
 for speedy assistance from the camp. In con¬ 
 sequence of this, 6000 Albanian horse were 
 sent to their aid, under the command of several 
 distinguished Turkish officers. The same let¬ 
 ters state the perfect order of the fortifications 
 of Messolunghi, and the enthusiasm of the 
 garrison and citizens. The balls and bombs 
 of the enemy have caused but little damage to 
 the town, and all continue animated and in 
 good hopes, but earnestly represent the advan¬ 
 tages which will result from the appearance 
 and co-operation of a few ships of war. 
 
 These vessels, however, it is impossible to 
 send them at this moment; but, as others are 
 daily expected from Hydra, they will be des¬ 
 patched in a few days. 
 
 Through the course of to-day, the winds have 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 199 
 
 been so light and variable, that nothing of any 
 consequence has been attempted by either fleet. 
 About mid-day, the Greeks had advanced almost 
 to the line of the enemy’s squadron, which com¬ 
 menced firing at about four miles’ distance, and 
 continued an uninterrupted cannonade, till the 
 near approach of Captain Alexander Raphael- 
 la Golletta, the foremost of the Greek squad¬ 
 ron. A smart firing was then kept up between 
 him and a corvette, till some of the other ad¬ 
 vanced ships coming up and the wind changing, 
 the Turks hauled round, and again stood for the 
 south. The Greeks still held on in their course, 
 and a constant firing and skirmishing continued 
 all day, without the loss of a single man in any 
 of the Greek ships. I never saw any people ap¬ 
 parently more perplexed than the Turks during 
 the day. Aware that the winds were too light 
 for the fire-ships, they occasionally made an 
 attempt at courage, and awaited the assault of 
 some one of the little Greek brigs; but again 
 hauling round after a few shots, scampered with 
 
200 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 all sail; and thus advancing, lying still and re¬ 
 treating, they continued on the move all day, 
 but never relaxed the incessant waste of pow¬ 
 der and balls which they harmlessly pointed at 
 the Greeks. At sunset, the two squadrons lay 
 about four miles asunder; the Turks had now 
 drawn up into line, and, as it fell calm, seemed 
 preparing to secure themselves for the night by 
 a constant discharge of shot, as if to keep the 
 Greeks at a proper distance; and this was con¬ 
 tinued without intermission till day-break, whilst 
 the Greeks remain lagging on the water, without 
 returning a single shot. As day closed in, the 
 scene was most superb. It was one of those de¬ 
 licious sunsets, that are only to be witnessed in 
 the East:—the sky one softened sheet of azure ; 
 and the mildness and serenity of the heaven sin¬ 
 gularly contrasted with the agitated scene be¬ 
 low : not a cloud was visible, save the broken 
 vapours from the smoke of the cannon, which 
 lay almost motionless on the sea, tinged with the 
 ruddy dies of sunset; and, as night gradually 
 
GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 201 
 
 gathered round, the scene, though changed, was 
 equally sublime; the lightning of the guns 
 flashed through the surrounding darkness, and 
 the majestic stillness of the ocean was only 
 broken by the thundering hedge-fire which 
 rolled along the Turkish line. 
 
 The following day, the winds being still light, 
 the same system was pursued by the Greeks, 
 and the same perplexity was manifested by the 
 Egyptians, with every variation of the wind, and 
 these were pretty frequent. They attempted 
 to take a different course, at one time tacking 
 as if for Navarino, again moving west, and at 
 last, met at every point by Miaulis’ squadron, 
 they resumed their original course, and steered 
 for Candia. Occasionally they seemed to bear 
 down upon the Greeks, and every deck was 
 gladly cleared for action, but it generally end¬ 
 ed in disappointment; the Turks invariably 
 hauling on their wind again. A voluntary at¬ 
 tack on the part of the Greeks would have 
 been decidedly unadvised, as it would have been 
 k 5 
 
202 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 madness to attempt to cope with them on their 
 own terms ; their force amounting to upwards 
 of fifty vessels, containing eleven frigates, nu¬ 
 merous corvettes, and the remainder well ap¬ 
 pointed brigs and transports: that of the Greeks, 
 thirty-four small brigs, the largest carrying but 
 twenty guns ; and as there was no wind to work 
 the fire-ships, it would have been in vain, with 
 their small guns, to lie up alongside a frigate, 
 whose cannons of weightier calibre, and twice 
 their range, must inflict infinite damage on the 
 Greek ships, whilst their balls were scarcely in¬ 
 uring their enemy’s sides. Every hour, how¬ 
 ever, gave additional proofs of the pusillanimity 
 of the enemy. From their continued cannonade, 
 it might have been supposed, they must be at 
 least pretty proficient in pointing a gun : but in 
 this, as in every thing else connected with a Mus¬ 
 sulman, it would seem that a bar had been placed 
 to advancement. Their first few balls certainly 
 fell in a line with us, but at a respectful distance ; 
 however, it seemed, that a gun once elevated 
 was to continue so for the rest of the action; 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 203 
 
 and, as we advanced, the balls continued ascend¬ 
 ing, till, at length, our top-gallant sails were well 
 riddled by shot, doubtless aimed at our decks. 
 It is a pity that the project so often mentioned 
 of fitting out a few frigates, has not yet been 
 adopted by the Greek Government: if this were 
 once accomplished, and some better discipline 
 introduced in the ships, no Ottoman force could 
 attempt to cope with them ; and if, even at pre¬ 
 sent, a few half-armed brigs can inspire such 
 unwonted terror, we might anticipate any results 
 whatsoever from the operation of three or four 
 frigates. Another addition to her navy might 
 also be most advantageously adopted ; viz. the 
 fitting out a small number of steam-boats : fre¬ 
 quently during the few days which the two fleets 
 sailed together there occurred calms, when they 
 lay motionless on the water, almost within shot 
 of each other. Had there then been a steam¬ 
 boat to tow on the brulots, it would have been 
 impossible for the heavy and ill-managed frigates 
 of the enemy to have escaped the flames. 
 
 On the evening of the 30th May, a favour- 
 
204 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 able breeze sprung up, and Miaulis determined 
 to make an attempt with the fire-ships. The 
 enemy were sailing in line, a very few miles to 
 leeward: the decks were immediately cleared,, 
 guns prepared, bulwarks stuffed, and the origi¬ 
 nal ensign* of the first Greek fleet hoisted, as a 
 signal for all ships to prepare for action. The 
 censer of myrrh was burned before the Virgin, 
 in the cabin ; and every thing being put in 
 order, they bore down upon the enemy’s line, 
 with a strong leading wind, the fire-ships in 
 advance, the brigs of war following close in their 
 rear, to receive the crews if necessary. They had 
 already come within range of the watchful can¬ 
 non of the Egyptians, and were almost ready 
 to open their fire, when, most unexpectedly, 
 
 * The present Greek flag consists of nine horizontal 
 alternate white and blue stripes, quartered with a cross 
 of the same colours. The one here mentioned contains 
 a variety of devices: it is a blue ground; in the centre, a 
 cross; above, a crescent ; on the right, an anchor and 
 a serpent ; and on the left, a laurel wreath above the 
 Athenian owl. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 205 
 
 the fire-ships wore round, and passed off the 
 line, without making any attempt upon the 
 enemy.* It was, however, too late for the fleet 
 to retire with equal safety; they were close 
 upon the wind, and within range of the enemy’s 
 shot, which were every second rushing across 
 our decks, and booming through the rigging. 
 Thus exposed to their continued fire, without any 
 prospect of returning it to advantage, the Greek 
 squadron drove along the entire line of the 
 Egyptians; who, in their trepidation, seemed 
 to have forgotten to drop to leeward. I never 
 saw a cannonade maintained with such desperate 
 steadiness. I counted 170 shots in a minute; 
 and this they continued even when at a distance, 
 when I could, with ease, reckon forty-five and 
 fifty between the flash and the report of the 
 guns. At length, after thus cutting of their 
 
 * They afterwards urged, in their defence, that they 
 had no prospect of attacking them to thorough advan¬ 
 tage, and thought, at least, to detain the fire-ships for a 
 more favourable opportunity. 
 
206 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 passage for seven days, want of provisions 
 obliged Miaulis to return to some port in the 
 Morea ; and, on the 1st of June, having sailed 
 to the northward, the enemy rounded Cape 
 Spado, and made for the harbour of Suda in 
 Candia ; whilst we retired to the Bay of Vathico, 
 north of Cerigo. The same evening, letters 
 having again arrived from Messolunghi, repre¬ 
 senting the activity and eagerness with which 
 the enemy were carrying on the siege, and the 
 advantages a few Greek vessels would be of in 
 the Gulph, Captain Neuga was dismissed in one 
 of Conduriotti’s brigs, accompanied by a Hy¬ 
 driot schooner, to remain in the Gulph of Le- 
 panto, and assure the governor of Messolunghi 
 of speedy assistance, by sea, as soon as the admi¬ 
 ral could so arrange it. 
 
 June 3d .—This morning every preparation 
 was expeditiously made for provisioning the 
 fleet, and boats were despatched from each ship 
 to bring off stores and water from the shore. 
 Early in the morning, the Admiral received 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 207 
 
 despatches from Napoli di Romania: they con¬ 
 tained important intelligence. 
 
 Immediately after the surrender of Navarino, 
 the utmost dismay seemed to have seized on the 
 Moreots. The cry for Colocotroni was again 
 loudly raised; and his liberation being deter¬ 
 mined on by the Government, three members of 
 the executive body proceeded to Hydra, for the 
 purpose of conducting him to Napoli. Here he 
 arrived on the 30th of May, and the day follow¬ 
 ing, his reconciliation with the Government was 
 celebrated with every ceremony, accompanied 
 by the acclamations of the populace. It took 
 place in the grand square, and was attended by 
 the corps and band of the newly-organized tac¬ 
 ticians. A general amnesty and oblivion of all 
 former injuries were mutually agreed to, and ra¬ 
 tified in the church of St. George ; after which 
 Tricoupi delivered an oration to the populace 
 and the soldiers ; and the day concluded with 
 general rejoicings, and, as usual, a loud and 
 constant discharge of fire-arms. Proclamations 
 
208 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 were now issued by the Government to call the 
 inhabitants of the Morea to arms: orders were 
 given that all the shops of Napoli di Romania 
 should be closed, with the exception of a barely 
 sufficient number of bakers and butchers, and 
 that all the population should join the standard 
 of Colocotroni, who expected to set out imme¬ 
 diately, at the head of 14,000 troops, to stop 
 the further progress of the Egyptian arms. 
 Pappa Flescia had already marched forward to 
 garrison Arcadia, a fortress on the coast north 
 of Navarino ; and Petro Bey was at present in 
 Maina, raising his followers, with a large body 
 of whom he was immediately expected to join 
 the army of the liberated chieftain. 
 
 The letter concluded with accounts of the 
 danger of Messolunghi, and entreaties to Miau- 
 lis to lose no time in sending a small force to 
 its assistance; with assurances of the spirit 
 and newly-raised enthusiasm of the soldiers, 
 and confident hopes of yet ending the cam¬ 
 paign honourably. It was impossible, at the 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 209 
 
 moment, to send off any other Hydriot vessels ; 
 but, as some of the Spezziots might be spared, a 
 request was made to the Spezziot admiral to 
 furnish a few vessels with all haste. The answer, 
 however, was evasive; and he demanded some 
 time to find out which of his captains were dis¬ 
 posed for the service. Certainly, at this mo¬ 
 ment, the possibility of yet achieving the free¬ 
 dom of the Morea seemed extremely apparent. 
 This newly-acquired show of spirit in the sob 
 diery would, doubtless, be cherished by the 
 return of their favourite leaders. Colocotroni’s 
 enlargement seemed to give a new face to the 
 state of affairs; and, if the army were disposed 
 to act with promptitude, a sufficiency of troops 
 could easily be collected to impede the further 
 progress of the Pacha. In the meantime, the 
 fleet were determined on a desperate, but deci¬ 
 sive service:—to enter the harbour of Suda, with 
 all their forces, and attempt the destruction of 
 the remaining ships of the Pacha. If this could 
 be effected, and with the number of brulots 
 
210 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 which they were daily collecting, it appeared 
 highly probable, the fate of the campaign was 
 evident. Without further reinforcements, it 
 would be difficult for Ibrahim Pacha to attempt 
 any extensive enterprize; and if, by the valour 
 of the fleet, the arrival of these could be pre¬ 
 vented, it would be an easy matter for Coloco- 
 troni to cut off his remaining forces; whilst a 
 judicious division of the navy might enable 
 them to free the Morea, a very few ships being 
 sufficient to blockade Modon and Coron. Ano¬ 
 ther small squadron could, with like facility, re¬ 
 sume the attempt on Patras; and the remainder 
 would certainly be able to relieve Messolunghi, 
 and retake Navarino. All this, however, was 
 only to be accomplished by the most vigilant 
 co-operation of the land forces. 
 
 It had been a superb day, but almost a per¬ 
 fect calm: and about noon, I was sitting by 
 Miaulis, on his usual place at the taffrail. He 
 was speaking of the prospect of affairs, and, 
 well aware of the vital importance of the ex- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 211 
 
 pedition on which he was bound : he mentioned 
 his hopes of success with animation and en¬ 
 thusiasm. All at once, a caique rounded the 
 cape, (St. Angelo) and appeared labouring with 
 all her oars to reach us. In a moment, the old 
 man’s countenance fell: u There,” said he, slap¬ 
 ping his thigh, “ comes the intelligence which, 
 I fear, will dash our hopes. I know, by the 
 appearance of that boat, that it is the bearer 
 of bad news.” In the meantime, the caique 
 was slowly approaching: the sailors, who had 
 caught the words of the Admiral, had given over 
 all bustle on deck, and had crowded in silence 
 to the side, to mark her approach, and hear the 
 news. She came up, and her first words ope¬ 
 rated like a thunderbolt.—The Turkish fleet 
 had passed the Dardanelles, and at the moment 
 of her departure, were within thirty miles of 
 Hydra. Every consideration of national honour, 
 or the safety of Greece, seemed to have passed 
 away; and, like men awakening from a dream, 
 the utmost hurry and preparation sounded 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 through every part of the ship, as they hastened 
 to get her under weigh, and fly to the relief of 
 their families, and the protection of their homes. 
 Signals were immediately fired; and, in a 
 quarter of an hour, every anchor was weighed, 
 every yard-arm spread with canvas, and the 
 whole fleet steering for Hydra. Such was their 
 anxiety, that a number of men, who had been 
 sent on shore in the morning for provisions, 
 were left behind. Just at the moment, a splen¬ 
 did breeze sprung up; in fact, a perfect bou- 
 rasque , which, in about an hour, hurried us to 
 the point of the cape. During its continuance 
 the sailors were in ecstasies; and, after the 
 almost breathless calm which had lasted all 
 day, they considered it a visible interference of 
 Providence : but, as it died away, nothing could 
 equal their chagrin and impatience, as they sat 
 on the deck anxiously discussing their fears, 
 examining their pistols, and feeling the edges 
 of their glittering ataghans. 
 
 On the very crag of this stormy cape, (the 
 ancient Malea) and in a spot which seems 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 213 
 
 almost inaccessible, there is a little cell, and 
 the ruins of an ancient chapel, in which an old 
 monk has taken up his residence. Here he 
 has, for many years, subsisted on the charity of 
 the Mainot pirates, who come to him to have 
 their vessels blessed, previous to sailing out 
 on their expeditions; and here he still remains, 
 existing on the precarious bounty of the fisher¬ 
 men. I never saw so lonely a retreat, nor such 
 an apparently isolated being. As we lay be¬ 
 neath the promontory, he crawled to its sum¬ 
 mit, and kindled a fire of brush-wood on the 
 cliff; and by its flames we could distinguish his 
 figure, as he stood on the crag, with his hands 
 and crucifix extended, in the act of giving 
 his benediction to the fleet. Shortly after, the 
 wind died away, and we lay lagging on the 
 waters; the blessing of the old monk being 
 exchanged for the impatient murmurs of the 
 anxious seamen, who gathered in groups upon* 
 the deck, attentive to nothing, save the prospect 
 of a rising gale. 
 
 June \th .—During the night, the wind had 
 
214 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 freshened considerably, and at day-break the 
 whole fleet were within three miles of Hydra; 
 when a caique came off with intelligence as 
 gratifying as the news of yesterday had been 
 alarming and unexpected. The hostile fleet, 
 when within thirty miles of the island, had 
 been altogether dispersed, and partly destroyed, 
 by the fire-ships of the second Greek squadron 
 under Saktouri. 
 
 This division had been cruising, for two 
 months back, through the Archipelago, and 
 between Mytilene and Mount Athos, for the 
 purpose of intercepting the Turkish fleet on its 
 departure from the Dardanelles, which was ex¬ 
 pected to have taken place long since. Constantly 
 disappointed in their object, their vigilance was, 
 perhaps, a little lulled ; so that, on the 24th of 
 May, the Ottoman fleet left the Hellespont, 
 and on the 81st were off Negropont, ere Sak- 
 touri’s squadron were aware of their movements 
 as they were lying at the time near Samos. 
 However, on the first intimation of their move- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 215 
 
 merits, he lost no time in following, and came 
 up with them as they were baffling with con¬ 
 trary winds off Capo d 1 Ovo in Negropont. The 
 fire-ships were, as usual, successful, having burn¬ 
 ed one rase of sixty-six guns, belonging to the 
 Capitan Pacha (he, however, escaped, as he had 
 taken the precaution to sail in a smaller ship) ; 
 a corvette, and the frigate of the Capitan Aga 
 were likewise destroyed, and he himself perished 
 in the flames. Five transports were taken, laden 
 with stores, thirteen hundred barrels of gun¬ 
 powder, cannon, mortars, small arms, balls and 
 bombs innumerable, and safely conveyed to 
 Spezzia. The remainder of the fleet now at¬ 
 tempted to escape, and flying before the wind, 
 were separated in all directions ; the larger body 
 succeeded in reaching Rhodes, but it was long 
 ere they were again all assembled. One corvette 
 had been driven to Syra: here she was followed 
 by two Greek brigs, and obliged to surrender, 
 the captain having made a capitulation that she 
 should be yielded up to the Greeks, as soon 
 
216 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 as the crew were landed in safety on the Island ; 
 but the last man had scarcely left her, when a 
 train, which had been laid by the Turks, ex¬ 
 ploded and blew her to atoms. The Greeks, 
 enraged at their disappointment, thronged on 
 shore, and, after a vast deal of confusion, suc¬ 
 ceeded in making one hundred and fifty pri¬ 
 soners, who were afterwards sent to Hydra. 
 
 The consequences of this success, both imme¬ 
 diate and relative, were extremely beneficial; as, 
 besides relieving Hydra, and permitting the fleet 
 to continue its expedition to Crete, the procla¬ 
 mations of the victory issued by the Greeks 
 were of powerful effect, in raising the spirits of 
 the country, and rousing the population to 
 arms. 
 
 Instead of proceeding to Hydra, Miaulis im¬ 
 mediately steered south again, and, in the course 
 of the day, was joined by Saktouri’s squadron 
 off Falconera, making the united forces of the 
 navy amount to seventy sail. At the same time. 
 Captain Zacca, of one of Conduriotti’s ships 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 217 
 
 arrived from a cruise off Candia, and reported 
 that all the Egyptians were within the harbour 
 of Suda ; and, from their having taken no pre¬ 
 cautions to protect themselves, seemed unsuspi¬ 
 cious of any attack. It was now resolved, that 
 the whole fleet should sail for the harbour of 
 Milo; and thence, having completed their pro¬ 
 visioning, should proceed with all expedition 
 to Suda.* 
 
 It was late on the night of the 5th instant 
 that we came to anchor at Milo, and six days 
 elapsed ere we again sailed for Candia. This 
 annoying delay was occasioned, partly by two 
 days of stormy weather, but chiefly by the in¬ 
 dolence and ill conduct of the seamen, who, 
 once on shore, and freed from any restraint, 
 were in no hurry to return to their respective 
 
 * The answer of the Spezziots was this day expected, 
 relative to the dispatch of a squadron to Messolunghi; 
 but, instead of returning it, they all set sail early in the 
 morning, and steered for their own Island, allowing the 
 rest of the fleet to proceed alone to Milo. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 L 
 
218 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 vessels, but remained on the Island ; where they 
 committed such excesses, that complaints were 
 daily reaching the Admiral, and on the night 
 before we started, a large demand was made 
 by some unfortunate shopkeepers of the town, 
 for the injury sustained by the pillage of their 
 goods. 
 
 Another circumstance occurred during our 
 stay, which, while it strongly depicts the feroci¬ 
 ous character of the Hydriots, inherent to their 
 Albanian blood, and their invincible hatred to 
 the Turks, may serve also as an instance of the 
 anarchy and insubordination of the captains. 
 
 Zacca’s ship, whilst cruising off Candia, had 
 overhauled a French brig sailing from one port 
 of the Island to another, on board which they 
 found three Turks, with a little Greek boy, who 
 had been made a slave to one of the party. They 
 were instantly made prisoners, and their pro¬ 
 perty divided amongst the crew; whilst they 
 were brought on board Zacca’s ship to Milo. 
 On Sunday morning the captain came on board 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 219 
 
 Miaulis’ brig, and, calling me aside, told me he 
 had got a treat for me; that, at twelve o’clock, 
 he meant to take his prisoners ashore, and put 
 them to death, and, if I chose, I might make one 
 of the party in this execution. I immediately 
 declared my abhorrence and detestation of such 
 a proceeding, and urged every argument to 
 induce him to spare their lives, at least till 
 condemned by the Government at Hydra : my 
 words, however, were of no avail, and only 
 served to irritate him, by my attempting, as he 
 said, to interfere in his right to treat his pri¬ 
 soners as he pleased. 
 
 I then applied to the Admiral, who declared 
 his disapprobation of such barbarous proceed¬ 
 ings, and his determination to prevent it. He, 
 accordingly, spoke to Zacca, and ordered him to 
 desist from his savage intention. Zacca made 
 some hasty reply, and, after finishing his busi¬ 
 ness on board, returned to his own ship. Con¬ 
 fident that their lives were to be spared, I ac¬ 
 companied Miaulis’ secretary when he went, by 
 l 2 
 
220 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the Admiral’s orders, to interrogate the prisoners 
 as to the state of the country. They consisted 
 of a venerable-looking old man, at least sixty 
 years of age, and with a snowy beard flowing on 
 his breast; the others, a young man of ordinary 
 appearance, and an Albanian of immense stature 
 and commanding air. They declared that they 
 were merchants, as their goods would prove, and 
 were proceeding on their affairs, from Candia ta 
 Suda, at the time they were captured. 
 
 On announcing to them that they were to be 
 sent to Napoli, and not massacred immediately, 
 as the sailors had intimated, the poor creatures 
 could scarcely express their joy ; and would have 
 kissed my feet in their transport. Zacca did not 
 make his appearance, and we immediately after¬ 
 wards went on shore. The following morning 
 I received a note from Mr. Allen, the American 
 opentleman who had been in Psamado's ship at 
 Navarino, and was now on board the same vessel 
 with the prisoners. It was to inform me, that 
 
GREECE ltt 1825. 221 
 
 shortly after our departure, Zacca came upon 
 deck and gave orders for the execution of the 
 Turks:—which was performed in the most savage 
 manner. They first hound the poor wretches 
 to the mast, and beat them to mummy with 
 knotted ropes; then, slinging them over the side, 
 so as not to soil the decks, stabbed them to 
 death from the boats,—the conduct of the sailors 
 and captain, during the whole afihir, being too 
 diabolical for description. 
 
 On its coming to Miauiis’ ears, he imme¬ 
 diately gave the business an investigation ; which 
 however ended in the sailors declaring that they 
 had been ordered by the captain, and the captain 
 that he could not restrain the fury of the sailors ; 
 their indignation being roused by the represen¬ 
 tations of the little slave, who informed them of 
 the cruelties inflicted on his parents by the Alba¬ 
 nian, and the inhuman treatment he had himself 
 received afterwards. With no powers of punish¬ 
 ment vested in him, Miauiis could only censure, 
 in the strongest terms, the disgraceful conduct 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 222 
 
 of the crew, and make a report to Hydra of the 
 disobedience and cruelty of the captain. 
 
 At length, after innumerable delays, the whole 
 squadron sortied from Milo, on the morning of 
 the 10th of June, and steered in the direction 
 of Candia. The winds were so light, that it was 
 the evening of the 12th before we reached Suda. 
 At our approach, a number of vessels which 
 had been cruising along the coast, were seen 
 scampering in from all quarters, and hastening 
 towards the harbour: a few Greek brigs hur¬ 
 ried forward to intercept a party of these, and 
 a smart skirmish ensued; which ended, by the 
 enemy succeeding in entering the harbour, and 
 the loss of one man, in one of Conduriotti’s 
 ships, by the bursting of a cannon, which like¬ 
 wise wounded four of his companions. 
 
 The vessels which had advanced, brought 
 back intelligence that all the remaining vessels 
 of the Turkish squadron were within the har¬ 
 bour, as well as those of the Egyptians; the 
 former having arrived from Rhodes whilst we 
 
GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 228 
 
 lay at Milo: and it was with no small chagrin 
 that Miaulis observed, that the position of the 
 enemy was changed from what had been repor¬ 
 ted by the vessel left on the look-out; and that 
 too so advantageously, that, without an extra¬ 
 ordinary effort, the expedition must fail, or be 
 able only to accomplish a small portion of its 
 intentions. The harbour of Suda is formed by 
 two small bays, which lie much in the shape of 
 an hour-glass ; though the outer gulph scarcely 
 retreats so far from the line of the shore as 
 the second, and the entrance to the inner is pro¬ 
 tected by a small island, on which is a fortress 
 which mounts a number of superb cannon of 
 weighty metal. At the moment when Zacca’s 
 ship saw them, the entire force of the enemy 
 was collected en masse , at the back of this for¬ 
 tress ; insomuch that one fire-ship taking effect 
 must inevitably have destroyed the whole. 
 They were now separated into four divisions, 
 one of which was stationed at the extremity of 
 the inner bay, two others at the two entrances 
 
224 
 
 GREECE IK 1823. 
 
 on each side of the Island, and a third in the 
 outer gulph : so that even if the Greeks suc¬ 
 ceeded in firing one, three others must remain 
 uninjured. But the mystery of this unwonted 
 display of skill and foresight in the Turks was 
 soon explained. On our arrival at Milo we 
 observed the French flag, on a vessel of war 
 within, which proved to be the Daphne schoo¬ 
 ner ; the captain of which came on board, in the 
 course of the morning, and informed the Admiral 
 that he had put in there for water, and was to 
 sail almost immediately for Hydra or Napoli, 
 he was not decided which. On the Wednesday 
 there arrived another French corvette, the cap¬ 
 tain of which, likewise, came to pay his respects 
 to Miaulis. After the usual compliments, and 
 when he had learned the direction of the 
 Greek fleet, he said that this circumstance oc¬ 
 curred at an awkward time, as he had himself 
 despatches of importance for Candia; but that 
 till Miaulis’ affair was finished, he should not 
 forward them, as some circumstance might arise 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 225 
 
 to advertise the enemy of the Admiral’s inten¬ 
 tions. 
 
 On Friday we sailed; and the schooner, 
 which was to have left Milo almost immediately 
 after our arrival, left the harbour along with 
 us: but instead of steering for Hydra, she 
 headed due South, and was soon out of sight in 
 the direction of Candia. At the moment, Mi- 
 aulis observed to me that he did not like her 
 appearance, and dreaded that her object was to 
 put the enemy on their guard; and there is 
 every reason to suppose that she succeeded ; as 
 on the arrival of the Greeks, the position of the 
 Turks was taken as I have described, and the 
 French schooner was within the harbour !* 
 
 * The report of these facts, and a plain statement of 
 the case, which appeared afterwards in the Hydriot 
 Journal, gave great offence to the French resident at 
 Napoli di Romania, not as to the conduct of the schooner, 
 but that such a disgraceful imputation could be cast on a 
 Frenchman by the Greeks. And General Roche, agent 
 for the Parisian committee, a gentleman of whom I shall 
 have occasion to speak presently, addressed a letter to 
 the governor on the subject; in which he besought them 
 
 L 5 
 
226 
 
 GREECE IN 182.5. 
 
 (Candia) 1 5th June .—During the entire of 
 the 13th, the wind continued so high and con¬ 
 trary, that it was impossible to make any 
 
 that the editor of the Journal should be made to pro¬ 
 duce his proofs of such an assertion ; that if false, it 
 might be officially contradicted, and if true, that he, 
 (General Roche) might have an opportunity of informing 
 his Goverment of the transaction. He concluded by an 
 harangue, in praise of the philanthropy and enthusiasm 
 displayed by the French towards the struggling Greeks; 
 in which he said, that exertions had been made, and 
 favour displayed towards them by the French, which 
 had been equalled by no other nation. To all this the 
 answer of the Government was as mild as it was firm; 
 they informed him, that the Journal in which those cir¬ 
 cumstances regarding the French schooner were men¬ 
 tioned, was not an official publication; and therefore 
 that its errors were not attributable to the Government ; 
 that, nevertheless. General Roche should be satisfied 
 the source whence the editor drew his information. 
 They expressed at the same time their deep sense of 
 gratitude for the good wishes of the French, as well as 
 every other European power ; and were perfectly aware 
 that, however well the nation might be inclined towards 
 their cause, there might still be found some individuals 
 who were actuated by less honourable motives than the 
 mass. As to the fact of the Daphne’s having now con¬ 
 veyed information to the enemy, they were not prepa¬ 
 red either to deny, or support it: but it was well knovtn 
 to the Government, by letters both from Alexandria 
 
GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 227 
 
 attempt on the enemy ; in fact, without a lead¬ 
 ing wind, it is almost impossible to reckon, with 
 any security, on the operations of the brulots. 
 
 On Tuesday, the 14th, however, there was a 
 light breeze from the North-East, and Miaulis 
 made the signal to advance and attack about 
 forty vessels, frigates, corvettes, and brigs, sta- 
 
 and elsewhere, that the French goletta, Amaranthe, 
 (and perhaps another) was in the pay of the Pacha of 
 Egypt ; and had been in the habit of conveying infor¬ 
 mation, and even specie to his forces, whilst at Rhodes, 
 Candia, and other places. With this, however, the 
 French, as a nation, were by no means connected, nor 
 did the Greek legislature find fault with the French 
 Government for permitting a fact, of which they were 
 conscious they must he uninformed, else effective mea¬ 
 sures would have been taken to put a stop to it. 
 
 Whether the publicity thus given to the facts, induced 
 the French Government to investigate the conduct of the 
 Daphne, I know not. With this answer. General Roche, 
 however, seemed content ; though the above circum¬ 
 stances certainly speak against the schooner : and as to 
 the conversations of the captain with the Greek Admiral, 
 I was witness to one, and at the second, acted as inter¬ 
 preter, Miaulis’ secretary being absent, for the purpose of 
 refunding to the Milots the ransom of a Spezziot lady, 
 who had been purchased by some pilots from a Turk at 
 Smyrna. 
 
228 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 tioned in the outer bay. It was about one 
 o'clock, P. M, and the wind, though favour¬ 
 able, faint; the fire-ships however, advanced, 
 spiritedly followed by about ten ships of war, 
 whilst the Turks continued at their position, with 
 an apparent intention to give them battle. The 
 firing commenced, as usual, on the part of the 
 Turks, and the extreme lightness of the wind 
 exposed the brulots long to their shot; as soon, 
 however, as Miaulis' guns were within range of 
 them, the Greeks opened their fire, and a tre¬ 
 mendous cannonade ensued, which continued for 
 about half an hour, when the Turks commenced 
 retiring within the inner harbour. The wind was 
 now fast dropping, but the brulots were almost 
 in contact; two of them, in a few moments, at¬ 
 tached themselves to a corvette of twenty-four 
 guns, and the trains being fired, all three were 
 soon enveloped in flames. Another brulot had 
 advanced to the head of the Turkish line, and 
 attempted to entrap a frigate at the entrance 
 of the harbour, immediately beneath the fort, 
 
GREECE IH 1825. 
 
 229 
 
 but there was so little wind, that she eluded 
 them, and got off clear. As the brulottiers were 
 attempting to escape in their launch, armed 
 boats were sent out from the different ships 
 within the harbour, and surrounded her. They 
 were, at least, thirty to one, but the bravery of 
 the crew, and the captain (Georgio Potili), after 
 repelling the enemy four times, carried them out 
 clear, till they were picked up by one of their 
 own vessels. In the mean time the wind was fast 
 dying away, and the Turks, with every sail set, 
 were as slowly retiring, accompanied by the 
 destructive fire of the Greeks, which they re¬ 
 turned with equal activity; but their ill-pointed 
 cannon, instead of sweeping our decks, made 
 sad havoc in the rigging. About three o’clock, 
 the last of the enemy’s vessels had entered the 
 harbour, so closely pursued by the Greeks, that 
 just as it fell calm, nine * of their vessels were 
 
 * Those of Miaulis, Antonio Kriesi, Sokini, Lallaho, 
 Panagiota, Antonio and Alexander Raphaella, Saktouri, 
 and the Ipsariot commodore, Apostoli. 
 
230 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 lying close by the fortress, and exposed, not 
 only to its fire, but to that of the frigates, at the 
 entrance of the passage ; and in this situation 
 they were obliged to continue, without being 
 able to return one shot to advantage, till they 
 were at length towed out of the range of the 
 cannon, by their own long boats. In the mean¬ 
 time there was so little wind, that the confla¬ 
 gration of the fire-ships and corvette proceeded 
 but slowly. A mountain of white smoke was 
 rising from them in wreaths, and floating on 
 the surface of the unrippled water; at length, 
 about two hours after taking fire, a tremendous 
 explosion, which threw up a volcano of fire, dot¬ 
 ted with beams and burning timbers, proclaimed 
 that flames had reached the magazine :—it sub¬ 
 sided—the smoke cleared off, and all that re¬ 
 mained of the immense vessel, were a few 
 smoking planks, floating over the bay ! Of the 
 crew, consisting of 200 men, only three were 
 made prisoners, the remainder being drowned, 
 or stabbed in the water by the Greek boats. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 231 
 
 Thus ended the hopes of the expedition ; three 
 fire-ships burned, and the force of the enemy 
 only reduced by one corvette. The Greek fleet 
 again collected outside the harbour, to await a 
 more favourable wind, to make a fresh attack 
 with their remaining brulots. During the whole 
 action, only ten men were killed, and a very few 
 wounded ; one brulottier was brought on board 
 Miaulis** brig, and died the following day. 
 Hopes are, however, entertained that the ac¬ 
 tion will not be without its good effects; as, in 
 the first place, it will show the enemy that it is 
 possible to make use of the fire-ships, even in a 
 calm;—a circumstance which has never occurred 
 before. Besides, from the prisoners taken from 
 the corvette, the Admiral has learned that the 
 collecting of the troops goes on very slowly in 
 the Island, the soldiers being extremely unwil¬ 
 ling to exchange their good quarters for the 
 dangers of the Morea; and it may naturally be 
 supposed, that this example of what they may 
 chance to meet with on the passage will not tend 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 232 
 
 to raise their courage, or hasten their embark¬ 
 ation. 
 
 This morning (15th), Canaris joined the fleet. 
 His exertions have been almost lost to the war, 
 during this campaign. Immediately after the 
 action of Candia, on the 28th of April, his bru- 
 lot ran foul of Miaulis’ brig, in high wind, off 
 Cape Matapan, and became so thoroughly en¬ 
 tangled with her, that, after materially injuring 
 Miaulis’ vessel, the fire-ship sunk, and the crew 
 were with difficulty preserved. He has since 
 been at Salamis, assisting in the construction 
 of the new fire-ships; in one of which he this 
 morning arrived.* About mid-day, the Turks 
 again took possession of their former position, in 
 the outer harbour ; but on the Greek ships mak¬ 
 ing an appearance of approaching, they almost 
 immediately retired again within the harbour. 
 
 17 th .—An unusually severe gale, which com- 
 
 * This fire-ship was, likewise, lost a few days after. Its 
 timbers were too lightly put together, and, during a 
 high wind, it filled, and sunk off the harbour of Neos. 
 
GREECE IH 1825. 
 
 233 
 
 menced blowing yesterday, during the night 
 has separated the entire Greek fleet 5 so that, 
 of the 70 vessels* not more than 18 are in sight 
 this morning. In consequence of the arrival 
 of fresh solicitations from Messolunghi, and 
 the unwillingness of the Spezziots to sail to its 
 relief, a few other Hydriot vessels were last night 
 ordered on the service; making, in all, seven 
 sail now in the Gulph of Lepanto, under the 
 direction of Captain Neuga. The despatches 
 contain, as usual, particulars of the siege. The 
 enemy, carrying on an extensive system of 
 blockade, have maintained a constant discharge 
 of shot and shells against the town, and are gra¬ 
 dually advancing their lines and position nearer 
 to the walls. Their efforts, however, had been of 
 little avail; very few had been killed by the fall 
 of their shot or bombs, and the spirit of the gar¬ 
 rison and inhabitants remained as ardent as usual. 
 Towards the east of Roumili, however, affairs 
 were advancing with alternate success: in ano¬ 
 ther battle between Loidorikion and Cravari, 
 
234 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the Greeks were again victorious ; but, on the 
 24th inst. intelligence reached Messolunghi of 
 the capture of Salon a by the enemy. Anatolia 
 still remains uninjured; and the efforts of the 
 Turks seem rather, at present, to be directed 
 against Messolunghi, which, night and day, 
 with little intermission, they are cannonading. 
 A Turkish brig, and four smaller craft, in the 
 gulph, were of material advantage to the enemy, 
 in supporting the communication with Patras; 
 and it was to interrupt that, as well as to bring 
 ammunition and stores to the Greeks, that they 
 so earnestly solicited the assistance of a few of 
 their own vessels ; none of which, at the time of 
 despatching the letter, (30th inst.) had arrived. 
 
 This morning, during the violence of the 
 gale, Capt. Pepinos* ) fine ship ran foul of ano¬ 
 ther vessel of war, and, after considerable alarm 
 and danger, was with difficulty extricated, with 
 the loss of the greater part of her rigging, and 
 the destruction of her bulwarks; insomuch that 
 she was obliged to return immediately to Hydra 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 235 
 
 to be repaired, and Lallaho’s ship was order¬ 
 ed to accompany her. In consequence of the 
 precaution of the enemy, the want of brulots, 
 and the dispersion of the fleet, Miaulis has 
 resolved to retire from Suda; and I embraced 
 the opportunity of 1 Lallaho’s vessel to return 
 to Hydra, which, on its departure, received 
 orders to lose no time in rejoining the fleet at 
 Vathico, when they were again about to retire. 
 
 19^.—The violence of the storm, in which 
 we had sailed from Suda, was so great, that 
 during the night, the sailors, unable to make 
 head against it, were obliged to let the ship 
 drive before the wind ; and the following even¬ 
 ing, when it subsided, we found ourselves driven 
 so far to the East, that we could clearly distin¬ 
 guish the shores of Cos and Calymna ; shortly 
 after which, the tempest subsided to a perfect 
 calm, and this morning we were lying, almost 
 without motion, a few miles to the North-east 
 of Stampalia. A small Imperial brig was a short 
 distance a-head, and the captain, with a few 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 sailors, went off to board and examine her cargo. 
 The Austrian captain, though conscious of the 
 correctness of his papers, did not seem at all 
 anxious for the visit, although his cargo was 
 merely spars and timber from Adramyti to 
 Alexandria, and therefore not seizable. The 
 Greeks used very little ceremony in overhauling 
 the ship ; but, finding nothing of which to make 
 a prize, they seated themselves on the deck, and 
 after being treated by the captain with wine, 
 and receiving a present of some soap, they took 
 their leave. During the whole affair, there was 
 no unnecessary display of civility or affection 
 towards the Austrians; but neither was there 
 any of that outrage or boisterous insult so loudly 
 complained of by others, and which, I fear, from 
 the statements of English captains, is but too 
 often displayed. I must, however, do Miaulis 
 the justice to say, that such conduct never oc¬ 
 curs with his approbation, and has always met 
 Ms severest censure wherever he has heard of it; 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 237 
 
 but, unfortunately, his power extends no fur¬ 
 ther than words. 
 
 ( Hydra , 24 th 9 Friday .) It was only this even¬ 
 ing, after a passage of eight days, that we arrived 
 here from Candia. Since the 18th inst. there has 
 been every day a succession of the most weari¬ 
 some calms; and we have been creeping through 
 the Archipelago at the rate of ten or twelve miles 
 in twenty-four hours, and this chiefly when car¬ 
 ried by the currents. Nothing that I know of 
 can possibly compare with the tedium of such 
 a voyage: day after day to be lagging under a 
 burning sun, the sails clinging to the mast, and 
 the ropes and rigging accurately reflected in the 
 glassy sea; not an undulation to break the line 
 formed on the glowing timbers by the motion¬ 
 less waters; not a swirl at the rudder, not a rip¬ 
 ple at the prow; with no variety of prospect, 
 save a few sun-scorched Islands, and not a curl 
 to warp the mirror of the ocean, nor a feather of 
 a cloud to break the blue sameness of the sky. 
 
238 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 There were, however, charms in the scene 
 around us, which not even the anxiety of the 
 delay could render unattractive. The risings 
 and settings of the sun were most superb; in the 
 morning, his crimson beams bursting through 
 purple mists that wrapped the iEgean and its 
 islands, and beaming down upon the still blue 
 azure, till his rays deeply refracted in its bo¬ 
 som, made the whole seem one mass of azure 
 pearl; and when at eve he again descended to 
 the ocean, through the cloudless heaven, and his 
 departing glories tipped with gold the lonely 
 Cyclades, he appeared not to sink, but to melt 
 away from the sky; whilst his fading brightness, 
 gently spreading over the heavens, seemed a drop 
 of molten gold, blending in a lake of liquid 
 purple. But it is only the loveliness of the ocean 
 and the sky that seem fadeless in the clime of 
 the East. I was much disappointed in the beau¬ 
 ty of the Cyclades; whether my expectations 
 had been too highly raised, or that the earth 
 seemed to shrink from a comparison with the 
 
GREECE IN 1825 
 
 239 
 
 peerless splendour of this sky and ocean, the 
 Islands, though in general productive and fruit¬ 
 ful, are sadly deficient in picturesque beauties. 
 They contain very few trees, and low lentiscas 
 and mastics are all that seem to spring above the 
 beds of thyme that cover the parched soil. There 
 are no rich tints and no glowing colours in the 
 landscape ; and a few neat white villages, a mo¬ 
 nastery perched on a towering cliff, or the soli¬ 
 tary ruins of a desolate temple, are all that they 
 contain, externally, of interest or romance, inde¬ 
 pendent of their classical associations. 
 
 I landed at several of the villages, and found 
 that here, too, it was distance that lent enchant¬ 
 ment to the view; their inhabitants were poor 
 and wretched in their appearance, their houses 
 neither clean nor comfortable. Occasionally, 
 however, a lovely face was seen peeping from 
 the door or window of a miserable hut, but a 
 clumsy figure was sure to accompany it; and the 
 children, though pretty, were so dirty, that it 
 was impossible to admire them. At Tino, Milo, 
 
240 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 and Syra, however, there are respectable towns ; 
 and frequent intercourse with Europeans has 
 added both to the affluence and comforts of 
 them all. Syra is the only one which retains its 
 commerce, and the remainder carry on merely a 
 petty traffic with that place, sending in their 
 silk, wine, and fruits, and receiving in return 
 cottons, cloth, and other European necessaries. 
 
 The unexpected length of this voyage was 
 now beginning to be attended with considerable 
 inconvenience. On leaving Suda, we had calcu¬ 
 lated on reaching Hydra the following evening, 
 at farthest; and, whilst thus becalmed, our fresh 
 meat and dried fish were soon finished, and our 
 bread and water fast decreasing. Aware of these 
 circumstances, as well as the importance of the 
 ship's quick return to the fleet, I took the oppor¬ 
 tunity, whilst we were lying off the island of 
 Neos, where the brulot determined to halt for 
 her repairs, to propose that Lallaho should enter 
 likewise, get fresh provisions, clean the vessel. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 241 
 
 and thus lose no time in rejoining Miaulis; where¬ 
 as, if he persisted in going on to Hydra, he was 
 likely to be detained, how long it was impossi¬ 
 ble from the appearance of the weather to say, 
 and in the end he would accomplish his object 
 little better than here. He saw the expediency 
 of the plan, and said, that, for his part, he was 
 quite willing to adopt it; that he would go upon 
 deck, and make the proposal to his men, and that 
 if they were disposed to do so, he would put 
 out his boats immediately, and tow the vessel 
 into the harbour. Though aware of the want 
 of discipline in the Greek fleet, I was yet sur¬ 
 prised, on this occasion, to find that the crew had 
 even the direction of the movements of the ship. 
 He went upon deck, made the proposal, and re¬ 
 turned in a few moments: he said the crew had 
 met the proposition, as he almost expected, with 
 a flat denial. They were now half way to Hydra; 
 they were anxious to visit their homes and fa¬ 
 milies, and they were not willing to stop short. 
 This was, of course, decisive; and we went on as 
 
 VOL. i. 
 
 M 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 <242 
 
 before, gliding from Island to Island with the 
 currents; and in the morning catching as many 
 fish, or bringing off as much meat and vegetables 
 from the shores of the different Islands as was 
 sufficient for the day. Thus, on the seventh 
 evening, we came in sight of Hydra, where we 
 arrived to-day. 
 
 Totally unaware of the progress of affairs 
 during our tedious voyage, I was thunderstruck 
 on reaching the shore, to hear that Ibrahim Pa¬ 
 cha was in the very heart of the Morea, having 
 occupied Tripolizza, which the Greeks had de¬ 
 serted and burned on the alarm of his approach 
 After the surrender of Navarino, he had re¬ 
 mained there for some days, for the purpose of 
 repairing the damage which his batteries had in¬ 
 flicted on the fortifications ; as well as to erect a 
 new' battery on the Island, at the entranceof the 
 harbour. He then divided his forces so, that 
 whilst one party remained at Modon, others set 
 out for Calamata, and a fortress on the north 
 of Navarino, called Arcadia. The former he 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 243 
 
 took possession of, after a well-maintained fight 
 with a body of Greeks, who were, however, finally 
 driven out, as the town possessed neither fortress 
 nor defence ; in the latter, the minister of the in¬ 
 terior, Pappa Flescia, was stationed with a few 
 German officers, and about 200 soldiers. 
 
 The Egyptians attacked them in the evening, 
 and a desperate conflict ensued; but the unfortu¬ 
 nate Greeks, at length overpowered by numbers, 
 were cut to pieces almost to a man. Amongst the 
 slain was Pappa Flescia, who fell, after perform¬ 
 ing prodigies of valour. In the meantime, Colo- 
 cotroni, who had been collecting his followers, 
 was fast advancing to occupy the passes towards 
 Tripolizza, whither the Pacha shortly directed 
 his march, not however without opposition, as 
 at one place near Makrimplane, he only passed 
 with the loss of 150 followers. At length, how¬ 
 ever, after various skirmishes, in which, unfor¬ 
 tunately, the Greeks were generally worsted, he 
 succeeded in reaching Leondari. It was now 
 but too evident that he would be able to advance 
 m 2 
 
244 
 
 GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 to Tripolizza; and Colocotroni, who still con¬ 
 tinued to retire before him, seeing no possibi¬ 
 lity of defending it, as it contained no garrison, 
 at the moment sent orders to the inhabitants to 
 burn the town. This they accordingly complied 
 with; and collecting whatever portion of their 
 property they were able to remove, they all re¬ 
 treated towards Argos and Napoli di Romania ; 
 having surrendered their houses and homes to 
 the flames, with all the standing crops in the 
 vicinity. As he foresaw, Ibrahim did not re¬ 
 main long at Leondari, and, on the 20th of June, 
 he entered Tripolizza, of course without oppo¬ 
 sition, where he still remains, with about 7000 
 troops, 600 of whom are cavalry. 
 
 (Hydra.) June %5th .—I have, this day, been 
 witness to a scene of slaughter, in Hydra, which 
 must ever remain a stain upon the character 
 of its inhabitants; and, at the recollection of 
 which, I yet shudder with involuntary horror. 
 
 I had made an agreement with the owner of 
 a caique, which was to sail for Napoli di Ro~ 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 24 ? 5 
 
 mania in the evening ; and accordingly, at four 
 o’clock, I walked down to the Marino, and had 
 my portmanteau stowed on board the boat, 
 which was to get under weigh almost immedi¬ 
 ately. In the meantime, I sat down with Mr. 
 Masson, Canaris, and a few Hydriots, on the 
 balcony of a coffee-house, to await the arrival of 
 the Karavikyrios. Whilst here, a brig arrived 
 from the fleet, and entered the harbour, with 
 a fair wind. It brought the disastrous intelli¬ 
 gence, that the ship of Captain Athanasius 
 Kreisi (son to the old gentleman mentioned 
 before) had been blown up, a few days be¬ 
 fore, in the midst of the fleet at Vathico; and 
 himself, his brother, and sixty seamen de¬ 
 stroyed. It appeared, from the evidence of one 
 of the sailors who escaped with life, that the cap¬ 
 tain was that day to have had a few other com¬ 
 manders of the fleet at dinner; and, in the hurry 
 of his preparation, had struck a refractory Turk¬ 
 ish slave, who had been for some time on board. 
 The wretch immediately went below, and, in 
 
9A6 
 
 GEEECE IN 1825. 
 
 his thirst for vengeance, set fire to the powder- 
 magazine, and blew up himself, his captain, and 
 shipmates. 
 
 There is, perhaps, no spot in the world, 
 where the ties of blood and clanship have more 
 closely united the inhabitants, than at Hydra: 
 and the sensation produced by this event may 
 be readily conceived, when it is considered, that 
 every individul thus destroyed was connected 
 intimately with almost the whole population, 
 by birth, marriage, or the bonds of friendship ; 
 and that, as the officers and crew of every ship 
 are almost invariably related to each other, in 
 a nearer or more remote degree, a whole family, 
 and that one of the most distinguished, was 
 thus, at a blow, eradicated from the midst of 
 the community. 
 
 The news spread instantly, from end to 
 end of the Marino; and seemed to produce 
 an extraordinary sensation. In a few moments, 
 from the balcony where I sat, my attention 
 was attracted by the unusual commotion 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 247 
 
 of the crowd below, which now consisted of 
 4 or 5000. They kept rushing backward and 
 forward, but always tending towards the door 
 of a monastery close by me; one apartment of 
 which served for the office of the Marino, and 
 another for the prison, in which were confined 
 a large number of Turkish captives. I asked 
 a Hydriot, who sat beside me, what was the 
 meaning of the commotion in the crowd: he 
 replied, with little emotion, “ perhaps going to 
 kill a Turk.” His words were scarcely uttered, 
 when the door of the monastery, not twenty 
 paces from me, was burst open, and a crowd 
 rushed out, forcing before them a young Turk, 
 of extremely fine appearance; tall, athletic, 
 and well-formed. But I shall never forget the 
 expression of his countenance at this awful mo¬ 
 ment. He was driven out almost naked, with 
 the exception of a pair of trowsers,—his hands 
 held behind his back,—his head thrust forwards, 
 —and a hell of horror seemed depicted in his 
 face. He made but one step over the threshold, 
 
248 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 when a hundred ataghans were planted in his 
 body. He staggered forward, and fell, a shape¬ 
 less mass of blood and bowels, surrounded 
 by a crowd of his enraged executioners, each 
 eager to smear his knife with the blood of 
 his victim. By this time, another wretch was 
 dragged forward, and shared the same fate : 
 another, and another followed, whilst I was 
 obliged to remain a horrified spectator of the 
 massacre; as the defenceless wretches were 
 butchered almost at the foot of the stairs by 
 which I must have descended, in order to make 
 my escape. Each was, in turn, driven beyond 
 the door, and got a short run through the 
 crowd, and fell piecemeal, till, at length, his 
 carcase lost all form of humanity, beneath the 
 knives of his enemies. Some few died bravely, 
 never attempting to escape, but falling on the 
 spot, where they received the first thrust of the 
 ataghans: other weaker wretches made an 
 effort to reach the sea, through the crowd, but 
 sunk down beneath a thousand stabs, scream- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 249 
 
 ing for mercy, and covering their faces with 
 their gory hands. 
 
 In the meantime, I had got within the cafe, 
 and closed the door and windows; within, 
 were a few of the young Primates, who were 
 sinking with shame and horror, for the actions 
 of their countrymen ; and the noble Canaris 
 was lying on a bench, drowned in tears. 
 Here I remained for some time; till, taking 
 advantage of a momentary pause in the scene 
 below, I rushed down stairs, and escaped by a 
 bye-path to my lodgings. During the whole 
 course of the evening, the work of slaughter 
 continued: after butchering every inmate of the 
 prison, they brought out every slave from the 
 houses, and from on board the ships in the 
 harbour, and put all to death on the shore. 
 During the course of the evening, upwards 
 of 200 wretches were thus sacrificed to the 
 fury of the mob ; and, at length, wearied with 
 blood, they dragged them down to the beach ; 
 and, stowing their carcases in boats, carried 
 m 5 
 
250 
 
 GREECE m 182 5. 
 
 them round to the other side of the Island? 
 and flung them into the sea, where numbers 
 of them were floating some days after, when 
 Captain Spencer passed with the Naiad. During 
 the continuance of all this scene, which lasted 
 for many hours, no attempt was made by the 
 Primates to check the fury of the crowd. Per¬ 
 haps they were aware of their inability; but 
 it is little to their honour that they did not, 
 at least, make an effort. Some days after, on 
 speaking of the transaction, they merely said 
 it was a disgraceful occurrence, and they were 
 sorry it had happened; but that, in fact, they 
 had no means of keeping prisoners of war: 
 thus indirectly admitting the justice of the 
 deed, nor even attempting to excuse their own 
 non-interference. With the lower orders, there 
 never appeared any symptom of remorse. Those 
 who had been the perpetrators of the deed, 
 were never censured; nor was any investigation 
 made of the affair; on the contrary, they walked 
 about the streets as much applauded, and as 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 251 
 
 highly esteemed, as if they had achieved some 
 meritorious services: whilst those who had not 
 participated in the murder, spoke of it with 
 complacency, and even approval. Some few 
 of the sons of the Primates were the only part 
 of the population who seemed aware of the 
 enormity of the deed; and, whilst they con¬ 
 demned the conduct of their countrymen, they 
 lamented deeply that such an example of ap¬ 
 plauded murder should be set to their children. 
 
 It happened, unfortunately, that no Euro¬ 
 pean ships were at Hydra at the moment; as 
 their interference might have prevented this 
 deed of shame. The story was, however, kept 
 very secret: it was scarcely known, for some 
 time? at Napoli di Romania; and an English 
 gentleman was the first to inform Captain Ha¬ 
 milton, of the Cambrian, of it, several days 
 after, though he had been lying at Napoli du¬ 
 ring the occurrence. Captain Hamilton im¬ 
 mediately sent off a vessel of war to Spezzia 
 and Hydra, with orders to take on board any 
 
252 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 other slaves or captives who might have been 
 spared, since the inhabitants did not know how 
 to treat their prisoners. 
 
 June 26^.—-This morning, a caique arrived 
 from Napoli di Romania, with intelligence that 
 Ibrahim Pacha, with his troops, were encamped 
 between Mylos and Argos, on the shores of the 
 bay opposite Napoli di Romania ; at a distance 
 from the town of merely half an hour by sea, 
 and three hours along the shore. It appears, 
 that Colocotroni, imagining that the Pacha’s 
 line of march from Tripolizza, was intended to 
 lie in the direction of Patras, had drawn off 
 all his troops to occupy the passes in that quar¬ 
 ter; thus leaving the route to Napoli unde¬ 
 fended. By this, Ibrahim set out on Thurldav, 
 and on Friday, the 24th, news of his movement 
 arrived at Napoli di Romania. 
 
 The position of Mylos was immediately oc¬ 
 cupied b}^ Prince Demetrius Ipsilanti, wdth a 
 body of irregular soldiers, and a division of 
 the tacticians from Napoli; in all, amounting 
 to about 250 men. The village itself contains 
 
GREECE IN 182a. 
 
 c 253 
 
 merely a few houses and gardens, surrounding 
 a small dogana; but might be of the utmost 
 importance in the protection of Napoli: as, in 
 case of a blockade, the stream which supplies 
 the latter could very easily be cut off ; when 
 water could only be brought from the opposite 
 side of the bay. And again, as Napoli contains 
 no mills within the walls, it has always been 
 furnished with ground corn, by means of those 
 of Mylos. 
 
 Early, on Saturday morning, the Egyptian 
 line was seen descending the hills which lead 
 to the rear of the village. About 11 o’clock, 
 they had gained the plain; but, instead of 
 making any attempt on Mylos, they seemed 
 to be only intent on pursuing their course 
 towards Argos: and, for this purpose, passed 
 down a narrow plain, lying between the village 
 and the surrounding hills. Just, however, as the 
 rear of their line had passed Mylos, a volley 
 of musquetry was discharged by the Greeks; 
 a ball from which wounded Colonel Seve, a 
 French renegado; who, under the name of 
 
254 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 Soliman Bey, has long been the chief military 
 assistant of the Pacha, and the agent for the 
 organization of the Egyptian troops. Imme¬ 
 diately the line halted; and, after some little 
 delay, the main body passed on towards Argos, 
 whilst about 2000 of the rear-guard remained 
 behind, and advanced to the attack of the 
 village. 
 
 Fortunately the nature of the ground was 
 such as to render the assistance of the cavalry 
 impossible. They were obliged, after some use¬ 
 less manoeuvres in front of the Greek intrench- 
 ment, to retire with the loss of a few men. 
 The main body, however, charged the garrison 
 so closely, that, driven from every post, they 
 were obliged to retire behind the fence of an 
 orchard on the sea-shore; where they had a 
 defence of three tambours, or low walls, between 
 them and the enemy. The two first of these 
 were quickly forced, and, driven behind the 
 third with no possibility of further retreat, and 
 nearly surrounded by the overpowering numbers 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 255 
 
 of the enemy, their case now seemed desperate. 
 The Egyptians, at length, advanced almost close 
 to the third wall; “ Now, my brothers,'” ex¬ 
 claimed a Greek capitano, “ is the moment to 
 draw our swordswith those words, he flung 
 away his musket, and, springing over the 
 fence, followed by the greater body of his men, 
 attacked the enemy with his ataghan. A des¬ 
 perate conflict ensued for some moments; till 
 the Egyptians, terrified by the sudden enthu¬ 
 siasm of their foes, at length gave way, and 
 commenced retreating towards the plain, whi¬ 
 ther they were pursued, for some distance, by 
 the victorious Greeks. Here they again rallied, 
 and formed in order ; but, instead of again 
 renewing the attack, they left the Greeks in 
 possession of the village, and continued their 
 march to rejoin their comrades, who about 
 mid-day encamped within three or four miles 
 of Argos. 
 
 ( Hydra ,) June 21th .—A boat from Athens, 
 has this morning brought the news of the death 
 
S58 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 of Ulysses, which had occurred some days be¬ 
 fore. The unfortunate chieftain had been con¬ 
 fined, since his capture, in the lofty Venetian 
 tower on the Acropolis. The story circulated 
 is, that he had attempted to make his escape 
 by a rope, which broke in his descent; and he 
 was dashed to pieces on the pavement at the 
 base of the tower. But there are so many 
 circumstances to confute the probability of this, 
 that there can be no doubt that he has been 
 secretly put to death by order of the Govern¬ 
 ment ; and this story feigned, to cover their own 
 imbecility in not daring openly to condemn, 
 or bring to trial, a man whom they still dreaded, 
 and of whose guilt they were unable to produce 
 convicting proofs. In the first place, the soldier 
 who had the means of bringing to him such a 
 length of rope, as would be sufficient to lower 
 him a height of sixty or seventy feet, could as 
 readily have facilitated his descent by the ordi¬ 
 nary means; and, secondly, Ulysses would not 
 have been so unwise as to attempt an escape 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 257 
 
 where this first and to him fatal step was 
 by far the easiest; as, even if he gained the 
 ground in safety, he had still the guards to 
 elude, and two strong gates and several walls 
 to scale, before he could reach the edge of 
 the precipice, on which the citadel stands; and 
 which opposes a much more effective and terrific 
 barrier to his further escape, than the height 
 of the Venetian tower. However, his race is 
 run; and the favourite elevc of Ali Pacha, and 
 subsequent lord of Livadia, now lies a dis¬ 
 honoured and branded traitor, in an obscure 
 spot at the base of the Acropolis. 
 
 June %Qth .—Since Sunday, no boats have ar¬ 
 rived from Napoli; and, of course, the utmost 
 anxiety prevails here, as to the event of the 
 Pacha’s movements in its vicinity. This evening, 
 however, a caique arrived, with despatches from 
 the Government ; the substance of which is 
 as follows;—After the attempt on Mylos, the 
 Egyptians passed on unmolested, and encamped 
 about three miles from the town of Argos; the 
 
258 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 inhabitants of which, on the first notice of their 
 approach, had fled to Napoli di Romania, with 
 what little of their property they were able to 
 carry off; leaving their houses and homes to 
 the mercy of the enemy. On Sunday morn¬ 
 ing, the flames, which were clearly visible at 
 Napoli in that direction, told that the Pacha’s 
 troops were in motion; they had advanced to 
 the town, and, finding it totally deserted, set 
 fire to it in various quarters, and reduced the 
 whole to ruins. The remainder of the day all 
 was quiet; but early on Monday morning a 
 party of cavalry were discovered on their march 
 towards Napoli di Romania—all was instantly 
 in bustle and confusion on their approach ; how¬ 
 ever, as they proved to be only about 700 in 
 number, the panic soon subsided: and a party of 
 mounted Greeks, about eighty, who sallied out 
 to meet them, succeeded in putting them to flight, 
 with the loss of one man. They then retired 
 towards their encampment, and the same even¬ 
 ing, having struck his tents, the Pacha set out 
 
GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 259 
 
 on his return towards Tripolizza. Colocotroni, 
 who had been advertised of his march towards 
 Napoli, had, with all haste, returned from 
 Kantena, to occupy the Parthenian passes in 
 his rear, and by that means cut off his return 
 towards Modon; and was now stationed with 
 a large body of troops on the Bey’s causeway, 
 where the slightest opposition must have proved 
 fatal to the Pacha’s army. Such, however, was 
 his superior knowledge of the country, and the 
 movements of the Greeks, that, dividing his 
 line into two columns, he passed on each side 
 of the Moreots, and uniting again in their 
 rear, had reached Tripolizza in safety, ere Colo¬ 
 cotroni was aware of his departure from Myios. 
 Here he had again established his head-quar¬ 
 ters ; and of his further movements, the Govern¬ 
 ment seemed to have no idea, nor intimation. 
 
 What might be the Pacha’s object in thus 
 descending upon the capital, without making any 
 attempt upon it, and again returning through 
 such a defensible country, with a mere handful of 
 
260 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 followers, it is difficult to imagine. It is said, that 
 he meant to unite at the Isthmus, with a divi¬ 
 sion of the troops in Livadia, and thence return 
 to the siege of Napoli; and again, that he ex¬ 
 pected to meet the Turkish fleet in the Bay, 
 with stores and reinforcements. A letter, too, 
 had been intercepted on Sunday morning, (being 
 found on the person of a Turk, in the Greek 
 costume, who attempted to pass the gates;) 
 which, without address or signature, demanded 
 accurate information of the state of affairs at 
 the moment, and was evidently part of a cor¬ 
 respondence respecting the surrender of the 
 town. Be it as it may, such a rash attempt 
 would never have been made, without some 
 important inducement; nor could it have thus 
 far succeeded, without the most accurate in¬ 
 formation respecting the intricate passes of the 
 mountains, and the present state of the army. 
 
 (Napoli di Romania.) Thursday, 30 th June .— 
 I arrived here this evening, from Hydra, and, on 
 entering the bay, found a number of English ves- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 261 
 
 sels of war at anchor :—two frigates, the Cam¬ 
 brian, Captain Hamilton ; and the Nero, Hon. 
 Captain Spencer; and the Rose, a corvette, 
 commanded by the Hon. Captain Abbot. But 
 I have seldom witnessed a scene of confusion 
 and filth to equal the appearance of the town: 
 on every side, around the walls, were pitched the 
 tents of the unfortunate refugees from Tripo¬ 
 li zza and Argos, who had not been permitted 
 to enter the city, for fear of increasing the con¬ 
 tagious fever; and within the walls, the streets 
 were thronged with soldiers, who had assem¬ 
 bled from all quarters for the defence of the 
 town, or their own protection. Every shop was 
 closed, and it was with difficulty that we could 
 procure a few biscuits, some olives, and a little 
 cloying sweet wine for supper; the peasantry in 
 the vicinity having all fled on the appearance 
 of the Egyptians, and no longer bringing in 
 the necessary supplies of provisions for the 
 inhabitants of Napoli. All the houses were 
 filled w ithsoldiers ; my own lodgings were oc- 
 
262 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 cupied by eighteen; the streets were every¬ 
 where in confusion with the quarrels of the new 
 comers and the inhabitants, and the utmost 
 efforts of the regular corps were scarcely suffi¬ 
 cient to keep down the turbulence of the un¬ 
 disciplined soldiery. During the night, the 
 whole body continued under arms, in the pub¬ 
 lic square; awaiting every moment a general 
 insurrection, threatened by the irregular troops, 
 to plunder the town, and make up their defi¬ 
 ciency of pay. This, however, did not occur; 
 and after a sleepless night of alarm and anxiety, 
 morning broke and found all in a state of 
 comparative quiet. Every Greek whom I met 
 appeared at the acme of perplexity; and their 
 gratitude for their present escape was almost 
 overcome by their anxiety for future events. 
 
 The Government seemed paralyzed at the suc¬ 
 cesses of the enemy ; and at thus seeing a for¬ 
 merly despised foe advance openly beneath their 
 very walls, and again return unmolested through 
 the heart of their country. Neither were their 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 263 
 
 hopes by any means raised on the receipt of a 
 letter from Colocotroni, who was in the vicinity of 
 Tripolizza, in which he loudly complained of the 
 conduct of his troops ; of their pusillanimity in 
 formerly fetreating, and leaving every pass un¬ 
 disputed to the enemy: and that now, though 
 his numbers were by no means deficient, and a 
 spirited attack on Tripolizza might be attended 
 with glorious results, he found it impossible to 
 induce a single soldier to follow him. 
 
 13ut they had still another source of perplexi¬ 
 ty—the existence of their eternal factions; which, 
 though formerly chiefly affecting personal ag¬ 
 grandizement, now began to take a wider range. 
 It was on the 12th of April that General Roche, 
 whom I have before had occasion to mention, 
 arrived at Napoli di Romania. He was furnished 
 with credentials from the Greek Committee of 
 Paris, and declared his objects were solely a desire 
 to benefit Greece; to obtain a thorough know- 
 lodge of the state of the country, and so be 
 enabled to inform his colleagues at home of the 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 264 
 
 most advantageous channel in which to direct 
 their efforts; and, in the mean time, to devote his 
 talents and attention to the forming of regular 
 troops. 
 
 Thus recommended, and with those philan¬ 
 thropic intentions, he soon of course became a 
 favourite with the Government; but a very short 
 time elapsed ere he commenced the develope- 
 ment of further views ; reprobated the present 
 form of government, discountenanced the idea 
 of a future republic, in a country which contain¬ 
 ed neither distinguished talent to form a legisla¬ 
 ture, nor national virtue to support it; declared 
 his opinion in favour of a monarchy, and finally 
 proposed as sovereign, the second son of the duke 
 of Orleans. This, however, was merely the sub¬ 
 stance of private conversations, till, on the loss 
 of Navarino, he openly offered his plan to the 
 Government; with a promise of the assistance of 
 12,000 disciplined French troops, in case of its 
 acceptance. The idea, it is scarcely necessary to 
 say, was rejected; but the intrigues of the gene- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 265 
 
 ral and the French commodore, De Rigny, still 
 continued; every fresh disaster giving a fresh 
 opening to their efforts, till at length it was 
 not only openly spoken of by the French fac¬ 
 tion, and its expediency urged in the public 
 cafes, but a party was even formed in its fa¬ 
 vour amongst the members of the Govern¬ 
 ment; strongly opposed, however, by the Hy¬ 
 driots Mavrocordato and Tricoupi, who declared 
 that in case any protection or interference was 
 found requisite, the most efficient power to 
 apply to was Great Britain. 
 
 At the -present crisis it seemed evident that 
 some foreign interference must be sought, but 
 faction prevented any decision respecting the 
 proper quarter in which to make application. 
 Affairs seemed quickly hastening to a crisis ; all 
 looked with eager solicitude to the efforts of the 
 fleet to prevent a fresh arrival of troops, and all, 
 uncertain what course to pursue, waited with 
 anxiety the first turn of affairs to determine 
 their motions. 
 
 VOL. i. n 
 
266 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 July 2d .— 1 This evening news reached Napoli 
 di Romania, of the arrival of the Egyptian 
 fleet at Navarino, with two thousand irregu¬ 
 lar and three thousand regular troops. The 
 Greek fleet had left Vathico on the 26ih in¬ 
 stant, on their return to Candia, and the day 
 after had fallen in with the enemy’s squadron 
 on its return. The weather was so calm that 
 no efforts could be made against them; the 
 enemy, however, hourly gained way, by the 
 light winds which blew in their favour. At 
 length the Greeks taking advantage of an ap¬ 
 parently favourable moment, attacked them, 
 
 they were obliged to return, and the enemy 
 passing on, arrived in safety at their desti¬ 
 nation. 
 
 During the last month affairs at Messolunghi 
 have been going on with but little spirit on the 
 part of the Turks, who seem evidently awaiting 
 the arrival of some fresh assistance. Their ar¬ 
 tillery consists merely of eight pieces of cannon 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 267 
 
 and four mortars, but with them they main¬ 
 tain a continual firing against the town, which 
 nevertheless sustains but little injury. The 
 provisions of the garrison are, however, quickly 
 exhausting, as well as their ammunition, and 
 fresh supplies of both have been requested from 
 Napoli di Romania. A few Greek ships are cruis¬ 
 ing in the gulph, but their assistance in the de¬ 
 fence of the town is of no avail, as they cannot 
 get close to Messolunghi on account of the 
 shoals which surround it: their only good effect 
 consequently is, the interruption of the com¬ 
 munication with Patras. A few Greek troops un¬ 
 der Giavella and Karaisca^ are blockading the 
 Turkish garrison at Salona, and occasional skir¬ 
 mishes occur in the Venetico ; but on the whole 
 no change of importance has taken place. 
 
 In the West of the Morea the peasantry are 
 likewise suffering from the incursions of the 
 garrison of Patras ; who, inspired apparently, by 
 the successes of their allies in the South, have 
 frequently made sallies from the citadel, and 
 n 2 
 
m 
 
 GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 ravaged the neighbouring country. On one oc¬ 
 casion they proceeded as far as the plains of 
 Gastouni, but having met with some opposi¬ 
 tion from the Greeks, they retired with preci¬ 
 pitation to their fortress. 
 
 July 5th .—Sailed this morning with Captain 
 Hamilton, in the Cambrian, for Zante or Corfu, 
 where he goes for the purpose of meeting Sir 
 Frederick Adam. At the time of our depar¬ 
 ture Ibrahim Pacha still remained at Tripo- 
 lizza; Colocotroni was encamped in the vici¬ 
 nity, but with no appearance of any move¬ 
 ments being attempted on either side. As we 
 passed Spezzia, we found the division of the 
 fleet belonging to t^at Island at anchor within 
 the harbour; and learned that the Hydriot 
 squadron had likewise returned, and were 
 moored within their ports. For the three fol¬ 
 lowing days, during which, with light winds, we 
 were coasting along the shores of the Morea, we 
 did not find that they had left even a guarda 
 costa to observe the movements of the enemy; 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 269 
 
 So that on Saturday the 9th, as we entered 
 the harbour of Zante, we observed the Turkish 
 squadron of forty-seven sail, with numerous 
 frigates and corvettes, steering with a fair wind 
 direct for Messolunghi, without a single Greek 
 ship to oppose their progress, or advertize the 
 garrison, and seven vessels in the harbour, of 
 their approach. Disappointed of finding Sir 
 Frederick Adam at Zante, Captain Hamilton 
 continued his course towards Corfu. On the 
 12th instant, having fallen in with his Majesty’s 
 ships Sybele and Seringapatam, the former- 
 having the Lord High Commissioner on board, 
 Captain Hamilton, after ap interview with his 1 
 Excellency, who went on shore at Santa Maura, 
 returned in company with the two frigates to 
 Napoli di Romania. On passing the entrance 
 to the Gulph of Lepanto, continued firing was 
 distinctly audible in the direction of Messo¬ 
 lunghi, but it was impossible to learn any intel¬ 
 ligence of their operations. On the 15th we 
 passed the Islands of Sapienza, and discovered 
 
270 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 a few ships a-head, four of which were under 
 Greek colours. On making a signal for them to 
 heave-to, and give us their news from the shore, 
 we were not a little surprised to see the Greeks 
 let go the other three who proved to be Aus¬ 
 trian prizes, and scamper with all sail before the 
 wind. They, however, afterwards excused them¬ 
 selves for this act of apparent cowardice by 
 stating, that they had mistaken us for Austrian 
 frigates, who, in general, make no ceremony in 
 enforcing the surrender of any prizes, however 
 lawfully taken, which happen to bear the Impe¬ 
 rial flag : so honourably do these Austrian Turks 
 observe their professed neutrality ! On the 
 18th we arrived off* Hydra, and found that its 
 division of the fleet, as well as that of the Spez- 
 ziots, had not yet put to sea. On our appear¬ 
 ance off the town, the usual deputation of the 
 Primates and others came off to pay their re¬ 
 spects to Captain Hamilton. This gentleman has 
 strongly engaged the affections of the Greeks of 
 all parties, by his honourable and consistent ob~ 
 
GREECE IX 1825. 
 
 27i 
 
 servance of the neutrality professed by his coun¬ 
 try, and by his persevering exertions wherever 
 humanity has called for his interference: there 
 is not a Greek in any district, however remote, 
 who is not perfectly familiar with his name and 
 character; and the unqualified terms of approba¬ 
 tion and esteem in which he is invariably men¬ 
 tioned by every party, bear complete testimony 
 to the unbiassed justice and philanthropy which 
 have marked the discharge of the duties of his 
 situation. 
 
 The situation in which we found affairs here 
 was not, by any means, encouraging. Previous 
 to Captain Hamilton’s departure from Napoli 
 di Romania, a deputation from the Islands had 
 requested him to take them under British pro¬ 
 tection ; he of course explained to them that he 
 had no authority to do so. Mavrocordato, who 
 now came on board with the Hydriot Primates, 
 stated that factions on this head were arriving 
 at a disagreeable height; and whilst one party 
 joining with the Islanders, declared strongly in 
 
272 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 favour of English interference, a second, at the 
 instigation of General Roche and his colleagues, 
 had sprung up amongst some of the members of 
 the Government and their immediate adherents, 
 who as loudly claimed to be placed under the flag 
 of France. Their clamours and complaints were 
 becoming daily more annoying, and Mavrocor- 
 dato stated the object of his visit to Hydra to 
 be, to unite with the Primates in urging the fleet 
 to put again to sea, and by their efforts attempt 
 to induce the populace once more to place their 
 reliance on their own exertions ; or, at least, by 
 some favourable diversion to allay the clamours 
 of faction. This, however, was no easy matter, 
 as it appears that the sailors, taking advantage 
 of the present alarming crisis, had abandoned 
 their vessels, and refused to embark again, un¬ 
 less their pay, already amounting to six or seven 
 dollars , {about thirty-Jim shillings) a months was 
 doubled , and two months were paid immediately 
 in advance . Their conduct in this, as well as 
 their motives, is truly disgraceful; the latter 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 278 
 
 'can be nothing more than their avarice, as their 
 present wages are much more than adequate for 
 their sustenance, and have been invariably paid 
 with the utmost regularity, even when the al¬ 
 lowance for the army has been allowed to run 
 in arrears. The Pacha still remained at Tripo- 
 lizza; and the passes in his rear, towards Modon, 
 having been abandoned by the Greeks, he had 
 already formed a junction with his new troops. 
 Colocotroni was yet encamped in the vicinity 
 but his soldiers could scarcely be called an army, 
 as his command over them seemed totally gone; 
 their spirits and enthusiasm fled, and their num¬ 
 bers fluctuating every hour; as one party joined 
 his standard, and another retired to secure the 
 safety of their families. Hostilities were going 
 on still at Messolunghi, where the garrison was 
 now in a state of despondency ; their provisions 
 almost gone and their stock of ammunition 
 nearly exhausted. In fact, the present moment 
 seemed the turn of the balance, private dissen¬ 
 sions running high, public factions disuniting 
 x 5 
 
274 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the leaders and men in authority, the army 
 dispirited and nerveless, and the navy solely 
 moveable, a force de V argent. 
 
 Napoli di Romania. (July 20th .)—The regu¬ 
 lar corps, now amounting to 700 men, was this 
 morning transferred to Colonel Fabrier, a 
 French officer of talent, from its late com¬ 
 mander, Rhodios, a little inefficient man, on 
 whom it had been conferred by the Government, 
 as a reward for his having conducted a negocia- 
 tion by which the small fortress in the harbour 
 was given up to the Greeks, and was a principal 
 means of the reduction of Napoli di Romania. 
 Another instalment of the late Loan has like¬ 
 wise arrived to-day, which will of course be 
 efficient in rekindling the patriotism of the 
 Hydriot seamen. 
 
 July 22nd .—Sailed this morning in His Ma¬ 
 jesty’s corvette, the Sparrowhawk, Captain 
 Stuart, whose mission is, like every other in 
 the present cause, in which the English ships 
 have interfered, one of humanity. I have al- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 275 
 
 ready mentioned the name of Mr. Trelawney, 
 the Gentleman who had espoused the sister 
 and fortunes of Ulysses. On the surrender of 
 the unfortunate chieftain, he had retired to the 
 eave on Mount Parnassus, which was still occu¬ 
 pied by Ulysses’ family, and a few of his most 
 faithful adherents: and here, in a fortress 
 impregnable by nature, they continued to hold 
 out against the soldiers of Goura, who still 
 occupied the country in the vicinity of Par¬ 
 nassus. 
 
 Amongst the inmates of the cavern was 
 one Mr. Fenton, a native of Scotland; who 
 had arrived, a mere adventurer in Greece, last 
 winter, when, during his intercourse with the 
 European residents in the Morea, he had 
 proved himself totally divested of every prin¬ 
 ciple or feeling of a gentleman. He had even 
 stooped so low as to offer himself to a per¬ 
 son in power as the assassin of Ulysses, for a 
 remuneration of a few dollars; I believe not 
 more than sixty. The proposal had been ac^ 
 
276 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 cepted, but a disagreement in the terms, or 
 some other circumstance, had prevented its 
 execution. The publicity which Fenton had 
 given to the depravity of his character, among 
 his countrymen, rendering his residence with 
 the Europeans impossible, an order from the 
 Government to leave Napoli di Romania, de¬ 
 termined him on joining the party of the very 
 man whom he had offered to assassinate, and 
 to whom his quarrel with the Government was 
 a sufficient recommendation. He was accord¬ 
 ingly received among the inmates of the cave, 
 where Mr. Trelawney, almost totally separated 
 from intercourse with his countrymen, was not 
 aware of his despicable character. After the 
 surrender of Ulysses, he had remained in the 
 same situation; rather, however, as the de¬ 
 pendant, than the companion of Trelawney, till, 
 on the death of the chieftain, he formed the 
 desperate resolution of making himself master 
 of the cave and its contents, which, by previous 
 contract, were now the property of his benefac- 
 
GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 277 
 
 tor. A few days before he made the attempt, 
 the cave was visited by a young English gen¬ 
 tleman, whose youth (nineteen) and romantic 
 spirit were easily prevailed on by Fenton to 
 become his accomplice, under a promise that, 
 if successful, he should be made a Prince of 
 Livadia. It was in the latter end of June, 
 (about the 25th,) that this young Englishman 
 arrived at the cavern; and four days after, 
 Fenton proposed to him, after dinner, that they 
 should fire at a target, whilst Trelawney stood 
 umpire. As soon as Trelawney unsuspectingly 
 advanced to examine their first shots, the con¬ 
 spirators both made their attempt at the same 
 moment. Fenton’s pistol missed fire; but the 
 young Englishman’s took effect with two balls ; 
 one of which, entering his back, passed out at 
 his breast, and broke his right arm; whilst the 
 second entered his neck, and, in its passage, 
 shattered his jaw bone. He fell immediately ; 
 but his attendants, alarmed at the reports of 
 the pistols, rushed forward, and instantly poig- 
 
278 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 narded Fenton, who died upon the spot. They 
 then, by the direction of Trelawney, who still 
 breathed, placed the Englishman in irons, at 
 the recess of the cave. Totally deprived of the 
 assistance of a surgeon, Trelawney’s recovery 
 was long doubtful; but nature at length pre¬ 
 vailed. He is still, however, confined in a 
 weak state, in the cavern, without any medical 
 attendant, and without the power to leave it; 
 as every inlet is in possession of the troops 
 of Goura: and, to attempt his rescue, Captain 
 Stuart is now sailing for Athens, where he 
 hopes to meet assistance from the local Govern¬ 
 ment to effect his purpose. 
 
 On our way, we touched at Hydra, for the 
 purpose of receiving on board Major Bacon, 
 a personal friend of Mr. Trelawney, who had 
 volunteered his services in his rescue. Our 
 passage was slow, and, at the sunset of 
 the second evening, we were becalmed off 
 the Island of Poros, the death-scene of 
 Demosthenes; the ruins of whose temple of 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 279 
 
 J upiter Panhellenius, were thrown into fine re¬ 
 lief against the glowing sky. The following 
 morning we were within view of Athens; its 
 lofty Acropolis towering above the surround¬ 
 ing plain. We were gliding along the Gulph 
 of Salamis, almost in the track so accurately 
 described by Servius Sulpicius, in his letter 
 to Cicero, when on his way from iEgina to 
 Megara :—“ dEgina was behind, Megara be¬ 
 fore me, Piraeus to the right, Corinth on the 
 left; all which towns, once famous and flourish¬ 
 ing, now lie overturned, and buried in their 
 ruins. Upon this sight, I could not but think 
 presently within myself, alas! how do we poor 
 mortals fret and vex ourselves, if any of our 
 friends happen to die or be killed, whose life 
 is yet so short; when the carcases of so many 
 noble cities lie here exposed before me, in one 
 view.” * 
 
 About ten o’clock, we came to anchor at the 
 Piraeus. The little promontory is still strewn 
 
 Middleton’s Life of Cicero. 
 
280 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 with the ruins of its former mansions. Its 
 shores are planted with cypresses, and its only 
 habitations are a few miserable houses sur- 
 rounding a dogana; where the fruit, olives, and 
 vegetables of Attica, are loaded in caiques, 
 to be transported to the Morea, and adjoining 
 Islands. It has been resolved by the Govern¬ 
 ment to give this spot to the Ipsariots, for the 
 purpose of rebuilding the Piraeus; and, though 
 the pier, and other works of the Athenians, 
 are now almost destroyed, and the basin is half 
 choked up with sand and mud, it still retains 
 sufficient depth of water and shelter, to render 
 it a convenient port for commerce. But some 
 circumstances, perhaps the want of means, have 
 as yet prevented the unfortunate islanders from 
 fixing here their second home. Our route from 
 the Piraeus, lay, for about six miles, through 
 the most luxuriant but neglected vineyards 
 and olive-groves: on emerging from which, a 
 short distance brought, us in view of the mo¬ 
 dern town, with its lofty Acropolis, crowned 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 269 
 
 with the Parthenon, still towering, like a monu¬ 
 ment, above the ruins of Athens. The for¬ 
 tifications of the city are nothing more than a 
 low, untenable wall, pierced with loop-holes, 
 for musquetry ; but in such a state of decay, 
 as to be utterly incapable of defence. The in¬ 
 habitants, however, never depend on it for 
 protection; and, at present, on a recent alarm 
 of a descent of the Turks, have fled for refuge 
 to their ancient retreat, Salamis; after placing 
 their valuable property within the fortress on 
 the Acropolis, which is of considerable strength, 
 having received some repairs and additions un¬ 
 der the government of Ulysses. The city pre¬ 
 sents a wretched picture of desolation: its nar¬ 
 row streets are half blockaded by the ruins of 
 its houses, three-fourths of which seem to have 
 been overthrown ; and those which still remain, 
 are, with the exception of the residences of the 
 consuls, miserable, tottering hovels, devoid of 
 all comfort or convenience. 
 
 But even its more interesting remains seem 
 
282 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 hurrying to decay, with a quicker pace than or¬ 
 dinary. Part of the outer covering of the Tem¬ 
 ple of Theseus has lately given way, and all its 
 columns are so shaken and displaced, that it 
 would appear, that the slightest movement of 
 the surrounding earth, was only wanted to lay 
 them prostrate. The interior, and approach of 
 the Parthenon are almost impassable from the 
 debris of the temple ; and numbers of the fallen 
 but lately perfect columns have been broken 
 up, as a substitute for balls to supply the can¬ 
 non of the fortress. The Temple of the Winds, 
 and the Lantern of Demosthenes, are almost 
 buried beneath the overthrow of the surround¬ 
 ing houses. In fact, decay seems far out¬ 
 stripping the steps of time in the destruction of 
 those inestimable relics of antiquity; and the 
 modern Athenians, though proud of these pos¬ 
 sessions seem to take no precautions for their 
 preservation. The Turks have declared their 
 intention of destroying them totally, should they 
 again gain possession of Athens; since they 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 283 
 
 deem that their presence serves to keep alive 
 the spirit of the Greeks, whilst they excite a 
 feeling of sympathy for their fate in the breasts 
 of Europeans. The operations of the Philo- 
 muse Society, though liable to frequent inter¬ 
 ruptions from the advances of the enemy, are 
 still going on extremely well; at the time of 
 our visit, the books of the library, and the few 
 antiques which form the nucleus of the Mu¬ 
 seum, had been placed for security in the Acro¬ 
 polis. The objects of the society, which has 
 been established now fifteen years, are the dis¬ 
 semination of education amongst all classes, the 
 acquisition of the modern languages, and the 
 investigation of the history and antiquities of 
 Greece. In furtherance of the latter objects, an¬ 
 tiques, or remnants of ancient sculpture, disco¬ 
 vered on the continent or islands, are no longer 
 allowed to be taken out of the country ; but 
 are to be collected by the Government for the 
 formation of a national museum. Previous to 
 the insurrection, it had succeeded in establishing 
 
284 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 schools in various parts of Greece, and two at 
 Athens, on the system of mutual instruction ; 
 with one seminary for teaching the ancient 
 Greek and European languages to the more 
 advanced students. These were attended by 
 upwards of 900 children of both sexes; but at 
 present, owing to the desertion of Athens, we 
 were unable to see them in full operation. 
 
 The affairs of the society are conducted by 
 four Ephori, who, with their Proedros or Presi¬ 
 dent, form a committee for the management 
 of its financial and other concerns. The num¬ 
 ber of members, foreigners, and others, amounts 
 at present to five hundred, and are divided into 
 two classes; who, according to the value of 
 their donations, rank as suspysrca or (rvvr)yopQi, 
 and, on their admission, are presented with a 
 diploma and the ring of the Society. 
 
 Though the inhabitants of Athens are sub- 
 ject to ophthalmia, it is supposed to have arisen 
 principally from their intercourse with the 
 Turks and Egyptians: the climate itself is said 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 285 
 
 to be the finest in Greece, and its lofty situation 
 in the vicinity of the sea, seems to countenance 
 the assertion. During my visit, the musquitos 
 were very annoying, and the heat tremendous, 
 the thermometer standing at 89° in the shade ; 
 but this was stated to be an unusually warm 
 summer, the very gusts of wind resembling the 
 heated air from a flue. 
 
 Wednesday , 27 th July ,—Yesterday morning, 
 at four o'clock, leaving the Sparrowhawk to 
 pursue her attempts for the preservation of 
 Mr. Trelawney, we sailed in His Majesty's 
 ship Sybele, Captain Pechell, for Hydra, 
 where on our arrival this morning, we were 
 not a little surprized to find the town and 
 harbour under a state of blockade from His 
 Majesty’s ships Cambrian, Naiad, Alacrity, and 
 Gaunet. For some time past the attention of 
 all the British vessels on this station has been 
 occupied in the investigation of almost daily 
 complaints of piracy, which are committed by 
 boats manned by Hydriots, who, taking advan¬ 
 tage of the disturbed state of the country, and 
 
286 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the imbecility of the Government, carry on 
 a system of predatory cruising in the vicinity 
 of the island. One vessel had lately been plun¬ 
 dered in the very harbour of Hydra, and ano¬ 
 ther in the roadstead between it and the main 
 land; but, as these depredations were usually 
 complained of by Ionian vessels, and as they 
 frequently make egregious errors in their state¬ 
 ments, there is no doubt that the affair has 
 been represented in a much worse light than it 
 really deserved. 
 
 On Saturday last, however, two English tra¬ 
 vellers, Mr. Wright and Mr. Railton, were 
 proceeding in a caique from Athens to Hydra, 
 when a boat put off, apparently from the Island 
 of Poros, and made directly for them. During 
 hei approach, none had appeared on board her 
 but the men who pulled the oars; but the mo¬ 
 ment she drew near, a number of armed Greeks, 
 springing from the bottom of the boat, levelled 
 their musquets, and ordered the travellers’ 
 caique to accompany them to Poros, from which 
 they were distant about one mile and a half. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 287 
 
 The terrified boatmen complied; and, on their 
 arrival at the shore, the travellers were searched 
 by the pirates; and one of them rifled Mr. Rail- 
 ton of a considerable sum in gold. His pistols, 
 however, were left him, and his watch, which 
 he said was a keepsake, was also returned him. 
 The party were then about starting, when 
 Mr. R. complained that they had now deprived 
 him of every para of ready money; on which, 
 they presented him with three sequins, and 
 permitted the caique to pass on her way. Im¬ 
 mediately on their arrival at Hydra, they of 
 course lodged their complaint with one of the 
 British vessels, (the Alacrity) whose boats made 
 every exertion to secure the plunderers, but in 
 vain. Some circumstances, however, transpired, 
 by which it was discovered that the robbers were 
 natives of Hydra: and, on Captain Hamilton’s 
 arrival from Napoli di Romania immediately 
 afterwards, they were, of course, demanded 
 from the Hydriot senate. The compliance with 
 this, however, was not an easy matter; since, 
 though every person in the Island, liable to 
 
284 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 be suspected of such practices, was distinctiy 
 known, still, from the concealment afforded by 
 the different solitary spots among the rocks of 
 Hydra, as well as the anxious protection of 
 their numerous friends, the Government found 
 it impossible to secure them. Some of the party 
 have, however, been recognized by the sailors of 
 the plundered caique, openly walking through 
 the streets of the town. On this aggravating 
 circumstance being communicated to Captain 
 Hamilton, their surrender was peremptorily 
 demanded. Delay however followed delay, 
 and at length, obliged to resort to compulsory 
 measures, the blockade which I have mentioned 
 was instituted. Several days more elapsed be¬ 
 fore any of the delinquents were secured ; and, 
 at last, after the utmost confusion on shore, and 
 annoyance to the British vessels, three men 
 were sent off, on whose persons part of the 
 gold had been discovered ; and who were im¬ 
 mediately recognized by Mr. Rail ton. The 
 impossibility of seizing others, being urged 
 
GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 289 
 
 by the senate, these were detained by Captain 
 Hamilton; and the blockade being raised, the 
 vessels of war separated on Saturday, the 30th 
 of July. 
 
 On August the 1st, the situation of affairs 
 was nearly as follows: at Messolunghi, hos¬ 
 tilities were still proceeding with considerable 
 vigour on the side of the Turks; and, unfor¬ 
 tunately, the presence of the hostile fleet ren¬ 
 dered it impossible for Greek ships to enter 
 with supplies of provisions and ammunition; 
 although those of the garrison were so nearly 
 exhausted, that, unless with the immediate co¬ 
 operation of the fleet, and their vigorous efforts 
 to thwart the Turkish squadron, in a very 
 short time a surrender or a capitulation must 
 ensue. The garrison of Patras still continued 
 their extensive ravages in the neighbourhood 
 of Clarenza and Gastouni; and on one oc¬ 
 casion, in the middle of July, the latter town 
 had been almost totally burned by a party of 
 Turkish cavalry. Ibrahim Pacha still remained 
 
 VOL. i. 
 
 o 
 
290 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 inactive at Tripolizza, and Colocotroni had 
 his encampment in the vicinity; but with such 
 vaccillating and dispirited troops, that he could 
 count nothing on their exertions. The country 
 in the rear of the Pacha, between Tripolizza 
 and Modon, was altogether in the possession of 
 his soldiers, who had been committing the 
 most unparalleled cruelties on all the unfortu¬ 
 nate peasantry, who chanced to fall into their 
 hands. By the Pacha’s show of clemency, on 
 the commencement of the campaign, and the 
 merciful observance of his treaties at Palaio- 
 castro and Navarino, he had expected to carry 
 all before him, with the disheartened Moreots. 
 On his march towards Tripolizza, proclama¬ 
 tions of mercy and conciliation were made at 
 the approach to every village; but the wary pea¬ 
 santry were too well instructed by former sad 
 experience, how little reliance was to be placed 
 in the sincerity or continuance of this show 
 of clemency in a Mussulman: consequently, 
 none dared to trust themselves in his power ; 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 29 L 
 
 but all, invariably, fled to the mountains on his 
 approach. Disappointment and rage now suc¬ 
 ceeded to offers of mercy and kindness. Every 
 deserted village was reduced to ashes as he 
 passed it; and every unfortunate wretch, who 
 fell into his hands, was butchered with the 
 most unrelenting tortures. At Napoli, faction 
 was still reigning; but the French party were 
 fast giving way, as the majority of the populace, 
 and the Government, were now inclined to wish 
 for British interference. Disappointed by the 
 failure of his intrigues, and irritated by the 
 open declarations of all parties in favour of 
 England, General Roche drew up a protest, 
 which was likewise signed by Mr. Wash¬ 
 ington, a young American officer who had 
 arrived in Greece in June, furnished with 
 credentials from the American Greek Com¬ 
 mittee at Boston. This production set forth, 
 as usual, the acts of kindness and good will, 
 of the French nation and Americans, towards 
 the struggling Greeks: and strongly censured 
 o 2 
 
292 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the conduct of those members of the Legis¬ 
 lature, and leaders of the people, who wished 
 for the interference of Great Britain: terming 
 it an insult, to both the Americans and French, 
 that so little confidence should be placed in 
 their professions of good will, and offers of 
 mediation and assistance in their cause. This 
 paper was, of course, treated with its merited 
 contempt by the Government and all parties: 
 and Mr. Washington, the soi-disant represen¬ 
 tative of America, in the affair, shortly after 
 left Greece, under rather awkward circum¬ 
 stances. 
 
 With the Austrians, likewise, the Government 
 had, at length, been obliged to come to an open 
 rupture. Their abominable infringements not 
 only of neutrality, but of common justice, in 
 forcibly reclaiming vessels under the Imperial 
 flag, whose cargoes of Turkish property had, 
 after a strict investigation, been declared lawful 
 prizes, had long excited the just indignation of 
 the unresisting Greeks, But, at length, on a late 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 293 
 
 occasion, when a vessel had been forcibly taken 
 out of the very harbour, and all satisfaction re¬ 
 fused, Mavrocordato, as secretary to the Govern¬ 
 ment, addressed a letter to Accourti, the Aus¬ 
 trian commodore, in which the Greek Govern¬ 
 ment declined any further communication with 
 him in an official capacity; which they con¬ 
 ceived he had not filled with integrity, and that, 
 in future, when he chose to land at Napoli di 
 Romania, he must be pleased to do so in co¬ 
 loured clothes, or as a private character. 
 
 In the mean time, it was determined at Hydra, 
 that fresh deputies should be sent to London, to 
 consult on the most expeditious and advanta¬ 
 geous means of terminating the war; whilst 
 Mons. Tricoupi was to proceed to Corfu, for 
 the purpose of consulting with the Lord High 
 Commissioner on the same subject. * 
 
 * This honourable predilection in favour of England, 
 has long been manifested by the Greek Islanders, and 
 the following extract from Lord Byron’s notes to Childe 
 Harold, shows that no alteration has taken place during 
 
294 
 
 GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 The fleet too, their demands being complied 
 with, were now actively making preparations to 
 sail for Messolunghi; part of them were already 
 at sea, whilst others were preparing to intercept 
 the return of the Egyptian squadron, which had 
 sailed to Alexandria for fresh supplies of troops 
 and military stores, for Ibrahim Pacha. 
 
 August 2d .—The Cambrian sailed yesterday 
 morning from Hydra, for Smyrna, but high 
 and contrary winds preventing her passing by 
 the straits of d'Cvo, North of Andros, she this 
 
 the last fourteen years. “ The Greeks have never lost 
 their hope, though they are now more divided in opi¬ 
 nion on the subject of their probable deliverers. Reli¬ 
 gion recommends the Russians ; but they have twice 
 been deceived, and abandoned by that power, and the 
 dreadful lesson they received from the Muscovite de¬ 
 sertion, in the Morea, has never been forgotten. The 
 French they dislike, although the subjugation of the 
 rest of Europe will, probably, be attended by the deli¬ 
 verance of continental Greece. The Islanders look to the 
 English for succour, as they have lately possessed them¬ 
 selves of the Ionian republic and Corfu. But whoever 
 appears with arms in their hands will be welcome; and 
 when that day arrives, heaven have mercy on the Otto¬ 
 mans ! They cannot expect it from the Giaours.” 
 
 “ Franciscan Convent , Athens, Jan. 23, 1811.” 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 295 
 
 evening came to an anchor at Cape Colonna. 
 Of the temple of Minerva, on the promontory, 
 two of the sixteen columns have fallen within the 
 last month, and the tottering remnants of their 
 fellows must soon follow. On the frieze of the 
 temple, which is still perfect, on the side facing 
 the J£gean, the Austrian commodore has made 
 a display of his taste, by painting the name of 
 his rase , Bellona Austriaca, in large letters, ex¬ 
 tending along its entire length. Were it on a 
 less consecrated spot, one could almost wish to 
 see its name thus linked with desolation. 
 
 The following evening we again came to an¬ 
 chor at Tino. This island, though by no means 
 equal to Syra in point of commerce, is still 
 one of the most flourishing of the Cyclades. Its 
 population amounts to about twenty thousand, 
 seven thousand of whom are Roman Catholics. 
 The chief export is cotton, of which large 
 quantities are, raw and manufactured, annually 
 sent to Syra. The principal town contains a 
 number of excellent houses, and numerous 
 
296 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 churches, rather more tastefully adorned than 
 the generality of Greek places of worship; the 
 inhabitants wear the Hydriot costume, and are 
 equally well-looking and well-dressed: the fe¬ 
 males are extremely pretty, and, with the neat 
 head-dress and semi-European costume of the 
 Smyrniot fadies, excel any other of their coun¬ 
 trywomen that I have seen. Their appearance 
 of prosperity, like that of the Hydriots, arises 
 from the circumstance of their having always 
 been governed by themselves, their haiatsch, of 
 one hundred thousand piastres, having freed 
 them from the presence of a Turkish governor; 
 and their total want of shipping not laying 
 them under any obligation to furnish seamen 
 to the Ottoman fleet. 
 
 Their senate, therefore, was composed of three 
 Greek and two Roman Catholic members, and 
 as they are not liable to the payment of their 
 capitation-tax to the Porte, and their contribu¬ 
 tion to the treasury of their own Government 
 being a mere trifle, they may, perhaps, be con- 
 
GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 297 
 
 sidered as the most flourishing portion of the 
 Greek population. 
 
 On the 5th, we wrought up slowly through 
 the straits of Scio. This beautiful Island is now 
 rapidly recovering from its late overthrow. A 
 new Turkish Pacha has been appointed to its 
 command, whose kindness and humanity have 
 long rendered him a favourite with the Greeks 
 in Asia Minor; consequently, a population is 
 quickly collecting, and fifteen thousand Greeks 
 are, already, said to be living on the island. 
 The town, however, as we passed it, presented 
 a miserable spectacle, roofless, and in ruins; its 
 houses apparently desolate and half overthrown. 
 Its wretchedness, too, seemed more horrible, 
 when contrasted with the causes which have 
 produced it, and the luxuriant gardens, vine¬ 
 yards, and olive-groves, with which it is sur¬ 
 rounded. 
 
 On the 6th, we came to anchor at Smyrna, 
 and it was with feelings of disgust, and ideas of 
 massacre, cruelty, and superstition, associated in 
 o 5 
 
298 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 my mind, that I entered it:—the birth-place of 
 Homer, now polluted by the soul-enslaved fol¬ 
 lowers of Mohamed! The appearance of the 
 town from the sea, though possessing no¬ 
 thing striking, is interesting and pretty; the 
 well-built residences of the Frank merchants, 
 which line the Marino, forming a pleasing 
 relief to the romantic background of mosques, 
 minarets, and cypresses. Like Constantinople, 
 it is divided into two quarters, one of which is 
 inhabited solely by Turks, the other by Jews, 
 Armenians, Greeks, and Europeans. That of 
 the Turks is, as usual, abominably filthy, with 
 narrow streets and wretched wooden houses; 
 and though many of the latter are to be found 
 in the Frank quarter, there are still several 
 fine houses, especially the consulates, and those 
 of the Frank merchants. The mosques are in 
 general larger and finer than the remains of any 
 in Greece: one, handsomer than the rest, has 
 lately been constructed by the Pacha; to supply 
 materials for which, stones have been removed 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 299 
 
 from the old English burying-ground. The ba¬ 
 zaars are, of course, extensive and richly stored, 
 and the display of fruit in the markets at this 
 season extremely fine. The weather being exces¬ 
 sively warm, sherbets are to be procured at every 
 comer, and delicious ices in all the restaura¬ 
 teurs. Musquitoes, however, are extremely nu¬ 
 merous, and proportionably annoying ; and the 
 excessive heat, together with these and swarms 
 of vermin, must render a summer residence at 
 Smyrna any thing but agreeable. The popula¬ 
 tion is extremely mixed, but all seem to join 
 in the universal outcry against the unfortunate 
 Greeks; the helplessness of the latter drawing 
 down on them the insults of the Turks, Their 
 aggressions and outrages give rise to frequent 
 tumults, to the annoyance, of course, of the 
 Franks, in whose quarter they occur; and who 
 are always well inclined to lay the blame of 
 their origin on the weaker party, the wretched 
 Greeks, whose misfortunes are thus only a pro¬ 
 vocative to the hatred of their neighbours. 
 
300 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 The Armenians are always well treated by the 
 Turks, who are aware of their importance as 
 Droguemans ; but several accidents having oc¬ 
 curred, in which some of them have been 
 murdered by mistake, from there being no 
 distinction between their costume and that of 
 the devoted Greeks, they have now assumed a 
 peculiar cap as a distinguishing protection. I 
 have seldom seen a more beautiful population 
 than the female portion of the Greek inhabitants 
 of Smyrna. A greater attention to dress has 
 given them that symmetry of figure so decidedly 
 wanting in the ladies of Greece ; and a peculiar 
 taste in their head-dresses, and in the selection 
 of their ornaments, adds considerably to the 
 beauty of their rich complexions, jetty locks, 
 and sparkling eyes. 
 
 It is now nearly ten years since the plague 
 has made its appearance, to any extent, in the 
 town ; which is attributed by the Franks to the 
 additional precautions which the Turks are 
 now beginning to take for its suppression. But 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 301 
 
 their other constant cause of alarm, fire, seems 
 still flourishing in full vigour. On the Saturday 
 before our arrival, a destructive fire had con¬ 
 sumed a great part of the palace of the Pacha. 
 On the evening of the following Saturday, (6th) 
 another had broken out in the Frank quarter, 
 which, after destroying seven houses, was fi¬ 
 nally extinguished; almost solely by the active 
 exertions of the officers and crews of the Cam¬ 
 brian and Alacrity. And on Saturday, (13th) 
 another in the rear of the British Consulate, 
 after consuming six houses, was with difficulty 
 got under by the same means. The unfortu¬ 
 nate Samians, impelled by famine, still continue 
 their descents on the country, south of Smyrna; 
 and, after some skirmishing with the Turks, 
 which generally ends in the death of a few on 
 both sides, retire again to their Island, with 
 their booty of sheep and provisions. These pro¬ 
 vocations have long excited the resentment of 
 the Porte, who have talked of putting an end 
 to them, in their usual way, by a massacre. No 
 
302 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 active measures have, however, been taken as 
 yet; but it is expected that the continuance 
 of these incursions, on the part of the hungry 
 Samians, will finally terminate in drawing down 
 on them the summary vengeance of the Mussul¬ 
 mans. 
 
 Saturday the 13 th. The Sparrowhawk ar¬ 
 rived at Smyrna, with Mr. Trelawney and his 
 wife on board, having succeeded in effecting 
 their rescue, after, with difficulty, prevailing on 
 Goura to grant them an exit from the cave ; 
 which, however, is still in the hands of Ulys¬ 
 ses’ wife and her adherents. Trelawney is still 
 weak, but gradually recovering. Before his 
 departure from the cavern, he had generously 
 set the Englishman at liberty, in consideration 
 of his youth, and from a regard for the feel¬ 
 ings of his family, who are stated to be of the 
 first respectability. 
 
 Tuesday , 1 6th. Sailed from Smyrna in a 
 merchant vessel for Zante. As we passed close 
 by Ipsara on the Friday following, it presented 
 
GEEECE EN 1825. 
 
 m 
 
 the same melancholy appearance with Scio; 
 not a human being seemed moving among 
 its desolate and roofless houses, and its noise¬ 
 less streets presented a rival picture of solitary 
 ruin. Our passage to Zante was long and 
 tedious, occasioned by light winds, which ac¬ 
 companied us almost the entire way. Off Ce- 
 rigo, we met with seventeen Greek vessels, 
 which seemed, as usual, returning from provi¬ 
 sioning at Vathico. We instantly concluded, 
 from their numbers, that the expedition against 
 Alexandria or Messolunghi, had been concluded; 
 and on our arrival at Zante, on the 28th, our 
 conjectures were confirmed. It appeared, that 
 the squadron which had sailed for Alexandria, 
 had failed in their attempts: they had entered 
 the harbour with three brulots ; but, instead of 
 attacking a few small vessels which lay ad¬ 
 vantageously at the mouth of the harbour, and 
 which, if once fired, must have communicated 
 the flames to the remainder, from the nature of 
 the wind and their position, they pushed on 
 
304 
 
 GHEECE IN 1825. 
 
 eagerly towards the mass of frigates; but the 
 activity and ready precautions of the Egyptians 
 evaded their efforts, and, though the brulots were 
 burned, it was without effect; and the squa¬ 
 dron was at length obliged to retire completely 
 thwarted. The attempts of the other division 
 of Messolunghi had, however, been crowned 
 with success. For some days after their arrival, 
 they had remained almost inactive, the Turk¬ 
 ish vessels having taken their position before the 
 narrow channel which leads through the shal¬ 
 lows towards the town. Some skirmishes as usual 
 had taken place as often as the Greeks appeared 
 to advance, or put themselves in motion. Delay 
 was, however, of fatal consequences to the be¬ 
 sieged garrison: the station of the Turks pre¬ 
 cluded the possibility of their own ships con¬ 
 veying their supplies of ammunition or provi¬ 
 sions, and the inhabitants were now reduced to 
 such straits through want of them, that a capi¬ 
 tulation was actually on foot. At this crisis, a 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 305 
 
 dark night, and a favourable wind seconded the 
 efforts of the Greek squadron, who slowly and 
 securely passed the Turkish line, and their posi¬ 
 tion between them and the town. As day broke, 
 the dismay of the Turks was unbounded ; but, 
 without making any efforts to regain their sta¬ 
 tion, they quickly drew further off into the 
 gulph. The Greeks now lost no time in throw¬ 
 ing in sufficient stores into the town, to ensure 
 its further security; whilst about mid-day the 
 Turks, without firing a shot, left the Gulph, and 
 steered North, as was imagined, for Durazzo, in 
 the Bay of Sodrino, The Greeks remained a 
 short time before the town; but all apprehen¬ 
 sion for its safety being at length removed, they 
 sailed southward to rejoin their companions off' 
 Cape Matapan; and on the 30th, their united 
 forces having recruited their stock of brulots, 
 were again under sail in the Straits of Zante, 
 directing their course for Durazzo. They passed 
 on, but the following day having learned that 
 
306 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the Turks had sailed for Rhodes, they again 
 returned and steered southward in pursuit of 
 them. 
 
 After the retreat of the Ottoman squadron 
 from Messolunghi, Ibrahim Pacha immediately 
 left Tripolizza, and retired with all his forces 
 to Calamata; a contagious disorder, with some 
 symptoms of plague, having broken out at Mo- 
 don, preventing his returning there as usual. 
 From this it would seem, that, although his 
 efforts were confined to the Morea, and those of 
 the Roumeli Valisi to Messolunghi, his further 
 movements were to depend on the successes 
 North of the Isthmus; and that the retreat of the 
 fleet having given a decisive blow to the hopes 
 of Kiaoutaches, he was resolved to await in a 
 more secure position than Tripolizza, the arrival 
 of his fresh troops and the event of affairs 
 at Messolunghi. 
 
 ( Cephalonia.) September 14i th .—The weather 
 having for some days back been stormy and 
 unusually wet, great hopes were entertained 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 307 
 
 that the change of the season would have its 
 usual effect in shortening the campaign in 
 Greece : in fact, such is the state of affairs, that 
 its continuance cannot promise at this moment 
 any very favourable results. Accordingly, boats 
 have this morning arrived from Messolunghi, 
 with intelligence of the Turks having hastily 
 retired from before the town, and commenced 
 their retreat in the direction of Arta. Such is 
 the termination of the third attempt on Messo¬ 
 lunghi, from which it has come out with in¬ 
 creased laurels; and its noble defenders are 
 now enjoying the congratulations of those for 
 whom they have preserved their families and 
 their homes. The report states, that the great¬ 
 est rejoicings had taken place at Messolunghi, 
 the Greeks coming in from the Morea to ap¬ 
 plaud the bravery of their countrymen; and 
 those who during the siege had been sepa¬ 
 rated and at a distance from their families were 
 now returning, freed from anxiety, to embrace 
 their families and thank their deliverers, whilst 
 
508 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 crowds were pouring out from the gates, walk¬ 
 ing over the ground lately occupied by the foe, 
 and pointing out to their children the deserted 
 works of the baffled enemy. 
 
 The report was also confirmed of a partial in¬ 
 surrection having again commenced in Candia; 
 the insurgents having succeeded in taking pos¬ 
 session of the Island of Garabousa, at the north¬ 
 western promontory of Candia, which is ex¬ 
 tremely well fortified, and contains a tolerable 
 harbour. Immediately on this intelligence, a 
 party of Greeks had been sent off from the 
 Morea to their assistance, and now garrisoned 
 the fortress, whilst a few Greek ships were 
 cruising before the Island. At the same time, 
 some dissensions had broken out in the Pa¬ 
 cha’s camp at Calamata, where a Candiot com¬ 
 mander, on the news of the insurrection, had 
 wished to return for the protection of his pro¬ 
 perty : he was, however, forcibly detained by 
 Ibrahim, who, on his proving refractory, is said 
 to have put him to death with his own hand. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 309 
 
 Extreme anxiety had long prevailed at Napoli 
 di Romania, as to the fate of the capitani at pre¬ 
 sent prisoners in the camp of the Pacha; but 
 the affair seems to be coming to an accommoda¬ 
 tion. On the surrender of Napoli, the Turkish 
 Pacha, who had held out so nobly in its defence, 
 was detained by the Greeks, when the remain¬ 
 der of the garrison and inhabitants had been 
 shipped on board the Cambrian for Smyrna. 
 Being a man of extensive information, with re¬ 
 gard to the passes and situation of the country, 
 as well as of steadiness and military talent, 
 which he had amply displayed in his defence of 
 the fortress, his surrender was at once preju¬ 
 dicial to the Greeks, and of importance to the 
 Porte, who had offered large sums for his ran¬ 
 som, which were all along warily refused. It 
 was now, however, proposed that he should be 
 given up in exchange for Hadgj Christo and the 
 Pacha’s other prisoners; and Captain Hamil¬ 
 ton, who conceived himself interested in his 
 fate, from having conducted the original capi- 
 
S10 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 tulation, volunteered his services to manage 
 the treaty for the exchange. In consequence 
 of which, a few of his officers have set out 
 for Ibrahim's head-quarters at Calamata, and 
 every hope was entertained of the liberation 
 of the capitani. 
 
 September 1 6th. — Sailed for England from 
 Cephalonia. On my departure, the situation of 
 affairs in Greece had undergone no change. 
 The campaign seemed verging on a close; 
 hostilities had ceased North of the Isthmus of 
 Corinth. Ibrahim Pacha remained at Calama- 
 ta, where he awaited his fresh supplies from 
 Alexandria; to intercept which, and pursue 
 the Turkish squadron at Rhodes, the Greek 
 fleet were still on their way, and no accounts of 
 their success had arrived. The contagion had 
 totally ceased at Modon. Colocotroni was again 
 collecting his dispersed army, and had left Na¬ 
 poli di Romania early in September for that 
 purpose. All parties were anxious for foreign 
 interference; but all seemed to look towards 
 
GREECE IN 1825- 
 
 311 
 
 Great Britain, whither Miaulis’s eldest son and 
 another of the Hydriot primates had been des¬ 
 patched in the end of August. The French 
 faction had completely failed in all their in¬ 
 trigues, and General Roche was preparing to 
 leave Greece. The organization of troops was 
 going on rapidly, twelve hundred being already 
 enrolled, as well as a party of cavalry, and a 
 small artillery corps. The triumph of Messo- 
 lunghi seemed to have given new vigour to the 
 exertions of all; and as usual, the most ardent 
 hopes were entertained for the success of the 
 ensuing campaign. 
 
 END OF THE JOURNAL. 
 
SUPPLEMENTARY REMARKS. 
 
 On looking over the foregoing pages, which 
 are, as the title professes, mere extracts from a 
 diary, kept during my short residence among 
 the Greeks, I find that many remarks illustra¬ 
 tive of the genius and character of the people, 
 and the commercial and political situation of the 
 country, have of necessity been omitted. To 
 present these in a collected form, and give the 
 reader a more general idea of the state of affairs 
 in this interesting portion of Europe, I shall 
 devote a few pages as a supplement to the fore¬ 
 going extracts. 
 
 With respect to the commerce of Greece, its 
 exports, and foreign trade, little can be stated 
 at present; the extreme confusion attendant on 
 so general an overthrow of the lately existing 
 Government having in fact almost totally sus¬ 
 pended it. The destruction of agricultural in¬ 
 dustry has put an end to the former exporta¬ 
 tion of grain, and the repeated levies for the 
 army necessarily curtail the number of artizans 
 employed in the cultivation and care of silk¬ 
 worms and cotton. Taking each portion indi- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 313 
 
 vidually, indeed, Greece can never be said to 
 have possessed any extensive commerce, North 
 of the Isthmus; the inhabitants being of too 
 martial a cast to attend much to agriculture or 
 industry. The exports of Livadia and Western 
 Greece were consequently only a few raw hides, 
 wool, cotton goods, and a small quantity of 
 corn ; whilst in Attica the pastoral traffic only 
 consisted in wine, oil, and honey. But since the 
 opening of the insurrection, the distinguished 
 share which Messolunghi has taken in the revo¬ 
 lution, has completely destroyed what little 
 share of commerce Livadia possessed ; whilst in 
 Attica the convulsions of war have so much en¬ 
 gaged the attention of the peasantry, that little 
 more wine is manufactured than is sufficient 
 for the consumption of Athens and the adjoin¬ 
 ing districts. Its olive-groves and vineyards 
 have been injured by the frequent incursions 
 of the enemy, so as to curtail the quantity of 
 oil; and the honey being no longer brought 
 down from Hymettus by the Calogeis, the ex¬ 
 ports of the Piraeus consist almost solely of the 
 fruit and vegetables which are shipped for Hy¬ 
 dra, Spezzia, and the neighbouring districts of 
 the Morea. In point of commerce, however, the 
 Peloponnesus has always taken the lead of the 
 vol. r. 
 
 p 
 
314 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 northern provinces, perhaps from the grea¬ 
 ter number of commodious harbours which lie 
 around its coasts. The more peaceable charac¬ 
 ter of its inhabitants has likewise given them a 
 stronger bias for industry and agriculture; and 
 the various productions which constitute the 
 riches of Northern Greece have found an equally 
 congenial soil in the Morea: though here too, 
 the influence of war has driven off the peaceful 
 followers of commerce, and her operations are 
 for the moment suspended. It may, perhaps, be 
 interesting to know the particular produce of 
 the Peninsula, which will, I trust, one day be 
 more fully and more advantageously cultivated 
 than heretofore. 
 
 The corn of the Morea has long been highly 
 prized in the adjoining Islands, and its culture 
 in consequence is proportionally extensive. Its 
 barley, however, is not so much esteemed, and 
 its growth of Indian corn has never been ex¬ 
 ported. The Peninsula is by no means a country 
 for wine, the greater portion of its consumption 
 being imported from the Archipelago: two spe¬ 
 cies, however, are admired by the Greeks,—the 
 wine of Mistra, and that of Saint George, in 
 Corinth ; though both are of only a light body, 
 and possess a disagreeable flavour, from the 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 315 
 
 turpentine with which they are purified. The 
 grapes are neither large nor finely flavoured; the 
 best being produced at Gastouni; one speciesy 
 however, the 66 raisin de Corinthe,” is exten¬ 
 sively cultivated of late, along the shores of the 
 gulphs of Lepanto and Salamis; where it has 
 usurped the fields formerly employed in the 
 raising of tobacco. Of its dried fruit, immense 
 quantities were formerly exported under the 
 name of Zante currants; and a remnant of this 
 may be said to be the only trade at present re¬ 
 maining in Greece. At the time I left Zante, 
 an English vessel, the Levant Star, of Liver¬ 
 pool, was loading currants at Vostizza, where 
 agents are annually sent from the Ionian Is¬ 
 lands to purchase the fruit from the Greeks, it 
 being delivered to foreign vessels with no other 
 restriction than a small tribute paid by each 
 ship which enters the gulph, to the Pacha of 
 Patras. 
 
 Other fruits are likewise produced in abund¬ 
 ance ; lemons, though not large, nor peculiarly 
 fine; oranges, the best of which are found at 
 Calamata ; peaches, pomegranates, apricots, 
 almonds, and a variety of shell-fruit. The figs, 
 especially those of Maina, are remarkable for 
 their sweetness, owing to the attention paid 
 
316 
 
 GREECE IN 18^5. 
 
 here, as well as throughout the Archipelago in 
 general, to the process of caprifi cation.’* House¬ 
 hold vegetables are produced in abundance ; the 
 markets of Napoli di Romania, being plenti¬ 
 fully supplied with cucumbers, pommes ft amour , 
 spinage, asparagus, and every other species in 
 the season. Olives are found in the greatest 
 
 * It is not every species of fig which requires to un¬ 
 dergo this singular process; and in fact, in some dis¬ 
 tricts of the Morea, the practice is overlooked. Of the 
 custom, which is rather a singular one, Mons. Depping 
 gives the following description:—“On distingue deux 
 sortes de figuieres, le sauvage et le domestique; l’un et 
 Fautre portent de fruits; mais ceux du figuier domes¬ 
 tique tombent avant leur maturity, si Fon n’a eu soin de 
 les feconder par le moyen des figuiers sauvages; et voici 
 comment. Lorsque le3 figuieres sauvages sont mures, 
 c’est a dire au mois de juin et de juillet, on les cueille, 
 puis on les attache a des fils pour les porter sur les 
 figuieres domestiques; bientot apres, il sort des Agues 
 sauvages de petits moucherons, qui penetrent dans les 
 fruits encore verds du figuier domestique, par ce qu’on 
 appelle Fceil du fruit, c’est ainsi que se fait la caprifi- 
 cation ; le fruit caprifie grossit, murit, et acquiert la dou¬ 
 ceur qu’il doit avoir. II parait que l’insecte qui a hale 
 la maturite du fruit se transforme en ver; pour l’em- 
 pecher d’eclore on passe les Agues au four, ou on les 
 entasse dans les vases hermetiquement fermes .”—Tome 
 2d, “LaGrece” par G. B Depping. Paris, 1823. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 317 
 
 abundance in every district, but especially in 
 Maina and Argolis; and, though very little care 
 is taken of them, the quantity of oil produced 
 was formerly immense. Almost every quarter, 
 even the wildest and most uncultivated, is co¬ 
 vered with beds of thyme, fenouil, and mint, 
 so that materials for honey are exhaustless. 
 Neither in quantity nor quality, however, is it 
 so good as that of Attica; in fact, the honey of 
 the Morea is medicinal in its properties, and 
 requires to be used with caution. Of the wax, 
 large quantities are still exported from Napoli 
 di Romania to Syra, but always in an un¬ 
 bleached state. Manna likewise, and indigo, 
 were formerly cultivated; but they are now 
 neglected, as well as the gathering of galls, 
 which used to be found in astonishing perfec¬ 
 tion in every forest. The tending of silk¬ 
 worms, though practised extensively, was not 
 attended with the usual success. A mortality 
 being incident to the worms during the spring, 
 the Greeks, instead of ascertaining a remedy 
 for it, attributed it to witchcraft, and left it to 
 take its course; so that the produce of lOOlbs. 
 of cocoons, seldom averaged more than 81bs. of 
 silk. Cotton was never grown in large quan¬ 
 tities, but its quality was remarkably white and 
 
SI 8 
 
 GREECE JN 1825* 
 
 delicate; and the culture of flax was but little 
 known. The immense flocks of Argolis, Mes- 
 senia, and the valleys of Arcadia, furnish a pro 
 portionate quantity of wool; the exportation of 
 which to the Ionian Islands, together with the 
 sheep themselves, and a little wine, constitutes 
 the only remaining remnant of the once exten¬ 
 sive trade of Pyrgos. The forests of the Mo- 
 rea are, in some districts, extremely extensive, 
 especially on the coasts of Elis, and the western 
 shores of the Morea; which have long furnished 
 oak and pines for the construction of the Hy¬ 
 driot vessels, and large quantities of vallonia 
 for exportation to Zante and Malta. 
 
 Such is the chief part of the produce of this 
 rich and romantic country, which, even during 
 the most prosperous days of fallen Greece, 
 during the reign of the Venetians, was not by 
 any means cultivated to its full extent; and 
 which, even in the later days of her slavery, 
 has proved mines of wealth to her Ottoman 
 lords. If, in addition to these, we add, that nei¬ 
 ther her mines nor minerals have ever yet been 
 even attempted to be explored, though every 
 rock and mountain-stream bears ample testi¬ 
 mony to their presence, and that her climate is 
 one of the purest in Europe, there is, surely. 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 319 
 
 no spot that, at present, holds out greater in¬ 
 ducements for enterprise or commercial specu¬ 
 lation. In fact, several English merchants have 
 already determined on opening houses of trade 
 in the Morea, as soon as the cessation of the war, 
 and the establishment of the Government give 
 a security to commerce. Patras, from its vi¬ 
 cinity to the Ionian Islands, and Livadia, as well 
 as to the currant district, holds out numerous 
 inducements to European settlers. Navarino, 
 from its superior harbour, is talked of as the 
 future residence of the enterprising Hydriots. 
 Napoli di Romania, as the seat of Government, 
 will always attract a share of foreign notice; 
 and the Piraeus is to be assigned to the ill-fated 
 Ipsariots, where the management of the com¬ 
 merce and exports of Attica may again enrich 
 them. So that, should the war terminate fa¬ 
 vourably, which there is yet reason to hope, in 
 spite of the misfortunes of the present campaign, 
 there is every prospect of wealth keeping pace 
 with the progress of liberty and intellectual im¬ 
 provement, and of Greece again resuming her 
 seat amongst the nations of Europe, their peer 
 in internal resources, freedom, and refinement. 
 
 Of the exact amount of the population, no 
 accurate statement has ever, I believe, been 
 
320 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 made. It has been estimated at different times,, 
 from &,000,000 to 3,000,000; but whether 
 this be correct, or whether it do not include 
 - the supposed Greek population in the Crimea, 
 Palestine, Russia, and other parts of Europe, 
 I cannot tell. Of the national character, so 
 much has already been written, that little re^- 
 mains to be told. The general impression 
 is undoubtedly bad, and seems to be counte¬ 
 nanced by the circumstance of their most violent 
 detractors being those who have lived longest 
 in close connection with them in Greece, the 
 Ionian republic, and Smyrna. For my part, I 
 speak as I have found them; during my residence 
 amongst them, I never met with an insult 
 nor an injury from a Greek. I have travelled 
 unmolested, through the wildest parts of their 
 country, without a guard; and with a quantity 
 of luggage, which in Southern Italy, or even in 
 more civilized states, could scarcely have escaped 
 pillage. I have never asked a favour of a Greek 
 that has not been obligingly granted: in nume¬ 
 rous instances, I have met with extreme civi¬ 
 lity, kindness, and hospitality. Others, it is true, 
 may have been less fortunate; but when they 
 state the Greeks to be constitutionally un¬ 
 mindful of kindnesses, I ask for what have they 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 
 been taught to be grateful ? If they are eager 
 for gain, it is a necessary attendant on poverty; 
 if they are cunning, their duplicity must be the 
 offspring of a long slavery, under which every 
 pretext was necessary for the protection of their 
 property from the ravages of their despots; if 
 they are depraved and savage, it is the effect of 
 a barbarous education; if cruel and ferocious 
 in their warfare, it is only against their enemies 
 and tyrants, and merely the natural yearnings 
 of the heart after vengeance, for a series of 
 crimes, injuries, and oppressions. Let us only 
 calmly contemplate for a moment, the long 
 course of slavery from which they are just 
 emerging; where, under the most galling despo¬ 
 tism, their lives and properties seemed but 
 held in tenure for their tyrants, before whose 
 nod every virtue was made to bend ; and where 
 their families and children seemed merely born 
 as subjects for the lust of their barbarous mas¬ 
 ters. Let us compare all that has been urged 
 to the disadvantage of the miserable Greeks, 
 with the causes that have produced their degra¬ 
 dation ; and the result must be, not hatred and 
 abuse, but pity, mingled with astonishment that 
 they are not a thousandfold more perverted than 
 we find them. Far, however, from coinciding 
 p 5 
 
822 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 with this sweeping condemnation of the race en 
 masse , I will maintain that on an examination of 
 the traits of character peculiar to each district, 
 we shall find the seeds of numerous virtues, how¬ 
 ever slightly developed, still discernible under 
 a mass of vices ; and which, when properly culti¬ 
 vated, under an equitable Government, cannot 
 fail to raise the Greeks high in the scale of nations. 
 
 By their Southern neighbours, the Albanians 
 have long ceased to be considered either Mussul¬ 
 mans or Greeks; their submission to Mahomet 
 the Second, and subsequent embracing of Isla- 
 mism, would naturally stamp them the former, 
 whilst their country and warlike habits bear 
 no resemblance to the luxurious, sedentary 
 habits of the Turk. They may, in fact, be con¬ 
 sidered as the connecting link of the two reli¬ 
 gions, embued with all the treachery and dupli¬ 
 city of the followers of Mahomet, but still re¬ 
 taining the spirit of hospitality, bravery, and 
 minor virtues of the Greeks. To those succeed 
 the Roumeliots, the inhabitants of what is now 
 termed Eastern and Western Greece, compris¬ 
 ing Attica, Livadia, and the territory South of 
 Epirus and Thessaly: still mindful of their con¬ 
 tests for freedom and religion, under their im¬ 
 mortal Scanderbeg, they cling closely to that 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 323 
 
 faith for which their fathers bled. And, though 
 subject to the galling yoke of the Ottoman, 
 they have still enjoyed a comparative freedom, 
 amidst their rocks and mountains: nor have 
 they ever submitted to enslave their souls, by 
 a base concession to his creed. Brave, open- 
 hearted, and sincere, their valour is their slight¬ 
 est recommendation ; and the traveller who 
 has claimed their hospitality, or the wretch 
 who has thrown himself on their protection, has 
 ever met with succour and security, beneath 
 the arm of the Roumeliot Klefti. 
 
 In the Morea, a closer connection with the 
 Turks, and various minor causes, have pro¬ 
 duced a character less amiable and exalted. 
 The greater weight of their chains has rendered 
 them crouching and servile ; and no where are 
 the traces of slavery more visible, or more 
 disgusting, than in the cringing, treacherous, 
 low-spirited Moreot; who is, nevertheless, not 
 totally divested of affection, gratitude, and a 
 hospitable wish to share his mat and humble 
 meal with the stranger. In the Messenians, 
 or natives of the South-western coast, the traits 
 of debasement are peculiarly perceptible. It 
 would appear that, from the earliest period, 
 these unfortunate people had been doomed to 
 
324 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 be the scape-goats of the Peloponnesus, for 
 merly ravaged by the Lacedaemonians. They 
 have, in later times, fled to the mountains of 
 Sparta, for protection from the Turks. Sloth¬ 
 ful and indolent by nature, they treat their 
 wives with a want of feeling unequalled in 
 Greece : and, whilst the sluggish master squats 
 at his ease, to smoke his pipe and sip his coffee, 
 the unfortunate females perform all the drudg¬ 
 ery of agriculture, and all the weightier domes¬ 
 tic duties. Two singular exceptions are, how¬ 
 ever, to be found in the Morea ; the inhabitants 
 of the district of Lalla, in Elis, and those of 
 Maina, in the South-eastern promontory. The 
 former are a colony of the Schypetan, or ban¬ 
 dit peasantry, of Albania ; who, for many ages, 
 have been settled in this spot, and, during the 
 reign of the Venetians, rendered them impor¬ 
 tant service against the Turks: but in general 
 w'ere as prejudicial to the Greeks as the Mussul¬ 
 mans. After the failure of the Russian ex¬ 
 pedition in 1770, they were joined by a fresh 
 party of their countrymen, who had likewise 
 abjured Mahomedanism; and, though they 
 turned their attention, in some degree, to agri¬ 
 culture, were principally maintained by their 
 ravages on the properties and crops of their 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 325 
 
 neighbours: with whom, they never mingled, 
 either in marriage, or even common interest. 
 Thus, to the present hour, they have lived a 
 pure Albanian colony in the very heart of the 
 Morea ; retaining all the ferocity and predatory 
 habits of their forefathers, and a valour, which 
 has been often conspicuously proved in the 
 scenes of the present revolution. 
 
 Of the Mainotes, the descendants of the an¬ 
 cient Spartans, much has been written, and 
 yet but little is known; the difficulty of pene¬ 
 trating into a country inhabited by a bandit 
 peasantry, pirates by profession, has opposed an 
 insuperable bar to the investigation of travel¬ 
 lers. Those, however, who have succeeded in 
 becoming acquainted with their habits, repre¬ 
 sent them as possessed of the common virtue 
 of barbarians—hospitality, and an unconquered 
 bravery; but disgraced by numerous vices 
 and all, without exception, robbers by sea oi 
 land. The portrait drawn of them, by Mons. 
 Fouqueville, represents them in the very worst 
 point of view; not even giving them full credit 
 for their courage: but it is most likely over¬ 
 charged, and more the estimate of reports than 
 the fruits of experience. Of their piracies, and 
 the bravery displayed in the pursuit of plunder* 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 every one has heard; but in this, their du¬ 
 plicity equalled their courage. All were en¬ 
 gaged alike, in every expedition, even the 
 women bore their share of the toil, and every 
 boat received the benediction, or was honoured 
 by the presence of a priest. Yet, even here, 
 their faith was not honourably preserved and, 
 it was no unusual thing to force the absolution 
 of their priests, after sacking and dividing the 
 plunder of their monasteries. The piracies of 
 the Mainotes have not, however, always passed 
 with impunity; and the events of the two 
 expeditions of the celebrated Hassan Pacha 
 against them, in 1779 and the subsequent 
 year, are well known. Even his conquests. 
 
 Of their internal disputes, the following story is 
 still related in the Islands.—Two Mainotes, who had 
 long shared, in common, the produce of their plunder¬ 
 ings, chanced at length to quarrel about the division 
 of the booty of a Venetian brig. Burning with resent¬ 
 ment, both dreamed but of mutual vengeance; and 
 one, (Theodore) seizing on the wife of his companion, 
 (Anapleottis,) carried her on board a Maltese cor¬ 
 sair, stationed in the bay, for the purpose of selling her, 
 to make up his defective share of the plunder. The 
 Maltese, after long intreaty on the part of the Greek, 
 refused to purchase her at so high a price, as, he said, 
 that he had just procured another at a much cheaper 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 m 
 
 however, though aided by internal treachery, 
 did not extend over the entire district of Mai- 
 na; and its inhabitants, to this day, are fond 
 of boasting that their territory has never 
 fallen beneath the arms of any conqueror. 
 
 Of the Hydriots and Spezziots, sufficiently 
 ample details have been given in the foregoing 
 extracts. Among their higher orders I have 
 always found much to admire and to esteem; 
 but of the lower classes I have formed by 
 
 rate; whom, at the request of Theodore, he produced 
 for his inspection. She was brought forward, and, to 
 the confusion of the Mainote, proved to be his own wife, 
 his accomplice having anticipated him, and disposed of 
 his spouse two hours before. He, however, concealed 
 his chagrin, and gave Anapleottis’s wife for the proffered 
 price of the Maltese, and returned on shore; where he 
 met his quondam ally, apprized of his loss, and thirsting 
 for vengeance. The worthy friends were not long, 
 however, in coming to an understanding. Without 
 arousing suspicion, they went together on board the 
 Maltese, and, without much ceremony, forced him to re¬ 
 store the wives of both. This complied with, and, satis¬ 
 fied with their mutual revenge, which had proved a 
 mutual gain, they again returned; and, as firmly united 
 as ever, continued, in common, their former desperate 
 calling. 
 
s:s 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 any means so favourable an opinion. The 
 other inhabitants of the Archipelago present 
 different traits of character in almost every Is¬ 
 land, as they have come more or less in contact 
 with the Turks or Europeans; but in general 
 they present the same peculiarities which every 
 where form the leading features of the Greek 
 character—lightness, versatility, great natural 
 talent, many virtues, and all the numerous 
 vices inseparably attendant on despotism and op¬ 
 pression. Like the inhabitants of other moun¬ 
 tainous countries, they are strongly imbued with 
 superstition, which the lapse of time seems rather 
 to have augmented than diminished : they believe 
 in the appearance of disembodied spirits, the in¬ 
 fluence of good and evil genii, the protection of 
 saints, the existence of sacrifices, the power of sor¬ 
 cery, and the predictions of dreams. Every dis¬ 
 ease in their opinion has its origin in some incan¬ 
 tation or malign influence, and consequently, its 
 corresponding charm and efficacious ceremony; 
 though in the mean time, in the usual deference 
 paid to physicians throughout the East, the 
 Greeks are by no means deficient. A few of 
 them, natives of the country, have received 
 their education in Erance and Italy; but far 
 the greater number are practitioners from ex- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 329 
 
 perience. One of the latter, a Cretan, who re¬ 
 sided in high estimation at Hydra, being asked 
 where he had studied, replied, that in fact he 
 had always been too poor to study ; that what he 
 knew, he had acquired by practice, and that, by 
 the help of the Virgin, he was in general pretty 
 fortunate in his cases. In the dress, manners, 
 and conversation of the Greeks, perhaps the 
 strongest feature is ostentation and a pride of 
 their descent. Lord Byron instances the boat¬ 
 man at Salamis, who spoke of “ our fleet being 
 anchored in the gulph,” in pointing out the 
 scene of the Persian overthrow. I have fre¬ 
 quently been reminded by Mainotes and Messe- 
 nians, that they were the children of Leonidas 
 and Nestor; and the sister of a schoolmaster at 
 Hydra, who had lost her husband in the pre¬ 
 sent war, in speaking of his birth-place being in 
 Macedonia, could not refrain from mentioning 
 that she was a countrywoman of Alexander. The 
 appearance of the male portion of the popula¬ 
 tion is interesting and striking, but varies in 
 the different districts. The Roumeliots are tall, 
 athletic, and well-formed, with rather a Roman 
 cast of countenance ; the Moreots, low, clumsy, 
 and ill-proportioned; the Hydriots in general 
 inherit the characteristic of their forefathers; 
 
330 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 and the Islanders are always smart, active, and 
 lightly formed: all have sparkling eyes, remark¬ 
 ably white teeth, and jetty black and curling 
 hair. In the Islands their dress is in general 
 either the Frank or Hydriot; and on the conti¬ 
 nent it is alw r ays, with little variation, the Al¬ 
 banian. A red cloth scalpae or skull-cap, orna¬ 
 mented with a blue tassel, and sometimes girt 
 with a turban, forms their head-dress, from 
 under which their long hair falls over their neck 
 and shoulders ; a vest and jacket of cloth or vel¬ 
 vet, richly embroidered, and cut so as to leave the 
 neck bare; a white kilt or juctanella, reaching to 
 the knee, beneath which they wear a pair of cot¬ 
 ton trowsers, of the same fashion and materials 
 as the jacket; shoes of red leather, and a belt 
 containing a pair of superbly embossed pistols, 
 and an ataghan (a crooked weapon, serving at 
 once for a sabre and dagger), completes the cos¬ 
 tume : over this they throw the white, shaggy 
 capote of the Albanians, which likewise serves 
 them for a bed during the night. The strictness 
 of the Turkish law forbade the Greeks to wear 
 gold or gaudy colours in their dress: and this 
 long fast from finery must needs account for 
 the extraordinary richness of their present cos¬ 
 tume ; on which the lacing and ornaments, in 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 381 
 
 many instances, like Peter’s coat, concealed 
 the colour of the cloth. A dress of the first 
 quality, without the arms, cannot cost less than 
 2,500 piastres:* and, with all its costly ap¬ 
 purtenances, frequently double that sum. The 
 expense to which they go in the purchasing of 
 pistols and ataghans, is at once ridiculous and 
 hurtful; the sight of a richly dressed Greek 
 being necessarily a strong stimulus to the cou¬ 
 rage of an impoverished Mussulman. All this 
 profusion, too, is practised whilst the Greeks are 
 exclaiming against their poverty, and complain¬ 
 ing that they have not means to prosecute the 
 war; and yet the worst armed soldier must pay, 
 at least, two or three hundred piastres for his 
 outfit; and the more extravagant, at least, as 
 many thousands,—not for the excellence of the 
 pistol, but the richness of its handle. The names 
 of the Greeks are various, according to the taste 
 or superstition of their parents : the greater part 
 bear those of their most distinguished ancestors; 
 Epaminondas, Leonidas, Themistocles, Pelopi- 
 das, Achilles, and one member of the legislative 
 body is called Lycurgus. Those which are pe¬ 
 culiarly modern Greek, are retained most com- 
 
 * A piastre is about 5§d. or rather more. 
 
332 
 
 GREF.CE IN 1825. 
 
 monly, as Constantine, Spiridion, Anastatius, 
 Demetrius, Anagnosti, &c. The names of the 
 most popular saints have been conferred upon 
 many ; and, by a curious coincidence, I had two 
 Moreots in my service at Napoli di Romania 
 called Christo and Salvatore. 
 
 In the beauty of the Grecian females I must 
 confess that I have been disappointed: they 
 have beautiful black hair, sparkling eyes, and 
 ivory teeth, but they seem to have lost the grace¬ 
 ful cast of countenance which we denominate 
 Grecian ; and their figures are peculiarly clumsy, 
 occasioned by their sedentary habits and slight 
 attention to dress: a delicate and even sickly air, 
 and an inanimate expression, seem their most 
 striking characteristics ; these, however, differ in 
 various districts. The Moreot ladies are far in¬ 
 ferior in personal attractions to the Roumeliots ; 
 who again yield the palm to the Hydriots and 
 Spezziots: these are in turn excelled by the 
 Sciots ; and the Smyrniots, by their more ci¬ 
 vilized manners and graceful dress, are much 
 more beautiful than all the others. Their cos¬ 
 tume varies in point of richness and fashion in 
 every Island, but is always tastelessly large, and 
 by no means calculated to display a good figure. 
 With the exception of Hydra and the Ionian 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 333 
 
 Isles, their husbands have nothing swerved 
 from the barbarous customs of the Turks in the 
 treatment of their women. Secluded in their 
 own apartments, occupied in embroidery, or 
 other mechanical employment, they are never 
 allowed to cross their thresholds except on fes¬ 
 tivals, or some other particular occasion; and 
 even then as if it were by stealth, and closely 
 veiled. Under these circumstances, however, the 
 buoyancy and lightness of their spirits are dis¬ 
 played to peculiar advantage: continually gay 
 and never repining, their days pass in a round 
 of trifles; singing, music, and a few amusements, 
 in which the male part of the family have no 
 share, serving to wile away the tedious hours 
 of their monotonous existence. Like the men, 
 they are strongly influenced by superstition, and 
 no undertaking, either before or after marriage, 
 is entered on without consulting a charm or a 
 fortune-teller. Dreams and their interpretations 
 are rigidly attended to, and faithfully followed. 
 For the purpose of ascertaining the quality of 
 their future husbands, the young girls are ac¬ 
 customed to perform numerous ceremonies ; one 
 is to eat, just before retiring to rest, a supper 
 composed of certain herbs, collected at a particu¬ 
 lar season, and under the direction of a skilful 
 
3 34 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 diviner; then, on laying down, to attach to 
 their necks a bag containing three flowers, a 
 white, a red, and a yellow. In the morning, 
 which ever of these flowers is first drawn from 
 the bag, denominates the age of the destined 
 husband. If white, he is of course young; if 
 red, middle-aged ; and if yellow, old ; whilst at 
 the same time the dreams procured by the 
 herbs, declare whether their days, during mar¬ 
 riage, shall be happy or the reverse. In both 
 sexes, the total want of personal cleanliness is 
 peculiarly remarkable ; a clean shirt on a Greek, 
 being only to be met with on a festival; and 
 his juctanella, instead of being the 66 snowy 
 caimse” of Childe Harold, is in general any¬ 
 thing but snowy. Of the ladies too, a French 
 traveller has remarked, with some justice, that 
 their linen, which is so frequently sprinkled 
 with otto of rose, and other costly perfumes, 
 would be much more benefited by an aspersion 
 of clean water. Vermin, of the most nauseous 
 description, are found in myriads on their per¬ 
 sons, especially on those of the soldiers : and 
 make but a sorry figure amongst the embroi¬ 
 dery of their laced jackets. 
 
 The degraded state into which we find reli¬ 
 gion sunk amongst the Greeks, is solely attribu- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 335 
 
 table to the infamous conduct and characters 
 of the priesthood; for the population, though 
 they but too closely imitate the practice of 
 their pastors, still retain their veneration for 
 their creed untainted. Before the revolution, 
 the Morea alone contained upwards of two 
 thousand pappas, under the government of 
 four archbishops and bishops, whose annual 
 support amounted to one million of piastres. 
 This number, however, was composed of the 
 lowest dregs of Greece, little preparatory study 
 being required, and a few piastres sufficient to 
 pay the fees for admission into holy orders : 
 their characters are degraded by every vice ; and 
 the laws of the church permitting them to hold 
 secular employments, besides their tithes, they 
 are occupied in the exercise of various trades 
 and handicrafts throughout the country. Still, 
 however, a lingering veneration for their holy 
 calling has given them a hold on the minds of 
 the Greeks; indeed so much so, that on many 
 movements of national importance, they have 
 been the principal means of awaking the spirit 
 of the nation; as well on the occasion of the insur¬ 
 rection in 1770 , as in the present revolution, 
 where in many instances they have embraced 
 active military employments. In Ali Pacha’s 
 
336 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 war against Mustapha, Pacha of Delvino, they 
 took an active part in inducing and assisting the 
 Greeks to drag the tyrant’s cannon and mortars 
 to the frontiers of the devoted Pachalic. The 
 late minister of the interior, at Napoli di Ro¬ 
 mania, Gregorius Hescia, obtained his office, 
 after gallantly distinguishing himself in the 
 field. The present Eparch of Spezzia is a 
 priest: the archbishop of Modon has taken a 
 decided lead in many important actions; an 
 Archimandryte of Cyprus at this moment 
 commands a large body of men in the army of 
 Colocotroni; and numbers of pappas are to 
 be found in the ranks, and minor commands of 
 the troops; others, however, have chosen a less 
 manly line of deviation ; and numbers are to be 
 found amongst the bakers, tailors, tradesmen, 
 and coffee-house keepers of Napoli di Romania. 
 Still, however, a few have not so far degraded 
 their character as to become a stain on their pro¬ 
 fession, and these are of course rewarded by the 
 esteem and reverence of their flocks. During the 
 present war several have suffered death under the 
 most exquisite tortures, rather than disclose the 
 spot where the property of their churches had 
 been placed for security; and, in fact, so well 
 aware are the Turks of their influence in keep- 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 337 
 
 ing alive the enthusiasm of the soldiery, that 
 wherever a priest is made prisoner, he is sure 
 to be put to death with greater refinements of 
 cruelty than his companions. The Greeks, per¬ 
 fectly convinced of the fallen state of their 
 church, are anxious for a reform amongst its ser¬ 
 vants ; with whom, though they are thoroughly 
 disgusted, they still retain a high veneration for 
 the rules and tenets of their faith. For this rea¬ 
 son the exorbitant exactions of the priests are 
 always complied with, because demanded in the 
 name, and for the service of the church; and 
 the fasts ordained by its orders, are observed 
 with the utmost rigour. Frequently, in crossing 
 the Morea, when we have offered a share of our 
 provisions to our hungry conductors, no intrea¬ 
 ties could prevail on them to partake with us. 
 During those frequent Lents, the food is of the 
 lowest description, bread, t>lives, and snails ; fish 
 being too dear or too difficult to procure for 
 the lower orders to purchase in the interior: dis¬ 
 pensations, however, are to be purchased, but 
 at such a high rate as to place them out of the 
 reach of the inferior ranks. Amongst all classes 
 the most happy ignorance of the tenets of their 
 creed prevails; and though some tracts and tes¬ 
 taments, lately distributed amongst them, were 
 VOL. i. Q 
 
338 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 eagerly perused, it was more as a matter of 
 curious novelty, than of eternal interest. 
 
 Education is, as may be supposed, at a very 
 low ebb, the number of the lower orders who 
 can read, being very small indeed; schools, it is 
 true, are established in many of the villages, but 
 their system is not much to be approved, though 
 somewhat approaching to that of mutual in¬ 
 struction. All the scholars as they come in, seat 
 themselves on the floor, leaving their shoes out¬ 
 side the door, and commence reading aloud, 
 at the same moment from different books ; whilst 
 one placed in the centre to observe their eyes 
 and tongues, applies a cane to the soles of their 
 feet, as often as either are unemployed. In the 
 meantime, the office of the master, who occu¬ 
 pies one corner of the room, is merely to see 
 that the noise is sustained loudly, and without 
 intermission; to second the duties of the moni¬ 
 tor, and to keep the attention of a few advanced 
 pupils steady, whilst performing their office, in 
 instructing the beginners in the alphabet. As 
 to the language of the modern Greeks, it has 
 certainly suffered considerable alterations; but 
 principally in the accents, and the pronuncia¬ 
 tion of the diphthongs and consonants, as well as 
 by a slight admission of Turkish and Italian 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 339 
 
 words : nevertheless, one who is acquainted with 
 the ancient Greek, will find no difficulty, after a 
 slight attention to the modern pronunciation, in 
 speaking the language with fluency in a few 
 months. 
 
 Modern Greek literature is neither extensive 
 nor interesting, but after the specimens and de¬ 
 tails already given by Lord Byron and Captain 
 Leake, it would be needless to dwell on it here. 
 Their prose consists of a vast quantity of theo¬ 
 logy, a few works on geography, grammar, 
 rhetoric, and philology, and a number of late 
 translations from European authors in various 
 departments; their poetry is neither spirited 
 nor musical, consisting of some translations of 
 Homer, a few" dramatic pieces, and some satires. 
 Their songs are of two kinds, kleftic and erotic ; 
 of the former, the most admired are those of 
 Riga, and a few Cretan ballads ; and of the ero¬ 
 tic, or amatory, the most popular are the songs 
 of Christopuolo, who has been denominated the 
 modern Anacreon; but his lines, though ex¬ 
 tremely pretty in their measures are, in general, 
 almost untranslateable, as containing little point 
 or striking ideas. 
 
 As to the periodical press, three Journals are 
 at present published in Greece; one at Messo- 
 0 , 2 
 
340 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 lunghi, another at Athens, and a third at Hydra ; 
 but though of growing and important advan¬ 
 tages, their usefulness is at the present moment, 
 necessarily curtailed; the details of the war 
 occupying the greater portion of their pages: 
 and even these, owing to the total want of active 
 communication from different quarters of the 
 country, are seldom either collected or dissemi¬ 
 nated by the press, till already circulated by 
 verbal report. The establishment of a post, 
 and the extensive influence of schools and 
 education, must first be accomplished, before 
 the blessings of the press can be fully felt; at 
 present, the greater portion of the impressions 
 of the “ Hydriot Journal, 1 ’ are circulated in the 
 Ionian Islands and Europe: very few of the 
 number of this, or the other journals being 
 read in the country. Active measures must 
 also be taken by the friends of a free press, to 
 ensure its liberty ; even in Greece, at this mo¬ 
 ment, its privileges are infringed. The editor of 
 the “Athenian Gazette 11 has been already cau¬ 
 tioned by the Government, for the freedom of 
 his censure in some articles; and the editor 
 of the 6C Hydriot Friend of the Law,” is at pre¬ 
 sent obliged to read over, and submit to the 
 corrections of Lazzaro Conduriotti, the president 
 of the Hydriot senate, every number previous to 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 341 
 
 its being put to press. Fortunately, however, the 
 editor is fully apprized of the extent of the pre¬ 
 sident's erudition, and, when desirous to intro¬ 
 duce a few sentiments more liberal than usual, 
 has only to insert a number of Hellenic words; 
 rather than betray his ignoranee of which, Laz¬ 
 zaro allows the article to pass. As to the Grecian 
 army, the habits of the body who compose it, and 
 the system by which it is regulated, are equally 
 singular. Its commanders or capitani are such 
 landholders, or others, as possess a sufficient 
 sum to maintain from 10 to 150 soldiers, and 
 adequate interest to procure a commission for 
 embodying them. These leaders, however, are in 
 general the most despicable and the worst ene¬ 
 mies of their country; making their rank and 
 interest merely the instruments of their avarice. 
 The number of troops in the Morea, for whom 
 the Government issue pay and rations, is stated 
 to be, in general, about 25,000; but I do not 
 believe, from all that I can learn, that in any 
 instance they have equalled the half of that num¬ 
 ber; the capitani making their returns to the 
 extent of their credit, and in general pocketing 
 one half of the demanded sum. So that a man 
 who claims pay for 150 soldiers, cannot perhaps 
 bring eighty into the field. Of this system of fraud 
 
342 
 
 GREECE IK 1825. 
 
 the Government are well aware; but, in the 
 present state of affairs, they are so much in the 
 power of the capitani, that no compulsive mea¬ 
 sures dare be taken to produce a reform. Each 
 soldier, or palikari, on joining his capitan is 
 expected to come furnished with his arms and 
 capote: the former usually consist of a pair of 
 pistols, an ataghan, a tophaic, or long gun, and 
 sometimes a sabre. They are, however, bound 
 by no laws or military regulations, and merely 
 follow or obey a leader, as long as well paid or 
 comfortable in his service; he having no power 
 to enforce obedience during his almost nominal 
 command, or to compel his soldiers, beyond 
 the limit of their pleasure, to remain under his 
 orders. It is no unusual thing for the com¬ 
 pany of a capitan to assemble round his quar¬ 
 ters, for the purpose of tumultuously demand¬ 
 ing, and enforcing by the bastinado, an increase 
 or arrears of pay ; or, on the eve of an important 
 movement, to find that his soldiers have gone 
 off during the night, to attend to the safety 
 of their families, or the celebration of a fes¬ 
 tival. As to their conduct in the field, they 
 will never oppose an enemy, unless obliged by 
 necessity, without the shelter of their tambours 
 or low trenches; or without crouching behind a 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 343 
 
 rock, from whence they can have a protected aim 
 at their foe. The Turks too, have something 
 of the same system in their irregular warfare; 
 and before the'introduction of regular troops 
 into the Morea, a battle must have presented 
 a novel spectacle, where not a soul of either army 
 was distinctly visible. Thus, screened behind 
 a stone, they lie in wait to catch the first moment 
 when an enemy shall expose himself, or placing 
 their scalpae, or skull-cap, on an adjoining rock 
 to decoy the Turk, take an advantageous aim at 
 him whilst he is wasting his powder on the emp¬ 
 ty head-dress of his enemy. When the Greek has 
 thus thinned all within his range, and wishes to 
 change his position, he watches for the favour¬ 
 able movement, when, snatching up his gun, he 
 nimbly skips to the adjoining rock, flashing his 
 shining ataghan before him in the sun-beams, to 
 dazzle the aim of his surrounding enemies; and 
 here crouching on the ground and placing his 
 cap as usual, he recommences his operations. 
 Amongst the Turks who resided in the Morea, 
 all were not so desperately bad as are supposed, 
 and some few have even gained the affections 
 of the Greeks. It not unfrequently occurs 
 that two old neighbours meet in one of those 
 singular encounters, when, rising from their 
 
344 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 screens, they hold a parley on their own affairs; 
 and again part to resume, at their posts, their 
 mutual slaughter of their friend’s companions. 
 Such scenes serve to keep in countenance Ho¬ 
 mer’s description of the dialogues of his con¬ 
 tending heroes ; but, in fact, instances of ancient 
 manners are to be met with every hour, and at 
 every step something occurs to remind us that 
 we are in Greece. The language, the customs, 
 the versatility, the turbulence, the superstition, 
 are all the same as in the days of Demosthenes. 
 Even the dress seems to have undergone scarcely 
 any alteration ; they have still the long, flowing 
 hair of Homer’s xctpYixwpooovTss, the juctanella, the 
 machaira, or short knife, and the embroidered 
 greaves, prove them still the same evxvYifjudss A^otiot. 
 But, in fact, as a comparison, I know none more 
 lively or more true than the picture drawn by 
 Mr. Hope; and I may be pardoned for sum¬ 
 ming up this hasty sketch with an extract from 
 the well-known, and equally admired “ Anasta- 
 sius.” 
 
 ce Manoyeni looked thoughtful. After a little 
 pause, c You mistake, Anastasius/ replied he, 
 in thinking the Greek of Constantinople dif¬ 
 ferent from the Greek of Chios : our nation is 
 every where the same ; the same at Petersburgh 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 345 
 
 as at Cairo; the same now as it was twenty cen¬ 
 turies ago/ I stared in my turn. ‘ What I say,’ 
 continued my master, c is perfectly true. The 
 complexion of the modern Greek may receive a 
 different cast from different surrounding objects, 
 the core still is the same as in the days of Peri¬ 
 cles. Credulity, versatility, and thirst of distinc¬ 
 tions, from the earliest period formed, and still 
 form, and ever will continue to form, the basis 
 of the Greek character ; and the dissimilarity in 
 the external appearance of the nation arises, not 
 from any radical change in its temper and dispo¬ 
 sition, but only in the incidental variation in the 
 means through which the same propensities are 
 to be gratified. The ancient Greeks worshipped 
 an hundred gods; the modern Greeks adore as 
 many saints. The ancient Greeks believed in 
 oracles and prodigies, in incantations and spells; 
 the modern Greeks have faith in amulets and 
 divinations. The ancient Greeks brought rich 
 offerings and gifts to the shrines of their deities, 
 for the purpose of obtaining success in war, and 
 pre-eminence in peace ; the modern Greeks hang 
 up dirty rags round the sanctuaries of their 
 saints, to shake off an ague, or propitiate a mis¬ 
 tress. The former were staunch patriots at 
 home, and subtle courtiers in Persia; the latter 
 a 5 
 
346 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 defy the Turks in Maina, and fawn upon them 
 in the Fanar. Besides, was not every common¬ 
 wealth of ancient Greece as much a prey to ca¬ 
 bals and factions as every community of modern 
 Greece ? Does not every modern Greek preserve 
 the same desire for supremacy, the same readi¬ 
 ness jto undermine, by every means, fair or foul, 
 his competitors, which was displayed by his an¬ 
 cestors ? Do not the Turks of the present day 
 resemble the Romans of past ages in their respect 
 for the ingenuity, and, at the same time, in their 
 contempt for the character, of their Greek sub¬ 
 jects ? And does the Greek of the Fanar show 
 the least inferiority to the Greek of the Piraeus 
 in quickness of perception, in fluency of tongue, 
 and in fondness for quibbles, for disputation, 
 and for sophistry ? Believe me, the very differ¬ 
 ence between the Greeks of times past, and the 
 present day, arises from their thorough resem¬ 
 blance, and from that pliability of temper and of 
 faculties in both, which has ever made them 
 receive, with equal readiness, the impression of 
 every mould, and the impulse of every agent. 
 When patriotism, public spirit, and pre-emi¬ 
 nence in arts, science, literature, and warfare, 
 were the road to distinction, the Greeks shone 
 the first of patriots, of heroes, of painters, of 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 347 
 
 poets, and of philosophers; now that craft and 
 subtilty, adulation and intrigue, are the only 
 path to greatness, these same Greeks are— 
 what you see them.’ ” 
 
 Perhaps the most singular feature in the 
 Greek revolution is, that during the five years 
 which it has now been proceeding, it has pro¬ 
 duced no one man of sufficient talent to take 
 either a civil or a military lead in its affairs. In 
 consequence of this the councils of its armies 
 and its legislature are composed of men of 
 mediocre talent, and are filled with intrigue, with 
 faction, and disunion; whence, of course, the 
 most disastrous consequences have ensued. To 
 go no farther back than the present year, those 
 quarrels, and their results, have been the cause 
 that the fortress of Patras Is still in the hands 
 of the enemy. The necessity of retaining all 
 their forces for its reduction, late in the be¬ 
 ginning of the campaign, after the rebellion of 
 the Moreots had prevented its capture during 
 the winter, was the cause of the absence of the 
 fleet, at the moment when the Egyptians made 
 their unmolested debarkations at Navarino. 
 Late in the summer, the discussion of the Rou- 
 meliots and Moreots, occasioned the departure 
 . of the former from Navarino, at a moment when 
 
348 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 their presence was of material service in crip¬ 
 pling the attempts of the enemy on the fortress; 
 and was, doubtless, instrumental in hastening 
 its fall. Add to this, the lives lost and the re¬ 
 sources expended in quelling the insurrection in 
 the winter, the confusion and disunion, occasioned 
 by the late factions of the French party in the 
 Government, and the spirit of animosity which 
 such scenes must ever foment,—and we have 
 imagined but a part of its effects, during one 
 year. 
 
 In this scene of envious emulation, every one 
 endeavouring to curtail the usefulness of his 
 fellows, and raise himself to the head of the le¬ 
 gislature, the eagerness with which the mem¬ 
 bers of the Government have sought after popu¬ 
 larity, has necessarily obliged them to compro¬ 
 mise their own importance, and thus, what each 
 has gained by intrigues with the populace, all 
 have lost in dignity and in the respect of the 
 nation. The failings of the characters of each, 
 have been mutually displayed by his rival; and 
 the people, thus taught to despise their leaders, 
 neither respect their persons, nor make them¬ 
 selves submissive to their orders. Hence, with 
 no command over the capitani, or tie on the alle¬ 
 giance or affections of the soldiery, their efforts 
 
GREECE IK 1825. 
 
 349 
 
 and orders have been all unavailing to amass an 
 army, or induce them to remain by their respec¬ 
 tive leaders, in any attempt to thwart the late 
 alarming progress of the triumphing enemy. 
 Slaves, in spite of the decree of Epidaurus for 
 their abolition, are still openly kept, and even 
 offered for sale at Napoli di Romania and Hydra, 
 where the consequence of this contempt of law has 
 lately been the destruction of Kreisi’s vessel, crew, 
 and family, and the subsequent disgraceful mas¬ 
 sacre on the Island. But these, though prominent, 
 are not solitary instances: every day is productive 
 of some glaring and important infringement of 
 order or contempt for the imbecile Government, 
 on the part of the navy, the army, or the popu¬ 
 lace, to restrain or prevent which, the nominal 
 power of the Government is unavailing. Occu¬ 
 pied in these internal broils, the affairs of the 
 nation are but partially attended to, and the 
 greatest indolence or apathy in their councils 
 is evinced by innumerable acts of omission and 
 neglect. Though perfectly impressed with the 
 importance of a post or method of communica¬ 
 tion across the country, the facility and means 
 of accomplishing which, were so clearly pointed 
 out by Colonel Stanhope, it has never yet been 
 put in execution, though frequently talked of; 
 
350 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 and the only existing means of forwarding dis¬ 
 patches is by couriers, whose progress through 
 the mountains is at once irregular and extremely 
 tedious. Letters from Messolunghi seldom ar¬ 
 rive in less than nine or ten days; from Na- 
 varino in four or five; and of the destruction 
 of the Turkish vessels at Modon, though one 
 of the most important occurrences in this cam¬ 
 paign, no official news reached Napoli di Ro¬ 
 mania for eight days. Another reprehensible 
 particular, is their remissness in garrisoning or 
 provisioning even their most important posi¬ 
 tions and fortresses; witness the fall of the 
 Island of Sphacteria and Navarino, and the nar¬ 
 row escape of Messolunghi. Napoli di Romania 
 is said to be provisioned at present, but neither 
 Corinth nor Monemvasia are in any situation 
 for defence, though the latter has been so re¬ 
 cently threatened by the approach of the Pacha. 
 
 Their promises are never observed with that 
 rigid faith which should exist in their perform¬ 
 ance; in consequence of which, their officers 
 and servants are eternally murmuring against 
 breaches of contract, and the dishonouring of 
 their drafts and promises for pay and service- 
 money. But here, as in every thing else, the 
 effects of their follies recoil on their own heads ; 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 351 
 
 and their faithless detention of the late Pacha 
 of Napoli di Romania, was a fair precedent to 
 Ibrahim Pacha for retaining as prisoners Ia- 
 tracco, and the other commanders of Navarino, 
 in defiance of his treaty to the contrary at the 
 time of its capitulation. Thus, factious and 
 discontented amongst themselves, and despised 
 and disregarded by those placed under their 
 command, their administration has been, during 
 the last year, a scene of anarchy and imbeci¬ 
 lity; and in consequence a curse, instead of a 
 benefit, to their struggling country. 
 
 Of the ultimate success of the Greek Revolu¬ 
 tion, be it soon or late, I see no reason to doubt. 
 In fact, such is the inherent and implacable ha¬ 
 tred which subsists between the Greeks and their 
 enemies, that it is an utter impossibility that 
 they should ever again coalesce with their oppres¬ 
 sors ; and the mountains of the Morea afford 
 passes and defences for the population, which, 
 when driven to extremity, they can maintain 
 against any force. But, for its immediate ac¬ 
 complishment, many things are yet wanting, 
 and many and important alterations in their 
 affairs must yet be made. Of these, the first 
 must be, the dismissal of the factious and in¬ 
 triguing horde who form the present executive 
 
S5£ 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 body, and fill many of the confidential situations 
 under them ; a perfect consolidation of interest 
 under a new Government, to form which, a few 
 men of principle, activity, and patriotism, are 
 still to be found in Greece ; and the acquisition 
 of a man of acknowledged talent, and unshaken 
 integrity, to take the direction of their military 
 operations, whose abilities and character must 
 give him a natural command over the inferior 
 leaders; whilst the payment of the troops being 
 taken from the infamous Capitani, and placed 
 under his direction, will at once secure the inte¬ 
 rest and affection of the army, and confirm his 
 tie upon their exertions and allegiance. Such a 
 man by his successes, and importance in the 
 field, must hold a check over the disunion or 
 clashing interests of the civil Government; whilst 
 he cannot fail, by securing the affections of the 
 soldiery, to keep the turbulence of the Capi¬ 
 tani in proper subjection. Where, and on what 
 terms, to find such a man, the Government are 
 well aware ; and, perhaps, there is no more con¬ 
 vincing proof of their inclination to self-aggran¬ 
 disement, than that they have never taken any 
 steps to secure his services. 
 
 Unless by this or an equivalent measure, and 
 the immediate overthrow of the present system 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 353 
 
 of anarchy and insubordination, there exists no 
 power in Greece to remedy the abuses and de- 
 ficiences which at present disgrace their naval 
 and land forces, which are gradually increasing, 
 and which are daily productive of more alarm¬ 
 ing consequences. The advances which their 
 enemies are making in improvement, are con¬ 
 stantly warning them of the immediate expe¬ 
 diency of such measures. The state to which 
 their army is reduced is such, that without an 
 instant reform it must prove destructive to the 
 hopes of the approaching campaign; their panic, 
 if it were not deplorable, is truly ridiculous. 
 A Capitano, in speaking lately to a gentleman 
 at Napoli di Romania of the state of depression 
 under which the soldiery at present labour, ob¬ 
 served, that for his part he was not astonished 
 at it. “ These Arabs,” said he, “ make war in 
 a manner which no one has seen before ; they 
 advance in regular squares, and, standing 
 upright as if a bullet could not harm them, 
 they then rush upon the Greeks with bayonets 
 stuck on their Tophaics, so long, (stretching 
 out his arms to the full extent); and what 
 soldiers in the world could be supposed to en¬ 
 dure that ?” Such speeches, whilst they show 
 the ignorance of the nature of discipline which 
 
354 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 reigns amongst the troops, at the same time ma¬ 
 nifest an incipient conviction of their import- 
 anca. Since the commencement of the misfor¬ 
 tunes of this campaign, the ranks of the regular 
 troops are fast filling up, whereas only a chance 
 addition or two were dropping in at the begin¬ 
 ning of the year. The corps at Napoli now amount 
 to 1200, and are rapidly increasing: in fact, 
 the unbecoming and inefficient conduct of the 
 late colonel, Rhodios, was by no means calcu¬ 
 lated to give the soldiers a fair idea of military 
 discipline, or induce them to join the ranks 
 with spirit. Under M. Favrier’s management, 
 however, things have taken a different turn. 
 The same men who were formerly quarrelsome, 
 ill-disciplined, dirty, and despised, now have 
 their appointments and uniform (blue and white) 
 always perfectly clean, and their arms in ca¬ 
 pital order: their discipline likewise is extreme¬ 
 ly good, and their behaviour on all occasions 
 ord3rly and becoming. This improvement is 
 working a rapid alteration in the feelings of 
 the guerillas, and there is no doubt, that the 
 approaching winter may make a vast change in 
 the members of the one, and the habits of the 
 other body; much, indeed, remains to be done; 
 and unfortunately, its agents, the present Go¬ 
 vernment, are but badly fitted for the task. 
 
GEEECE IN 1825. 
 
 355 
 
 From the few remarks which I have been 
 enabled to make on the fleet, it is evident that 
 jiere likewise, immediate reformation is loudly 
 called for. The hopes of Greece may be said to 
 rest principally on her naval force. Their suc¬ 
 cesses hitherto have been brilliant, but they have 
 been achieved almost solely by a means which 
 must eventually prove inefficient;—I mean the 
 fire-ships, whose repeated failures, this year, 
 prove their efficacy to be on the decline. In 
 fact, bad as the Turks are as seamen, they must 
 at length come to some means of frustrating 
 their attacks, at least in part: and, what is rather 
 alarming, every attempt made by them against the 
 Egyptians by sea has this year failed: they have 
 not been able to prevent one debarkation of 
 troops, nor intercept one expedition ; though, in 
 the attempt, numerous fire-ships have been in¬ 
 effectually burned. It needs no demonstration 
 to show, that with only their small brigs and 
 shipping they are an undermatch for their ene¬ 
 mies ; they must, therefore, quickly think of 
 putting themselves on a par with them in the 
 size and efficiency of their vessels. The fitting 
 out of frigates has long been talked of, but 
 none have as yet arrived. If they can once 
 bring into action two or three frigates, with 
 
356 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 the assistance of a steam-boat to work the bru- 
 lots during a calm, there cannot remain a pos¬ 
 sibility of the enemy any longer keeping the sea 
 against them. But before even these can ren¬ 
 der efficient service, those unbounded licenses 
 granted by the captains, and abused by their 
 sailors, which now render most of the ships 
 scenes of uproar and disgust, must be totally 
 done away with: such a system could never 
 exist amongst the immense crews of frigates. 
 The same contempt of rule, so reprehensible in 
 the seamen, must meet an equal check in their 
 commanders, and the dissensions of different 
 Islands must be swallowed up, in a spirit of 
 general interest and mutual co-operation. The 
 abuse of their right of search, of which every 
 merchant vessel in the Levant so loudly com¬ 
 plains, must be vigorously punished, and a por¬ 
 tion of the shipping ought to be detained for the 
 suppression of that system of piracy, which is 
 at present so alarmingly gaining head amongst 
 the Islands, and in the vicinity of Hydra; for 
 unless this be attended to, it cannot be supposed 
 that foreign powers will long tamely submit to 
 those insults and aggressions on their flags. A 
 greater spirit of activity must be diffused into 
 their exertions, and a more regular system of 
 
GREECE IN 1825.. 
 
 357 
 
 provisioning and storing their ships. During the 
 short time which I remained on board Miaulis 1 
 brig, which was not quite four weeks, the 
 fleet retired three times for provisions, once to 
 Mylo, and twice to Vathico, North of Cythera. 
 Though extremely active sailors, accidents are 
 constantly occurring, either from carelessness, or 
 from an empty spirit of vanity and display ; 
 thus, by his sailors allowing Canaris 1 fire-ship 
 to run foul of Miaulis 1 brig, his vessel was lost, 
 and his exertions subsequently rendered un¬ 
 availing to the Greeks during all this year. Pe- 
 pino’s brulot was almost irreparably damaged 
 by the same means; and, in daily occurrences 
 of the like kind, the ships are receiving frequent 
 injuries. Their incautious manner of keeping 
 their gunpowder is another alarming defect; 
 the magazine is the lazaretto under the cabin, 
 to which every sailor has access, and which is 
 no otherwise protected than by a trap-door, in 
 which the captain and his friends sit smoking 
 almost constantly, when a spark from their 
 pipes, falling through the chink, must inevita- 
 blow up the ship. Many have been killed, 
 and numbers wounded, by the explosion of 
 ignorantly loaded cannon. In such a state of 
 affairs, and without material improvements, it 
 
358 
 
 GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 would be madness to confide a frigate to the 
 care of a captain and a crew, in proportion to 
 whose numbers she must be more exposed to 
 injury or destruction, from carelessness, confu¬ 
 sion, or ignorance. I have not here mentioned 
 any thing of the deplorable state of the admi¬ 
 nistration of justice; it, however, presents the 
 same tincture of corruption, neglect, and confu¬ 
 sion, with every other department. In fact, at 
 this moment, Greece seems to have reached an 
 acme of disorder and weakness, beneath which 
 she is already beginning to sink ; and, without a 
 series of reforms and improvements of which this 
 is but a specimen, she can proceed no farther 
 towards her liberation. Fortunately the means 
 of doing so, if proper steps be taken, are still 
 in her own power. In the hands of such a body 
 of men as her present governors, it cannot well 
 be expected that her funds have been managed 
 either advantageously or honourably; in fact, the 
 first emotion of any one coming to Greece, and 
 knowing the amount of the sums she has re¬ 
 ceived, must be that of surprise as to what can 
 have become it, or how it has been expended : 
 the army constantly murmuring for arrears of 
 pay ; the fleet refusing to put to sea without 
 higher wages; the population pictures of po~ 
 
GREECE IN 1825. 
 
 359 
 
 verty and wretchedness ; not a fortification that is 
 not half in ruins; not a battery built,* and not 
 a cannon mounted by the Government; in fact, 
 no one trace of so many thousands having done 
 any visible good ! Let her now, however, with¬ 
 out delay, adopt reasonable measures for her 
 amelioration, reform her legislature, correct the 
 abuses of her navy and army ; and, with the 
 means placed in her hands, under the guidance 
 of talented and faithful counsellors, she cannot 
 fail, even without foreign interference, to realize 
 the hopes of her most enthusiastic well-wishers. 
 
 * At Athens some alterations have been made in 
 the Acropolis, but their whole expense could not ex¬ 
 ceed 100/. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON • 
 
 PRINTED BY S. AND R. BENTLEY, DORSET STREET, 
 

 
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