YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY TIKIS, gWBISW ©IF ©¦1S.IE2£'SS1 lmOim,Pinihali£iiy-Ha£i3rCdllnrml3 GtMaiIl>arough.S»1837. WANDERINGS GREECE. GEORGE COCHRANE, ESQ., LATE OF QUEEN'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE j KNIGHT OF THE ROYAL GREEK MILITARY ORDER OF THE SAVIOUR; ETC. ETC. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON: HENRY COLBURN, PUBLISHER, 13, GREAT MARLBOKOUGH STREET. 18:37. T. U. --AV1M,, I'RINTEIl, ST. MARTIN'S I.ANK, CH A rt I NU CRI'SS. CONTENTS OF VOL. II. CHAPTER I. A Greek Gossip — The Trumpeter — A Band of Robbers on the Frontier — Means to suppress them — Unfortunate Catastrophe — Official Re missness, and Royal Gratitude — A Greek Hero — A Greek Christening — Departure for the Frontiers — Payment of the Troops — Visit to Mount Pentelicus — Ancient Chisel Marks and Wheel Tracks — Return — Richness of the Plain for Settlers — Government Road to the Quar ries — Greek War-Songs, by a Frank p. 1 — 19 CHAPTER II. Conversation with Doctor Clathos and Mr. Black, relative to a new Gazette — The Doctor's method of Curing a Lunatic — The manner in which the Mainotes take the Law— Pic-nic to Mount Pentelicus, with Mr. and Mrs. Finlay — Greek Scenery — The two Kings — Insurrection — King's Proclamation — Visit to Mr. Conduriotti, and to Madame Catachasi's — Greek Barristers and Judges — Visit to the Courts of Law — The Law of Greece — Dr. Maniachis p. 20 — 34 CHAPTER III. The King of Bavaria's intended Departure — Ball given by the Chancellor's Lady — The King of Bavaria's Amiability at it — Colocotroni offered iv CONTENTS. to make the Author his Adopted Son— Coursing Excursion— General Church and the Chieftains— Author's Political Discussion with some Greek Chiefs— Russian Intrigue in the Morea— The Russian Power compared to that of the States its Neighbours p. 35— 58 CHAPTER IV. Good Friday — Easter— The King goes to the Cathedral — Description of the Ceremony — Historical Sketch of the Greek Church — Difference between the Greek and Roman Churches — Separation of the two — Biographical Sketch of Mr. Tricoupi p. 59—88 CHAPTER V. Easter Sunday — Visit to Lady Church — Sir P. Malcolm's House — Pass of Daphne — Plain of Athens — Salamine — General Gordon — Embassy — Vocal Performers — Easter Tuesday— Amusements at the Temple of Theseus — Rebels defeated — Theatre — African Pigeons — A new Re venue for Greece — Ball at the Countess of Armansperg's — Madame Lagrenee— Madame Bedouri — Miss Karaiskaki — Greek Amusements — Mr. King — Society of the Green Bough — Greeks and Turks — Greek Wines — Turkish ill-will to the Greeks p. 89—115 CHAPTER VI. General Church and the Troubles on the Frontier — Lady Church — Mount Anchesmos — Greece and Egypt — Blasts of the Rock — .The Academy — Visit to Mr. Bell — Description of his Estate and Garden Greek Walls — Visit to the Botanical Garden — Greek Constitution Monks at Mount Athos — Visit to a Greek Peasant, near the Acropolis — Visit to the Stadium — Athenian Pciela Chaise p. 116 — 133 CONTENTS. V CHAPTER VII. Historical Sketch of Greece p. 134 151 CHAPTER VIII. St.. George's Day — Answer to my Petition — Observations thereon The Order of the Saviour — Steam Vessels — Works at the Piraeus — Change of Habitation — The Feast of the Pentecost — Convent of Kaissariani — Greek Women sketched — Their Dances and Amusements... p. 152 — 171 CHAPTER IX. Cricketing at Port Munychia — Schoolmaster and his Boys — The Palace — The Military Hospital — The Theatre — Anniversary of the King's Coronation — Medical Institution — Fete Day of Constantine and Ellen — Visit to the Country — Greek Phalanx — High rate of Money p. 172—196 CHAPTER X. Rev. Mr. Hill's School — Public Schools in Greece — Piraeus — Probability of its becoming a great Port — Custom House — Temple of Venus — The Orator at the Pnyx — Matrimonial Design on the Author. ..p. 197 — 221 CHAPTER XI. Narrative of a Journey of Five Days in;Greece — A Pic-Nic Accompani ment — The Plain of Marathon — The Tumulus — The Monks' Hos pitality — Sheep's Milk and Butter better than Cow's — The Merits of an Umbrella— The Origin of Tobacco p. 222—242 VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER XII. Kalybia— A Stratagem — The English in Greece — Braona — Port Raphti — Colossal Statue — Kerratia — Laurentium — Cape Sunium — Sea Nymphs — Olympia — Village Greeting — Return to Athens p. 243 — 259 CHAPTER XIIL Greek Landowners — Their Titles — Register of Estates — Turkish Gal lantry — Greek Husbandry — Curious Modes of threshing Corn — A Turkish Bath— Coals and Coal Mines in Greece p. 260—269 CHAPTER XIV. A Visitor — Voyage among the Islands — Hydra — Silk Manufactory — Sugar — Cour d' Assises — Offences — Syra — Its Social Advantages — Myconi — Paros — Naxos — Egina — Important Mineral Spring — The Museum — Obligations of civilized Europe to Greece — How to repay them — Antiquities p. 270 — 290 CHAPTER XV. Medal of Merit — Preparations for Departure — Leave-taking — Dine at Countess Armansperg's — Departure — Regrets and Civilities of the Neighbours — Embark from the Piraaus — Voyage to Epidaurus — From Epidaurus to Napoli — Old Acquaintance — Improvement of the Town — An English Greek Attorney- General — A Dinner in Napoli — Greek Servants p. 291 — 303 CHAPTER XVI. Madame Turette— Society in Napoli — Constitution of the Greek Army — Cotton and Tobacco — Inns in Greece — Arrival at Corinth Vostizza — Patras — The " Inglesi "—Law of Dotation— Dr. Mani- achis p. 304—322 CONTENTS. Vll CHAPTER XVII. On the Colonization of Greece p. 3*23 — 353 APPENDIX I. Sketch of the Greek Revolution p. 355 — 380 APPENDIX II. French Steam Packets p. 381—382 LIST OF PLATES &c. IN VOL. II. Portrait of the Queen of Greece To face title-page Mount Anchesmos ... p. 118 Fete of the Pentecost 107 The Acropolis of Athens, with the Parthenon, &c. ... ... 290 Plan of the New Town of Athens At the end of vol. ERRATA. Page 121, line 8, for "the west" read " the east." 251, — 22, for " two miles" read " two hours.' — 347, for 1,000,0007. read 1,200,000/. WANDERINGS IN GREECE. CHAPTER I. A Greek Gossip — The Trumpeter — A Band of Robbers on the Frontier — Means to suppress them — Unfortunate Catastrophe — Official Remissness, and Royal Gratitude — A Greek Hero — A Greek Christening — Departure for the Frontiers — Payment of the Troops — Visit to Mount Pentelicus — Ancient Chisel Marks and Wheel Tracks — Return — Richness of the Plain for Settlers — Government Road to the Quarries — Greek War-Songs, by a Frank. On returning home from the scene described at the close of the last chapter, I was encountered by a certain Anastatius (not Mr. Hope's!) who was famous as an amusing retailer of the gossip of Athens, — so much so, that he went by the name of the Trumpeter. He is a good-natured fellow, and I was always glad to meet with him, as I now and then contrived to extract from him VOL. II. B GREEK BANDITTI. some information useful to my purposes. And on the present occasion this was the case. The government, it appeared from his report, had just been made acquainted with the movements of a band of robbers on the frontiers, which were of so extensive and disciplined a nature as to re semble those of a corps d'armee. They burned the villages, killed the inhabitants, moved about in regular bodies, and the whole country on the frontier, it appeared, was in a state of consterna tion • and the government were decided upon sending a large body of troops, in addition to the royal troops that were already there, to assist in at" once putting down this daring band. Anas tatius told me, also, that Dutch money was found upon those who were taken, and that the rebels appeared to have it in abundance. The truth is, that this movement (as I have hinted before) was caused by the enemies of the proposed Bank,— the establishment of which was then in agitation. At a future period I shall speak of this insurrection more fully. My informant added that he had more news to tell me, and of an equally calamitous nature. I then learned from him (to my great regret) that Lazare Tzamados had just destroyed himself, — it ROYAL GRATITUDE. 3 was alleged, through want. This unfortunate person had formerly belonged to an honourable family of Hydra, and was a son of Demetrius Tzamados, one of those who had most distin guished themselves by bravery and patriotism, and had, during the war, sacrificed his fortune to his country, to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars. Lazare, his son, knowing that such had been the case, and feeling some claim on the government, had expected and sought something at their hands, with a view to his sup port ; (for he had been left wholly destitute) ; and he came to Athens for that purpose. The Minister of the Interior not having given him a reception which pleased or satisfied him, he im mediately sold his watch (which was all that remained to him of his father's property) and re turned to Hydra; and at length, not having bread to give his numerous family, he blew out his brains with a pistol. As the father of the present Tzamados was looked upon as a true patriot, this catastrophe made a great sensation at the time ; and the King, as soon as he heard of the affair, was much affected, and deprecated the inattention to his orders ; for it appeared that he had ordered b 2 4 CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT. young Tzamados to be appointed to a No- marchy, and, until one was vacant, something else was to be given him. His widow and children were immediately taken under the pro tection of the King, and an annuity was granted to them. A few days after this catastrophe, the ministry were changed. Mr. George Praides, the Minis ter of the Interior, quitted office, and his place was supplied by Mr. Drosso Mansola, a Coun sellor of State. The post of Minister of Marine, which had been vacant some time, was now filled up by Mr. Antonio Kriezis, an Hydriote, — an officer who had distinguished himself much under Miaulis as his captain during the war, and who had also served on board the Hellas frigate, when Lord Cochrane had the command of her. This latter nomination gave universal satisfac tion. Mr. Theokaris, the Minister of Finance, resigned, and his place was supplied by Mr. George Lassani. I think it was the great Frederick who coun selled his son to change his ministers whenever there was a crisis ; for that novelty always de lighted and pleased the people, and thereby enabled the government to gain an ascendancy. This was, A GREEK HERO. 5 at all events, the case at the present moment. People's minds were diverted from the late me lancholy event, and the power of the Chancellor was much strengthened by the change. A Colonel Grivas was one of the chieftains employed to quell the insurrection I alluded to just now. I called upon this officer, in company with Mr. Black, the Chief of Police, in order to hear his views of the subject of the insurrection. Grivas is a man about six feet high, very powerful and muscular, and possessing great animal courage. It is said of him, that he knows not what fear is, and that he perfectly delights in war and bloodshed : a disposition at all events well fitted for the desperate enterprise now entrusted to him. The Chancel lor, it appeared, had given him orders to raise five hundred men, and to proceed to Missolonghi, to relieve that place, which was besieged by the rebels, — the wife and children of Grivas himself being among the besieged. As he was the hero of the day, the conversation generally turned upon him ; and I was afterwards informed that he ran away with the wife of Co- locotroni's eldest son, (who was the daughter of Bobalina, a famous female chieftain of Spetzia,) b GREEK CHRISTENING. and that a party war was the consequence between the chieftains, in which the husband was killed, and Grivas then married his new Helen. A few days afterwards, I had an opportunity of seeing him again at my friend Black's house. He stood godfather to Black's little boy, who was to be christened ; and as the description of that ceremony in Greece may amuse the reader, I will here insert it. The time appointed was eleven o'clock. After waiting a few moments, the priest arrived, who, having put on the insignias of his office, read prayers, and blessed a large basin of water. The child having now been stripped quite naked, Grivas took it in his arms, and placed it on a cloth that was upon the floor, and well rubbed its body with a great quantity of holy oil. After this operation, the priest took the child and popped it into the water three times, at the same time calling him Leonidas. After the ducking, the priest cut some hair from its head, rolled it up in some wax, and then burned it in the candle : this ceremony being, as I imagine, in the nature of a sacrifice or burnt offering. The godfather, Grivas, then again took the child, DEPARTURE OF TROOPS. 7 and, as sponsor to it, responded to the priest's interrogatories. The ceremony was concluded by an anthem, in which several of the company joined. Grivas then gave to the priest and his two attendants five drachmas each. Sweetmeats and liqueurs were then handed round, and we all immediately afterwards departed. At five o'clock the same evening a large con course of people assembled in the plain, at the extreme base of the hill inclining from the Areo pagus, to take leave of the above chieftain, and wish success to his enterprise against the insur gents. He was mounted, and attended by his brother-in-law ; and as he rode through the rank of the Palikaris that were to accompany him, they testified their joy by discharging their pis tols in the air. The King of Bavaria and his son Otho accom panied this battalion about two miles out of the town; for Grivas had made himself a great favourite with all parties. The troops were dressed in irregular and various styles, but all carried pistols and swords at their belts. They were destined to act in the mountains on the frontier, where regular troops are of little avail. 8 ROYAL PROCLAMATION. The battaUon then proceeded to Eleusis, (Lep- sino,) where they were to stop for the first night. The troops were paid very high ; each soldier receiving a drachma a day, which is about double the ordinary pay. But the case was one of emergency, and the government wanted picked soldiers to put down the insurrection. Previous to the above expedition the King had issued a proclamation relative to the rebels on the frontier ; and as it is very energetic, and shews the vigour of the young Grecian monarch, I shall copy it. PROCLAMATION. Greeks of Continental Greece ! Some culpable men are wishing to trouble the tranquillity that has been established among us since we have set our foot on the Grecian soil. You have just given Greece fresh proof of those noble sen timents which, in every circumstance, have guided your actions. You have repulsed with indignation those miser able wretches, wherever they have appeared. You have answered their discourses only by contempt ; and to their attempts of violence you have opposed those arms that you have so gloriously carried. Inhabitants of Western Greece ! Your noble conduct at this moment does not astonish me. I expected it from you with that full conviction that you have always justified, and it is agreeable to my heart to see it confirmed. Receive, ROYAL PROCLAMATION. 9 therefore, the testimony of the great satisfaction that I feel from it, and receive the royal assurance of my reiterated approbation. But I have been astonished at the blindness of those traitors who thought that they could deceive you ; and that with impunity they could represent you, before the eyes of Europe, as not being friends of order. I have been astonished at the ingratitude of these traitors, who have been able to forget that they had once the honour of serving your King. Greeks of Continental Greece ! The names of Nicholas Jerva, of Demotzeli, and Malama, have been noted with in famy, and effaced from the lists of the phalanx : a powerful arm shall reach these perjured individuals. Greeks of Continental Greece ! Rely upon the foresight and energy of the government. It will know how to sup port your efforts, and keep good order. It shall maintain your tranquillity. It shall destroy your enemies. Necessary measures have been taken. The number of troops on the frontiers has been increased. Distinguished chiefs have been named to command them. Full powers have been conferred upon all the civil powers to act according to circumstances. Men enjoying entirely our confidence have been sent to govern the two nomarchies ; and measures have been taken that the laws shall be executed in all their rigour. However, it is with a paternal indulgence that we shall grant to those who have been led into error time to return to their duty. Some ordinances relative to this object will be immediately published. Inhabitants of Continental Greece ! Continue to remain firm in the ardour and zeal that you have shewn for order and tranquillity. These are the bases of national happiness, and it is in that that the safety of Greece rests. Your King 10 GREEK REBELS. makes it the continual object of his attention ; having, for you and all Greeks in general, a paternal love. (Signed) Otho. ARMANSPERG. RIZZO. MANSOLAS. KRIEZIS.HESS. Since this proclamation was issued, two thou sand Palikaris have been raised in different parts of the kingdom, and sent off to the scene of action. This body is separated into five divi sions, commanded respectively by Zavella, Gri vas, Vasso, Marmouri, and Tzango. The force of the insurgents is said to amount to between five and six hundred men. As may be supposed, the proclamation re lative to the rebels was the principal topic of conversation in town. I met, in my walk, the Doctor Hipitas, who has been some time in Greece. He related to me the following story of Nicholas Jerva, who is now at the head of the rebels : — Just before the arrival of his Majesty in Greece, this chief had the com mand of the troops appointed to watch over the national assembly at Pronia, a village in the MOUNT PENTELICUS. 11 environs of Napoli di Romania. One thousand dollars were offered him as a bribe to disperse this assembly, which he accepted, and entered among the assembled deputies, — seized some, robbed others, and frightened the rest away ! On my return this day to the Hotel de France, (my residence,) some French topographers, who dined daily at the same hotel, invited me to ac company them on the following day to visit the marble quarries of Mount Pentelicus. I had long wished to make this excursion, and I was glad to embrace the opportunity of doing so in the society of scientific men. Accordingly, at eight the next morning we quitted Athens, taking that road from the palace which leaves Mount Anchesmus to the left ; and in half an hour's ride we arrived at the pretty spot called Angelos Koipos. Having then proceeded over a heath, we reached the small village of Ca- landra. Still proceeding through an unculti vated country, (the soil of which, however, was very rich,) we passed through several dried-up brooks, in which were quantities of the rose laurel, but not yet in flower. In half an hour more we arrived at the foot of the mountain. 12 GROTTO OF PENTELICUS. We then commenced ascending on horseback, and another half hour brought us to the grotto, which is at the first quarry, about half way up the mountain. The principal quarry now worked is about fifty feet high, and of the purest and whitest marble, with which the ancient Athenians were accustomed to build their temples and large edifices. The marks of their chisels are still visible on the blocks and huge masses that are scattered about, and also on the parts whence these have been detached. Here and there, too, heaps of fragments still remain, which, possibly, are the cuttings of those blocks that were hewn to compose the beautiful edifices with which Pericles adorned Athens. Having left our horses in custody of the servants, we lighted some wax tapers, and entered the grotto, which is very large, (about sixty feet square, and about thirty feet in height.) The water oozing through the rock has, in the lapse of ages, formed crystaline pillars. We were obliged to be careful how we proceeded, for in the inmost part were large holes about ten feet deep. We descended a few of these, but observed nothing in them to repay ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN. 13 our curiosity. Some of the crystaline masses we detached, and found them, on examination, exceedingly beautiful. Having satisfied our curiosity, we then satisfied our hunger, by an excellent breakfast that we had been provident enough to bring with us, and which the servants had prepared while we were exploring the cave. The sun was by this time very warm ; but we got under an angle of the rock, which protected us from it. Having finished our repast, (which we all par took of with the appetite usual on such occasions,) we mounted our horses and ascended the moun tain. The path was very difficult and steep. We passed several other quarries, all of which bore marks of the chisel. We also observed holes made upon the mountain, as if to place wooden pillars for the construction of a causeway, which formed an inclined plane from the summit to the base. Upon this, no doubt, the blocks were placed, and conveyed to the bottom of the moun tain upon wheeled trucks ; for, lower down, we observed, indented in the rocks, the track that the wheels had made. The distance of the wheels one from the other was about four feet. This mountain is about 1,100 metres above 14 VIEW FROM SUMMIT. the level of the sea ; which is equal to about 3,500 English feet. This measurement is the correct one, as it was communicated to me by Captain Gennesse, one of the French topographers who was of the company, and who had recently ascertained its height himself. In ascending, we put up a great many partridges. It was the breeding season, and they flew in pairs. After an hour's ride we arrived at the summit, within fifty feet of which we still found quarries. We were well repaid for the trouble we had experienced in the ascent. To the north-east of us lay the plain of Marathon. Beyond that was the large island of Negropont ; and although it was the 6th of March, and in this warm latitude, we observed that the high land of Negropont was covered with snow. The town of Chalcis, its capital, was perfectly distinct. Inclining towards the north-west, Mount Parnassus was perceptible, with its snow-clad tops ; and, looking towards the south-west, the mountains of Tripolizza (which are in the centre of the Morea) came into view. To the south-east the view embraced the numerous islands of the Egean sea. The day was perfectly clear, the sun shining brilliantly, and we were enabled to take the utmost advan- RETURN TO ATHENS. 15 tage of our magnificent position. Having re mained on the summit about an hour, we again mounted our horses, (which we had ridden to the top,) and retraced our steps, riding into and examining several of the quarries in our descent. The quantity of marble hewn out of these quarries conveys a splendid idea of the number of edifices which must have ornamented ancient Athens. At the same time, the scene suggested to our imaginations that hoped-for period when the modern city may be able to avail herself of this happy facility for her future adornment. At present, the Athenians find common lime-stone plentifully, within a quarter of a mile from Athens, to construct their houses with ; and they are con tent with that. But I was most happy to learn that the government was about constructing a road to these marble quarries ; and at a subse quent visit, two months afterwards, the road was nearly completed. We arrived at the base of the mountain about four o'clock. The sun was then verging to the summit of Mount Anchesmus ; the air was beau tifully clear ; and in consequence, Athens, though at the distance of ten miles, appeared close 16 RICHES OF THE PLAIN. at hand. A beautiful rivulet takes its rise from a spring which emanates from the monas tery bearing the name of the mountain, and which is a little to the right of the ascent. The stream takes a winding course through the plain, and waters the adjacent country. The land from the monastery to Calandra is very rich, and might be made to produce anything that is needed. I recommend this spot particularly to a settler who may come to this country to make a purchase of land. Athens will every year increase, as well in extent as in the number of its inhabitants ; and this plain, stretching in all directions, (bounded by the mountains Parnese, Pentelicus, and Hymetus,) is large enough to support a population of two hundred thousand • people in the capital. The air is much more cool and agreeable here than at Athens, and the country is well wooded with the fir and the arbutus ; the beautiful rose-laurel is also preva lent in the dried-up water-courses. I know of no situation better adapted for passing the summer months ; and from one of the rivulets which falls into the Cephisus, and which is never dry, might be formed tanks to water the gardens and plantations, and to sup- EXPENSES AT ATHENS. 17 ply baths, that indispensable luxury of a hot climate. The distance of this plain is only nine miles from the town ; and in performing it, Captain Gennesse, who had been four years surveying the country, entertained us by singing Greek war- songs, and in a style so like the Greeks, that the peasantry who passed us stopped to listen with admiration to a Frank who could imitate so closely their national style and pronunciation. On returning to the hotel, about six in the evening, the landlord, Luis, and his wife, had prepared a very good dinner, of which we par took together. The above hotel, although not the best in the town, is a very good one. It is situated in Minerva Street, close to the Post Office and the Parade, and its situation is per fectly healthy and pleasant. It forms three sides of a square, inclosing a court-yard. The land lord is a Frenchman, and I resided with him for six months, during which time I found him very civil and obliging, and always ready to render me any civility I might need. It is true that, in the first instance, I was compelled to pay for the experience I obtained. VOL. II. c 18 EXPENSES AT ATHENS. All Englishmen abroad are considered as rich as Croesus, and they are always looked upon as fair game ; I was accordingly plucked very hand somely at first. My expenses for the first month were thus : — Six drachmas a day for my room, three drachmas for my dinner, and a drachma and a half for my breakfast ; making in the whole ten drachmas and a half a day ; in addition to which, the servant was charged one drachma a day more, making eleven drachmas and a half a day ; which, at 8 Id the drachma, makes 8s. lfrf. daily. After the first month, I told Louis that I should remain some time in Athens, and asked him what he would take per month, to pro vide me as heretofore. Having consulted with his better half for a few minutes, he returned and told me that, for two hundred drachmas a month (which was about six drachmas and three quarters a day,) he would give me the same sleeping room as I had hitherto occupied, and the same fare — namely, an English breakfast every morning, composed of tea or coffee, with toast, and milk and fresh butter, when the two latter are in season, which is from January till July and August, and salt English butter at EXPENSES AT ATHENS. 19 other times ; for dinner, soup and three other dishes, with a dessert. Thus my expenses, with the servant, amounted to seven drachmas a day, (about five shillings.) The cuisine was entirely French, and I generally found it very good. c 2 20 CHAPTER II. Conversation with Doctor Clathos and Mr. Black, relative to a new Gazette — The Doctor's method of Curing a Lunatic — The manner in which the Mainotes take the Law — Pic-nic to Mount Pentelicus, with Mr. and Mrs. Finlay — Greek Scenery — The two Kings — Insurrection — King's Proclamation — Visit to Mr. Conduriotti, and to Madame Catachasi's — Greek Barristers and Judges — Visit to the Courts of Law — The Law of Greece — Dr. Ma- niachis. About this time, my friend Dr. Clathos had determined on starting a new journal in Athens, and I had a discussion with him and Mr. Black on the subject, he and that gentleman having accidentally met at my apartments. The journal was to be called the Upmvo; Kvput- — (the Morning Herald ;) and the question was, whether it should contain politics or not. I, for one, discoun tenanced the mixture of political discussion under the existing circumstances of Greece ; and it was at length decided that the new under- COURT JOURNAL. 21 taking should be a sort of " Court Journal," confining itself to news of the court and the town, literature, manners, &c. About a fortnight afterwards, this journal made [ its appearance, and I have some numbers by me at present. It was about the size of a sheet of foolscap paper, and was published five times a week. Subscribers paid two drachmas a month (Is. 7d.) ; persons not subscribing, ten leptas a paper, (not quite ld.) The contents of it were, first, the news of the town, — the reviews, the balls, the dinners, &c. ; then followed news of the country, — robberies, or any other event. Then foreign news, and some brief review of a Greek work that had been published ; and, finally, ad vertisements, births, marriages, and deaths. This paper succeeded very well ; nobody op posed it on the ground of its political bias, &c. Dr. Clathos was physician to the town hospital, which contained on an average fifty patients, who were attended, and supplied with medicines, free of all expense. The doctor related to me a very odd incident connected with this establish ment. He once had a patient there who was insane, and he had tried everything to alleviate his malady, but in vain. At last he had recourse 22 CURE FOR INSANITY. to the experiment of ordering his patient a good sound beating, morning, noon, and night. The consequence was magical : the man, just before being beaten, was always dreadfully frightened and agitated; and this excess of excitement caused a counteraction of the disease, and the patient almost immediately improved. The doctor then decreased the beatings to two a day, and the man still improved ; and then to one beating a day. The poor man progressively improved under this treatment, and was completely cured. He is now engaged in trade, as a cabinet maker. I visited him after this anecdote, and found him perfectly sane. Dr. Clathos also mentioned that Count Capo d'Istrias, when studying medicine in Italy, was in the habit of visiting a lunatic asylum, to observe the patients, and that after a time he became excessively hypochondriacal ; — that his preceptor hearing of it, prohibited his returning, — telling him, that by repeated visits he might himself become deranged. And the doctor confirmed this view of the subject. Another event of a very extraordinary nature occurred about this time, and was related to me by Mr. Black, the Chief of Police. A Mainote MAINOTE JUSTICE. 23 had just been cited before the Attorney-General, for killing a man in his province. The man frankly acknowledged the affair, and said that his reason for the act was, that the deceased had killed one of his relations ; that through the death of his relative, his clan had been reduced to thirty-five ; and that the clan of the deceased, a rival one, was thirty-six in number : he therefore killed the man in question, solely with the view of reducing the antagonist clan to the same number as his own ! The province in which this occurred is called Maina, — the most southern of the Morea, and a country so rude and barbarous, that the Turks could never subjugate it ; nor did they make many attempts to that end. At every two or three miles there are small fortifications of houses, and, like the barons of old, the inha bitants carry on a predatory warfare, when the ire of the clan is raised by any insult offered by a neighbouring one. A long discussion ensued on the above circum stances, and we all agreed that the better way to remedy the evil would be by kind and concili atory means, — by inviting these rude moun taineers to the capital, to partake of the good 24 EXTRACTS FROM JOURNAL. things that were there distributed, — to bask in the smiles of royalty, to obtain places, — and to make them so much like the new mode of living and order of things, that they might not be able to abandon it, but would carry it back to their provinces ; and particularly that the people should be educated. By these mild means the province of Maina might unquestionably be converted, in a few years, into a most valuable acquisition to the state. In fact, subsequently, the government adopted these wise measures, to a certain extent, so that the city is now full of Mainote porters. On employing them, I always found their charges were very trifling, and themselves a very honest, civil, and industrious race of people. I shall now, for the convenience of myself, no less than from my behef of its being conducive to the amusement of my readers, make a few extracts from my journal, just in the simple and inartificial state in which I find my ideas, and opinions, and observations, there recorded : — EXTRACTS FROM JOURNAL. March 9th. — Having received yesterday a note from Mr. Finlay, (an old Philhellene,) to accom pany him and his family, who wished to visit A PIC-NIC PARTY. 25 the marble quarries at Pentelicus, I accepted the invitation. Mr. Finlay is one of those English men I have previously mentioned in my journal, as having sacrificed to the god Hymen at the Gre cian altar. Mrs. Finlay is a very pretty, agreeable person, and is much esteemed by all who know her. They receive society every night, and I have passed many happy evenings at their house. Started this morning at eight o'clock, and proceeded to Mr. Finlay's on horseback, my servant having procured me a. very good horse from the stand at the bottom of the town ; at which place they may always be had at a mo ment's notice. Some of the horses at this place are very good, and the saddles are generally Itahan, sometimes Turkish, and here and there you may find a horse with an English saddle. The price for a good horse is six drachmas a day, (4s. 3d.) The party was composed of Mr. and Mrs. Finlay, Miss Crockett, an English lady, and some German and Greek officers of the army. This cavalcade of men and horses made the quarter quite lively. Finlay lives in the Rue Adrian, in the upper part of the town, and this is considered the Chaussee d'Antin of 26 RIDE TO PENTELICUS. Athens. The English Minister, the Chancellor, the Russian and Turkish Minister, and General Church, all reside here ; and in truth it is the healthiest and best part of the town. On leaving the city in this direction, you pass the old palace on the left, and the new one on the right. We soon reached Mount Anchesmos, and then hastened to the charming spot of Angelos Koipos, about two miles out of the town. Here are two pretty summer resi dences, — one belonging to Madame Catachasi, the other to Count Boggiari. We stopped at Calandra for a few moments, to refresh our horses, at a fountain which had been constructed by the Turks, and where some Greek dames were washing their clothes. We then entered upon the beautiful and rich plain which stretches from Calandra to Mount Pentelicus, about five miles in length. I had passed this a fortnight before ; but the warmth of the weather had in that period covered the ground with myriads of flowers. We rode through beds of anemonies, of all kinds and colours, and our observation was attracted by many that were double. The leaves of the trees were already bursting forth, though it was only the 9th of March. The aromatic GREEK SCENERY. 27 herbs with which the plains of Greece abound were awakening from their winter torpor, and gave note of their renewed life, by imparting the most fragrant odour to the air. We passed several small brooks and rivulets, which took their source in the Pentelicus, and the banks of which were covered with the arbutus, the rose laurel, &c. The warbling of birds, of which there were numbers in the lofty adjacent trees, enlivened the scene ; the rippling of the water, the talk of the party, the neighing of the horses, who seemed to enjoy the scene as much as we did, threw over the whole a charm which I shall not soon forget. We soon began to ascend the mountain, and arrived at the grotto at about half- past eleven.* Having satisfied the curiosity of the ladies as to the wonders and mysteries of this spot, we proposed to adjourn to the mo nastery Pentelic, which was about a mile distant, and where it had been decided that we should breakfast. On arriving there, and entering the porticos before the church door, we were agreeably sur prised to find that the forethought of Mr. and Mrs. Finlay had provided a delightful repast, * See a description of this grotto, page 12 of this vol. 28 THE MONASTERY. including every luxury that we should have met with at their own house ; and as the ride, and the keen mountain air, had given us all an extra appetite, we did ample justice to this opportune hospitality. We then repaired to the cool shade of the trees, in the meadows near the monastery, (for it was now noon, and the heat of the sun was sultry,) and loitered for some hours, amus ing ourselves with the usual busy idleness which is the charm of such excursions as these. Nothing could be more delightfully rural and picturesque than the spot we had chosen for the scene of our stroll. It was about one hundred and fifty yards from the monastery ; the grass was beautifully green and perfectly dry ; and the space was shaded by large elm and plane trees, the foliage of which already cast a very agreeable coolness. One of the numerous streams that come from the adjacent mountains passed round the monastery, and meandered its way through the meadow, overhung by some high brushwood; and the whole scene was of that quiet and sooth ing cast which is so peculiarly adapted to the English taste in landscape scenery. The mo nastery itself is not a very ancient structure ; the date of a.d. 1760 being sculptured on it. THE TWO KINGS. 29 At four o'clock we mounted our horses to return home, where we arrived about six o'clock. Among the number of persons we met on our return were, the two Kings, walking arm in arm, without any attendant, and apparently enjoying, like ourselves, the beauty of the scenery and the balmy softness of the air. Such a large caval cade attracted the attention of the two monarchs, who returned our salute with the utmost grace and frankness. We did not reach home with out my having suffered some inconvenience from the heat of the sun. I find it is more than in convenient — it is dangerous — to expose oneself much to the vernal sun in Greece. It is true, the rays are not so strong in the month of March as afterwards ; but being less accustomed to them immediately after the winter, their effect is much more decided and more dangerous. Not having paid a visit for some time to Mr. George Conduriotti, I called at his house this evening. Upon my arrival, I found there, the Minister of Marine, Mr. Kriezis, Mr. Bedouri, the son-in-law of Conduriotti, and several other Hydriotes. After I had been there a quarter of an hour, Kotzakos, one of the King's aides- de-camp entered. The latter is a Mainote, and 30 RUSSIAN VERSUS GREEK. a relative of Mavromichali, the principal chief of Maina. Kotzakos is a true image of the ancient Greeks, — shrewd, lively, and ardent in his imagination. I had a most excellent oppor tunity of making a contrast between him and the Hydriote. The Hydriote is stern in his manner, not through any wish to offend, but from the phlegmatic nature of his disposition. But with this he has a character noted for honour. Con duriotti and Kriezis are considered two of the most upright men in Greece. They were playing at cards when I went in. The game was Trente- et-un, and the stakes were moderate. I afterwards called at the house of Madame Catachasi, the Russian Minister's lady ; for it was her reception night. Here I found all the youth and beauty of Athens ; and although the scene gra tified me, I could not help regretting the change that had taken place in this unfortunate country, since the time of the ancient glory of the Athenians. The Russian had changed places with the Greek : at the residence of the former, the most refined politeness ; at the latter, the primeval age of society. It is a great pity that Conduriotti, Bedouri, Colocotroni, Zaimi, and other distinguished and wealthy Greeks, do not GREEK ADVOCATES. 31 concert together, and, during the season, receive society, after the manner of the Europeans. A stranger arriving in Greece, if he wishes to observe Greek society, is compelled to frequent the balls of the foreign ministers, instead of the houses of the natives.* Notwithstanding my philosophy, however, I amused myself very much, and at twelve I returned home to record the re sult in my journal. March 13. — While at breakfast this morn ing, Petzalis called upon me on his way to one of the courts of law. He is an advocate of great eminence ; and, having learned from him that he was to plead to-day, I proposed to ac company him to the court. Having done so, I was much entertained by the oratory that both he and his antagonist, Mr. Skouffos, displayed. Having, after the trial, dined with Petzalis, at the Hotel Royale, (the best in the town, kept by Monsieur and Madame Cassalis,) I made some inquiries of him, as to the state of the law in Greece ; and I will put down the substance of * I have since heard that what I so much desired will take place in the approaching winter, and that such a slur upon Greek hospitality will not be allowed to remain. 32 THE LAW IN GREECE. his reply while it is fresh in my memory ; and, as nearly as I can, in his own words. The French law is in general use in this coun try, with a few exceptions. The Juge de Paix takes cognizance of petty misdemeanors, and, in cases of debt, to the amount of twenty drachmas, without appeal. He also takes cognizance of all debts to the amount of one hundred drachmas ; but the parties may appeal to the Cour de la Premiere Instance {npwro Sixeiov) if the amount be above twenty drachmas. In this court there are three judges. The next court is termed the Court of Appeal, (ecjSetov S«t«o-Twgiov.) This has five judges. Only two adjudications can be taken on each suit. There is another court, termed the Court of Cassation, ('A^-os ncvyos,) which does not investi gate the facts. This court is only appealed to when there has been an error in the application of the law. Its jurisdiction extends to criminal as well as civil cases. In criminal cases, a single degree of jurisdic tion exists, — in a Cour Correctionelle, or a Cour d' Assize. The competency of the Cour Correc tionelle is decided by the gravity of the crime. THE LAW IN GREECE. 33 When the crime does not exceed imprisonment for five years, it judges the affair ; if more than that, the Cour d'Assize takes cognizance of it. The Cour Correctionelle is composed of five judges, with a president ; the Cour d'Assize of five judges and a grand jury, consisting of twelve persons chosen from the body of the citizens. No person can be brought to trial unless he pos sesses a decree of accusation. This decree is made by the judges of the Court of Premiere In stance, who assemble privately, and it is granted at the solicitation of the Attorney-General, who is charged with the prosecution. The decree of accusation is subject to appeal, and the judges of the Tribunal of Appeal judge the decree. The delinquent must be tried within thirty days. All commercial transactions are judged by the Court of the First Instance, before a president, assisted by two judges taken from the body of merchants. The Chief of the Law, the Minister of Justice, does not preside in any of the courts. He merely watches over the whole ; sees if there is any derangement in the working of the law ; and may be termed the link between the courts and the executive. The laws relating to Bank ruptcy and insolvency are similar to our own. VOL. II. D 34 GREEK JUDGES. Intending to pay Pezzalis a compliment, (which, however, I thought he well deserved,) I said to him, "No doubt you will one day be a judge." " I hope not," said he, " for the salary of a judge is only 1501. a-year, — hardly enough to give one a bare subsistence. Whereas now, as a barrister, I make a thousand pounds a-year with ease." We both deprecated this system, as highly dangerous and detrimental to the fair and pure administration of justice ; since, at a salary like this, none but incompetent persons can be ex pected to take, or at any rate to retain, the res ponsible situation of a judge.* * At a subsequent period, I learned that Doctor Maniachis, the Greek gentleman of whom I have before spoken as hav ing been educated at Cambridge, was appointed a judge at Patras, upon the above-named miserable stipend ; but after holding it six months, finding it totally insufficient to sup port himself, his wife, and his numerous family, he sent in his resignation, and is now, as a barrister, gaining a hand some income. 35 CHAPTER III. The King of Bavaria's intended Departure — Ball at the Chancellor's Lady's — The King of Bavaria's Amiability at it — Colocotroni offered to make the Author his Adopted Son — Coursing Excursion — General Church and the Chieftains — Author's Political Discussion with some Greek Chiefs — Russian Intrigue in the Morea — The Russian Power compared to that of the States its Neighbours. In a small state like Greece, — and particularly in a small town of it, like Athens, containing only a population of twenty thousand inhabitants, — everything is known. An arrival or a departure is talked of, and commented upon, even if it happen to be that of a private individual. What must it be, then, if the individual happen to be a monarch? The King of Bavaria was now (March .22,. JLSjJii,) on the eve of his departure ; and as there is a reciprocity of good feeling between his Majesty and the Greeks, the event caused a great deal of conversation. On the previous d2 36 DEPARTURE OF THE KING. Sunday, his Majesty sent to Conduriotti, Zaimi, and Peter Mavromicali (the Mainote chieftain,) members of the Council of State, the Bavarian order of Merit. The latter being confined to his room through illness, the King of Bavaria had the extreme complaisance to go to his house, and to present him the decoration with his own hands. This circumstance gave much satisfac tion to the people in general, and tended much to increase the good feeling among the Athenians. The day previous to the King's departure, the Countess of Armansperg had a grand party at her house. It was the first party given by the Countess after the melancholy death (in Septem ber last) of her eldest daughter, the Princess Louise Cantacuzene ; and, as it was Lent, there was no dancing ; but some Italian and German pieces were performed by amateurs. The King of Bavaria was present, and conversed much with the chieftains, with whom he was very popular. He takes every opportunity of shewing his predilection in favour of the Greek costume. On the present occasion, Niketas (the Turk killer) was dressed in the European costume of a colonel ; and was standing by the side of Gineos Colocotroni, the son of old Colocotroni, who GOOD BREEDING OF THE GREEKS. 37 wore a Greek dress. This attracted the King of Bavaria's attention, who went up to Niketas, and said to him, " You must dress yourself in your native costume, like the other chieftains. It looks infinitely superior ; besides, it is a na tional thing." The society not being very large, (for there were not more than a hundred and thirty persons in the room,) I had an opportunity of paying great attention to these old guerilla heroes, whose manners, although not polished, are anything but rude and uncivilized ; on the contrary, from a species of natural good breeding, they never com mit the least indecorum. Their respect, as well to the King of Bavaria as to the young monarch, is extreme ; and they never lose an opportunity of shewing it. There were present this evening, Colocotroni, Griziotti, Niketas, Conduriotti, Be douri, Zaimi, Drosso Mansolas, Kriezis, Makri- ani, the sons of Admiral Miaulis, Valtunos, &c. The King of Greece, who speaks perfectly well the Greek language, walked about the room be tween the interludes, addressing the chiefs in their native tongue. His Majesty's manners are not forced ; he speaks to all with the greatest politeness, and he studies to please the nation 38 GREEK CHARACTER. he is governing, who are prepossessed in favour of his youth and his natural good disposition. In fact, the Greeks are, of all people in the world, the most easily governed by good treatment, and affability of deportment. The Greeks may be considered as a vain people ; and the king's advisers, availing themselves of this quality, are enabled to use with great advantage the order which has been created, — that of the Saviour; and this policy, when well applied, is the most economical yet effective mode of reward that was ever invented. In fact, no nation in the world is more eager for external honour, rank, and all the appendages of royalty, than the Greeks are ; and monarchy not being an expensive mode of government in Greece, the nation will thrive under it, — especially as it will cause a concen tration of talent and thinking towards one point. On the other hand, were the Greek nation a republic, they would fall again, through their intestine divisions for supremacy, into the power of the Turks. One would imagine that they had studied well the fate of that unfortunate country, Poland ; which would never have fallen, but for the intestine divisions created by an elective monarchy. THE KING AND THE AUTHOR. 39 Notwithstanding the removal from power of Count Armansperg, I must here observe that he may be regarded as an accomplished statesman, to have overcome the difficulties he has had to encounter. In fact, he possesses great moral courage and discernment ; at the same time, he is slow in carrying his views into effect. His judgment and prudence have been conspicuously shewn, in his decision as to the foreign relations of Greece, and that she should be intimately connected with Great Britain, — whose wealth, power, and liberal policy united, can alone afford Greece that stay and support which she will need for some years. A circumstance happened at the party above al luded to, which, as it was not expected by me, was the more agreeable. The King of Bavaria makes a point of having every one introduced to him who may be either directly or indirectly attached to the state ; and as I had some relations with the government, and had been several times at the balls at which his Majesty was present, the King recognised my person, and asked General Church, with whom he was talking, who I was. Being informed that my name was Cochrane, he came up to me, and said, " Are you related to 40 COLOCOTRONI AND THE AUTHOR. Lord Cochrane ?" I replied in the affirmative. His Majesty then said, " He is a great naval captain, and fame has extended his name over the whole world." A result ensued from this civility, which, though little expected, and merely personal, was characteristic enough to be alluded to here. As soon as the King of Bavaria had ceased speaking to me, old Colocotroni came up to me, and, after other marked shows of civility and empressement, begged to be considered in the light of a father to me ! — adding, that he had always had the greatest esteem for me, and value for my friendship. Before I quitted the above party, Count Armansperg added to my good humour, and the pleasure of the evening, by informing me that the king had granted my petition, and that it would be carried immedi ately into effect. EXTRACTS FROM JOURNAL CONTINUED. ¦-' March 30. — Notwithstanding our racketing of last night, at the Countess Armansperg's, I was up by six this morning, to keep a hunting appointment with Soteriades, at Calandra. I had procured a good strong horse, with English SPORTING IN GREECE. 41 saddle, &c, and, after a hasty breakfast, I pro ceeded to the appointed spot, about five miles from the city. There were neither pointers nor greyhounds, but merely a little terrier, and a kind of shepherd's dog ! But in Greece one is accustomed to make the most of everything. On reaching the field, I found young Miaulis, Colocotroni, Cantacuzene, Soteriades, and Soutzo. A bine was formed of dogs, men, and horses, and a hare was started, which the sportsmen chased for about a quarter of an hour — the dogs remaining behind with one of the countrymen of the village. As may be supposed, the hare " stole away;" and after two hours more galloping and scampering about the country, we returned to the village, and, under the shade of a large plane tree, advantage was taken of Soteriades' hos pitahty, in the shape of two roasted lambs, dressed in the Palikari's style. A large wooden stake was the spit, one extremity of which was placed upon a stone, and the other end was turned by a woman of the village, before a large fire, purposely prepared ; and to keep the outside of the lambs from being burnt, they were continually rubbed over with a bit of fat, tied to the end of a stick. We all of us took part in forwarding the culinary operations of the scene, 42 A PASTORAL FEAST. and immediately they were completed no time was lost in appropriating the results. The native wines of Scio, Tinos, and Naxos, which had been well chosen by Soteriades, tended much to give a zest to this Palikari entertain ment. Greek pastry was then served to us, and, to conclude the whole, some honey from Hy- metus was brought to us by one of the villagers, and formed an excellent conclusion to our truly pastoral repast. The spot we had chosen was about hah0 a mile from the village, and was well adapted for a pic-nic. It formed a small ravine about three hundred feet across, with a rivulet running through it. There was plenty of herbage for the horses, and the declivities on each side the ra vine were fined with large elm and plane trees, which were now in fohage, — affording a most de lightful shelter from the rays of the sun. After the repast, (which lasted about an hour,) we stretched ourselves out beneath the shade of the trees, and took a siesta. Afterwards, some of our number, Miaulis, Cantacuzene, and Colo cotroni, amused us and themselves by a jumping match, in which Colocotroni bore away the palm. As soon as the sun declined, we mounted our DEPARTURE OF THE KING. 43 horses to return to the city. On our arrival there we learned that the King of Bavaria had embarked on board his Britannic Majesty's steam vessel, Medea, commanded by Captain Austin, and that the vessel would proceed direct to Ancona. His Majesty was accompanied to the beach by the authorities, and General Church, — who, in a spirit appropriate to the occasion, had assembled fifty of the Greek chieftains, (without the king's knowledge,) all in their splendid cos- . tumes, and mounted on horseback, to escort his Majesty to the shore. The King of Bavaria was much pleased by this mark of voluntary devotion and respect, paid to him by individuals belong ing to a soil the name of which has ever been familiar and dehghtful to the King, and has no doubt originated that correct and classic taste for which he is so famed all over Europe. While I was at Athens I made it a rule to be courteous to everybody, and was always happy to receive them at my house, however I might differ from them in political opinions and feelings. Over a cup of coffee and a tchabouck I heard all they had to say ; and as the Greek is always 44 GREEK POLITICS. mightily pleased with you, if you will listen to, and let him finish, his long-winded discourse, I humoured them, and by these means saw a great deal of them, and learned their views and opinions on the state of the country, and its political and commercial prospects and affairs. It was a few days after the departure of the King of Bavaria, that one morning my friend Captain Joanni called on me, exhibiting a most mournful countenance, as if something important to himself personally had occurred. I took hhn by the hand, and requested to know what was the matter. He said nothing had happened re lating to himself, but that our mutual friend, Boutet, had been killed by an encounter with the insurgents on the frontier. Boutet was a great favourite with all who knew him. He was on the point of marriage with a very handsome Athenian lady ; but the insurrec tion breaking out on the frontier, and it being requisite that troops should be sent to quell it, poor Boutet's company was ordered to march for the scene of strife, near Zeitouni. In the first encounter, Boutet was at the head of his company, and having been ordered to advance, he obeyed in the most gallant manner ; GREEK INSURGENTS. 45 but an ambuscade was laid for him, and the troops, finding themselves awkwardly placed in a cross fire, retreated as fast as their legs could carry them. Boutet tried to rally them, — gal lantly keeping his ground ; and while so doing, a ball from the musket of one of the insurgents shot him through the head, and he fell lifeless on the instant. The insurgents immediately came out in great force, seized his body, stripped him of everything valuable, and then cut off his head, as a trophy. This poor fellow was a Frenchman. He had entered the Greek service in 1822, and had been in most of the principal battles fought during the continuation of it. He had thus escaped all the dangers of the war ; had, for his bravery ob tained the rank of a captain ; and was on the point of crowning his happiness, by settling for life in the soil of his choice ; — when he was sud denly cut off, in the flower of his life, and the very fruition of his hopes ! The feeling of regret and esteem for him was universal. Poor Joanni was inconsolable. They had been bosom friends, and had had many rude knocks in one another's company, when engaged with the foe. 46 GREEK INSURGENTS. The grief, however, of a young and lively Greek is a passion not of long duration. My friend soon rallied, and I asked him to give me any news he had heard, as to the progress of the insurrection. He did so, to the following effect: " Early in this month, Lieut. -Colonel Hazzi- petro, accompanied by the Demarch of Ipata, at the head of one hundred and fifty armed inhabitants and ten soldiers, went, of their own accord, to Xeres, near the above place, to drive away the brigands which had set fire to it. The latter, to the number of thirty, were vigorously attacked. Three of them were killed, five were wounded, and ten made prisoners, and the robbers were repelled to the frontier beyond Sperchuis. "The arrival of Colonel Vasso," continued he, " is expected from day to day. We rely much upon his presence to re-establish tran quillity. It is understood that Soter, Stratos, Zervas, Malamas, and John Barakataris, are near the town of Caledroni, with two hundred men. The town is well guarded by its faithful inhabitants, and by a corps of gendarmerie sta tioned there. The rebels, despairing of finding ac complices, have given themselves up to plundering. RUSSIAN POWER. 47 It is said, they are directing themselves towards the frontiers, to unite with other brigands of Oriental Greece." I observed to Joanni, that all this was very bad, and I asked him where it would end? " I know not," said he ; " but this I know, that all the insurrections are raised by designing people, whose interest it is to prevent Greece ever be coming a powerful state. These enemies," con tinued he, " are in the pay of Turkey and Russia; Turkey, on account of its being lately dismem bered from the empire ; and Russia, because Greece may become a powerful state, and being, by geographical position, its natural enemy, will assist in preventing Russia from getting posses sion of the Mediterranean, even if she should get Constantinople. This rebellion," continued he, " does not extend twenty miles beyond the fron tier. Yet the only way to keep the Turks in check will be, by placing there the troops of some powerful state, whose name will carry with it great moral influence." While we were speaking, two more Palikari captains came in, and we recurred to the topic of poor Boutet's death. My friends had just got through their first pipe, when I heard another 48 RUSSIAN FORCE. gentle tap at the door, and in came Constato- polos, with a paper in his hand. As I was aware that he was an individual who was of the Rus sian party, I expected to hear some news, espe cially as I knew that he always had a motive in paying me a visit. "Well," said I, " Constato- polos, what news in Athens ?" " Read that," replied he, " and then think of the greatness of Russia !" Having seated himself, and taken a pipe, I took up the paper he had brought, which was the Sauveur, of the 17th of March, 1836, and read the paragraph alluded to aloud, for the benefit of the company, — which, by the bye, had now been increased by two more Greeks, who had immediately followed Constatopolos. The following is the extract : — La tendance d'extension de la domination Russe parait maintenant si evidente, qu'il est assez important d'en etudier les moyens, pour voir le developpement probable qu'elle peut prendre. D'apres des rapports assez recens, l'armee imperiale Russe presente un effectif d'environ 950,000 hommes, exclusive- ment des colonies militaires et des troupes regulieres. Si ce systeme se maintient, il est prouve que la Russie aura in- cessament, outre cette armee actuelle, une reserve d'un million de soldats, aussi bons que les troupes de ligne, et une pepiniere perpetuelle qui fournira constaminent des recrute- RUSSIAN FORCE. 49 mens de soldats exerc^s des l'enfance a l'usage des armes. Qu'on ajoute a cela une population de 54,000,000 d'habitans, sur une surface de 300,000 milles carres ; une marine im- portante, repandue dans la mer Baltique, la mer Blanche, les golfes de Bothnie et d'Ingrie, la mer noire et la mer d'Asof, et Ton aura une idee de la puissance absolue de la Russie, dont la population, qui n'etait que de quatorze mil lions d'habitans en 1722, s'eleve aujourd'hui a cinquante quatre millions, et dont le territoire, qui n'etait, il y a un siecle, que de 75,000 milles carres, presente aujourd'hui une surface de 300,000 milles carres. C'est le developpement d'une pareille masse de forces physiques, qui doit etre un sujet de serieuses reflexions, pour les nations qui avoisinent cet empire, et meme pour l'Europe, si elle acquiesce quelque temps encore a ce principe d'en- vahissement sans terme. Pour s'en convaincre, il suffit de connaitre la puissance relative des etats limitrophes de la Russie. Adosse au nord et au nord-est a des mers glacees, a l'Amerique polaire ; a Test, au sud-est et au sud, aux deserts de la Tartarie Chinoise ou Mongole ; l'empire Russe n'a de contact avec le monde civilisf} qu'a l'ouest et au sud-ouest. Des mers interieures bornent ses possessions : mais ces mers ne sont pas libres, et sont fermees par des de- troits ; la mer Baltique, par le Sund et les Belts ; la mer noire par la Propontide et le Bosphore ; deux desavantages de sa position geographique. Les Anglais peuvent, ainsi qu'ils l'ont fait deux fois, lui fermer les detroits du nord, et lui interdire le passage des Dardanelles." Le grand interet de la Russie, que lui a solemnellement legue Pierre-le-Grand, qu'a poursuivi Catherine II. et que poursuit l'empereur Nicolas, est d'affranchir les eaux meri- VOL. II. E 50 POWER OF RUSSIA. dionales de son empire, en dominant sur les deux rives du Bosphore. La domination de la mer Caspienne est d'un interet secondaire, qui se poursuit lentement et avec succes, malgre l'Angleterre. Le Cabul, le Belochistan, n'offrent maintenant que des interets de commerce ; mais qui se poursuivent en vue d'un interet relatif, qui peut devenir absolu ; c'est-a-dire, la repression de la puissance Anglaise dans l'lnde. In closing this sentence, all the Greeks ex pressed their sense of the impression created on their minds by these details : " What power !" "What greatness !" &c. — these were their ejacu lations. " But in what is Russia powerful?" said I. " In her nine hundred and sixty thousand men," was the reply, " that they can bring into the field whenever they choose. Their power is colossal as that of Napoleon." " But power," replied I, " does not consist in numbers being spread over a great surface, but in the concentration of numbers in a small space, and in the capacity of bringing those numbers into actual and active operation. Napoleon gained all his victories by his great personal activity, and his concentration of force. Do you think that France would have been so PRINCIPLE OF MILITARY POWER. 51 powerful and strong during the revolution, had she been three times as large, with the same number of inhabitants ? Certainly not ; for she would have had a greater extent of ter ritory to defend, and not have had power equal to doing so. Look at Prussia, — which possesses only twelve millions of souls, and a standing army of three hundred thousand men. She could bring two hundred thousand of them to bear upon any point, in one fourth of the time that Russia could bring the same quantity. The principle in war is, activity in directing a force ; therefore the Prussians could march, gain a battle, and a kingdom, while Russia was mov ing her men from one end of the empire to the other. Take another example, gentlemen : look at your own Acrocorinthus, — 1200 yards long, and 5000 yards in circumference, — the largest fort that you have in Greece, and which would require, to defend it properly, at least three thou sand troops. Suppose you had but a thousand troops to put into it. Those thousand troops would not be able to take every advantage of its situa tion, by manning it in an effective manner, so as to prevent the attack of an enemy ; but reduce e 2 52 WEAKNESS OF RUSSIA. that fortress to one third its size, and put the thousand men into it, the position would be maintained for a much greater length of time. Most of these politicians had been Palikaris, and had fought under Niketas in taking the Acrocorinthus from the Turks, when commanded by Abdallah Bey, (7th Nov. 1823,) and the argu- mentum ad hominem came home to them at once. " Recollect," continued I, " that men can march only thirty miles a day ; and therefore to take men from St. Petersburgh to three thousand miles off, (which would then only be in the heart of the empire of Russia,) would require one hun dred and fifty days, — almost six months ! If Russia were strong enough, be assured she would take Constantinople, without asking the consent of any European power." — "Take Constan tinople !" exclaimed they, — " that should be the business of Greece !" — " Nothing should be the business of Greece," said I, " but to take care of and improve what she possesses. If you act otherwise, while you are dreaming of possessing Constantinople, Russia will take it, thirty years hence, and then take Greece afterwards !" On this, Captain Constantinides, one of the Palikaris, WHAT IS POWER ? 53 pulled his mustachio, and exclaimed, " that if they had been able to drive out the Turks when they were in a state of slavery, and without political power, surely they could drive out the Russians when they had become a powerful and independent state." — " To what do you attach the word powerful," said I. — " We have," was the reply, " ten thousand men in our fastnesses, and we could raise a great many more, if re quired." — " But have you money to pay all these troops? Recollect that you are talking to a person who was in Greece during the war, and who was an eye-witness to the disunion and inefficiency of the troops, arising solely from the want of pay. Take advice : be unanimous among yourselves, and become wealthy by com merce. Invite that nation to your shores which will bring you the most wealth through com merce ; and supply the want of means to till her lands, under which Greece suffers, by en couraging immigration from other states, to the amount of five or six millions. You will then be able, with that amount, to enter the lists with Russia, and, by the assistance of other nations who are hostile to the Russian empire, you will 54 GREEK LANDHOLDERS. perhaps, some day or other, get possession of Constantinople." The Capitani, at this speech, pricked up their ears, and fixed their eager eyes steadfastly on the wall of my room, looking as if they fancied them selves planting the standard of the cross upon the domes of St. Sophia. — " But," said one of them,. " if we admit foreigners to settle in our country, they would, by their wealth, become possessed of our land ; and to part with that would be a hard thing." — I knew that two or three of these Capi- tanis possessed a great quantity of land ; I there fore said to one of them, " What quantity of land do you possess ?" — " About 800 stremata," was the reply. — " And what quantity of it have you cultivated ?" — " About sixty stre mata." — " Why don't you cultivate more ?" " Because I have no money." — " Will you, then, sell your land ?" — " If I could obtain a reasonable price for it." — "Will the Greeks give that price?'* "No." — "Then you are like the dog in the manger : you will neither cultivate the land your self, nor allow others to cultivate it. You be come impoverished because there are no persons to till the land which your forefathers left you. IMMIGRATION TO GREECE. 55 The value of a thing is according to the demand there may be for it. If there are a few persons in Greece, there will be few or no competitors for your land ; if there are a great many in Greece, the 740 stremata that are uncultivated of your estate would be purchased by them. You would then be a rich man, and not only possessing the 60 stremata which you before possessed by culti vation, but the 760 in your pocket, in the shape of money, which now are of no value to you but a nominal one. You could then turn your views to commerce ; your family would be comfortable, and you would be a member of an independent and powerful state, strong enough to protect itself from the insults of your neighbours. Whereas now you are quite the contrary ; the great re sources of your country are latent, and you are compelled to ask loans of other nations." The Capitani, during this speech, seemed not a little struck by my arguments, and, after a little pause, one of the landed proprietors took the lead, and said, " We are now perfectly con vinced by the arguments you have adduced, and we are certain that every other Greek would be the same were the question stated in a similar manner ; they would at once find it to their interest to re- 56 RUSSIAN INTRIGUE. ceive foreigners among them. You are going to Europe : we know that you are actuated by feel ings of good will towards Greece ; we therefore hope that you will influence your friends to come and settle among us." I rephed, that it gave me much pleasure to hear such sentiments from them, and that there was no other way to make themselves a great nation than by receiving all the world, of whatever nation they may be, but particularly those nations the subjects of which are wealthy. " When I am in England," I con tinued, "everything shall be done, so far as pro mulgating favourable feelings relative to you ; but before you can persuade European nations to come into continental Greece, means must be taken to ensure the safety and quiet of the frontier. The Morea, Negropont, and the islands, are safe enough." The tables were now completely turned on my friend, Constatopolos, who came to visit me solely to shew up the strength of Russia ; whereas, not one of the party would agree that Russia was a powerful nation abroad, whatever she might be at home. The fact is, that the Russian party had inserted the paragraph in question to prop up the waning Russian interest in Greece. POWER OF ENGLAND. 57 Constatopolos was stung to the quick, and he said to me, " You are always talking about the strength of England, but where does it lie ?" — " It lies," replied I, " not in the numerical strength of her subjects, (which, however, with her dependencies, doubles that of Russia,) but in her immense naval armaments, which can transport an immense force (say 100,000 men) to any one point or quarter of the globe, whether north, south, east, or west ; and as we possess the do minion of the seas, no one can impede us. As I have said before, force and power consists in quickness of action with a large collective force, and there is no mode equal to that of a fleet in conveying any great armament with rapidity." Finding himself foiled here, he inquired of me, with some show of surprise, in what way the nu merical force of Great Britain and her depen dencies exceeded that of Russia. I replied, that Great Britain and Ireland counted twenty-eight millions, India one hundred millions, the Canadas four millions, West Indies, three millions, Cape of Good Hope, half a million, New Holland, half a million, and various other places two millions more ; all which millions are kept compactly to gether, as though they formed one united solid 58 EUROPEAN POLICY. empire, by means of our vast and irresistible fleets. The above sums amount to 138 millions, inhabiting an extent of earth about one half the size of the empire of Russia, which contains about fifty-four millions of souls. " I agree with you," replied I, in conclusion, " that Russia may, thirty or forty years hence, if she remain at peace, become very strong, and her possessions in the Black Sea might be come very powerful ; but it will be the duty of other European nations to take advantage of circumstances, and raise new kingdoms near her, in order to struggle and fight with her for territory; and also to endeavour to regenerate Turkey. Only let Greece be a constitutional monarchy, with a free press — let it become powerful in numbers and in wealth — and it will be the best safeguard against any encroachments on the part of Russia in the Bosphorus." 59 CHAPTER IV. Good Friday — Easter — The King goes to the Cathedral — Description of the Ceremony — Historical Sketch of the Greek Church — Difference between the Greek and Roman Churches — Separation of the two — Biographical Sketch of Mr. Tricoupi. Greece is famous for its fast days and holidays. The Easter which I had been accustomed to keep in Western Europe had passed, and I was to have the pleasure of witnessing another in the same year ; for, as I have said before, the Greek and Russian calendars are. twelve days later than ours. Good Friday is a day of great ceremony in Athens. At half-past ten in the evening, high mass was performed in the cathedral church of St. Irene, by the bishop of Athens, assisted by several other bishops. After the ceremony, a procession took place through the town. The 60 EASTER EVE. bishop was preceded by a body of military, and a military band, playing the dead march in Saul. At every hundred paces they stopped for five minutes, and then proceeded again. The bishop was accompanied by the rest of the synod, and the principal notables and gentry of the kingdom followed the cortege, which must have extended two hundred yards in length, for at least three thousand people composed it. On their arrival at the palace his Majesty appeared at one of the windows, and bowed to the bishop and the people. The effect was very striking, as many of the persons composing the procession held lanthorns on the tops of long poles ; others had long wax tapers, by which the whole was perfectly well illuminated. The cortege, having stopped for five minutes before the palace, the bishop uttered a prayer for the preservation of his Majesty, and then he and his suite proceeded back to the cathe dral of St. Irene by a different route. On the following day, (Easter-eve,) the cere mony at the cathedral church was graced by the presence of royalty. At eleven o'clock in the evening I proceeded to the cathedral of St. Irene, in company with Colonel Hay, of the guards, who had just arrived at Athens. We went early, and EASTER EVE. 61 procured a standing place within twelve feet of the throne. The monarch and his suite arrived at a quarter before twelve o'clock, accompanied by a detachment of the guards. After he had placed himself on the throne, which was an elevation of about three feet, the ceremony com menced. It was at midnight precisely that the anthem Xpio-w «veo*te (Christ has arisen) was sung, the bishop of Athens at the same time scattering incense all around. After this anthem, another was sung for the preservation of his Majesty, arranged to the air of " God save the King," and I observed very plainly the delight his Majesty experienced. For my own part, the national air of my country, the scene, the novelty of seeing the King of Greece thus situated, the founder of a monarchy which may hereafter rival its ancient days of renown, gave me emotions which the sanctity of the place could scarcely keep me from expressing. Four stanzas of this anthem were sung. On the left, and in the front of his Majesty, were his ministers, the counsellors of state, and his Greek chieftains, in their splendid uniforms. I observed Conduriotti, Bedouri, Drosso Mansola, Kriezis, Mankriani, and several others. I did not observe 62 THE GREEK CHURCH. any of the foreign ministers. The King, when he entered, bore a large wax taper in his hand, and he held it for about an hour, and then gave it to his aide-de-camp, Kotzakos. The Athenian ladies were situated opposite the throne, on the left side of the church. They were separated from the male spectators by a partition. The King remained till half-past one, when, all the prayers being finished, he descended the throne, and passed through the guards, which formed an avenue within the church, and entered his car riage, which conveyed him back to the palace, escorted by the detachment of mihtary, who had persons on their sides bearing torches. The present may perhaps be deemed no unfit occasion for offering to my readers a brief his torical sketch of the Greek Church in the East, and also of the difference between that and the Roman church. It was from Jerusalem that the Christian Church first took its rise. There Clirist suffered death upon the cross ; and upon the day of the Pentecost, a.d. 34, being ten days after the Ascension, the Apostles were indued with the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and entered upon their mission, promulgating the law of Christ ; and no THE GREEK CHURCH. 63 less than three thousand souls were converted by St. Peter's first discourse at Jerusalem. The num ber of converts rapidly increased ; — which excited the jealousy of the Jews, and a persecution com menced. Among the most inveterate of the enemies of the Christians was St. Paul, who was converted on his journey to Damascus, and be came one of the apostles of Christ. About that time, St. Paul, who had become one of the apostles, was ordained bishop, and sent to preach among the Gentiles. In the reign of Claudius Csesar, he entered the pro vinces of Asia, Pisidia, Pamphylia, Lycaonia, Phrygia, Galatia, Mysia, and Greece ; and at Athens and Corinth he made many converts. Greece was at that time a Roman province. Its destiny was sealed by Paulus iEmilius, who made Perseus, king of Macedon, prisoner, 168 years before Christ; and from that period the kingdom of Macedon was declared a Roman province. Athens submitted to the yoke, and Corinth was subdued by one of the Roman consuls, 146 b.c. ; and all the Morea of Greece followed the example of the states of the con tinent of Greece, by acknowledging the Romans for their masters. 64 THE GREEK CHURCH. The Christian religion in the provinces thence forth suffered the same fate as it did in Rome itself, — namely, it was tolerated or not, accord ing to the personal disposition of the reigning emperor. The first persecution of the Christians at Rome was under Nero, a.d. 64. After the fall of Nero, a.d. 68, Galba, who commanded in Spain, mounted the imperial throne ; and from him the sceptre passed, in quick succession, into the hands of Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian ; and under the -latter reign Jerusalem was taken by his son Titus, for which he had a triumph. Titus was the next in succession ; and after him Domitian, his brother, who commenced the second persecution, a.d. 93. On the death of Domitian, Nerva succeeded, who protected the Christians ; and next in succes sion was Trajan, under whose reign was the third persecution, a.d. 101 ; and it was in this latter mo narch's time that Pliny, the governor of Bithynia, wrote to the emperor, saying, that he could find no fault among them. St. Clement, the Bishop of Rome, suffered death under him, a.d. 107, and so did his successor, Anacletus ; and to him Evaristus succeeded. Trajan persecuted them for THE GREEK CHURCH. 65 eighteen years, and to him succeeded Adrian, a.d. 150, who sacrificed Evaristus and Alexan der, the bishops of Rome. To these succeeded Sixtus, Telesphorus, and Hyginus ; the two first suffered death under Adrian, the last under An toninus Pius, his successor in the empire. Upon the death of Antoninus Pius, a.d. 161, two princes, with joint power, ascended the throne, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, and Lucius Verus; and during their reign, a.d. 168, the fourth persecution commenced, in which Pope Amcetus fell a victim to their fury. About the year 179, M. Aurelius issued a decree favourable to the Christians, which re called many of them to Rome, who had absented themselves. Marcus Aurelius died in 180, and was succeeded by his son, Commodus ; at which time the Christian faith made some progress in Great Britain, and Lucius, the king of that country, was the first Christian king. From the death of Aurelius in 180, the church enjoyed a free exercise of its religion for twenty years, during the successive reigns of Commodus, Pertinax, and the seven first years of Severus ; at which time, a.d. 202, the fifth persecution commenced against them. VOL. II. F G6 THE GREEK CHURCH. Severus died at York, a. d. 213, and to him succeeded Caracalla and Geta. As soon as they reached Rome, the latter was assassinated ; and at the end of four years the former met the same fate, from Macrineus, the commander of the guards. Macrineus enjoyed the crown for one year, when, being slain by his own soldiers, he was succeeded by his son, Antonius Helio gabalus. After a short reign, the emperor was murdered, and thrown into the Tiber, when Alexander Severus, his cousin-german, a prince of good qualities, and friendly to the Christian religion, succeeded him in the year 224. Not withstanding his protection, the two popes, Cal- listus and Urbanus, suffered death. The Emperor Alexander, while marching against the Germans, was slain by the contrivance of Maximin, who had gained the good will of the army. It was during the reign of this monarch that the sixth persecution commenced, a.d. 237, when Pope Pontianus, and his successor, Anterus, are in the list of those who suffered. This persecution lasted three years, until the death of the tyrant, who was killed a.d. 240, and was succeeded by Gordianus, a youth of sixteen years of age. THE GREEK CHURCH. 67 The church enjoyed the free exercise of reli gion during the reigns of Gordianus and Philip ; the latter having gained the crown by assas sinating his sovereign, and lost it again in the same horrid manner, by the hand of his son, Decius. It was during this monarch's reign that the seventh persecution commenced. Among those who suffered was Fabianus, the bishop of Rome ; and after his death the See remained vacant for fifteen months, until the death of Decius, a.d. 251, when Cornelius was chosen. Decius was assassinated by Gallus, who mounted the throne, but was almost immediately succeeded by Emilian ; and during his short reign the church breathed; but he in turn was killed, and was succeeded by the emperor Valerian, a.d. 254, who, three years afterwards, commenced the eighth persecution against the Christians. This emperor was made prisoner by Sapor, the Persian monarch. The supreme power then devolved upon his son, Galienus, who was assassinated, and succeeded by Claudius, who reigned only three years. Aurelian succeeded ; and during his reign the ninth persecution took place, a.d. 274, in which Pope Felix fell a victim. Aurelian being assassinated as he was about marching f 2 68 THE GREEK CHURCH. against Sapor, the Persian monarch, the im perial sceptre, after his death, passed, in the space of ten years, through the hands of Tacitus, Probus, Carus, and Carinus, when the voice of the army placed it in the hands of Dioclesian, who held it twenty years. Dioclesian shared his power with Maximinian, a rough soldier ; and they, after nine years, judged it expedient to have two other colleagues, of an inferior rank, with the title of Caesars. Dioclesian chose Galerius, a private individual, and Maximinian chose Constantius Chlorus, a prince by descent, nephew to Claudius II. , and lineally descended from Vespasian. The empe ror Aurelian had employed him in Great Britain, where he married Helen, the daughter of Coel, a leading man of that country, and by her had a son, the renowned Constantine, born at Colchester. At Constantius' association to the empire, it was stipulated that he should divorce Helen, and marry Theodora, the daughter-in-law of Maxi minian. The church had enjoyed peace for twenty years, when, during the year 302, Dioclesian, instigated by Galerius, commmenced the tenth persecution. THE GREEK CHURCH. 69 That part of the empire, Gaul and Britain, which was under the care of Constantius, did not suffer so much as the rest. This lasted three years, when Dioclesian and Maximinian, a. d. 305, were obliged to give up the diadem into the hands of Galerius, who had returned victor from the Persian war. The latter having the sole power, made Constantius Chlorus his colleague in the imperial crown, and created two new Caesars : he nominated Severus, and Maximin, — the latter being his own nephew. Galerius being jealous of Constantine, the son of Constantius, kept him as a hostage at Rome, but allowed him to depart after a time, to visit his father in Britain, who was ill. Constantine arrived at York, and found his father still alive ; the latter died shortly afterwards, on the 25th July, 306, appointing Constantine his successor in the empire. Constantine was by birth a Briton, and the legitimate son of Constantius and St. Helen. He had completed his thirty-third year, and was acknowledged as an accomplished prince. Ga lerius considered him as his enemy, but on ac count of Constantine's popularity, was obliged to let him take the title of Caesar, with the au thority annexed. 70 THE GREEK CHURCH. Old Maximinian was still alive, and wished to regain the imperial crown, and his son, Maxentius, declared himself a competitor for the crown of Severus. Licinius had the promise of Galerius to be made his associate in the empire. Both of these, therefore, were Constantine's enemies. Constantine, having performed the last duties to his father at York, passed over into Gaul, and headed the army which waited his command, and he was proclaimed emperor. Maxentius, the rival of Severus, took upon him self the title of Augustus, and was joined by his father, Maximinian, who again seized the sceptre. These two emperors attacked and deprived Seve rus of his crown and life. Galerius then declared Licinius his imperial colleague, and led his army in person into Italy, with the hope of cutting off Maximinian. But he was obhged to retreat to Nicomedia. Maximinian then joined Constantine, and of fered to acknowledge him for his colleague, pro vided that he married his daughter, Fausta; to which Constantine consented, although he was married to Minervina, by whom he had a son, Crispus. The latter he was therefore obliged to divorce, the imperial law permitting THE GREEK CHURCH. 71 it : for at that time Constantine was not a Christian. Maximinian grew jealous of his son, Maxen tius, and sought to depose him ; but failing, he fled to Gaul, where he raised an insurrection against Constantine, his son-in-law. The latter marched against him and took him prisoner, but afterwards set him free. But Maximinian com mencing another sedition, Constantine caused him to be strangled, in the year 308. Galerius, a short time afterwards, died at Sardis, in 311. Upon the death of Galerius, Maximin took the title of emperor, in opposition to Licinius ; and in order that he might make good his claim, he entered into a strict alliance with Maxentius, the sovereign of Italy and Rome. This alliance inflat ing the pride of Maxentius, the latter fancied him self sufficiently powerful to subdue the west to his obedience, — and with this view he declared war against Constantine. The latter quitted Gaul with his army, penetrated into Italy, and ad vanced as far as the bridge, Milvius, now called Ponte-Mole, two miles from Rome. There he pitched his tent, resolving to come to an action. It is stated that, when Constantine had reached the plains of Italy, while marching at the head 72 THE GREEK CHURCH. of his troops, at mid-day, a luminous cross ap peared in the open sky, above the sun, and upon the cross a legend expressing victory, written in Greek characters, sv tovtco vma. — " In this be thou conqueror." To commemorate the fact, an exact repre sentation of the cross, as it appeared, was or dered to be made, and blazoned in the imperial banner, which fifty chosen men were appointed to carry before the Emperor, whenever he went to battle. A battle took place, when Maxentius was de feated ; and, in attempting to save himself over a bridge, fell into the Tiber, and was drowned. This victory, which happened on the 27th Oct. 312, made Constantine Emperor of the West. Rome opened her gates, and the senate, four years afterwards, erected to his honour a tri umphal arch, which is still to be seen at the head of the Appian way. Constantine having stayed one year at Rome, proceeded to Milan, and there met Licinius, to whom he gave his sister, Constantia, in marriage. It was then agreed, that no Roman subject should be molested for his religious opinions, a.d. 313. THE GREEK CHURCH. 73 This gave offence to Maximin, the tyrant of the East, who hated the Christians. He there upon invaded Thrace, but was defeated by Li cinius, — forcing him to fly for safety into Asia, where he poisoned himself. Thus the whole empire was under the sway of Constantine, who, though a protector of the Christian religion, still was not himself a Christian. He gave the palace of Lateran as a residence to the bishops of Rome, and an adjoining palace he converted into a church, now called the Church of St. John of Lateran. This was the first patrimony of the popes. Constantine allowed his brother-in-law, Lici nius, to reign in the East ; but the latter, ambi tious of power, made war against Constantine. Licinius, having lost two battles and his crown, was pardoned by Constantine, who generously gave him back the crown. Licinius provoked a new war by prosecuting the Christians, and instigated the Sarmatians to invade the Roman territory ; which insult Con stantine avenged, by overthrowing Licinius, after various battles. Constantine was thus sole Emperor of the 74 THE GREEK CHURCH. East and West, and shortly afterwards was bap tized at Rome, in 324. The Emperor Constantine, openly protecting the Christians, rendered himself odious to the senate and the Roman people, and it was probably through their dislike to him that he transferred the seat of empire to Byzantium, (Constantinople.) By this step he changed entirely the Roman empire, the throne, the manners of the court, customs, language, dress, and rehgion, of the Romans ; and there is no doubt that the power of Italy fell as Constantinople rose. But in trans ferring the throne to the Bosphorus, Constantine placed in the East a barrier against the incursions of the barbarians who inundated the empire — thus sacrificing the West to the East. The pagan religion of the Romans, notwithstanding the re moval and change, preserved its ancient influence, with its seven hundred temples, great and small, dedicated to the superior and inferior gods. Matters remained thus until the death of Theodosius, a. d. 395 ; and the people of the country places remained true to their ancient worship for a considerable time after its extinc tion elsewhere. THE GREEK CHURCH. 75 This lt is that gave to the sectaries of the an cient religion the name of Pagans, from the word pagus, the Latin for village ; the country remain ing the stronghold of the old faith ; and so it con tinued till the eighth century. Constantine gave largely to the cathedral church of St. John, at Rome ; and each succeed ing emperor largely endowed it ; so that the pa trimony of the See at Rome became very powerful. The head of the Roman church did much good to the poor ; and the pastor of the Christians at Rome became very soon the most considerable man in the West. Things remained in this state until the year 866, when the great schism took place ; and from the time of Constantine the Great until the time of the division of the eastern church from the western church, or the Greek church from the Latin church, (including about five hundred and fifty years,) there had been numerous dissensions, and to endeavour to heal these differences eight general councils were held. The separation occurred in the following man ner, a. d. 858 : — Ignatius was patriarch at Con stantinople during the reign of Michael III., and 76 THE GREEK CHURCH. the latter banished and deposed Ignatius, and put Photius in his place, who had been the Emperor's secretary and master of the horse. On the first day, Photius was made a monk ; the second, a reader ; the third, a sub-deacon ; the fourth, a deacon ; the fifth, a priest ; and on the sixth, a patriarch,- — which was on Christmas-day, 858. Pope Nicholas took the part of Ignatius, and excommunicated Photius ; and Photius, in his turn, excommunicated the Pope. This brought on a schism, which (a.d. 866) was the commence ment of the separation of the two churches, — and which was completed in the year 1053 ; at which time Constantine Monochus was Emperor of Con stantinople ; St. Leo IX. was Pope at Rome ; and Michael Cerularius was Patriarch at Constan tinople. The principal feature in the difference between the Greek and Roman church is, that the Greeks hold that the Holy Ghost proceeds only from the Father ; the Roman catholics, on the other hand, believe that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son ; in which latter belief the established church of England concurs. This was the point of contention between the THE GREEK CHURCH. 77 Greek and Latin church, and which caused those numerous councils to be held, to endeavour to assimilate the ideas of both parties. The other points on which the two churches differ are of comparatively trifling importance. In the 9th, 10th, and 11th centuries, the Christian religion extended itself over Bulgaria, Hungary, Bohemia, Saxony, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland, and Russia. It was about the end of the 8th century that a woman was destined to introduce Christianity into the immense empire of the north. A sister to the Emperors Basil and Constantine married the Czar of Russia, and she prevailed upon her husband to be baptized. The Russians followed the example of their sovereign, and the Rus sian empire received the Greek faith and rites, which still prevail there. In the year 1453, the Sultan, Mahomet II. , besieged Constantinople, with 300,000 men, and a powerful train of artillery ; and on the 29 th of May he gave orders for a general assault to be made ; when the city was taken, and Constantine Paleologus, the Emperor, was killed. The Pa triarch Gregory had retired to Rome, and his place was supplied by Gennadius, who 78 THE GREEK CHURCH. was installed, by order of the Sultan, with the usual ceremony, — the latter wishing to ingra tiate himself with his new subjects. Ever since that time, the Patriarch of Constan tinople has been under the power of the Sultan: Since the accession of the present dynasty in Greece, it has been deemed prudent by the state to sever the connexion between Greece and Con stantinople in matters of rehgion; and the Primate of Athens does not acknowledge the Patriarch of Constantinople as his superior, but calls himself the first of the Greek faith in the kingdom of Greece ; I shall therefore briefly state the man ner in which this separation took place. After the murder of the Greek Patriarch at Constantinople, which took place at the com mencement of the Greek revolution, the emanci pated Greeks no longer wished to recognise the supremacy of his successors, as named by the Sultan who caused the death of the chief of their church, and as instruments of his will against their struggles for independence ; and they re fused to receive the new bishops since named in Greece ; but there was no formal act of protesta tion or separation. As soon, however, as the political independence THE GREEK CHURCH. 79 of Greece was established, the Greeks thought that this independence could not be perfectly consolidated without there existed also an eccle siastical independence. The Patriarch was nominated by the Sultan, and the Sultan was entirely submissive to the Emperor of Russia, who is until this moment the only crowned head of the Greek religion. There were, therefore, two serious inconveniences aris ing from it, and one could easily foresee all that would result from this state of things, against the political independence of Greece. There were many Greeks who thought seriously upon it, and Mr. Tricoupi was one of the most fixed and ardent in promulgating this opinion. The President, Capo d'Istrias, to whom they had spoken upon the subject, did not wish to take any proceeding relative to it ; — whether itwas be cause he was a provisional chief of a provisional government, or that he was influenced by Rus sian policy, which was quite opposed to the idea of separation ; for in that event they could not be sure of the clergy. At the arrival of the king and the regency, in 1833, this great affair was taken into serious consideration. The separation had been resolved 80 THE GREEK CHURCH. upon in the council of the regency; but it was ne cessary to find a man who, by his political senti ments, and by the confidence he could inspire by the firmness of his religious faith, might dissi pate the alarm of the high clergy, and thus pro vide for the full success of the measure ; and it was determined on all hands that Mr. Tricoupi was the individual needed for this important pur pose. He was, at that time, president of the council, minister for foreign affairs, and of the King's house. He was offered, and accepted, (provisionally,) the ecclesiastical portfolio, with the above view. Through confidential communications, and a friendly correspondence with the high clergy, Mr. Tricoupi assured himself of the consent of the latter to the declaration that was meditated of the independence of the church. This point gained, the prelates, to the number of thirty-six, that were scattered all over Greece, — some occupying their episcopal seats, others, persecuted by the Porte for their liberal opinions, and having taken refuge in Greece, — received an invitation to assemble at the residence of the court at Napoli. This moment had been seized upon as opportune, on account of Mr. Catachasi, THE GREEK CHURCH. 81 the Russian minister in Greece, being absent, tra velling for his amusement at Athens. Three or four solemn sittings of the bishops took place, presided by Mr. Tricoupi ; the necessary pro tocols were signed ; and on the 23rd of July, O. S., 1833, the independence of the church, from the authority of the patriarch at Constan tinople, was declared, in full assembly, by the entire and full concurrence of the high clergy ; and, two days later, a synod, composed of five prelates, was installed, with great solemnity, to exercise the patriarchal authority. Upon his return to Napoli, the Russian mi nister found everything accomplished. He was furious at the circumstances, and he threatened the synod, in the name of the Emperor. Some intrigues took place at Constantinople and at St. Petersburg against this measure ; but all these intrigues were defeated by the firmness of the Greek government. The above institution is now in full vigour in Greece, and is cherished and respected by all the Greek nation. It is now composed in the following manner : — the num ber of bishops equals the number of nomarchies that Greece is divided into, which are ten. Before the revolution, Greece was divided into VOL. II. G 82 THE GREEK CHURCH. forty-six provinces, and each province had a bishop. Not any of these forty-six bishops are dismissed ; but as it was requisite to diminish the number of dioceses, the government have decided, that as they died off they should not be renewed, until the number amounted only to ten. The synod, which is the ecclesiastical council, is composed of six bishops, taken from the whole, who reside at the capital for two years, when others are chosen by the King. The King is the head of the church ; and the metropolitan is the bishop of Athens. The sub-clergy are deacons, sub-deacons, and priests, and the number appointed depends on the size of the nomarchy. The whole of the Greek church is paid by the government, from the following funds : — Before the revolution, the lands belonging to the monasteries were very large, and much too extensive for the mainte nance of the residents ; consequently, nearly the whole of them were taken by the government, except what was sufficient to support the in mates. The revenues arising from these lands are appropriated to the payment of the active clergy, and the schools of the kingdom. The Greek church in Russia has not separated MR. TRICOUFI. 83 itself from the church at Constantinople. The church in Greece alone, therefore, is indepen dent, and a church by itself ; and in this arrange ment the government has acted wisely ; for they are now unshackled by the interferences of either the Russian or Constantinopolitan bishops. Under this arrangement there is another differ ence between the Roman-catholic and Greek church : the latter has two heads, the one at Constantinople, the other at Athens, but the religion is the same ; and the Roman church has only one head, which resides at Rome. It may be not irrelevant, at this part of my nar rative, to introduce a brief sketch of the life of that enlightened statesman who has taken so pro minent a part in the above excellent proceeding, and who has always been conspicuous in regulat ing the affairs of his country. Mr. Tricoupi is a native of Missolonghi, which during the war became the bulwark of Greece. His family, which was the first in that town, has rendered the greatest services to the country, by the influence it exercised, and by the ends to which that influence was directed. The father of Mr. Tricoupi was a well-instructed man, of great integrity, and austere manners ; g 2 84 MR. TRICOUPI. and he was the right arm of Prince Mavrocordato during the noble labours of the latter in that town. He shut himself up there with Prince Mavrocordato during the siege in 1822; and he subsequently died there in 1825, much regretted by all his countrymen, and by everybody else who knew him. Two of his younger brothers had distinguished themselves by their bravery in the last siege, which has immortalized that town. They ulti mately fell, sword in hand, defending this last rampart of their country. Mr. Tricoupi was pursuing his literary studies at Paris when the revolution broke out in Greece, in the year 1 82 1 , and was cognizant of the society called the Heteria, (although not a member of it,) which was the proximate means of bringing it about. He immediately returned to his country, and entered the arena of public life at the death of Lord Byron, when he pronounced the funeral oration in modern Greek, and which is a master piece of eloquence. The following imperfect translation of a pas sage in that speech, will give the reader an idea of the style of its composition : — " Born in a great empire, his descent noble, MR. TRICOUPI. 85 on the side of both his father and mother, what unfeigned joy did his philhellenic heart feel when our poor city, in token of our gratitude, in scribed his name among the number of her citi zens ! In the agonies of death, yes, at the very moment when eternity appeared before him, as he lingered on the verge between mortal and im mortal life ; when all the material world appeared but as a speckin thevastworks of Omnipotence; in that awful hour, but two names dwelt upon the lips of this illustrious man, forgetting all the world be sides : they were the names of his only and much- beloved daughter, and of Greece. Those two names, deeply engraven on his heart, even the moment of death could not efface. ' My daughter !' he said ; ' Greece !' he exclaimed : — and his spirit passed away. What Grecian heart will not be deeply affected, as often as it recals this moment?" From the commencement of the revolution, Mr. Tricoupi represented his native town in every congress, and in all the legislative chambers. The congress of Epidaurus also nominated him member of the directory which it established in 1826. Mr. Tricoupi subsequently served the state 86 MR. TRICOUPI. under Count Capo d'Istrias, as minister of the in terior ; but the great love of power whicli pre vailed in that chief displeased Mr. Tricoupi, and he nobly expressed his disapprobation by resign ing his functions, rather than countersign a de cree which gave a predominating influence to Count Capo d'Istrias in the elections then about to take place. At the congress of Argos, where Count Capo d'Istrias, in virtue of this decree, and by means of other intrigues of a similar nature, assumed something very like sovereign power, Mr. Tri coupi was the first who denounced his views and intentions, and was the only one who had the courage to refuse to take his seat at the congress. Capo d'Istrias, in return, revenged himself by proscribing him. Mr. Tricoupi, however, re turned to his residence at Argos, at the invita tion of the representatives of the three allied courts, and he dwelt there as a private individual, always liberal and constitutional in his ideas of the mode in which his country should be governed, and without allowing himself to enter into any relation with the family of Capo d'Istrias. As soon as this family was overthrown, MR. TRICOUPI. 87 Mr. Tricoupi declined the place that the senate assigned him in the supreme government, but accepted that of minister for foreign affairs. The King and the Regency in 1833, at their arrival, called him to the head of the department for foreign affairs, and nominated him, besides, president of the ministry, of which Prince Mavrocordato and Mr. Colletis formed a part. A year afterwards, in 1834, Mr. Tricoupi was nominated representative of his Hellenic Majesty at the court of London, an appointment which he desired and cherished above all others, on account of the liberal institutions and the pubhc spirit that pervade fhis great empire. It was this feehng as to our institutions, which induced Mr. Tricoupi to cultivate as much as possible while in Greece, his relations with the English, — whose character and hterature he was well ac quainted with, and whose language he speaks. It is a marked feature in the political career of Mr. Tricoupi, that, during the strenuous oppo sition he was induced to make to certain mea sures in Greece, he confined himself strictly to the employment of legal means, — always care fully abstaining from joining in any civil war — 88 MR. TRICOUPI. even in that which was made against Count Capo d'Istrias. Mr. Tricoupi married a sister of Prince Mavro cordato, and she has resided with him in Lon don ever since his embassy to this court. The amiability of this lady is as much the theme of admiration among those who have the honour of her acquaintance, as are the invariable con sistency and integrity of her husband. 89 CHAPTER V. Easter Sunday — Visit to Lady Church — Sir P. Malcolm's House — Pass of Daphne — Plain of Athens — Salamine — General Gordon — Embassy — Vocal Performers — Easter Tuesday — Amusements at the Temple of Theseus — Rebels defeated — Theatre — African Pigeons — A new Revenue for Greece — Ball at the Countess of Armansperg's — Madame Lagrenee — Madame Bedouri — Miss Karaiskaki — Greek Amusements — Mr. King — Society of the Green Bough — Greeks and Turks — Greek Wines — Turkish ill-will to the Greeks. EXTRACTS FROM JOURNAL CONTINUED. Easter Sunday, April 9, 1835. — The Greeks, after having attended mass in the different churches of the town, at the early hour of six and seven in the morning, returned home, to dress themselves and prepare for making visits ; which latter take place in Greece between the hours of ten and twelve o'clock in the day. On ordinary days they dine at twelve o'clock, and on feast days at the hour of three. Some 90 EASTER SUNDAY. walk out into the country with their families, others enter cabarets, and dance the Romaika, to the sound of the lyre and fiddle. All the places of amusement are open on Sunday, and are all full, — the Greeks following the custom of Catholic countries in this respect. But this is not the great day for festivity, Easter Tuesday being more universally adopted as a Greek hohday. To-day, Colonel Hay and myself, after having been at the Rev. Mr. Hill's, where divine service was performed, and where the usual company was congregated, decided upon taking a ride to Patis- sia, a village about two miles distant, to pay a visit to Lady Church, who was residing there, in a large house built by and belonging to Sir P. Malcolm. We proceeded along the carriage road leading to her ladyship's house, and arrived there in the course of half an hour. Being so fortunate as to find the fair hostess at home, we entered, going through a long suite of apartments to arrive at that in which she was. Colonel Hay having been presented, a most agreeable hour was passed in conversation. The General's house is a most spacious one, and the construction of it must have cost at least 4,000Z. The front of it looks towards the town VISIT TO LADY CHURCH. 91 and the port of the Piraeus ; and in the court yard, at the back of it, there is a very handsome flight of stone steps, elevated about twenty feet, in the most classical manner. There are two stories to it ; on the upper of which, in the front of the house, there are three rooms, the middle one of which must be at least forty feet square, and the two others about forty by twenty-five feet. There are several bed-rooms going round the back of the house. On the lower floor there are three large rooms, similar to those on the upper floor, and other offices for the servants, all very well arranged, and per fectly well adapted for an English family of rank. There are about two acres of garden ground attached to the house, the greater part of which has been laid out in flower beds and shrubberies, and all is arranged in the best pos sible taste. We congratulated her ladyship upon being located better than any one else in Greece. In fact, there is no other house so good. We learned, however, that the General would shortly quit it ; for, although the distance was only two miles, he found it inconvenient, on account of the Greeks not liking to walk out two miles to 92 THE PASS OF DAPHNE. pay a visit, or to speak upon business. To any one not having an official occupation, this must be a most convenient residence ; for there is a good carriage road all the way to it, and the air is very pure and healthy. Having taken leave of Lady Church, we pro ceeded through the olive grove towards the Par- nese. We then inclined to the left, until we arrived at the pass of Daphne. We pro ceeded through it, the mountains on each side having a most beautiful effect, and greatly re sembling the mountains in Scotland. The valley is about three hundred yards across, and the pass terminates with a most delightful view of the bay of Salamine. By continuing to the right along the sea-coast, you arrive at Eleusis, (now called Lepsino,) about four miles distant ; and twelve miles further on you reach Megara, on the road to Corinth. The tops of the mountains are here and there covered with the fir ; and in the middle of the pass is the remains of a mo nastery, of the Byzantine architecture, which would require but little expense to put in repair. Not much profit could be made from the pur chase of this spot ; but any one who delights in EQUESTRIAN TOUR. 93 romantic scenery might here indulge in it with out its usual attendant inconveniences, — the dis tance being only an hour's ride from the city of Athens. Having staid some time to survey the whole valley, we turned our horses' heads to the city, expecting to get back in an hour's time ; but we were disappointed, for the colonel's horse escaped from him, and it gave us an hour's employ to catch him again. A most delightful carriage drive might be made from Athens, through this pass, to the sea side ; and it could be done by simply taking the large stones from each side of the horse track which now exists, — the ground itself being hard enough. Easter Monday, April 10, 1836. — To-day being another great holiday among the Greeks, no public business was done, and Colonel Hay and myself proceeded on another equestrian tour. Having first visited the spot where the battle of Athens was fought, and of which I was an eye witness, we crossed the Piraeus road, and struck into a path leading through the olive groves, and which brought us to the sea side, at the com mencement of the bay of Salamine, and opposite to Xerxes' Seat. We observed two Austrian 94 ROMANTIC TOMB. corvettes at anchor. Vessels of war, generally speaking, prefer being here to the port of the Piraeus, as there is plenty of room ; it is, in fact, large enough to contain all the navies of the world. The path at this spot gets very bad, and rocky. On your right are high mountains, with very little vegetation on them. I should think that this situation is peculiarly well adapted for the vine. The earth is very red, and similar to that of the mountains in the environs of Macon. The ride is most romantic. The bay was quite calm, like a sheet of molten glass. We pro ceeded along the coast until we came in view of Eleusis and Megara ; and then, recollecting we had to dine with Sir Edmund Lyons, we faced about and returned home. On our return, we were attracted from the road by apparently a large block of white marble. On reaching it, we found it was the tomb of a poor corporal of marines of H. M. S. Canopus, who had been buried there. Every way you cast your eyes, you ob serve the ruins of antiquity. I never can look at these vestiges of times past without feel ing a wish to assist in doing something for this country, to raise it again, if possible, to its former magnificence; and I am satisfied that EARL GORDON. 95 nothing would more contribute to this result than any circumstances which would render a voyage to Greece as much "the fashion "as a journey is now to Italy. Travelling gentlemen, and rich individuals who may wish to pass away the cold winter months of the North beneath a more genial sky, will find even now a very agree able residence in this classical soil, during that period ; and they will be, more or less, the means of bringing Greece into a state of immediate civilization. We returned home to our hotel, and, having dressed, repaired to the house of the British minister, and were received by him and his amiable and united family with their wonted cordiality. We found there the eldest Prince Cantacuzene, the unfortunate widower of the Countess Luise Armansperg. He is now attached to the staff of General Gordon, and has preceded him here from Argos, where the General's head quarters now are. General Gordon is a gentleman of large estates at Caithness, in Scotland. He came to Greece nearly at the commencement of the revolution, and has devoted himself ever since to furthering and assisting the Greek struggle for independence. 96 SIR EDMUND LYONS. His services to the Greek government are entirely gratis ; his large fortune allowing him to dispense with a salary from them as a general officer. General Gordon has been in several engage ments in the Morea, and, at the time of the arrival of General Church in Greece, in 1827, he was appointed by him Colonel of the artillery corps, and acquitted himself with great talent. Since that period, he has been raised to the rank of a General, and the command of the troops in the Morea has been confided to his hands. General Gordon, in the year 1832, published a work upon the Greek revolution, in two volumes. The work is one of great interest, shewing much research, and is the best book that any one can read, to gain an insight into the causes of the re volution, and the proceedings of the Greeks during the course of that revolution. To return, however, to our excellent host ; we were entertained in the evening by hearing some Italian pieces performed by Miss Lyons, who plays admirably. I cannot but observe here, that if Sir Edmund Lyons continues to dispense his hospitality in the same unbounded manner to all his English visitors when the projected communications are fullyopen, GREEK SERENADERS. 97 between Marseilles and Greece, he will need to have his official income increased. In fact, I cannot but think that it ought to be in any case placed on a par with that of the Russian minister, who, I believe, has 4000Z. a year, while Sir Edmund Lyons has only 2000?. and some hundreds. This great disparity must at present enable the Russian minister to exercise a species of in fluence, which is by no means unimportant in a semi-civilized state — that arising out of a splen didly furnished dinner-table. Returning home, we fell in with a party of four Greeks, who were singing some Italian airs in the most exquisite style : one had a fine tenor voice, and all the others were bass. They stopped un der the windows of different houses, and serenaded the inhabitants ; and I was so much delighted with them, that, although it was late, I followed them about the town for a whole hour, to hear them sing. Whether they were amateurs or otherwise I know not ; I certainly did not see them receive any money ; and subsequently, in my evening rambles, I often encountered them. These Greeks are an extraordinary race. Scarcely are they emerged from that barbarism to which the despotism of the Turks had con- VOL. II. H 98 THE ROMAICK DANCE. signed them, than they are cultivating the arts of peace, and striking root, as it were, with the greatest facility, into the circle of the civihzation of Western Europe. April 11, 1836. — This morning I strolled with Colonel Hay to the temple of Theseus. We had been informed that the Albanians, with their wives, would dance the Romaick, which they are wont to do annually at this spot. On this day,- Easter Tues day, at three o'clock, they assembled in groups ; the sole music was a drum, and a small kind of flageolet, which at a distance sounded like a Scotch bagpipe. The Romaick was very ani mated, and various kinds of it were danced. The time was slow and quick, alternately. The quick part required great exertion ; they jump off the ground to the height of a foot and a half, and in the leap they turn themselves round in the air, looking towards their companions on the left. The moment they touch the ground with their feet, they sink upon their knees, and from that position they make another spring, turning them selves a contrary way. These violent leaps did not last long, and they were immediately suc ceeded by a more slow step. Nothing can be more orderly than a Greek GREEK WOMEN. 99 mob. There were about two thousand persons here ; and although they were boisterous in their mirth, there was nothing mischievous in it. They were like a parcel of children, dancing with all the animation imaginable, to the sound of the drum and the pipe. While they were thus amus ing themselves, Sir E. Lyons and his family, with ths Countess Caroline, arrived at this spot. The Greeks, ever fond of novelty, instantly left the dance, and assembled round the fair equestrians ; but after a few minutes' admiration, they returned again to the dance. I had on this occasion a very good opportunity of observing the Albanian women. They are generally tall ; their counte nances are very good, their features being regular ; all that they require is the bringing up and edu cation that the women in Western Europe are in the habit of receiving : a defect which peace will, I hope, rectify. Having remained here till five o'clock, I re turned to my hotel, to dine ; and in the evening I visited my friend, Bell, to play a rubber with him. He has taken apartments at Doctor Hipitis' house, who is a wealthy disciple of Escu lapius, and is married to the daughter of a Rus sian Odessa merchant. This house is rather oddly h 2 100 AMATEUR DECAPITATION. constructed, being about a hundred yards long, and fourteen or fifteen feet wide ; so that you pass from one end to the other, through all the dif ferent rooms in a line. It has a large garden at tached to it, and it is one of the most agreeable residences in all Athens. I was deprived of having the pleasure of any more rides with Colonel Hay, he having em barked at the Piraeus for Epidaurus. I had much cause to regret that our acquaintance was so short, for I had passed my time most agreeably in his society. He had intended to proceed to Jerusalem, but that visit he deferred to a later period, and was now going to Corfu. April 15. — The fears of the Athenians are much relieved by receiving news that Grivas and Tzavellas have gained a victory over the rebels. It appears that the rebels had got Tzavellas into a monastery, and had kept him there forty-eight hours. Grivas having received news of it, pro ceeded to the spot, and made great havoc among the rebels. Grivas himself fights like any com mon Palikari, and is said to have a particular skill, and consequent satisfaction, in cutting off the enemies' heads. To-day (Sunday) is a great day with the GREEK THEATRE. 101 Greeks ; all their common amusements are prac tised on that day, and the theatre is then open. It is only open one other day in the week, namely, Thursdays ; but on the latter day few persons go to it. As I was here in the character of an ob server of manners and habits, I to-day broke through our English custom, and went to see the performances. Young Miaulis, grandson of the old admiral, called upon me at the close of my dinner, and we agreed to go to the theatre together. In the square before the theatre we found assembled an immense concourse of persons, to hear the band, which plays there on this day. There were at least three thousand people, who were walking about, enjoying the fine German music, the luxury of which was increased by a cool agreeable April evening in Greece. The carriages of the foreign ministers were there, and the chancellors also, drawn round the circle. The music having ceased, the crowds left the square, and walked along the road to Pa- tissia, before the theatre opened, which it did at eight o'clock, it now being only half past seven. Miaulis and myself, however, entered the Cafe" d'ltalie, opposite the Theatre, and regaled our- 102 GREEK THEATRE. selves with an ice. Attached to the Cafe there is a small garden planted with trees, under which tables are placed ; and the Athenians, placing their hat upon one chair, their legs upon another, and their stick upon a third, enjoy the delicious temperature of a climate which appears to me to be the best under the sun. On entering the theatre, we paid for our box tickets two drachmas each, (Is. 5d.) The admis sion to the pit is one drachma, which enables all classes in Greece to take advantage of this amusement. On entering, I observed that there was no covering to the house, and, on asking the pro prietor and manager (a Cephaloneote) the reason, he told me, that, during the week, there had been a heavy squall of wind for half an hour, and that the awning (which was canvass) had been blown half-way to Patissia, and that he could not afford to put on another until he had received some money ; consequently, the audience had the plea sure of beholding the moon, the stars, and the firmament, whenever they were tired of observing the actors and actresses. The performance this evening was rope dancing, which was very well executed, with PIGEON-SHOOTING IN GREECE. 103 tumbhng of all kinds, after the manner of our Astley's ; with this difference, however, that the feats of agility were executed by a female, the daughter of the Entrepreneur. The interior of the theatre is prettily fitted up. It contains about sixty boxes, and the king's box in the centre ; and the pit is large enough to con tain one thousand people. It gave me much gratification to observe that the whole were very well filled. The manager informed me that next Sunday he " should have the honour of representing a tragedy ; several of the inhabitants, amateurs of the histrionic art, having offered their services to . perform." Upon my return home, I found a note from my worthy friend Bell, inviting me to dine with him on the following day, at his country seat. He told me that the annual immigration of pigeons had commenced in the plain, from the coast of Africa, and that the cornfields were filled with them ; recommending me at the same time to make use of a double-barrelled gun of his that was at his town residence. April 16. — This morning, after having taken my Greek lesson, (which occupied nearly two 104 GAME LAWS IN GREECE. hours) I sallied forth, gun in hand, and with out a dog, — for which there is no use in this kind of shooting ; for you are obhged to proceed quietly through the corn, and the birds get up in all directions. I had excellent sport, notwithstanding I counted above a dozen other sportsmen ; and I arrived at Bell's house with an appetite suited to the abundant repast which he had pro vided. There are four very good seasons of the year for shooting in Greece : in the month of April the pigeons remain about three weeks ; the quails then follow, and remain a month ; then, in Sep tember and October, come the partridges ; and in the months of November and December the wood cock and snipe, which arrive at that period in myriads. There are certain game laws in force, but the fees are very inexpensive. You take out a certificate for three months, for a drachma and half, (about one shilling ;) or for a year you pay three and a half drachmas, (two shillings and six pence.) The gens d'armerie are very severe if they find you shooting without a licence ; your gun is taken from you, and not restored till you SPORTING. 105 have paid the fine, which is about 100 drachmas — nearly 4/. sterling. The cheapness of the licence, one would almost think, would occasion so many sportsmen that the game would sensibly diminish, until it almost disappeared : but such is not the case. In the interior of the country there are but few inhabi tants, and the game enjoys an undisturbed repose. Partridges and hares are found all over Greece, and pheasants are found in great numbers in the neighbourhood of Missolonghi, and at Zeitouni ; and in Negropont and the frontiers the wild boar and deer are numerous. The other game men tioned is only transient, and they come in such flocks that they never appear to diminish. The inhabitants pickle the pigeons and the quails, which are eaten at breakfast. Having partaken of my excellent friend's hos pitality, and the evening drawing in, I bent my steps homeward, at which I arrived at the hour of nine. I was attracted to the coffee-room by a new arrival, who was talking dreadfully loud, and speaking the patois of the South of France. I inquired of Louis, the hotel-keeper, who he was, and learned that he was a Frenchman who had ]06 MONOPOLY OF LEECHES. come to Athens to bid for the exclusive right of seeking leeches in the brooks of Greece, and that he had that morning made the purchase. Everybody in the room were in a roar of laughter at the oddity of the man, and, wish ing to enjoy the fun, I entered. The moment I entered, he addressed me, and immediately began telling me all his affairs ; every now and then taking up his knife (for he was waiting for his supper) and throwing it down on the table again, whenever he wished to give emphasis to what he said. He informed me that he had that morning purchased the monopoly of leeches, in the province of Attica, for the sum of 12,500 drachmas, and that he had it for five years, and that he expected he should make a very good thing of it. Previous to this arrangement, a great many leech merchants used to come from Marseilles. They would arrive with twenty pounds in their pocket, and in three months would, by their own labour and industry, collect a sufficient quantity to yield them a profit of 4000 franks (160Z.) at Marseilles. The government, hearing of the great sums of money made by this traffic, claimed to themselves the natural advantages arising THE YOUNG QUEEN. 107 from their brooks and lakes, which swarm with leeches ; and I have no doubt that, from the ten nomarchies, the government may obtain the sum of 6000Z. a year, for the first five years. It was about this time that the King of Greece decided upon going to Bavaria, to see his family, which he had quitted in the year 1832 ; and his Britannic Majesty had been pleased to place at the disposal of the young monarch the English steam-boat, the Medea. There was also another reason that actuated his Majesty to proceed to Europe: — it was, to comply with the urgent desire of his subjects, that he should marry, with a view to one of his descend ants succeeding to the throne. Since the above period, his Majesty married at Oldenburgh, in November, 1836, Maria Frederica Amelia, daughter of the Grand Duke of Holstein Oldenbourg, by his first wife. The present Queen of Greece was born on the 21st of De cember, 1818. I have since heard from Greece that her Ma jesty is very popular ; her youth, beauty, and the affability she evinces to her subjects, have 108 FASHION IN GREECE. already obtained for her their unlimited affection. She is of the protestant faith. Previously to the King's departure, the Coun tess of Armansperg issued cards for a soiree. His Majesty, on whose account the ball was given, arrived early, and promenaded the rooms for half an hour, when a waltz was executed, and the King handed out the Countess Carohne. To-night, for the first time since her arrival at Athens, I saw Madame Lagrenee, the wife of the new French minister. She is handsome, accom plished, and very young ; and on the present oc casion she excited much admiration. She is a Polish lady, whom Monsieur Lagrenee, when formerly attached to the embassy at Russia, mar ried in that country, notwithstanding the influ ence of the imperial court, who wished to prevent the marriage. I have been at several balls where the King was present, and I never saw him more agree able and popular. A great deal of restraint was thrown off, and the people seemed deter mined to be pleased. The Greek ladies at this ball seemed much improved in their appearance. The luxurious habits which are gradually intro ducing themselves into Greece, cause them to pay more attention to their persons. Miss Karais- GREEK COSTUME. 109 kaki, the daughter of the famous general I have before mentioned, looked very charming ; she was perfectly well dressed, waltzed admirably, and would have created a sensation in a first-rate London saloon. As usual, the whole was con cluded by a cotillon, the young monarch choos ing Miss Lyons for his partner, who is one of the most pleasing of our fair countrywomen, either in or out of Greece. The following Sunday I went to the theatre, hearing that the Siege of Constantinople was to be performed ; but, before entering, I loi tered on the green square, to observe several amusements that had been introduced, similar to those that are seen in the Champs Elysees. Roses are now in bloom, and the Athenian ladies who were walking about had placed them in their hair, which was gracefully entwined round their red caps, giving a most pleasing effect to their appearance. Some of them had a green handkerchief tied round the bottom of their caps, the upper part of the cap being seen, and the roses placed between the handkerchief and the cap. On entering the theatre, I observed that the audience had much improved, for there were pre- 110 BREED OF HORSES. sent the French and Russian ministers, with their families, and the boxes were very well filled with the notables of Athens. The pit was crowded, it being the best place both to hear and see. The performance was very well executed ; and in the representation of the siege there was plenty of fighting, and other " circumstance of glorious war," for which the Greeks have a de cided taste. There was a fine view of Constan tinople, and the whole passed off with great e*clat. At the end of the tragedy, a ballet was got up, upon a small scale, in which the ma nager's daughter (the tumbling lady of the pre ceding Sunday) was the principal performer. To-day I walked to look at the King's stud, which were tethered in a field of rye grass, about half a mile distant from the town. Among the number there were two very fine Arabs, recently imported from Egypt, at the express desire of his Majesty. The sum given for them was about five thousand franks each. They were beautiful animals, and remarkably docile. In twenty years, I imagine that the race of horses in Greece will be very fine. The German mare and Arab horse, which have both been introduced, cannot fail to produce a very superior breed. SKITTLE-GROUND. Ill In my rambles, a few days afterwards, through the corn-fields in the environs of Athens, I met my friend Doctor Rezer, and a German officer, who were proceeding to the German skittle- ground. I accompanied them thither. It was about a mile distant from the town, and very agreeably situated in a cluster of fig-trees. They had formed a society, and the verdure of the situation had given the name to the club. It was called the " Society of the Green Bough." This game, with the Germans, is a very scientific one, and manly at the same time, requiring great exertion and skill. The skittles are placed at least fifty yards distant, and leading to them is a concave bed of planks, about a yard and a half wide, and upon which the immense wooden ball rolls. The bowler, however, does not roll the ball down the middle of the groove, but sends it in such a manner that it ascends first on one side, then descends, and ascends the other : thus taking the skittles " in flank" instead of in front. The worthy Doctor proposed that I should be a member of -this club, — to which all having assented, I was duly inducted, paying a trifling sum as entrance money, and agreeing to pay a still more trifling one per month. The stakes 112 GREEK WINE-MAKING. were, bottles of German and French beer, of which there is a great quantity imported from Trieste and France. I stopped till dark, when I returned home with some of the members of the " Green Bough." Finding that I have made great progress in the Greek language, merely by my peripatetic style of learning it, and wishing to be well grounded in its grammatical construction, I determined on having a second master. For this purpose I have fixed on Demotropolos, and it is agreed that he shall instruct me in the morning for two hours, from six till eight o'clock, and Freorites from twelve till two o'clock. The charge of each is one drachma an hour. The father of Demotropolos was, when living, a merchant, and resided at Tripolizza, (the capital of the Morea,) he told me that his family had some stremata of vine land, which supported the family, consisting of two sisters and an elder brother. In one of our conversations this youth told me, that the people of Tripolizza pre served their wine without either resin or spirits. They boil it for about twelve hours, then put it into jars, and preserve it for two years, at which time it is similar to champagne. Being WINE-MAKING. 113 a little sceptical upon this point, I spoke with several men scientific in wines, and they told me that it was true ; they added, what I was not aware of, that Doctor Ufeland, of Prussia, in his medical report on the wines of Greece, has declared, that there are wines in that country the excellent properties of which surpass any other of the wines that are known in Europe. There can be little doubt that this is a branch of manufacture and commerce which is well worth the attention of the speculator, whether native or foreign. At the end of three years the vine bears, and yields ten per cent. ; in four years it yields twenty-five per cent., even in the present imperfect mode of culture ; and if attention be paid to the wine, by clever and experienced manufacturers, an immense profit may be derived from it in the markets of Europe. To return, however, to my little tutor; he called my attention to the gazette, the Sauveur, which was giving a flaming account of the rebels being most signally defeated on the frontier. He also pointed my attention to another paragraph, reflecting upon the Turkish authorities on the frontier ; — and as this latter is a point of great VOL. II. I 114 TURKISH ENMITY interest in connexion with Greece, I shall here copy the passage. " According to news from Eastern and Western Greece, it appears positive that the Turkish au thorities of the frontiers are far from conduct ing themselves towards Greece in that neigh bourly manner so necessary for the prosperity of two contiguous countries. We are assured that the rebels and the robbers find, whenever they wish, not only an asylum and protection upon the Turkish territory, but even provisions and fire-arms in abundance. " Some Albanian bands, quitting the Turkish service, with the pretext that they cannot adapt themselves to the customs of regular troops, have just joined the rebels of our country, after having traversed the towns and villages of Al bania, without receiving the least opposition from the Turkish authorities. # # # # # " Our patience has been much abused. It is necessary that the Sultan should be made to understand, that it is to his interest to act to wards us with frankness, and with a reciprocal good feeling." TO GREECE. 1 15 The fact is, that the frontier, and the country within ten miles of it, will always be in a like disordered state, until either England or France takes up the subject in a manner to compel the Turkish authorities to a fair and proper line of conduct on this point. VOL. II. i 2 116 CHAPTER VI. General Church and the Troubles on the Frontier — Lady Church — Mount Anchesmos— Greece and Egypt — Blasts of the Rock — The Academy — Visit to Mr. Bell — Descrip tion of his Estate and Garden — Greek Walls — Visit to the Botanical Garden — Greek Constitution — Monks at Mount Athos — Visit to a Greek Peasant, near the Acropolis — Visit to the Stadium — Athenian Pere la Chaise. The troubles in continental Greece wearing a serious aspect, his Majesty, on account of General Church's great popularity among the troops, with great discernment, nominated him Inspector- General of the army of Eastern and Western Greece, and at the same time bestowed upon him the Grand Cross of the Royal Military Order of the Saviour. This gallant officer has attained higher rank ih the service of the King of Greece than any other foreigner, — he being one of the coun sellors of state, of which there are only twenty. GENERAL CHURCH. 117 General Church first distinguished himself at the battle of Maida. Afterwards, in the Ionian Islands, he organized a Greek corps, and led them several times into action. Colocotroni, who during the war had greater power than any native chieftain, served under General Church in Zante ; and several other distinguished native chiefs did the same. It is owing to this circum stance that the Greeks have such confidence in our gallant countryman. His great characteristic is an extreme patience, added to extraordinary prudence and caution, — essential qualities in a General in this country. At the same time he possesses all the frankness and decision of a soldier, with the bearing of a polished gentleman. His Lady is the sister of Sir Wilmot Horton, the late Governor of Ceylon. She arrived in Greece about a year ago, and was hailed by the resident English as a most valuable addition to Greek society. General Church, on receiving the above ap pointment, proceeded with a body of eight hun dred troops along the frontier, and by his pre sence tended much to allay the ferment that was existing. Before his departure, I added myself to the number of the crowd who visited him, to 118 GREECE AND EGYPT. congratulate him on the occasion of his new appointment. A few days after the General's departure, one morning before the rising of the sun (which in Greece is the most delightful part of the day,) I was taking my accustomed walk towards the foot of Mount Anchesmos, when I met my friend Leonidas, an officer of the Revolution, who had now turned civilian. The meeting at so early a period of the morning occasioned a mu tual explanation; after which it was proposed that our stroll should be taken together, — the summit of Anchesmos being our point of des tination. Having arrived there, we took our seat on a large block of granite, and the conversation turned upon the buildings which were then being constructed from the materials around us ; and this led to a somewhat lengthened discussion relative to Egypt, as opposed to and contrasted with Greece, and the policy of the European states with reference to both. And as this con versation dwelt on my memory, and its results appear to be of much importance to Greece, I shall endeavour here to call it to mind. " For some time past," observed Leonidas, "Greece and Egypt, by their geographical position, && GREECE AND EGYPT. 119 and by the nature of the extraordinary events which have passed in them, have acquired a cer tain importance in the eyes of the great nations of Western Europe. After the work of philan thropy which has been reahzed in favour of Greece, the complicated work of diplomacy has arrived. And at this crisis, Russia has not de layed to shew herself quite inimical to the views of France and England. Thus we are held in a state of abeyance, between one of those interests and the other ; to the great detriment of our social progress, and without the possibility of knowing what will be the ultimate result. " Egypt, meantime, has not been the theatre of so baneful a struggle of contending influence. England and France have seen, in the personal quahties of the Viceroy, Mehemit Ali, a means of raising up a most powerful state, capable of re sisting, in Asia, the gradual encroachments of Russia ; which the enfeebled empire of the Sultan cannot do. But for some time the politics of France andEngland,with regard to Mehemet Ali, seem to have changed. They are cool and indifferent to him, and the Sultan has become again the object of the attention and consideration of England in particular. Now this abandonment of Egypt" 120 PLATO AND THE ACADEMY. (continued Leonidas) " will be profitable to the Greeks. France and England will no doubt find it necessary to bestow upon us the patronage and protection they have withdrawn from Egypt. It is of the last importance that Greece should ac quire physical and political strength. This is scarcely less the interest of England and France than it is of Greece herself. Moreover, the Greek people are desirous of it, and they will make any sacrifice to obtain it." He spoke much more to the same effect, with which I entirely coincided; but our conversation being from time to time interrupted by the la bourers blasting the rock to disengage the ma terials for the new palace, and as fragments of the stone often came near to us, we thought it ex pedient to move our quarters. Accordingly we proceeded to a most beautiful and interesting spot for a discussion like that we had been engaged in, — namely, the site of the ancient Academy, about half a mile off. It is a small eminence, about thirty feet high, graduaUy sloping off on each side. Upon it are now the remains of a church. Here it was that Plato opened his academy, when he returned from his travels in Egypt and Italy. And nothing could be more admirably chosen SPLENDID SCENERY. 121 than this spot ; the natural beauty of the scene being only surpassed by the associations which arose out of the artificial splendors connected with it. On the one hand lies the large mountain range of Hymettus ; on the other, Pentelicus and Parnese. The Pass of Daphne closes the view. Towards the sea in front, the Piraeus meets your eye ; to the west, and looking towards the city, the noble Acropolis hfts up its (now ruined) splendor. The glories of this scene in ancient times must have had a most elevating effect on the minds of the pupils that flocked to the academy of the " divine " philosopher. It was by this time 7 o'clock, and the clouds having overcast the sky, I congratulated myself and my companion on the circumstance ; but, like a true Greek, he declared that his constitu tion was so accustomed to the Athenian sun shine, that the want of it made him quite melan choly. It being still early, our walk was extended further into the olive grove, where we found nu merous horses tethered in fields of rye grass, to eat the herbage ; it being usual, at this time of the year, to allow them to graze it off for a fort night. Leonidas informed me that this grass 122 MR. bell's seat. had, on the previous year, produced the Athenians one hundred per cent, profit ; consequently this year much had been planted, and it still yields a large profit. About the plain we observed large quantities of the flocus, a plant which, when broken, yields a poisonous juice resembling milk, and the odour of which is so offensive that the Turks, during their supremacy, used to send very large parties of the Greeks to cut it down, before it came into flower. It used to overrun the land ; but it is now disappearing fast, owing to the soil being rapidly brought into a state of cultivation. Our walk had now brought us near our friend Mr. Bell's country seat, and we paid him a visit. This gentleman is a British officer, who, " tired of war's alarms," has taken to tilling his land, the greater part of which adjoins Mount Plato. His house is spacious, and built with all the comforts of an English dwelling. The second story is surrounded by a balcony, from which, even in the hottest weather, one finds a breeze. Above this he has constructed a staircase as cending to the roof, the view from which is mag nificent. Mr. Bell has laid out a great deal of money upon this spot. Around the house he ENGLISH GARDEN. 123 has cultivated a garden of about an acre and a half, which is considered the best in Attica. Leading from the gate to his house (a distance of one hundred yards) he has made two thick plan tations of rose trees, with beds of anemonies, and various other kinds of flowers, which he brought from Malta. These were, at the present moment, nearly all in full bloom, and this, in addition to the odoriferous fragrance of clusters of orange and lemon trees, rendered the spot a most delightful and enchanting one. Though it was early in April, the peas (of the English kind) were in the pod; and the potatoes were in a flourishing state. Of these latter he always (he said) had two crops in the year. His garden is watered by the Cephissus, — a stream being laid on artificially from that river. There ap peared to me to be only one thing wanting to complete this pleasant residence, and that was, a bath; for, in a hot climate, nothing can ex ceed the luxury of a cold bath, in a garden, in the morning, before sunrise. I recollect at this moment the enjoyment of one which I used frequently to take when at Maranhan (Brazils,) in the garden of the governor at arms. The bath was about two and a half feet in depth, 124 A GREEK WALK. paved at the bottom, and I was in the habit of lying in it for three quarters of an hour toge ther, during which time figs freshly gathered were brought to me to eat. This luxury can only be appreciated by those who have enjoyed it in a tropical climate. In the walk round the garden, Mr. Bell called my attention to the new wall he had built, after the style of the country, and spoke of the very small cost of it. It was of clay, about six feet high and a foot and a half thick ; and he described the way of constructing it, as follows :— boards are placed about a foot from each other, and a yard in length, and closed up at the two ends ; the soil is then dug out of the ditch, mixed up with a little water to make it of the consistence of soft clay, and then placed between the boards, where it is well trodden down with the feet for half an hour. The boards are then taken away, and re moved a step forward ; thus progressing until the wall is finished. In a few days, from the heat of the sun, it becomes hard and dry, and very strong. The top is then covered with prickly bushes, which make it a perfect defence against any cattle whatsoever. Bell told us that the whole cost him about thirty leptas a foot, or COUNTRY LIFE IN GREECE. 125 threepence English ! In the garden, vines were trained in various ways, making bowers and alcoves ; so that in the heat of a mid-day solstice one might walk well sheltered and protected, with clusters of grapes hanging down from the roof. " It is here," said our host, " that I often re pose, upon this cane-bottomed sofa, or take my book; and when I am tired of reading, I walk up and down under this vine shade, enjoying the coolness of the breeze. Besides," said he, " my men are always at work, and the eye of the master is needful." He had three Maltese then at work; and the heat of the sun (which, to us, was insupportable,) appeared to be only agreeable to them. Under the shade of the vines, he had a few pots of carnations and geraniums, which he had brought out of the sun to preserve their bloom. This vinegrove was near his poultry- yard, where he had ducks, fowls, and a large flock of pigeons ; which latter bird appeared, he said, to be indigenous to the Athenian soil, so fast did they multiply. Bell, with the frank hospitality of a British sailor, pressed us to stop and breakfast with him, and we wanted but little entreaty ; — so in 126 BOTANIC GARDEN. half an hour, under the shade of the vinegrove, the table was laid for our repast. Tea, coffee, and a pigeon pie, with toast, and butter made from sheep's milk, which is very delicate, were placed before us; and, to crown the whole, some Attic honey from the hives of one of his tenants. Outside of the garden, and at a little distance from it, Mr. BeU had planted, with his own hand, about thirty stremata of vineyard. This was the fourth year of its growth, and he ex pected to get from it at least twenty-five per cent. annually. He has about one hundred and fifty more stremata in a state of cultivation, producing corn, yielding ten for one. This land would produce the same every year if manured; but without that it is allowed to lie fallow every alternate year. Before quitting our worthy host, it was agreed that he should come into town the next day, and accompany us to the botanic gardens. These gar dens are situated on the south-western side of the Acropolis, in the olive grove. This spot was for merly the residence of the Pacha and his harem. The only existing remains of the building are one or two walls. A stream of water runs through the gardens, both summer and winter, VENTHULOS. 127 and adds much to the beauty and value of the spot. A German has been appointed by the government to superintend the gardens ; and from the good order and regularity in which everything has been arranged, it should seem that the executive have made a very judicious choice. At aU events this is one of those ap pointments wliich must necessarily be held by a foreigner, — the Greeks having, at present, not the least idea of forming such an undertaking. Plantations of the cypress and other trees, for the adorning of the town, are being fostered here in great abundance. Having loitered here the whole day, we re turned to the town to dine, and on our arrival we met Venthulos, who is one of the many intel ligent and weU-informed Greeks in whose society I gain much knowledge of what I seek in this interesting country. Venthulos has been in England, and is sur passed in talent and information by few of his countrymen. Whatever subject may be treated upon, Venthulos can give a judicious opinion on it, and, what is more, not a superficial one ; for he enters well into the grounds of the 128 GREEK MONKS. matter, and states his views clearly and coolly. It is said among his countrymen that he is too satirical; but this does not detract from the amusement derived from his conversation. Venthulos told us that the King of Bavaria had requested Otho to give the Greeks, as soon as possible, a constitution. This had been before reported, but being confirmed by Venthulos, suc cess was drank to it ; which much increased the hilarity of the hvely Greek, and he told us several anecdotes. Among others he stated, that, during the first year of the revolution, the Greeks sent him to Mount Athos to engage the monks of that monastery to take part in the revolution ; the inmates of the monastery being numerous, and very rich. They received him weU, and after having listened attentively to what he had to say, they desired him to open the Bible by chance, and if in the leaf that was opened any thing could be found that might be interpreted in favour of the revolution, they would consent to fall in with his views. Venthulos opened the Bible, and being naturally ingenious, took care to turn some part of the contents of the leaf in favour of the revolution ; and the consequence THE GREEK REVOLUTION. 129 was, that the monks promised to take his propo sition into consideration, and give him their de cision the next morning ; which having arrived, they determined in favour of his suggestions, and ultimately took part in the revolution. The Turks, however, were too strong for them, and after a little time they took possession of the monastery, and the inmates fled to Spezzia, and other islands of Greece, with their treasures. But the sultan, finding the great influence they ex ercised over the minds of the people in the neigh - bourhood of Mount Athos, allowed them to return and resume possession of their property, provided they would not again take part in poli tical affairs. Venthulos gave it as his opinion that the re volution in Greece had begun too soon ; that schools were being established everywhere to prepare the mind of the young Greeks for that event ; but that they had not been in action long enough : " and," continued he, "it may be at tributed to this that no very great man has arisen out of the circumstances of the time — as has generally been the case in other revolutions." Venthulos, having stayed with us till ten o'clock, retired ; not (as he said) being permitted to stay VOL. II. K 130 AN OLD SOLDIER. out late, and moreover having a very pretty wife at home. This morning, (April 17th,) wishing to have a peripatetic lesson, I proceeded with my httle tutor, Freoretes, to the base of the Acropolis. There are two or three rocks adjacent to it which are covered with verdure, and add much beauty to the spot. From them we passed on to the road which winds round the rock. Soldiers were busy watering the trees which are planted on the south-eastern side of the Acropolis, on the side of the new carriage-road which has been formed, leading to the Piraeus. We entered a cottage near the summit of the hill, and, being hungry, we asked for some bread, which was immediately given to us ; for the Greeks, even the poorest, are exceedingly hospi table. The inmates of this cabin were a man and his wife. The former had been an old soldier, under Karaiskaki, and now supported himself by husbandry. I told him that I was present when his chief was killed. This excited a deep interest in the poor man, and he entered into a long detail of the wars ; saying, that he recollected very well the arrival of " Cochranos." While talking, he was engaged in fitting the ENGLISHMEN IN GREECE. 131 iron part of a plough into the wood ; for he had broken it in ploughing some stony land for an Englishman, (Mr. Bracebridge,) who lived at Carar. The Athenian plough is not that ponder ous machine which we use in England ; it is about one fourth the weight and size ; nor is it requi site that it should be stronger, as the Greeks never turn up the land more than three or four inches from the surface ; notwithstanding which the returns are as great as in the most fruitful countries of the world. He told me that he liked to work for Englishmen, and he wished that a few more would come to Greece. I have heard this from more than one Greek, relative to English residents. One day, in going to Marousi, I joined company with a man and his ass, both of whom were laden with a great many deal boards, for the construction of a house. In the course of our conversation, I ascertained that he was taking them to Marousi, and that he was building a house for an Englishman, of whom he spoke as being an excellent master. It is certainly an undoubted fact that the Englishman personally is considered with great respect in Greece, — whether on account of the power and reputation of our country, the solidity of our k 2 132 LAMENTATION OF XERXES. character, or our wealth, I know not ; but so it is. Having paid the poor cottager for his bread, (which although brown was very sweet,) we quitted our newly made acquaintance, not with out his requesting that our visit might be re peated. Freoretes having volunteered to shew me in the afternoon a delightful walk to the left of the Stadium, we met, and proceeded thither at the appointed hour of five o'clock. The scenery from this spot is most dehghtful on all sides ; and the beauty of the day (which is only one of the many that succeed each other for weeks together in Greece,) brightened the whole pic ture. We placed ourselves on a little mount, and while surveying the scene from its pinnacle, and enjoying the glorious view of the setting sun as it sank behind the mountain which concealed the Morea from our view, our attention was attracted by a cavalcade, which indicated (by the foreigners present) that its point was the English cemetery ; in fact, it was a funeral, pro ceeding towards that pretty spot. The incident reminded us of the lamentation of Xerxes, when standing on a neighbouring spot, (the summit of the hill opposite Salamine,) that the whole of his ENGLISH BURIAL GROUND. 133 fine army, which nothing mortal could with stand, should in another century have ceased to exist. I may here mention that the spot where the English burial ground is, contains about an acre, and has been walled round by Mr. Bracebridge, who had previously purchased the ground, and has erected a porter's lodge, in which resides George Wilson, whom I have before mentioned. Wilson's occupation is to draw up water for two or three hours in the morning, from a well that is sunk in the enclosure, and to water the newly planted trees, which have been arranged here with a view to the picturesque, after the manner of Pere la Chaise at Paris. There is a very magnificent tomb here, erected to the memory of the Countess Sa Porta, the lady of the king's chamberlain ; and also one to the memory of a Mr. Higgins, formerly of Bryan- stone-square. 134 CHAPTER VII. HISTORICAL SKETCH OF GREECE. As I am not without a hope that my humble volumes may hereafter be used as a species of guide, by those of my countrymen and others who may hereafter visit Greece, and especially Athens and its immediate vicinity, I think it may be convenient if I here insert a brief and rapid sketch of the history of Attica, from the earliest records up to the present hour ; as I am not aware that any such summary exists, in a convenient and available form, for the travel ler's use and reference. Previous to the time of Cecrops, the town of Athens was not in existence. Cecrops was an Egyptian, who led a colony to Attica about the year 1 550 before the Christian era. He it was HISTORICAL SKETCH. 135 who first introduced the arts of Egypt, brought together the inhabitants, and taught them the advantage of living in towns and villages. In ancient times, before the arts of war and of fortification had been carried to any noticeable extent, the people always resorted for security to some hill-top, — first, that they might more readily observe the approach of an enemy ; and secondly, because its natural position made it a defence against any invader. The hill of the Acropolis was fixed upon by Cecrops for these purposes, and the whole of it was covered with small, rude huts. The present name of the hill is what the city was then caUed, AxpovoXts, two Greek words, axpos and wo*Mr, signifying, the high city, or a city on a hill. It was also called Cecropia, from the name of its founder; and afterwards Athense, in honour of Minerva, to whom it was especiaUy dedicated. The laws of Cecrops were so just, and he so much ameliorated the condition of the aboriginal inhabitants, that he was enabled to marry the daughter of one of the neighbouring princes, and was chosen sovereign by the people. He reigned for the space of fifty years, and was succeeded by two other kings ; and then reigned Erichtonius, about the year 1487 b.c. It was this famous king 136 HISTORICAL SKETCH who gave the name of Athenae to the twelve villages instituted by Cecrops. From the close of the reign of Erichtonius to the commencement of that of Egeus, four kings of no note bore sway. Egeus succeeded about 1283 b.c. He was the husband of Medea, the divorced wife of Jason. The two latter have been made famous in heroic annals by the immortal poem of Euripides. May it not also be said, without the charge of extra vagance, that a female artist of our own day has, for the first time since the era in question, revived, in her noble representation of " Medea," the same emotions which attended the original representation of the drama, in the hearts of the whole Athenian people? Egeus was also famous for having a son whose name was Theseus, and in whose honour (480 b.c.) the Temple of Theseus was built. Theseus was a great warrior and hero ; and having rendered important services to Greece, that temple, which is now the most perfect of Grecian remains, was erected to perpetuate his memory, together with festivals which were celebrated until within a short period of the Christian era. It is a singular fact that this, one of the earliest temples in Greece, is at this present moment in a more OF GREECE. 137 perfect state of preservation than any other similar edifice. Viewed from the Acropolis, it has all the appearance of having been recently erected. Nothing particularly worthy of mention occurs in the Athenian annals, until the reign of Codrus, who was the last of seventeen kings descending from Cecrops, the founder of Athens. Codrus died, 1091 b.c, and with him perished monarchy in Athens. The reason assigned by the Athen ians for abolishing monarchy was rather a curious one. Codrus, their last monarch, was so excel lent a king, and so universally beloved by his subjects, that they were fearful it would be im possible to obtain another like him ; and rather than have the name of king debased by an un worthy successor, they decreed that monarchy should be abolished ! The title of Archon was now given to the chief ruler of Athens, that being the signification of the word. These Archons were first chosen for life, and the first of them was the eldest son of the late monarch, Codrus. This arrangement continued until the year 753 b.c, when the archons were chosen for ten years only ; at the end 138 HISTORICAL SKETCH of about sixty years more, the period of archon- ship was reduced to one year, and the number of the archons increased to nine ; one of them being chief, two other next in rank and power, and the other six inferior. The government re tained this form until the Spartans under Lysan- der conquered Athens. Athens reached the highest point of her power and glory under Pericles ; and she maintained her proud supremacy for about 200 years. The first great feat of arms of the Athenians was the expedition under Militiades, against the numerous forces of Darius, the Persian king, which were defeated at Marathon, 490 b.c Secondly, the Spartans under Leonidas opposed Xerxes, king of Persia, with his numerous host, at the pass of Thermopylae, Aug. 7, 480 b.c Shortly afterwards, during the same year, (Oct. 20,) the Athenians under Themistocles gained a most signal victory, at Salamis, over the fleet of the Persian monarch, forcing him to quit Greece immediately. It was during these inroads of the Persians that the first Parthenon, or Temple of Minerva, was destroyed by them ; but it was restored under OF GREECE. 139 Pericles, with redoubled and unexampled splen dour and sculptural beauty ; as even the present remains of it amply attest. Pericles was for forty years at the head of the Athenian administration ; during which time he embellished Athens with many pubhc buildings, of great beauty and splen dour. When in the height of its magnificence, it is recorded that the city of Athens was twenty-five miles in circumference. Supposing, therefore, its diameter to have been about eight miles, an cient Athens must have extended from the Piraeus, Munychia, and Phalerum, and the sea-coast, as far as mount Hymettus, including the present residences of Luriottis and Mr. Bracebridge. Following the circle, it must have included Calandra; also two miles beyond Sir P. Mal colm's house, overshooting Mr. BeU's house, as far as the pass of Daphne ; also all the sea-coast upon the bay of Salamis, round to the Piraeus again. The magnificence of such a city, with its tem ples, large and smaU, its numerous stoai, (porti coes,) its theatres, its agorai, (forums,) its public haUs, its academies and stadiums, most of them formed of fine Pentelic marble, from the quarries 140 HISTORICAL SKETCH I have previously mentioned, and that too under the finest climate, and in the best topographical situation in the world, must have rendered it the admiration and envy of the civilized world. That great nation, the Romans, notwithstanding it was a conquered province, looked upon it as the source whence everything great in literature and the fine arts sprung, and the Roman youth were sent thither to learn the art of governing. The most flourishing state of Greece was from between 550 b.c. till about 336. In the previous century, the seven wise men of Greece had diffused knowledge through the various states of that country; tragedy and comedy flourished under Euripides and Aristo phanes ; the fine arts under Phidias and Apelles ; and medicine under Hippocrates ; and Demos thenes, Plato, Aristotle, Pericles, Pisistratus, Alci- biades, Leonidas, Aristides, Themistocles, and Epaminondas, the greatest men Greece has pro duced, were born during that period. Three years after Lysander had conquered Athens, 404. b.c, the thirty tyrants were expelled by the Athenians, and a council of ten was sub stituted in their place ; still they were under the influence of Sparta, and remained so, until the OF GREECE. 141 time of Philip, King of Macedon, 345 b.c when the Athenians regained their power, and made head against Philip. About 170 years after the death of Alexander, PauUus Emilius defeated Philip, king of Mace don, and made him a prisoner, and Macedon was declared a Roman province, a.d. 168. Athens submitted to the yoke immediately after ; Corinth, 1 4 6 b . c , was subdued by L . Mummius , and shortly afterwards the whole of the Morea. Greece was now under the sway of the Romans, and they made it a sort of university for the Roman youth. The most talented men resided at Athens ; the arts flourished there ; and the Roman emperors made it their study to orna ment and beautify the city. One of the greatest monuments of antiquity at Athens was finished by the Romans; — the Temple of Jupiter Olympus. That temple was commenced by the Athenians, under Pisistratus, 530 b.c, and finished by Adrian, a.d. 145, about 700 years after its commencement. It was four stadia in circumference, and had a vast number of pillars, of which a few only are now remaining, as may be seen by our plate. These beautiful columns are decidedly the most 142 HISTORICAL SKETCH commanding and picturesque feature connected with the present state of Athens. Views of that city may be taken from various points ; but none are interesting that do not possess these columns ; they throw a charm over the whole view, which the temple of Theseus, and even the Parthenon itself, would not otherwise be capable of attaining. To return to our brief historical sketch ; Greece was destined again to become a great power, at least, by incorporating herself with other kingdoms, and forming the Grecian or Eastern Empire, and giving its haUowed name to the whole. After a succession of many Roman emperors, Constantine the Great decided upon making Byzantium (Constantinople) the seat of the Roman empire, about the year 350 ; and this arrangement continued until the death of Theodo sius, a.d. 395. The latter had two sons, Arca- dius and Honorius, who divided the empire between them, termed Eastern and Western ; the eastern comprised Hungary, Sclavonia, Croatia, Bosnia, Dalmatia, on the Adriatic ; Transylvania, Moldavia, Wallachia, and Besarabia, on the Black sea ; Bulgaria, Servia, Roumelia, Macedo nia, and Albania, Thessaly, and Modern Greece ; OF GREECE. 143 these were its possessions in Europe. It possessed in Asia, Armenia, Syria, Judea, Mesopotamia, and Medea, with other provinces in Asia Minor, besides vast territories in Africa. Over this immense tract of country, Arcadius, the eldest son of Theodosius, reigned ; and he and his descendants were denominated emperors of the Eastern, or Greek, empire. The Western Empire, consisting of Italy, Sicily, Gaul, Spain, and Britain, was reigned over by Honorius, the second son of Theodo sius; and he and his successors were denominated Emperors of the West. For the following eight centuries, the emperors of the East, or the Grecian emperors, reigned at Constantinople ; and, as I have said before, Christianity was adopted by Constantine and the emperors from his time. The growing power of the Saracens, in the seventh century, had left the Christians of Asia but little to enjoy. The Grecian Empire lost its best provinces — Palestine, Syria, and Egypt. The Christian churches were converted into Mahometan mosques, and a great portion of the inhabitants had been forced to embrace the 144 HISTORICAL SKETCH Mahometan faith. Emboldened by their suc cesses, they resolved to attempt the reduction of Constantinople itself, and collected an immense force, both by sea and land. They were, how ever, foiled by the vigour and skill of Pogonatus, the emperor. This struggle lasted for seven successive years, after which time the Saracens retired, making peace with the Greeks. It was in the eleventh century, a.d. 1096, that the Christians of Western Europe formed a league to drive the Turks out of Palestine. The first crusade was preached by Peter the Her mit ; and the armament was composed of four hundred thousand souls, under the command of Godfrey de Bouillon, Duke of Lorraine ; Hugh, the brother of Philip I., King of France ; Ro bert, Duke of Normandy, brother to William II., King of England ; Raymond, Count of Tou louse ; and Robert, Earl of Flanders. They made Constantinople the rendezvous, where they arrived in the following spring, du ring the reign of Alexis Comnenus, the emperor. This army crossed the Hellespont, passed some time in Asia Minor, in overcoming the obstacles that presented themselves, and then marched to OF GREECE. 145 Jerusalem, and delivered it in five weeks from the time they arrived before it, 15th July, 1099. Godfrey de Bouillon was chosen King of that city. The second crusade against the encroachment of the Turks occurred a.d. 1147. Conrad, the Emperor of Germany, and Louis VII. of France, went with an army of a hundred and fifty thou sand men, taking the same route as the pre ceding armament ; but nearly all this army was destroyed, and they effected nothing. It was about the year 1190 that the third crusade commenced against the Turks under Saladin. Our brave Monarch, Richard, and Philip Augustus, King of France, with other sovereigns, transported an army to the Holy Land, by means of Venetian vessels ; Venice having now become (solely by means of its com merce) a great power. This state could equip fleets that England, France, and Germany, could not furnish coUectively ; and their alliance was courted in preference to all the kings of Europe. Saladin opposed them with three hundred thou sand men, but the Christians obtained a victory. Jerusalem, however, was not taken by Richard, his ally, the French King, having retired, forcing our brave monarch to do the same. VOL. II. L 146 HISTORICAL SKETCH In the year a.d. 1202, the Venetians, with Baudouin, Count de Flandres, and the Marquis Montserrat, agreed upon uniting their forces and attacking Constantinople, which they suc ceeded in taking, a. d. 1204. Having done so, these three states divided the spoil. The Venetians took for their share the Morea of Greece, the island of Candia, and many towns on the coast of Phrygia. The Mar quis de Montserrat took for his share Thessaly ; and the Count de Flandres, causing himself to be elected Emperor at Constantinople, took the rest of the spoil ; but Saladin had got the greater part of Asia Minor. The invaders were termed by the Greeks, " the Latins ;" and this new dynasty reigned till the year 1261, when the Greeks got back the seat of empire, Constantinople, under Michael Paleologus, their Emperor. But the Morea, great part of Greece, with Candia and Cyprus, was still retained by the Venetians. The last crusade against the Turks was under taken by St. Louis, King of France, a.d. 1248, who, after many reverses, was taken prisoner, with his army, by the Sultan ; but was liberated a.d. 1254. The Greek Empire from this period tottered OF GREECE. \A7 much, and it is recorded that, in the year 1362, there were three emperors of the East, competitors for the throne. The town of Con stantinople, in the hands of the Greeks, had one ; Adrianople, taken by Amurath, 1362, had the second; and the ancient Colchis, named Trebizond, under Comenes, had the third. In the year 1453, Mahomet the Great at tacked Constantinople with three hundred thou sand men, and, after besieging it for ninety days, he took it by assault, May 29, killing the Emperor Constantine Paleologus. Greece soon followed the fate of Constantinople, and the Turks over ran the Continent and the Morea, wresting it from the Venetians, in a.d. 1481. SeUm II. , one of the successors of Mahomet, in 1571, took the beautiful island of Cyprus from the Venetians, after the loss of which, the Venetians got up a crusade against the Turks, in which the Pope and Philip II. joined them. Five months after the island of Cyprus was taken, about two hundred and eighty vessels of war, large and small, were all ready in the ports of Sicily. Phihp II. had furnished one half of these ; the Venetians two-thirds of the other half; and the Pope the remainder. l2 148 HISTORICAL SKETCH Don Juan of Austria, the son of Charles V., was the general of the fleet. Marco Antonio Colonna commanded under him in the name of the Pope ; and Sebastian Veniero was the Admi ral of the Venetians. This armament had from forty to fifty thousand men on board. Notwithstanding the magnitude of this fleet, the Ottoman squadron was much stronger. It was composed of two hundred and fifty gaUeys, but of a larger size. These two armaments met in the Gulph of Lepanto, not far from Corinth. The Turkish galleys were manned by Christian slaves ; and the Christian gaUeys by Turkish slaves. The engagement took place on the 5th of October, 1571. Don Juan of Austria and the Venetian Admiral attacked the vessel of Ali, the Turkish Admiral. He was taken with his vessel, his head was immediately cut off, and placed upon the staff above his own flag. This proceeding could only be justified by its being considered as a retahation for the atrocious conduct of the Turks, in burning alive Brigadino, the Commandant at Framagousta, the capital of the island of Cyprus, after it had surrendered to the Turkish power. OF GREECE. 149 The sight of the Admiral's head dispirited the Turks, who gave way, losing a hundred and fifty vessels of war : fifteen thousand Turks were destroyed, and five thousand Christian slaves were rescued from slavery. All the credit of this action was given to Don Juan of Austria, the generalissimo, whom Pope Pius V. denominated ever afterwards " a man sent from God;" and he was considered by all Europe as the first captain of the age. This signal vic tory checked for a time the ardour of the Turks, and the island of Candia was still held by the Venetians for another century, when it was taken by the famous Turkish General, Kaprogli. He was the Grand Vizier of Mahomet IV., and was accounted one of the greatest men of the age. During this siege, which, like another Troy, lasted many years, the flower of the nobility of Europe distinguished themselves. The Duke of Beaufort, who had a command of six thousand men, was killed at it ; and the Duke de Noailles succeeded him in the command of the allies ; but nothing could overcome the obstinate perseve rance of the Turks, and the town commanded 150 HISTORICAL SKETCH by Morosini, the Venetian, surrendered in Sep tember, 1669. The Venetian general had his revenge, for, about eighteen years afterwards, he entered the Morea, and conquered the whole of it from the Turks. It was at this epoch that that beautiful building, the Parthenon, which previous to that period was almost perfect, was so much injured. We owe to the Venetians and the Turks the ruin of this structure. Morosoni besieged the Acro polis in 1687, and threw a shell, which entered the Parthenon, and communicated with a maga zine of powder, which exploding, demohshed great part of the temple. In fact, nothmg but a convulsion similar to that which I have de scribed could have overthrown the immense masses of marble which have been detached from that temple. The Venetians retained possession of the Morea and Greece until the year 1715, when the Turks again and finaUy reconquered this country, in the reign of Achmet III.,— the Venetians not being again able to reconquer it. The Turks, therefore, have had possession of Greece three hundred and nineteen years — First, from the OF GREECE. 151 year 1481 to 1687, and then from 1715 to 1828, when the battle of Navarino, which oc curred in October of that year, finally liberated Greece from the dominion of the Turks and Egyptians. 152 CHAPTER VIII. St. George's Day — Answer to my Petition — Observations thereon — The Order of the Saviour — Steam Vessels — Works at the Piraeus — Change of Habitation — The Feast of the Pentecost — Convent of Kassariani — Greek Women sketched — Their Dances and Amusements. EXTRACTS FROM JOURNAL, CONTINUED. May 5, 1836. — This is St. George's day, and the whole population of Athens were early in the morning in motion to celebrate it; — proceeding, in large parties, to the sacred olive groves, to pass the day in carousal. Freorites offered to accompany me to see the amusements, and we accordingly went at about one o'clock. On our arrival in the olive grove, the music of the guitar, lyre, and fiddle were heard on all sides, and this happy people were dancing with all the eagerness imaginable, in parties of ten or st. george's day. 153 twelve together ; and as I was known to several of them, they welcomed me, and invited me, in the most friendly manner, to partake of their good cheer, and to join in the dance of the Romaika. My attention was much attracted by the acti vity of the leader of one of the groups of dancers. His great fort was to bend his toes underneath, and walk upon the knuckles of them : this feat obtained him great applause. The lyre, in consequence, struck up still louder, and these innocent people forgot all their troubles to the sound of their wild music. Towards the evening they became a little bois terous ; but no mischief occurred, nor did I ever hear of any, arising from their Bacchanalian feasts, in any other part of the neighbourhood. We stopped late, returning home upon donkies, with a very large party, who were indulging in their natural wit ; the wine they had drank serv ing to increase it ; and peals of laughter resounded on aU sides. On arriving at home, I found on my table an answer to my petition, which had been pre sented in December last. 154 THE AUTHOR'S CLAIMS I must here beg permission of my readers to refer, somewhat in detail, to the nature of this answer, and to the petition itself, to which it was a reply. My petition had set forth, that myself, and several others, had deposited the sum of 790Z. sterling, as a security that the line of steam boats before referred to should be established ; on condition of which establishment I was to derive certain advantages from the Greek government. My failure, and its causes, have been before noticed. I now petitioned that his Majesty would give me back the money I had deposited, and also the sum I had expended out of my own pocket (to the amount of 600/.) in endeavouring to effect the desired object. I asked for the first, upon the ground that the failure had in no respect resulted from any cause over which I had con trol ; and that, moreover, as no forfeit had ever been paid in Greece, it would be a hard thing to commence it in the case of one who had long served Greece with his sword, without any emolu ment or advantage. I further added, that out of the 790/. I had deposited, my own share was 1 60/., and that I had become security for 320/. more. Relative to the 600/. which I had lost by the ON THE GOVERNMENT. 155 affair, I begged of them to take into considera tion my services, and suggested the repayment to me of 100/. annually, until the whole was liqui dated ; at the same time hinting, that it was through my exertions that the French govern ment had been excited to build steam-vessels, and estabhsh them upon the track I had specified ; in consequence of which, the Greek government had obtained the desired intercourse with Wes tern Europe, without being put to any expense. Thus far my petition. The answer to it in formed me, that 160/. was awarded me, and, in addition, 40Z. for my passage home, but beyond that nothing was to be expected by me. I caUed, in consequence, upon Mr. Frei, who occupied the post similar to that of under Secre tary of State, and I expostulated with him upon the injustice and hardship of the case. He re phed, that my claim was just, but that the go vernment, at present, had not the means of satis fying it, — that they were A>*ery poor, but that his Majesty would restore the money to me as soon as circumstances would aUow of his so doing. The fact is, that there was much truth in what Mr. Frei stated ; and I have no doubt that it was 156 THE AUTHOR'S CLAIMS. the poverty of the government which caused them to withhold this money ; for I cannot con ceive for a moment that upon any other ground would the Greek government allow such a spot of ingratitude to attach itself to them, — marking, as a precedent for injustice, an old philhellene,who had not only served Greece with his sword, but also with his time and fortune, and directed those energies in such a way as to create the rivalry of a powerful kingdom like France, and this entirely to the benefit of Greece. At all events, whatever may be my complaint against the Greek government, my private feehngs will not influence my public conduct. The go vernment of Greece are not the people ; and there fore I ever have done, and ever shaU do, every thing in my power to serve Greece, whether by promulgating just opinions concerning her pros pects and character as a nation, or by any other means. The Greeks are an excellent people, merit ing every encouragement and support from the civilized world ; and to a description of their habits and manners I shall now return ; — again recurring to the simple and inartificial source of my journal, for what I daily observed concerning them. ORDER OF THE SAVIOUR. 157 May 10. — His Britannic Majesty's steam- vessel Medea, having arrived at the Piraeus on the 8th, for the purpose of receiving the King of Greece, — who was to go to Ancona in her, and thence to proceed to Bavaria to visit his family, — the King embarked for that purpose this day. The troops were placed in two lines, extending from the palace, through Mercury- street, to the outskirts of the town. The Counsellors of State met his Majesty at the suburbs, and accom panied him to his embarkation. He was escorted by a squadron of cavalry. On the evening of the same day, my friend, Doctor Rezer, waited on me at my hotel, and informed me that his Majesty, before his depar ture, had conferred upon me the Royal Military Order of the Saviour ; the worthy doctor at the same time offering his congratulations upon the occasion. I may be excused for mentioning this circum stance, as it affords me the opportunity of stating, that I did not, in any manner, apply for the fa vour, and, consequently, it proves his Majesty's good feelings towards me, and confirms me in my first impression, that the government virtually 158 GREEK YOUTH. admitted the claim of my petition, and only failed to return me my money in consequence of their actual incapacity to do so. My pecuniary and personal affairs being now terminated in Greece, I at first thought of quit ting it immediately ; but, on further consideration, I have made up my mind to remain for some time longer, that I may devote my undivided at tention in observing the manners of the inha bitants of Athens — for Athens is all Greece. In the morning of this day I attended at Mr. King's Institution, to hear Demosthenes read in ancient Greek, by Freorites, my tutor, and then explained in the modern Greek. Some of the Greek youths who attended this reading were without a shoe to their feet ; yet the inteUigent and feeling manner in which they entered into the spirit of these studies, was truly admirable and pleasing. A few years will bring these youths forward, and probably from these ragged little urchins may spring future ministers of state, who may decide the destinies of their country. The modern Greek is not a difficult language to acquire, especially to those who have acquired the ancient tongue ; for though the pronunciation is widely and strangely different, yet the construe- ORESTES IN ATHENS. 159 tion, and much of the phraseology, bear a great resemblance ; so much so, that the editors of the journals frequently introduce the ancient lan guage into their publications, and are thereby in sensibly restoring the ancient words. On the evening of this day the mihtary band that was stationed near the theatre for the amuse ment of the people, (performing from six o'clock in the evening until the opening of the theatre,) was assisted by the addition of a German mili tary horn band, which performed several favou rite German airs, thereby congregating a large body of people, among whom I met young Miaulis. After amusing ourselves here for some time, it was proposed that we should visit the theatre. The entertainment was the tragedy of Orestes, performed by amateurs who would have done credit to any theatre ; and they elicited from the audience reiterated shouts of approbation. May 12. — This morning I received a visit from the Rev. Mr. Hill, who informed me that a French steamer had just arrived from Marseilles, with forty passengers on board. She was char tered to take them to Athens, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Algiers, and then to return to 160 THE PIRAEUS. Marseilles. We rode down to the Piraeus to visit this vessel, and were astonished at the mag nificence of the interior, it being similar to that of a royal yacht. On returning, I paid particular attention to the works that are carrying on at the Piraeus by the government, who are filling up the marsh prior to the construction of a pier, which, when finished, will afford accommodation to 2000 merchant vessels. The Piraeus is now a large town, pos sessing about three hundred houses ; and the Sciotes, the first merchants of the Levant, are about building their residences there, which will make it a place of some importance in the com mercial world. In the evening we returned to Athens, pro ceeding to the house of the worthy pastor who had accompanied me ; the Miss MuUingers, his relatives, having a conversazione of a few friends. I owe much to this excellent family, for the many happy evenings I have passed at their house. May 13. — As I have grown tired of the mo notony of my long residence at a public hotel, I determined to seek a new style of menage. Not that I am displeased with my treatment by M. Louis, of the Hotel de France; but I feel a wish NEW LODGINGS. 161 for change. Is it that the air of Athens has imparted to my system that love of novelty for which the Greeks have been so famous in all ages ? At all events, I have grown weary of mounting the same steps daily, — of seeing the same poultry running about the same yard, and of the barking of the same great black dog. I am even tired of the gambols of little Justin, (the brother of my pretty and youthful landlady,) who is privileged — (Justin — not his fair sister) — to enter my room at all times, and try to entertain himself and me with his innocent prattle. At aU events, I am determined to move ; so I sum moned Louis and told him my intention. He remonstrated strongly, and brought all the other inmates of the house to second his desire for my stay. But now that I have once thought of going, go I must, or I feel that I should fairly excite myself into a fit of illness. Accordingly, when Freorites arrived to-day, to give me my Greek lesson, I begged that he would accompany me in my search. He mentioned to me the hotels Munich, Royale, and Brunot, all very good residences ; but I am tired of living at an hotel, and will have nothing but a private lodging. We therefore sallied out in pursuit, VOL. II. M 162 A GREEK BEAUTY. and, after some difficulty, we found very good apartments at No. 170 in Mercury-street. They consisted of a sitting-room, bed-room, and a kitchen, for which I am to pay forty drachmas a month. There is a very good balcony, which enables me to survey the whole street from one end to the other ; and as this street is the prin cipal thoroughfare in Athens, I could not have done better. The house, however, wants paint ing ; and I have agreed to pay the landlady one month in advance if she will paint the doors and windows ; to which she has assented. The place is to be ready for my reception in a week. May 15. — I went to-day to see how my new apartments get on. As it was early in the morn ing, I suppose my good landlady did not expect me ; for I found her and her daughter in my apartments, scrubbing them out with great assi duity. The daughter, whom I now saw for the first time, is about fifteen years of age, and her countenance is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Nothing could be prettier than the modest surprise with which the daughter saw my unexpected entrance. She immediately left off her work, dropped her beautiful eyes on the ground, put one hand up to her face, and stood A GREEK HOUSEWIFE. 163 thus, for a minute or two, still and silent as a statue. She then left the room ; — not, however, till I had said something expressive of my sur prise and admiration, which evidently did not displease the retiring beauty. On inquiring of the old lady how long she had been in Athens, she informed me that she was the wife of an old soldier, who had been killed in the revolution, leaving her with two daughters, Thalia and Helen ; that upon the death of her husband she had coUected the remnants of his property, amounting to about 1,500 drachmas, in land and other effects, and had lived with a rela tion ; that she had supported herself by spinning cotton, and making cloth, which she sold, and by which means she gained a livelihood, and she was thus enabled to preserve the money that she had received at her husband's death. " I have been in Athens," continued she, " about a year. As soon as the town was planned out, I com menced building this house ; and it is by letting it that I now live. My eldest daughter, Thalia, has been married about two years, to a very industrious young man ; my youngest, Helen, you have just seen." I employed the remainder of this day in pur- m 2 164 GREEK NEIGHBOURS. chasing the necessary furniture for my rooms*,1 Myself and Demetrie proceeded to a house in Mercury-street, at which there is daily an auc tion, for the sale of furniture and other articles ; and for the sum of about eight pounds I pur chased all that was needed to make my new menage comfortable. The auctioneer was very active in the sale of his articles. He did not stand still, like ours, and quietly say, " Going, going, gone ;" but walked up and down the front of the shop, like a wild animal, vociferating and declaiming upon the excellence of the articles, to the audience that were in the street. May 18. — Having settled myself in my new lodgings, I find that my neighbours around me are disposed to be very sociable ; several of them having already called to welcome me. The one opposite, an elderly man, says that he is much delighted that I am his neighbour, and that he shall always be ready to render me a service. He is a married man ; but as I am not, his wife did not accompany him. The one on the right is brother to my landlady, and he visited me because he says that he knew some one who was at the Piraeus seven years ago, when the battle of Athens occurred, at which he had heard I was GREEK FETE. 165 also present. I am much pleased with these spon taneous visits of my neighbours, and I always take care to make them as welcome as I can, by ordering coffee and pipes — the necessary appendages of a Greek visit — the moment they arrive. The affairs of the nation are discussed at these visits ; and they all declare that nothing but money is wanting to make Greece flourish to the utmost extent of her well-wishers. My opposite neighbour said to me to-day, " Observe my house, which is half built ; could I but raise two hundred dollars to finish it, I should be a happy man." " Why cannot you raise it?" said I; "your property is good." " Because I shall have to pay thirty per cent. for the loan of the money." The conversation then turned on the approach ing fete that is to take place on the 28th, called the Feast of the Pentecost ; being the close of the forty days Fast, during which the Greeks have lived on bread and olives, with the exception of fish twice a week. The celebration of this feast is to take place at the convent of Kaisariani, (a Greek word, signifying amusement,) about one hour distant from the town ; and I learn that half Athens will be there. 166 GREEK FESTIVAL. May 28. — Early this morning I walked out with my dominie as far as the new palace ; the Athenians were passing in crowds to the place of festivity. The women were on horseback, accompanied either by their lovers or their hus bands. The Greek females ride (after the ex ample of other ladies of the east) in the fashion of men, wearing trowsers. Having returned home to breakfast, and De metrie having procured me a horse for the day, for the sum of six drachmas, I mounted, about ten o'clock, and proceeded to the scene of the fete ; which I find is the grandest and most im portant of the whole year. About a mile from the town, under a cluster of trees, I observed a large pedestrian party, who had made a halt, being too idle to proceed to the monastery. Groups of men and women were here and there seated, waiting till their dinner was ready, which consisted of a lamb, that was roasting whole over a wood fire. Anticipating what was to take place after the feast, at about twenty yards distant, under a fig-tree, a man was lying on his back at full length, scraping upon a fiddle. The music, however, had no effect upon the dancing faculties of the party, — everybody GREEK FESTIVAL. 167 being intent on the roasting lamb ; and the modern Orpheus was allowed to indulge his musical talent for his own amusement. Pursuing, then, my journey, I arrived in one hour at the convent of Kaisariani. The convent is placed on a small eminence, at the base of Mount Hymettus, the approach to which is through a ravine, with olive trees on each side. It is a square building, measuring about a hundred yards each way, and within are two court yards, containing a chapel, and apartments and cells for the inmates. At about a hundred yards from the convent were picquetted horses, mules, and donkeys, the number of which may be imagined by the fact, that there were at least five thousand men, women, and children present. Some were taking refreshment in groups on the grass ; others had already com menced the great business of the day, — namely, dancing. This was the first time I had ever seen the Romaika danced by women. They did not dance with the men, however, but formed a circle by themselves. Their attitudes were very grace ful, and they performed the dance very prettily, unaccompanied by any demonstrations of rude or boisterous mirth. The lyre was the music, to the VOL. II. M* 168 ALBANIAN WOMEN. sweetness of which was added, every now and then, the warbling of the women's voices, but so softly as not to be heard above the sound of the lyre, and only chiming in harmoniously with it at that part of the tune which corresponded with the chorus. The Albanian women were easily distinguish able from those of the other parts of Greece. They are a large race, and their complexion is more fair than that of the other Greeks, but the features are not so pleasing. Their dress is very simple, consisting of a large white and red pelisse. Their shoes are a kind of slipper, with wooden soles ; and in performing the Romaika, whenever it came off, they slipped their foot in again with much dexterity, without stopping the dance. After I had been there an hour, I was joined by two English travellers, — the Hon. Mr. C, and Lord D. The first was a very good artist, and with his pencil he sketched a pretty little Moreote woman, the wife of a Greek captain, who was with her. Not wishing to rouse the ire of a Greek chieftain, and particularly after he had imbibed a tolerable portion of wine, we covered the artist a little in his operations, by GREEK FEMALE BEAUTY. 169 placing ourselves between him and the husband, in such a manner that the former might not be seen. He had not worked more than five mi nutes, when the lady perceived what he was about, and was evidently not displeased at it ; for she shortly afterwards placed herself in a better situation for the artist to finish his work. Her head was not dressed like the Athenian women in general; she wore only a red cap, with a large curl of auburn hair on each side of her face, bending behind her ears, and contrasting with her fair complexion on the one hand, and her dark red cap on the other. The middling- class of women in Greece, the wives and daugh ters of the farmers and small landholders, are as fine a race as I have seen in any country in the world ; and I have no doubt, that one reason for this is, the double fact of their marrying at the proper time of life, and almost always from inclination. Moreover, the peasantry in Greece have always been well off, — their habits being careful, frugal, and prudent. As we passed the variously formed groups, many of them came forward and pledged us in their country wine, — which, though a little resiny, politeness required that we should partake of. 170 NATIONAL MUSIC. The band of the German regiment stationed at Athens arrived at the convent about one o'clock, and played a few national airs, to which the Greeks danced; but there was no harmony between the Greek dancing and the Greek airs, as performed by the German musicians. The effect, indeed, was quite unsatisfactory ; and the people evidently preferred their own wild strains, played by their rude instruments, to all the recherche harmony of the German musicians. It was like the Scotch highlander with his bag pipes, accompanying the Scottish fling. The one would be nothing without the other, — so powerful is the association of ideas. All Athens, as well foreigners as natives, were present at this fete. About four o'clock, we mounted our horses to return to Athens ; and, on our way back, we met crowds still flocking to Kaisariani. Among these was Sir E. Lyons and his family, on horse back, accompanied by Prince Puckler Muskau, — the latter wearing a large slouch Leghorn hat, and a white poncho, after the style of the Chilian peasants. Having stopped to speak with his Excellency, he invited us to pass the evening at his house. RETURN HOME. 171 The weather being exceedingly hot, we had, by the time we reached home, quite enough of our day's excursion. We, however, soon re freshed and recruited ourselves for the evening party, by adjourning to the Cafe Otho to eat ice, and then to the hotel of one of our party, where we dined. 72 CHAPTER IX. Cricketing at Port Munychia — Schoolmaster and his Boys —The Palaces— The Military Hospital— The Theatre- Anniversary of the King's Coronation — Medical Institu tion — Fete Day of Constantine and Ellen — Visit to the Country — Greek Phalanx — High rate of Money. EXTRACTS FROM JOURNAL CONTINUED. May 29. — To-day, the officers of his Majesty's frigate, Portland, lying at Piraeus, having invited me to play a game at cricket with them, I rode to the Piraeus, and we aU went to a spot to the left of the port, and which is caUed the Port Munychia ; it is an excellent place for this amusement. Captain Price and his officers, also Lord D., and the Hon. Mr. C, were of the party. The two latter gentlemen were to proceed at six o'clock, in the Levant steam-boat, for Smyrna, — a vessel that performs that voyage every fort night. I had not played at this game for many THE REV. MR. KING. 173 a year, but it so happened that, by dint of my bad play, I was more successful than any other of the party ! They made me bowler ; and in consequence of my performing that operation not en regie, I bowled out three of the party con secutively. I afterwards dined with Captain Price, on board his vessel, and at eight o'clock in the evening returned to town with Sir Edmund Lyons and Mr. Luriottis, who had come on board to visit the captain. Port Munychia is a little port to the east of the Piraeus, and between the latter and the Pha- lere, and is not used now as a place of an chorage. It was formerly well fortified, and there are still remains of the walls to be seen. This spot owes its name to King Munychus, who built a temple here to Diana, and in whose honour he instituted naval festivals and games, called Munychia. The Lacedemonians held this port for some time, and kept a strong garrison there. May 30. — This afternoon, I had the pleasure of a visit from the Rev. Mr. King, at my new habitation. After having chatted with me for some time, we proposed a walk together. On our way through the suburbs of the town, to the left of the chancellor's house, our attention was at- 174 THE SCHOOLMASTER ItJ GREECE. tracted by a schoolmaster and his boys, whose evolutions we could not very well make out the meaning of. The master was reciting, and the boys were repeating after him, — both parties in a strange and by no means agreeable nasal tone of voice. After watching this performance for some time, we observed the dominie to com mence chaunting, and beating time with his foot : his pupils doing the same. After a little while, he began to walk round in a circle : his pupils following him and chanting. He then made them squat down, and rise up suddenly again, and cross themselves ; which having repeated for about five minutes, he dismissed his httle flock. We then addressed the poor old man, and in quired how much he received from each pupil for the instructions we had witnessed. He an swered, one drachma a month ; and being asked if they all paid him regularly, he answered, with a shrug of his shoulders, "Not always, — my pupils are poor." Continuing our walk, we reached the new palace, and examined the pro gress of the works. The walls, which are raised on a foundation that commences twelve feet below the surface of the earth, are full six feet thick. MILITARY HOSPITAL. 175 The building is under the superintendence of a military engineer, who evinces great skill and judgment in the arrangements. They were busy to-day blasting a part of the rocky foundation, to make a wine ceUar, — an indispensable requisite for a palace. We then continued our walk to the military hospital, on the eastern side of the acropolis. This is a building worthy of any capital in the world. It is constructed with great taste, and has a striking effect as viewed from the sea ; for immediately on observing the columns of the temple of Jupiter, you cannot avoid being at tracted by this building. It will contain two hundred beds. We continued our walk in a direction round the foot of the acropolis, beneath the plane trees that line each side of the road, and entered the lower part of the town, by the temple of Theseus ; passing through the long bazaar which leads from one end of the town to the other. It was getting dark, and the bazaar was lighted up, the effect of which was very pleasing. May 31. — Understanding that to-day (Sun day) a tragedy on the subject of Brutus was to be performed at the theatre, and that there 176 GREEK LIBERTY. would be a large audience, I attended. The Greeks are fond of tragedy, and particularly of those that represent ancient characters and events connected with liberty. Indeed, unless some thing of this kind is represented, the theatre is quite a desert. A characteristic circumstance connected with this feeling was related to me by Mr. Orlando, as having occurred during the war. The inha bitants of his native place, (Hydra,) of which he was one of the primates, at one time took it into their heads that it was necessary to their " hberty" that they should have no government at all, and that each person should do exactly as he pleased. And for a short time the most lawless acts were committed all over the island. At length, things got to such a height of anarchy and disorder, that these advocates of that very condition became alarmed at the personal consequences of their doctrines. They, at last, took to barricading themselves, each in his own house, and the dis trust among them was universal. This state of things could not last long. They at length sent word to the primates that they were ready to obey their proposed regulations, and a large por tion of them offered to turn out and patrol the ROYAL ANNIVERSARY. 177 town, as a guard against the oppressions of their next door neighbours ! Since that event, the Hydriotes have not been so eager about "liberty" — about the word, at least — as they once were. June 1st, 1836. — To-day is the anniversary of the birth-day of King Otho, and prayers were offered up at the cathedral church of St. Irene. The chanceUor and the foreign ministers were present, with all the dignitaries of the court : the Bishop of Athens officiated. The regiment that was upon duty, with a squadron of cavalry, afterwards passed in review before General Smaltz. the Minister of War. Everything here is in miniature ; but whatever is done, is performed with all the etiquette and observance that would be required in a large state. I met my friend Dr. Rezer, and he pressed me to be present at the monthly meeting of the Medical Institution, which was to take place on this day. I willingly consented, and pro ceeded there at the appointed hour. I found the Doctor surrounded by his colleagues in the Escu- lapian art. The meeting was opened by Dr. Rezer, who read a Greek discourse. He was fol- VOL. II. N 178 CHEAP LIVING IN GREECE. lowed by other professors, who read discourses in the Latin, German, and French languages. They then commented upon the transactions of the preceding month, reported the donations that had been made, and discussed the propositions that were offered for the future progress of the Society. It gave me much pleasure to observe this nucleus of an institution, so indispensably necessary for the formation of medical science, and likewise so calculated to call forth the hidden wealth of the mineral kingdom of Greece ; — for there is a large museum attached to the Society. I dined to-day with two officers of the Port land, at the Hotel Munich, which is kept by two German women. Living is very reasonable in this country. At Madame Cassalis', at the Hotel Royale, I generally dined in the public room, a la carte, after the fashion of a good Paris restaurant. The fixed prices were, for soup of any kind, twenty-five leptas, and for every other plat forty leptas, whether game, fish, roast or boiled, or any made dish. The wine of the country, — which is better than the common table-wine of France that you get in Paris, — cost forty leptas more ; so that my dinner of four dishes, with wine, never cost me more than CHEAP LIVING IN GREECE. 179 two drachmas,* (Is. 5d. English.) The cookery was French, Italian, Greek, or Turkish, accord ing to the taste of the customer. Most of the English travellers dine alone in their rooms, and then the hotel-keepers charge six drachmas, and the dinner is never better. At the Public Rooms, I met the officers of the army and navy, the employes, and the principal Greeks and Bavarians at Athens — barons, gene rals, colonels, &c. &c. To shew how economically a person may live at Athens, I will here sum up the expenses of my own housekeeping : — My apartments were 40 drachmas per month ; the servant, on board wages, 40 ditto ; my dinners, (say) 60 drachmas per month ; my breakfast and tea, 30 ditto ; making, in the whole, 170 drachmas a month. Calculating 28 drachmas to the pound sterling, this amounts to 61. per month ; — a sufficiently moderate sum for your own servant and apart ments, a good French dinner every day, and an English breakfast and tea. Bread is only one penny per pound, and the tea is about four shillings a pound ; this latter * One hundred leptas go the drachma. N 2 180 GREEK NEWSPAPERS. you may get very good at Mr. Brown's En ghsh warehouse, in Minerva-street, where every thing English can be obtained on the same terms as at Malta. The same evening the foundation-stone of the Civil Hospital was laid, and I accompanied my two friends to witness the ceremony. We found the chancellor there, and the ministers, who placed the stone in the presence of a nume rous crowd. The Demarch of Athens then pronounced a discourse, which was listened to with great attention and interest : everybody ap plauded the sentiments of philanthropy expressed in it. He stated, that in the projected hospital would be received every sick individual, of what ever nation or religion. The day terminated by the town and the Acro polis being illuminated, and the Countess of Armansperg gave a baU at her house, which, as usual, was numerously attended. This day was made remarkable, also, by the pub lication of a new Greek paper, called the Courier. It is a government paper ; and the news given in it relative to statistics, I found, afterwards, could be relied upon : it is edited by a Frenchman. June 2. — This day is the f£te-day of Constan- . A VISIT. 181 tine and Helen ; and it is the custom in Greece to visit the individual who bears the same name as that in honour of which the day is consecrated. As there are many Constantines and Helens, of course it is a great visiting day. The name of my landlady's daughter was Helen, and I took advantage of the privilege it gave me to pay her a visit. These visits are always paid early, gene raUy at ten or eleven o'clock in the morning. Little Helen, who was about fifteen years of age, was magnificently decked out with ribbons, and some natural flowers were placed in her dark- brown hair ; and she looked quite beautiful. A great many visitors were in the room, seated upon chairs ; on my entering, I was placed upon the sofa, the seat of honour. The pretty Helen, after the fashion of the country, presented me with sweatmeats and water, and then made me a curtsey, and said, (ei? tw vyeioiv eras-,) " to your health." I sat out all the visitors, and I should have stopped still longer, but my little tutor caUed upon me at twelve o'clock to give me my Greek lesson. After taking my lesson, I proceeded to observe the people passing to and fro on their visits ; for 182 ABLUTION. which purpose my lodging is well situated, as they all proceed this way to examine the pro gress of the new palace. I observe that the lover, and even the husband, does not walk arm in arm with his betrothed or his wife ; but there are generally three or four women together, when they take a walk, and the husband always walks apart, five or six paces distant, switching about a small stick in his hand. I must here reluctantly record, that, except on f&te days, the lower orders of Greek females, though exceedingly handsome, generaUy speak ing, and in many cases perfectly beautiful, are not seen to the best advantage, as the customs and habits of the country do not make the act of ablution an indispensable operation of the daily toilet. There is, in fact, but too often a dingy look about the faces of the lower orders of Greek females, which much impairs their beauty. I am convinced, however, that it only requires a little time, and the example of European so ciety, to make Athens an elysium of beauty, — if possible, excelling, in that respect, England itself. Not having visited my friend Bell for some time, I to-day determined to do so. On my way to his house, I observed the men and women in THE HARVEST IN GREECE. 183 the corn-fields reaping. Their manner of doing this was quite new to me ; they were pulling up the corn by the roots, instead of cutting it with a sickle. Having asked them why they did this, they told me that the drought had been so great that the stalk had been stunted in its growth, and that it was too short to cut. Mr. Bell, who has been a long resident here, told me to-day, that six years ago not a garden was to be seen ; whereas now you observe inclosures to a large extent, and probably, in another two years the whole plain will be in a state of cul tivation. The luxuriance in my friend's garden was not to be surpassed : he has now in it pears, apricots, nectarines, peaches, figs, &c. The pomegranate was now in full bloom. I consented to sleep at Mr. BeU's house, and the evening was occupied conversing with the peasants who had been reaping his corn.* They had collected at his habitation after the toils of the day, to report the progress they had made, and to receive fresh orders. They were all very respectful in their deportment, at the same time * My readers will observe that it was on the 3rd of June. They will judge by this of the beauty and luxuriance of the climate. 184 GREEK HARVEST HOME. they conversed and joked with an air of perfect freedom. Some country wine, which Bell or dered to be brought from his cellar, seemed to crown the happiness of these people. Perhaps this wine, (which consisted of two bottles only,) might have cost about sixpence ; and for this sum my friend obtained the good will of half a score of honest peasants, who were content to do double the work for him the next day in con sequence. In a country like this, there is nothing so politic as a little well-timed liberality. It was arranged that the labourers were all to repair to the field by half-past four the next morning ; and, excited by the interest of the scene, I begged permission of my worthy friend to accompany him, on the following day, to see a Grecian harvest. June 4. — This morning, at the dawn of day, Guiseppe, BeU's valet, knocked at my door, to inform me that his master was dressing. On descending, I found my friend already prepared ; and having taken a cup of coffee, in order to stay our appetites, we proceeded to the scene of action. Wending our way through the olive grove with which his house is surrounded, we arrived in the open country ; it was now nearly GREEK HARVEST HOME. 185 five o'clock, and the cool air which generally precedes the rising of the sun rustled through the ripened corn, whose golden and weighty heads added to and lengthened the graceful un dulations which spread all over the wide plain. Nearly all that was in sight belonged to my friend, Bell, but his men were working at the further end of the estate. In half an hour we arrived there ; and I was astonished to find none of the corn in sheaves. I was informed that, as the corn was cut, it was immediately carried away by donkeys. These animals were waiting patiently for their load, and were in the meantime playing the parts of gleaners, eating the ears that were left upon the field by the reapers. As soon as a sufficient quantity of sheaves had been cut to load one animal, they were placed on its back, and carried to a paved spot, about a mile off, in the direction of the house, and there left till it was ordered to be threshed out. There were about a dozen men at work, and half that number of asses as carriers. Each man, I found, received three and a half drachmas a day, and one drachma and a half daily was paid for the hire of the donkey. The asses, when loaded, looked like so many small wheat 186 GREEK HARVEST HOME. stacks, only their heads and long ears being seen in the fore part, and the tip of the tail switching about behind. The feet could not be seen at all as they moved along, so completely were they enveloped in the load. The following is the man ner in which they were laden : — two long sheaves were placed one on each side of the animal length wise, and were supported by ropes descending from the packsaddle on the back ; and these acted as a base for the rest, the other sheaves being piled up on these edgeways, the tops meeting over the back of the animal. By this arrangement, each donkey was able to carry, with the greatest ease, ten large sheaves. And I observed that (curi ously enough) the animals when thus laden went much faster than I had ever seen them do with out a load ! These good peasants, knowing that Bell had purposed to pass the day in the fields, had cut some boughs from the trees that were near at hand, and, under an olive tree, had erected a rural harbour for him to repose in when the heat of the sun rendered this desirable. We had also taken the precaution to bring with us two good silk umbrellas, which protected us from the sun's rays, — a thing which every foreigner GREEK HARVEST HOME. 187 must do in Greece. The Greeks, however, thought nothing of the heat ; they appeared rather to enjoy it, and toiled in the midst of it manfully. Guiseppe had by nine o'clock prepared for us a good breakfast, under shelter of the rural tent ; and this contributed not a little to the enjoyment of one of the pleasantest days I have spent in Greece. I learned during breakfast that the crop was an exceUent one ; for though the drought of the season had injuriously affected some of the crops, it had done Bell's no harm, on account of his corn having been sown early, and consequently got some height before the drought commenced. Bell tells me that he shall make twenty-five per cent, for his money this year. I am delighted to hear this ; for he is a generous fellow, and his hospitahty to aU the world is proverbial. The corn which he was now reaping I found had been sown early in February. The wheat I observed was all bearded. We remained under the tent, observing the doings of both men and donkeys, until twelve o'clock, the arrival of which hour was accurately observed by the labourers, from the position of the sun, and they dropped their sickles, and 188 MAJOR HAINE. collected around the rural tent under the olive tree, leaving the asses at liberty ; who, as though conscious that all labour had ceased for awhile, wandered about the field, satisfying their hunger from the ears that had been dropped. Onions, bread and cheese, and black olives, composed the repast of the men ; to which was added, the wine of the country, which costs about lid. the quart bottle. After finishing their meal, they stretched themselves at full length under the trees that were adjacent, and reposed till two o'clock, — which is the time allowed to aU hus bandmen in Greece. They then recommenced their toil. I observed that the reapers left the stubble very long ; and, upon inquiring, I found that this was intended to answer the purpose of manure to the soil. At half-past seven we quitted the field, Bell and myself on horseback, and the husbandmen and the donkeys a-head, laden with corn. On our arrival at BeU's house, we found there Major Haine, the Commandant de Place of Athens. The latter gentleman is an old Philhellene, hav ing been in Greece since 1822. He distinguished himself much under the brave Captain Hastings, A DIFFICULT CASE. 189 and, at the demise of the latter officer, Haine found that he was left his residuary legatee, and I understand will receive a large sum of money.* We passed the evening very merrily, talking over the various events of the war, and Haine related some excellent anecdotes with much hu mour. One of these I will here put down. He said that, in the year 1828, he was governor of Grabusa, a little fort upon an island adjoining Candia. He was, in fact, governor, judge, and everything else. The parents of a Greek girl came to him one day, and said that their daugh ter had been taken by the Turks when she was an infant, and that within the last year they had contrived to get her back again (she was now sixteen). The parents and her relatives stated that the young lady, while among the Turks, had contracted the habit of wearing trowsers, like the Turkish ladies. This the Greeks very much disliked, and they had used every means they could think of to make her desist from wearing them ; but to no effect : and they had determined to have recourse to his excellency's power, to compel her to take them off. " I was so amused * This gentleman has since married an Athenian lady, the niece of Prince Mavrocordato. 190 A DIFFICULT CASE. with the oddity of the demand," said Haine, " that I burst out a laughing ; but the parents, nevertheless, maintained the utmost gravity of deportment." Haine then asked the young lady why she would not comply with the wishes of her parents, and the custom of her country. She rephed (woman like), that she liked to wear trowsers, and she would not leave them off. Haine then had recourse to an expedient which he thought would rid him of the affair. He said to the parents, " You apply to me, then, to force your daughter to leave off her trowsers ?" They replied, " Yes." — " I wiU agree," said he, " to make use of the power that I have ; but I have no authority to depute that power to any one else ; so I must pull off the young lady's trowsers myself!" The parents, the girl, and the by standers, burst out into a laugh, and the young lady left the court with her trowsers on. This anecdote, ludicrous as it may seem, is perfectly characteristic of the simplicity of the people.* * A somewhat similar evidence of simplicity happened to me when I was at Maranham. I was residing at the palace with Lord Cochrane, acting as his aide-de-camp. One day, while I was talking with Captain Crosbie, the flag captain, in USURY IN GREECE. 191 The brother of my landlady called upon me this morning, and told me that he wanted 200 dollars to finish his house, and that he would give me forty per cent, for it, with ample security, if I would let him have the money. He said that he had been to a Jew money-lender that morning, who had offered to let him have the money at sixty per cent. I asked this poor man if it was usual to give forty per cent. He said that thirty was very common, but that forty was often given where the party much wanted the money. My servant having acquainted me that General Church had returned from the inspection of the troops on the frontier, I lost no time in paying the veteran a visit. I found him looking very one of the apartments, two women presented themselves to us, one of them saying that her husband had just come home, and he had put out the fire, and would not let them cook the dinner ; and nothing would do, but we must inter fere to bring the gentleman to a reasonable compliance with his lady's wishes. At last, not knowing how otherwise to get rid of this foolish affair, we told the steward to arm himself with a musket, and to escort the young ladies back again to their house. They went giggling back, and said that his excellency had sent an officer to protect them. The poor husband, seeing the steward with a musket, took to his heels, and his wife was left free to cook her dinner. 192 GREEK FRONTIER. well, and he , informed me that the country was now perfectly quiet, and that every body ap peared desirous of peace. What the General said was, I know, the wish of all the peasantry and the landholders ; but there are a certain race of people, who, possessing nothing, have nothing to lose, and are ready at all times to foment disturbance, or to hire themselves to any party whose interest lies in anarchy. The general informed me that the north of Greece was a paradise, and that it only wanted a few years' repose to make it wealthy in itself and highly beneficial to the government ; whereas at the present moment it is miserable in its condi tion "and a great expense to the state. The General's plan has always been to employ aU the old soldiers on the frontier, and to give them lands there, that a certain number of them may till the soil, and the other part defend it from hostile incursions. There are now about two thou sand troops on the frontiers, principally composed of the phalanx. The General had the difficult task of embodying it, of which he acquitted him self very well. His plan was, not to ask whether the man was of the Russian, French, or English party, but merely to ascertain if he had served A LEFT-HANDED MARRIAGE. 193 his country, and whether his conduct had been good. By these means he gave universal satis faction. The ordinance decreeing this phalanx was issued on the 18th of September, 1835. Both sailors and soldiers were embodied in it, and those only were enrolled who had served during the war. This is an excellent plan of at once providing for the exigencies of the go vernment and the wants of those unfortunate men who have lost their all in the struggle. This evening, in pursuance of my old habit of strolling out alone into the " highways and bye- ways " of the city and suburbs, in search of in formation and adventure, I fell in with an occur rence worth relating. In passing through one of the small streets, my attention was attracted by the sound of music, and having entered a little hovel whence it issued, I saw several people of both sexes, celebrating a marriage, in which I observed that no garland was employed. Now, the garland is always placed upon the bride's head, at a regular and orthodox wedding ; I was there fore induced to inquire into the circumstances. They presently explained themselves, however, as follows : after I had been there a little while, VOL. II. o 194 A LEFT-HANDED MARRIAGE. without anybody objecting to my presence, but the contrary, a man got up, personating the priest, and addressed the assembled party to the follow ing effect : — " Here are two young folks who wish to be married without the garland. What is your wish and pleasure, ladies and gentlemen ? Have you any objection thereto ?" Nobody expressed any ; the only difference of opinion being relative to the time the marriage should last ! some said that they should be married for two months, others only six weeks. Two months were at last de cided upon ; the rings were placed on the re spective fingers of the man and woman ; and they were duly pronounced man and wife for the space of two months. The music, composed of a fiddle and guitar, then struck up, and the evening passed off with mirth and jollity.* As an instance of the ills which perhaps ne- * I was mentioning this circumstance the next morning to a friend, and he informed me that some time since a colony of three hundred men and women had arrived from Cyprus, the inhabitants of which being tired of living under the thraldom of the Turks, had come to Athens, and had de manded permission to locate themselves in the town. The kingdom of Greece being free to all the world, the govern ment could not refuse them admission, but on account of the moral habits of these modern Cyprians not being precisely A GREEK PICKPOCKET. 195 cessarily attend the introduction of refinement into a state, I must here in fairness record, that on entering the theatre this evening, there being a considerable crowd, my pocket was picked of my handkerchief, and a few leptas, which I had rolled up in a piece of paper ; curiously enough, the leptas were taken, and the paper left. I re ported the affair to Mr. Black, the chef de police, who ordered every search to be made, but in vain. About this time, the foreign ministers quitted Athens. The summer had arrived, and with it, great heat. At this season of the year, everybody who can afford it repairs to the Piraeus, or to some one of the islands, — which are always compara tively cool, being fanned by the sea breezes. Monsieur and Madame Catachasi went to Egina, a small pretty island about twenty miles distant ; Sir E. Lyons and his family went on board H.B.M. frigate the Portland, and sailed about, visiting the different islands of the Archipelago. Monsieur and Madame Lagrenee also embarked on board a in accordance with those of other well-conducted Greeks, the government had chosen to take them under its especial surveillance. o 2 196 A GREEK PICKPOCKET. French vessel of war for the same purpose. This dispersion caused a dearth of society, and a con sequent dulness in the details of my note-book ; I shall therefore for the present cease to make extracts from it. 197 CHAPTER X. Rev. Mr. Hill's School — Public Schools in Greece — Pirseus — Probability of its becoming a great Port — Custom House — Temple of Venus — The Orator at the Pnyx — Matrimonial Design on the Author. I had for some time received an invitation to at tend a public exhibition of the school under the superintendence of Mr. and Mrs. Hill. The month of June and the month of December are two epochs in this establishment, the youngsters ob taining a respite of two or three weeks from their labours. There is always some ceremony upon these occasions ; and invitations are not only sent to the parents of the children, but also to the foreign ministers and the heads of the govern ment. The house appropriated as a school is situated a little distance from the Temple of the Winds, and has been recently built under the direction 198 education in Greece. of the worthy pastor. It is of two stories, and about one hundred feet long, about fifty in breadth, and is divided into several com partments. In the lower part is a very large room, which is appropriated for the most youth ful part of the community, (from the age of four to eight,) and which has benches raised one above the other, like an amphitheatre, and will con tain about six hundred. On my arrival in the court-yard, the school- bell was tolling, and the little ones were walking two by two, very orderly, forming a long string ; at the side of each line were grown-up people, to keep them from not breaking the line. They all proceeded to the above-mentioned room for exa mination, and took their places. I entered with them, and while they were coUecting I had an opportunity of observing the room itself. Around it were suspended pasteboard placards, which had different axioms written upon them, such as, "fear God," "honour your parents," "be not idle," " steal not," " learn your task," and other moral phrases, such as would forcibly strike the youthful mind. Of course, all this was in the modern Greek, their native language. This simple mode, of keep- EDUCATION IN GREECE. 199 ing these precepts continually before the eyes of the youthful congregation, must familiarize them to the minds of the young people without trouble ; for every time they raise their eyes to the wall they must see them ; the lessons must thus become so impressed upon their mind as to form an essen tial part of it, whether waking or sleeping, and must evidently tend to raise up a very moral ge neration, rich in every virtue. The little ones had already taken their seats, and the bell having ceased to ring, intimated to the visitors, that they might enter. A few mo ments afterwards came in Sir Edward Lyons, with Lady Lyons and their family; also, Mr. Griffiths, who is one of the secretaries of the embassy. I have heard that the British minister is the only foreign minister who ever attends these youthful examinations, and countenances by his presence so laudable an undertaking. At all events, this examination had been forwarded, in order that he might be present at it, previous to his departure for his summer cruise. Some of the Greek ministers were there, and a great many of the parents of the children, and some of those parents were the notables of Athens. On commencing the examination, the worthy 200 EDUCATION IN GREECE. pastor advanced a few paces, and placed himself in front of the children, and opened the scene by chanting a hymn, (in Greek,) — the youthful audi ence following him, opening their mouths as wide as they could, and having the appearance of young birds being about to be fed by the parent. During this operation it was not without diffi culty that some of the very youthful chanters pre served the needful decorum : among them was a fine little fellow, about four years of age, the son of Vassos, who was dressed like a Greek Palikari chieftain, with a small sword by his side, and he was looking at that more than at any thing else. The hymn being finished, the next thing in which they exhibited was a kind of manual exer cise. The worthy pastor cried out, "right," and they all, to an urchin, thrust out their right arms ; then the word " left" having followed, the left arm ap peared in the same manner ; after which, the word " vertical" was used, and they all placed their arms over their heads ; and then " hori zontal " being uttered, they placed their arms in that position. Several other words were uttered, to which they responded in a similar manner. EDUCATION IN GREECE. 201 Then the phrases on the wall were read, in which they joined. After this exhibition, a boy about six years of age was ordered to step forward, and he was de sired to read part of a chapter from the Greek Testament, which he did, much to the satisfaction of every one present. Then one of the little girls came forward and did the same, and some sam ples of needle-work were exhibited, which were apparently very good. There were about 500 of the young people, and really it was a delightful sight to see so many taught the ways of civilized life, kept from bad habits, from running about the streets — on the contrary, having good in- stiUed into them. They all appeared very docile and attentive, and seemed to venerate their patrons, Mr. and Mrs. Hill, the conduct of the latter of whom is above all praise. To conclude the scene, aU the young people filed off one by one, and Mrs. Hill, and the two Misses Mullingen, gave to each, in passing, a small paper of sweetmeats; thus, by a pleasing associa tion of ideas, causing them to recollect the event. There are other rooms for the girls who are more advanced in education. In these there are 202 ROYAL SCHOLARS. three grades, in each of which are about five-and- twenty, and these are attended by the Misses Mullingen and Miss Baldwin, all young and at tractive women, who have left their homes in America to devote themselves, without fee or reward, to the rising generation of Greece ! There is also another lady who teaches in the establishment. She is a Candiote, about sixteen years of age, and very interesting, and appears to have great influence over the minds of her com panions whom she was teaching. She is a most agreeable and fascinating person, and is always present at Mrs. Hill's conversaziones of an even ing, and has learnt to speak Enghsh very well. The above little congregation come early in the morning, and, with a little intermediate recrea tion, in a large, spacious court-yard, they return home about two o'clock, each child generally bringing a piece of bread in its pocket, to satisfy the cravings of hunger. There are, however, twelve orphans, who are brought up entirely in the establishment, and supported by the king, and who are educated for teachers, to be sent into the provinces to manage similar establish ments ; and they are distinguished from the rest JEALOUSY OF THE CLERGY. 203 by having a small white crown stamped upon their red caps, evincing that they are under regal protection. This establishment was first looked upon by the Greek clergy with no very favourable eye, as they affirmed that Mr. Hill wished to convert his youthful flock from the Greek persuasion to that of the Catholic faith. But this was a fear wholly without foundation, for all the under teachers are grown up people, some formed in the estabhshment, and others (the men) having been brought up in the Ionian Islands, and all of the Greek persuasion ; and in a public establish ment like the above, such an attempt, coming from any quarter whatever, would be immediately detected. The truth is this ; the clergy, I be lieve, wished to keep the poor people ignorant, and therefore an outcry was raised ; but the government upheld Mr. HiU, and the school is working prodigies. It has been productive of good in another way; it has, by the force of example, excited the Greeks themselves to form similar establishments, (which otherwise would not have been,) and I may truly affirm, that there is hardly a child in Athens above the age of six, who does not know 204 EDUCATION IN GREECE. how to read, write, and (if a girl) to work with the needle. In fact, the government have taken under their particular care the education of the people ; and from the statistic statements published from time to time by the government gazette, I observe that they are making great progress in the esta blishment of schools in different parts of the king dom. In Attica there are six public and four pri vate ; in Laconia, five public and one private ; in Messenia, five public and one private ; Achaia, five public and four private ; Acarnania, four public; Phocis, four public; Eubea, two public; Cyclades, twenty public and nineteen private. Independent of all these, there are large schools at Athens, and in the towns of Napoli and Patras, which are the three principal points of the king dom ; and in the primary schools there were, at that period, 7293 children who were receiving instruction. There are also schools for the higher order of learning; but, as may be sup posed, they are not yet in great requisition. There is one of this kind at Athens, and also at Napoli, Missolonghi, and Syra, and the number of pupils in them amounts to five hundred. My friend, the Rev. Mr. King, has an establishment which is of this order, of which I have before EDUCATION IN GREECE. 205 spoken, and a sufficient proof of what he has already effected is the fact that Freorites, my tutor, a most intelligent youth, obtained all his instruction at this establishment. The largest government school, both primary and otherwise, is at Syra ; and on the same island there is a large establishment under the superintendence of Mr. Hillner, giving instruction gratis, the expenses of which are defrayed from funds coming from Great Britain. So great a number of schools, and such a large body of pupils, must necessarily, in a few years, diffuse universal information throughout Greece, and tend to regenerate it, by entirely throwing off habits contracted by centuries of Turkish des potism. It will no doubt awaken them to a sense of the obligation which they have already contracted, by being admitted into the family of European states ; thereby stimulating them to exertions which may render them not unworthy the association, and making them respected at home and feared abroad; assisting to keep up the balance of power in the east, and thereby answering the ends for which they were called into political existence. The above establishments are paid, as I have 206 THE PIRAEUS. said before, from the revenue arising from lands which formerly belonged to the monasteries. The pay of the director of a school is 350 drach mas per month ; the first teacher 200 drachmas per month ; the second, 100 drachmas ; the music- master, 180 drachmas. These salaries must be deemed very liberal, in a country where provisions are so very cheap. About the time I am now speaking of, a royal ordinance appeared, granting the Sciotes land at the Piraeus, to build their houses upon, and to form a town. These Sciotes, notwithstanding their past misfortunes, are considered the weal thiest and best merchants of Greece. They have been settled at Syra for some time, but the government is desirous that they shaU estabUsh themselves at the Piraeus. This proposed ar rangement soon became the gossip of the town, and the eager and enthusiastic Greeks began already to fancy the Piraeus what it was in ancient times. While speaking with an Athe nian upon this subject, an intelligent friend, named Leonidas, called upon me, and asked me to accompany him there, to see how the works for the construction of the mole were going on ; and I willingly did so. While proceeding thither, GREEK PROSPECTS. 207 I said to him, " Do you really think, Leonidas, that the Piraeus will ever become a place of importance?" He turned round to me eagerly, and expressed himself as follows : — " In speaking to you, I am addressing a person who has been some time in Greece, and who can judge of things from ocular demonstration. Do you remember what the Piraeus was when Miaulis entered, in 1827, with the frigate, and battered down the monastery of St. Spiridion?" I rephed, (as was the fact,) that I recollected there being only the monastery, and not another house. " Well," said he, " now observe the results of Greek industry. The Piraeus already contains a great number of houses ; its streets are pro perly laid out ; its municipality is organized ; and there is every hope of its being a place of great commercial importance. It has lost nothing," continued he, " of its geographical position, which formerly made it the general market of Greece, and caused the productions of the world to enter it. You will observe Constantinople and Smyrna to the east of it ; to the south, Egypt and 208 THE PIRAEUS. India. It will always be the first town in Greece, after Athens, on account of its contiguity to that capital. You observe that the government oc cupy themselves in draining and filling up the marshes ; and so soon as funds shall be available they will proceed in building quays and harbours. That part," said he, pointing to the right, " will be a harbour about 250 yards in length, all the port forming a semi-circle, as you observe, and which will embrace about 800 paces towards the new custom-house, — which is, you see, com pleted ; all this will be a stone pier, and will form a harbour large enough for 2000 merchant ves sels." He then shewed me the building mate rial, on a spot close by, where was found a quantity of soft stone, of very easy application, being susceptible of cutting in the same way as a brick. It appeared to be a sort of pumice- stone. We then walked to the place where the mo nastery of St. Spiridion formerly stood. There are but little remains of it. The government gave the ruins to the brave Admiral Miaulis ; and with part of them he has built himself a very fine habitation at the Piraeus. Most of the houses PROSPECTS OF GREECE. 209 at the Piraeus belong to Hydriotes, and they are consequently well built and well painted, — a thing not observed in the Morea. " Do you think, Leonidas," said I, " that the Piraeus wiU in time join itself to the capital, which is now five miles distant?" " There is no doubt of it," said he. " You know not the pride of my countrymen ; their every hope is to see the capital rival its ancient splendour ; and although it will not be connected with walls, as formerly, it will be connected by country houses on either side of the road that is already constructed. Cast your eye on that side where the tomb of Karaiskaki is placed, and observe the richness of the plain. It is the same on the other side, bounded only by the pass of Daphne and the mountains of the Parnese. I prognosticate," said he, " that Athens and the Piraeus wiU contain jointly, in twenty years, 100,000 inhabitants." We then proceeded to the custom-house, — a very fine large building. This is intended, not merely for the transit, but the deposit of goods, until means are found of sending them to other markets. Relative to the building of the custom-house, VOL. II. p 210 CURIOUS DISCOVERY OF I must be allowed to relate a curious circum stance, which was told me by Pittaky, the archae ologist of Athens. He said, that about the month of September, 1834, the government con structed these transit warehouses, in a place which was ascertained to be the situation of a temple of Venus. According to the testimo nies of ancient authors, this latter building was constructed by Themistocles, after the battle of Salamis ; and there has been found on this spot seven squares of marble (of Mount Hymettus) covered with inscriptions, arranged in columns from the top to the bottom. One of these squares contains six columns, others four, and some three only. All these inscriptions are relative to the arsenal of the Athenians, and serve as a catalogue of the objects which are contained in it. They commence from the time of Miltiades, whose name is found in one of the slabs, in the follow ing words : — KAI TA SKETH KAN MIATIA- AHS : SKETH nAPEAABOMEN MIATIAAH2. They extend also to the time of Themistocles, whose name is found with the following words : — AHMOOPEAPIOS AnEAi2KEN. They also make mention of Cimon, and the ANTIQUE INSCRIPTIONS. 211 archons and generals his cotemporaries ; and they terminate at the epoch of Conon, of Chares, and Phocion. The form of writing varies with the different epochs. The most ancient — that of the time of Miltiades, Themistocles and Cimon — is batonnee ; that is to say, all the letters which compose the horizontal line, are placed perpendicu larly under those of the above line; and the form of the n and of the § is of the most ancient times. But in the following ages, this manner of arranging the letters insensibly disappeared, and one observes the alphabetic characters ap proach the form of those which were in use at the time of the Macedonians. These curious inscriptions have even transmitted to us the names of the ancient gallies. These names were always significative. Thus we read, among others, these — Ewrpenn (magnificent), Xapn (de Ught), Aohmzols (meteor), Eip*iv*i (peace), .-' — During the night, the boat had gradually stolen along, and about five o'clock this morning we were abreast of the two forts which protect the entrance to the Gulph of Lepanto. The sea is here less than a mile across, and the PATRAS. 315 forts have a most imposing appearance. The breeze now freshened with the rising of the sun, and at seven o'clock we arrived at Patras. Booth and myself had deputed Franzoni, the sculptor, to get apartments for us ; as, not being an Englishman, he would be likely to get them at half price. Patras is a large commercial town, and has several good hotels ; and we had requested the captain of the caique to shew our friend the way to the most suitable. Accordingly, he did so ; but just before they reached the indicated spot, the captain started off, leaving Franzoni behind him, and entered the Hotel de Grande Bretagne. Franzoni, however, guessing what he was about, was at his heels, and just in time to hear the captain say to the hotel-keeper, in Italian, " Inglesi." This was enough for our friend, who was not easily outwitted ; so he immediately turned on his heel, and entered a rival establishment — not, however, without the captain and the hotel- keeper being at his heels to entreat his stay. It would not do, however, and at the latter place if hotel des Isles Ioniennes) he hired three good rooms for six drachmas a day. 316 PATRAS. The landlord was a Cephaloniote, and he had recently set up this hotel. We ordered him to prepare us a dinner of soup, fish, cutlets, and dessert, with country wine, and for which he charged us two drachmas a head, and the cooking was excellent. After dinner, we strolled along the parade and about the town, which is one of the best laid out towns in Greece ; all the streets being very wide, and running at right angles to one another, and the houses being very large and roomy. Every thing, in short, indicates that it is a wealthy place. Its contiguity to the coast of Italy, and the steam-boat arriving there every fortnight from Ancona and Corfu, and the steam-boat from England every month, by way of Malta, accounts for this. The staple commodity of the place (the currants) also tends to give it an importance which will shortly make it a large flourishing town. In the environs, we approached a large heap of corn, and we observed a man occupied in stamping large wooden prints upon it, to prevent any one from taking it away. This was all the security that he deemed needful for his corn. As the evening closed in, we observed the LAW OF DOTATION. 317 opposite side of the bay covered with fires ; the inhabitants were clearing away the land, to bring it into a state of cultivation, and they found the most expeditious way was to burn the forests. The inhabitants of aU this part of the country are turning the waste lands into vineyards ; which plan is found very profitable. August 8th, 1836. — To-day, I paid a visit to Mr. Robinson, the English vice-consul, and as the subject of our long conversation (the law of Dotation, which has been introduced into Greece) is of much importance, I shall put down the results of the information I obtained from that gentleman. In order to remedy the want of capital in Greece, the government passed a law, called the law of Dotation. This authorized any one to purchase land of the government, to the amount of 2000 drachmas, and for which nine per cent. was paid for thirty -six years. Consequently, the individual holding the land would have to pay the government one hundred and eighty drachmas a year, whether the land was cultivated or not. The Greeks never cultivate the same spot two years running, for want of manure ; there- 318 CULTIVATION IN GREECE. fore the tenant would only have the produce of one-haff the land to pay the interest with, and to support himself. There is another mode of holding land of the government, by double dimes — that is, the holder of the land has to pay to the government twenty per cent, of the produce of the land. The difference, therefore, is this — that in the first, the holder is compeUed to work his land, and is not protected against dearths or sterihty, always being obliged to pay a certain rent ; and, in the second, he is not obhged to work it, and only pays according to the profits. Now my own opinion on this matter — and it has been coincided in by many intelhgent natives of Greece — is, that the party taking the land (say to the amount of two thousand drachmas) should pay for it by instalments, in the space of five, six, ten, or fifteen years ; but if in three years half the land be not cultivated, it should be forfeited ; and in eight years, the whole must have gone under a state of cultivation : — the tenant, of course, paying his tithe to the government. I think that if this mode were followed, nearly everybody in Greece would take portions of the CURRANTS. 319 land ; the government would be accumulating every year a large sum of money, from the pay ment of the instalments ; and, in a few years, Greece would become wealthy and prosperous ; for, besides the above, it would have a sure and regular income arising from the dime, which is always paid to the government for the support of the state ; and the circumstance of the tenant being compelled to cultivate a part, or to forfeit the whole, would bring the entire country into a state of cultivation. I met to-day my old friend, Dr. Maniachis, with whom I had a long conversation on various topics. The currant mania has seized him as weU as the rest, and he has taken to farming whenever he can steal away from his avocations as a lawyer. He informed me that he had about thirty acres of currant land (about sixty stremata) • — that it had been planted one year, and was promising very weU. He acquainted me that the land fit for the growth of currants was sold at forty doUars a strema, and that each strema required twenty doUars more to cultivate it, and plant it with vines ; that the two following years, the ex- 320 CURRANTS. penses would amount to ten dollars more ; making, in the whole, seventy dollars ; and that the fourth year it would produce a crop of cur rants, yielding thirty dollars. Consequently, deducting five dollars for the cultivation, a nett profit would be returned to him of twenty-five doUars, which is about thirty-six per cent, on the capital. He added, that the land was being ploughed up in all directions for vine plantations, for that the currant was now returning immense profits. The next subject we touched upon was a new law levying five per cent, upon the profits of aU sorts of commerce, — a sort of income tax, — in cluding lawyers, but excluding schoolmasters, sculptors, painters, and the fine arts. This was a sore point for the doctor, who is a barrister, and being of the same profession myself, I sym pathised with him. The tax in question is, in fact, degrading the toga to the level of a trade. Maniachis, speaking of his having given up his judgeship of the court at Patras, for which the government paid him only 150Z. a year, and resuming his profession of a barrister, by which he was gaining a good income, said, " I had a LIVING AT PATRAS. 321 hard battle to fight to get rid of it ; for the government would not accept my resignation, and I was actually obliged to send back my patent to them, nolens volens." August 9. — I walked about the town this morning, making inquiries into the price of pro visions. I found that bread of the first quality cost twenty-six leptas the okre ; second quality, fifteen leptas ; eggs, two leptas each ; wine, fifty leptas the okre, which I think is as cheap as in almost any part of the world ; and the market was very weU supplied with everything. In the afternoon Booth and myself visited the fortress, about a quarter of a mile from the town, which is quite in a state of dilapidation. A part of it had been repaired and used as a prison, and while we were there we saw three gensdarmes carrying in a delinquent. The gensdarmes are a very fine corps, and do their duty well. The position of this fortress commands the whole town. August 10. — I was engaged all the morning packing up my baggage, this being the day on which the steam vessel was expected. At eleven o'clock it was in sight, and in another hour in the port. VOL. II. Y 322 IONIAN ISLANDS. The Ionian islands having been weU and often described by other travellers, I shall only say- of them generally, that the wealth of England is daily rendering them more and more prosperous, and that Corfu, in particular, is a magnificent city, with environs resembling a paradise. I proceeded thence to Ancona in the steamer, and returned to England through Venice, the Tyrol, Munich, and Paris. I shaU now conclude by one additional chap ter, embracing some remarks as to the manner in which Greece should be cultivated by foreigners, and also relative to the colonization of that fertile and delightful country. 323 CHAPTER XVII. ON THE COLONIZATION OF GREECE. Having presented to my readers a sketch of the society of Athens, its manners, and the amuse ments that are to be met with there, I now pro pose to touch upon a subject to which I have, more than once, referred incidentally, in con nexion with remarks on the cultivation of land in the environs of Athens, but which I now propose to consider in reference to the whole of Greece ; but in so doing, I beg to intimate that I am per fectly aware that many persons may differ from my views on this point. In fact, I do not offer the fol lowing observations as dicta indispensable to be carried into effect, with a view to the elevation of y2 324 ON THE COLONIZATION Greece into an important station in Europe ; I merely put on record my own individual opinions and sentiments, which have been formed by a long and matured consideration of fhe subject, and which, had I the " apphances and means" at my own disposal, I should certainly carry into effect ; believing them, as I do, to be the best mode of pre venting many future evils in the shape of wars, and particularly in raising up a cheap and power ful barrier to assist Turkey should she be assailed by Russia twenty years hence. What I have already hinted on this topic, in the foregoing pages, was intended for the benefit of the man of pleasure, who, on arriving at Athens, might know how to take advantage of the delights of that city. What I am now to state is addressed to the man of business, or settler, and has for its object to prevent his being misled by erroneous or interested representations, and to induce him to examine and judge for him self — to compare and weigh my remarks and statements against those, of a different nature and tendency, which may be offered to his attention ; and then choose fairly between the two : for no thing is fuither from my wishes than that any one should act upon these suggestions until he OF GREECE. 325 has well considered and investigated the subject himself, and upon the spot to which the remarks refer. There are two ways by which the present waste lands of Greece may be cultivated. 1 . By foreign capitalists working by means of natives of the soil. 2. By foreign capitalists employing foreign labourers. I shall, in the first place, suppose myself a foreign capitalist landed in Greece, with the in tention of purchasing a large estate in the Morea or Negropont, and cultivating it by means of the natives. In this case, I should locate myself in Athens for at least a month or six weeks, and amuse myself with the gaieties of the place, and, in the meantime, lose no opportunity of quietly ascertaining whether any, and what estates were to be disposed of. I should thus, probably, soon hear of some property on sale ; but if not, I would advertize my wish to purchase an estate, and numerous offers would, no doubt, be made to me. I should then choose that among them which was in the part of the country most con genial with my ideas; I should visit it — ob serve whether the spot was well situated for 326 ON THE COLONIZATION health — and I should consult the opinion of some experienced English resident as to the nature of the soil, &c. Having done so, if I found every thing answerable to my wishes, I would then purchase the land at a fair price — which varies much, according to the locality — the average price of land in Greece being fifty drachmas the strema. Having gained possession of the estate, I should not commence operations by wasting large sums of money in buying foreign husbandry tools ; indeed, I should not tiU the land myself in the first instance. I should follow the example of our forefathers in England. I should locate upon my land, first, a priest, whose services I could secure for about three hundred drachmas a year, for which he would engage to reside upon the spot. I should build him a small house, which would cost me about 15Z., and a church, which might cost 15Z. more. I would next build a few smaU cottages, which might cost me 10Z. each, and then engage some Greek families to come and reside on differ ent parts of my estate. The Greeks are a very religious race, and their priests have great influ ence over them. The priest, being interested in the success of my plans, would of course exer- OF GREECE. 327 cise his influence in preventing me from being imposed on. By these means, I have no doubt, my peasantry would increase, and the neighbouring villagers would eagerly desire to hold land on my estate ; and I should have no trouble in keeping my tenants together, as this would be the care of the priest; who, by the bye, I should require to pro duce strong recommendations from the bishop of the diocese. The terms of my agreement with my tenants would vary according to circumstances. I should say to them, if I provide you with a pair of oxen to till your lands, and seed with which to plant it, you shall give me one-half of the produce ; or, if you provide yourself with cattle and seed, you shall then pay me one-eighth of the produce, binding yourself to cultivate an adequate portion of the land every year, and to keep the cottage in repair. I must here observe, that the settler wishing to cultivate by means of natives, should devote three months to the acquirement of the language, which will repay well the trouble he has thus bestowed. I should allow my tenants to sow the corn 328 ON THE COLONIZATION after their own methods, only taking care to en sure its being actually sown ; giving them out only enough for one day's planting. I should not interfere with the tools they used ; nor should I quarrel with them because, in ploughing, they allowed the thistles to remain standing: all I should require would be my quota of the produce. It is very possible, indeed, that, after a little time, when I had well-tenanted my estate, I should, for my amusement, and by way of example, cul tivate, after my own style, twenty, thirty, or forty acres, and thus I should by degrees intro duce the habit of well-clearing the land. But it is a curious circumstance that, in those lands which the plough has merely scratched over, (for it is little more,) and where the thistles are al lowed to remain, I have often seen the heaviest crops of corn. I have founded the above plan, first, on the character of the Greek peasantry, who are very religious ; secondly, from having read of it in our own history ; thirdly, from seeing it actually car ried into effect in the Brazils. When I was in the latter country, in the years 1823 and 1824, in my travels in the interior I particularly remarked, that all the wealthy land- OF GREECE. 329 lords nominated clergymen as overseers to their estates ; their spiritual power being great over the minds of the peasantry, who were emerging into a state of incipient civilization. I used to observe that, after the toils of the day, when the labourers returned home from the field, they passed in re view before the priest, and said, " Jesu Christo," making an obeisance ; and that the priest replied in the words, " Faz o santo," (makes you holy.) I had a long conversation with one of the priests on this subject, and he told me that he had no trouble with the slaves, and that he kept them aU in very good order by these mild means. I would not recommend any one to till his land in Greece upon his own account, until he has been at least one year resident in the country ; but let his tenants do everything, he merely taking part of the profits.* According to the above calculation, I should not lay out more than a hundred pounds in build ing cottages and a church. I should expend another hundred pounds in building myself a house, from the timber on the estate. I should * It is true that my friend Bell tills his own ground ; but he has been in the country six or seven years, and he per fectly understands husbandry himself. 330 ON THE COLONIZATION then watch quietly the progress of affairs, and take advantage of circumstances as they might arise ; but I would in no case farm myself in the outset, but would do it by the medium of the pea santry, who are a very good race of people, and who, if they see that you are determined to re main among them and become their feudal lord, will be faithful to you to the end of the chapter. The pay of a peasant, in the interior, is generally one drachma a day ¦ in the environs of Athens, two and a half drachmas ; but then this latter price is counterbalanced by the provisions being more valuable. Were my estate in the Morea, I should expect to get from my tenants, butter, cheese, honey, wine, silk, tobacco, and horned cattle. If in Bceotia and Negropont, — wheat, barley, rice, maiz, hemp, and tobacco. If in Attica, — oil, honey, corn, barley, and sheep. By reports which I have now before me, I learn, that average returns of honey are about twenty per cent. The wines, of which there are a great variety, as in Greece, yield the cultivator above thirty per cent., and, if properly attended to by experienced persons, the wine exported OF GREECE. 331 would pay an enormous profit. The average profits arising from the cultivation of the silk worm are forty per cent. ; cattle produce, about twenty per cent. ; wheat, barley, rice, and maiz, twenty per cent. ; tobacco, thirty per cent. The oil of the country is a branch well worth the attention of the speculator. There are some oil-presses about a mile and a half from Athens ; and I used to go and see the process of making it. From a given quantity of olives, deposited by the farmer with the manufacturer, the latter is obliged to produce a certain proportion of oil. The consequence is, that the manufacturer, to make up the measure, puts the good and bad ohves together into the press, and the result is, an oil of an indifferent quality; whereas, on a trial made of choice olives by the king's chemist, the oil was found to be perfectly equal to that of Lucca. This is a branch of commerce, the cul tivation of which would probably be more profit able than any other in Greece. The cotton succeeds perfectly well, but it is only fit for coarse cottons ; for fine works, the cottons of Egypt are required. Opium has also been recently introduced at 332 ON THE COLONIZATION Tyrinth, near Argos, and is now being planted to a large extent. European fruits of all kinds abound in the Morea, and all over Greece ; and currants, as I have said before, are a most pro fitable branch of commerce. These are the principal productions of Greece, and from which a very handsome profit may be obtained, if the settler is only prudent, ahd will consider and compare my notes with his own personal observations. I should also recom mend settlers of this kind to locate in companies of two and three ; the principal advantage to be derived from this being the constant presence of the master's eye. The next point upon which I shall treat will be, the cultivation of Greece by foreigners. Supposing that I had decided on going to Greece to purchase land, with the view of culti vating it by persons who were not natives of the soil, I should first of all go to my minister, and procure an introduction to the minister of the interior, and I should state to him, in substance, as follows : — That having a wish to purchase an estate in Greece, and to till the land by means of my own OF GREECE. 333 countrymen, . or persons not natives of the Grecian soil, before entering into an under taking so materially affecting my own interests, and so beneficial to Greece, I had to submit to him a few propositions, on acceding to which I should be wiUing to become a citizen of the state. I should precede these conditions by ob serving, that the introduction of colonists into a new country being of unquestionable advantage to that country, it became no less the interest than the duty of the existing government to faci litate, as much as possible, such colonization, by making the colonists who might be induced to settle in the rising state so secure in their pos sessions, and so content with their condition, that they might not wish to quit the adopted soil. The United States, the Canadas, and New South Wales, are examples which I should adduce ; the two first, as being already powerful states ; the last, although at the distance of 10,000 miles from England, as being resorted to by large numbers of persons from the latter country, who have small fortunes, and who wish to increase them, and also by artisans and labourers. But these countries are differently situated to Greece. The people of the United States and 334 ON THE COLONIZATION the Canadas, in particular, are highly civilized, and they know that the introduction of foreigners wiU tend to raise the value of their own property ; whereas, the Greeks, unfortunately, from the despotism and suffering they have so long en dured under the Turks, might look with an eye of jealousy upon colonists, and might at first be disposed to molest and impede them in their rural occupations, and thus induce them to quit the shores of Greece, and, by so doing, deter others from going thither. This latter circumstance is what every weU- wisher of Greece must be particularly desirous of avoiding ; for it would at once cause it to faU into disesteem in the eyes of Europe, and it would thus be left to its own fate, and a few years would suffice for it to faU again into the possession of the Turks : for foreign alliances are not always to be trusted to ; — witness the quadruple alliance in Spain. To avoid all this, then, and particularly to protect my countrymen, whom I might induce to quit the shores of their happy country to assist in the regeneration of Greece, I would submit that the foUowing privileges be granted to immigrators into Greece, namely, — first, that OF GREECE. 335 the estate to be purchased, either from the government or private individuals, should be se cured under the government seal and guarantee ; secondly, that the colony should form a community of themselves, upon the basis of the Greek laws, but that the mayor and the municipality should be chosen from among themselves, the nomination of them being subject to be ratified by the King ; that they should appoint their own officers of the peace, and that, in case of a delinquency, the nomarch of the province should order the town to deliver up the delinquent who might have taken refuge among them, and it should be only in case of refusal that the government would be authorized to send their gensdarmes to seize the prisoner ; and that, on the trial of the delinquent, the jury should be composed of half Greeks and half foreigners, and, if possible, the foreigners to be of the same nation as the accused. Thirdly, that the colonists should not pay the land-tax (which is one tenth of the profits) for five years ; that they should not be subject to be enlisted into the army for ten years ; should be permitted to follow their own mode of worship, and the children born to them in Greece be brought up in that religion which the parents might choose. 336 ON THE COLONIZATION That petty crimes among themselves should be decided by their own officers, excepting when the dispute is between a Greek and a foreigner, and then by one of the tribunals of the country. These are the terms which I should propose to the Greek government, and which I should desire to have guaranteed by the minister of my own country, who, upon any infringement of them, should be entitled to have redress within three months ; and if redress could not be ob tained in that period, should be entitled to enforce it by seizing the vessels of the state ; and if in another three months redress was not obtained, these vessels should be sold, to the amount of the damage proved. If it be aUeged that, in the above conditions, I am asking too much, my reply is, that I do not wish that the individuals I might induce to locate themselves in Greece should find a less happy home there than in their own country. Under the arrangement above proposed, they would be united among themselves, speak the same lan guage, understand and feel an interest in one another ; their ideas would be similar, and, seeing their own countrymen continually about them, they would almost fancy themselves in their own OF GREECE. 337 country, and be contented and happy, and consequently faithful supporters of the state under which they live. After a few years communication with the Greeks, there will also be a gradual interchange of feelings and ideas ; to aid which desirable end I would have it imperative that the colonists should employ a Greek master in their schools, to teach the children the Greek language ; for the knowledge of the language of the country creates of itself a feeling of interest and fellowship towards the inhabitants of that country, and avoids a perpetual misconception of ideas and sentiments. It may be asked, why take all these precau tions in the case of colonists, while you recom mend the rich settler to go singly among the Greeks ? The reply is, that a rich man entering the country, and cultivating the estate by natives, will be sure to meet with consideration and re spect, because the peasantry will be daily receiv ing benefits from him in some shape or other. But, in the case of the colonists who would cul tivate the land by their own labour, the peasant would not be that immediate gainer. The money VOL. II. z 338 ON THE COLONIZATION of the rich colonist would be paid to the labourer of his own country, whom he had brought out with him, and although the peasant would not be at all the loser, but, on the contrary, a great ulti mate gainer, still he would not receive that im mediate and tangible benefit, in the shape of one, two, and three drachmas a day, for his hire, wliich he does in the other case ; and this might engender doubt, envy, and ill-will. All these are to be avoided by the plan I propose ; and there is nothing like preventing an ill ; it is better than a thousand cures. The above matters being arranged, on the plan and principle proposed above, I would recom mend foreigners to locate in the Morea, in Negropont, and in Attica only ; which places are always quiet, and not infested by the disturbances that occasionally exist on the frontier. With respect to Northern Greece, it is a point worthy of consideration ; for though, in an agri cultural point of view, it is the finest part of Greece, yet until it be properly guarded, for at least twenty miles from the frontier, it will always be subject to disturbance from the robbers and disaffected Turks. I therefore suggest that two thousand troops, OF GREECE. 339 British or French, as may be agreed upon, shall be placed in the following manner : — five hun dred at Zeitouni, five hundred at the Gulph of Arta, and one thousand at different points of the frontier ; and that in case any depredation or in cursion be made by the Turks, redress be in stantly demanded, and the offender given up ; and if the authorities refuse to do this act of jus tice, these troops must, in conjunction with the Greek troops, enter the Turkish country, and summarily take vengeance, by burning the nearest town, as the Austrians did on their boundaries with their neighbours, the Bosnian Turks, a most lawless race. The Austrians had made repeated complaints, which, being found to be of no avail, they entered the Turkish territory with a corps of two thousand men, and four pieces of artillery, and signally chastised the town whence all the depredations issued ; seizing their cattle, destroying the whole of the town, and seizing several influential individuals, who were compelled to pay the expenses of the expe dition itself. This had the desired effect, and these predatory bands thenceforth made no fur ther incursions into the Austrian territory. z 2 340 ON THE COLONIZATION But such a proceeding could only be effected by the troops of some powerful nation, whose moral influence would be great ; and the people on the frontier should be made aware that ten thousand more could be sent, if necessary to the desired end. Under this arrangement, the Northern part of Greece could be immediately colonized ; and these troops should remain in the above position for six, eight, or ten years, until there were about two millions of inhabitants in Greece, and she could defend herself on her own frontiers with effect. It is, of course, but reasonable that Greece should pay for these troops, since they are for her benefit ; but as that country is at present poor, she should pay for them in the following manner : — Let us assume that the maximum cost of these two thousand men would be 100,000Z. yearly. In six years, this would amount to 600,000Z., and in ten years, to a million. I would therefore propose that the government to whom the troops thus employed belonged, should pay for the troops themselves, in the first instance, and that the above sum of monev should be debited to OF GREECE. 341 the Greek state, and added to the present na tional debt ; — of course, paying five per cent, inte rest. By these means, and the peace and pros perity that would be their result, Greece would be enabled to accumulate, through her colonists, not only sufficient to pay off that million, but all the other millions she has borrowed from England, France, and Russia, — as I shall shew by the sequel ; thus rendering herself at once a respectable and powerful state : for any country is powerful that is rich. In addition to the above force, for the first three years, to preserve the inviolability of the frontiers of continental Greece, I would have a very active Greek gendarmerie on the frontier, and I would give strict orders to the nomarchs of the provinces, and demarchs of the towns within fifteen miles of the frontier, to allow no stranger to remain more than three days in any town, village, or hamlet, unless he could shew an un exceptionable passport; and, even then, he should only have permission to remain a few days, unless his passport were renewed; and this should not be granted unless the individual were known to some respectable individual of the 342 ON THE COLONIZATION town, who would be responsible for his good be haviour.* Were affairs in Greece regulated in such a manner as to protect colonists and settlers, the French, the English, the Swiss, the Germans, the Russians, and Italians, would immediately flock thither. They would be among their own friends, speaking their own language, and they would insensibly initiate themselves into the ways of the country, by casual intercourse with the inhabitants. They would of course be subject to the laws of the country, but those laws, being ad ministered by a countryman, could in no case appear harsh. The government of Greece must not, under these circumstances, feel any jealousy relative to the advent of industrious foreigners, or entertain any fear that they will take their country from them. Were these foreigners aU of one nation, the idea might be feasible ; but the great safeguard to the Greeks will be in the multitude of various * The above plan was pursued, in England, by that wise monarch, Alfred, when England was covered with robbers, and in the course of a year, not one was to be seen or heard of. OF GREECE. 343 nations that will locate among them ; no single nation will have a sufficient body of colonists to make head against the rest, in the prosecution of any improper design. If these foreigners are agriculturists, they will cultivate the waste lands, and they will give one-tenth of the produce to the state ; if they are mechanics, they will teach the Greeks the arts and sciences of Europe, and inspire them with that wise emulation which is all they now want to enable them to regenerate themselves. I consider nothing more essential to the interests of a rising country, and particularly of one that has just thrown off a barbarous des potism of centuries, than that foreigners should be introduced, to excite the inhabitants to emula tion, and to throw off any bad habits that may have been contracted from their task-masters. Many of the better-informed Greeks having read of the learning, civilization, and glory of their ancestors, have imparted this to others of their countrymen who are not so intelligent or well-informed, and who, by continually talking of and admiring the deeds of their forefathers, have almost imbibed an opinion, or rather a sen timent, that they themselves are on an intel- 344 ON THE COLONIZATION lectual level with them ; and, consequently, that no further energy of action is necessary to put them on a par with other nations. I do not im pute this as a fault common to the Greeks only ; it is a fault to which all mankind are subject. A continual repetition of the same thing induces a belief in it. The Chinese are fuUy persuaded that all other nations but themselves are bar barians. The only way, therefore, in which this can be remedied in Greece, is by the introduction of foreigners from western Europe, whose superior knowledge of the arts and sciences will obtain for them, in the outset of things in Greece, a preference and power, which will make the Greeks arouse themselves, and urge them on to that emulation which is so necessary to their future welfare. The foreign annual emigration from Italy, France, Germany, and England, amounts to about 300,000 persons ; and the greater part of these direct their way to the United States and the Canadas, and many to Algiers. Should allurements and security be held out in Greece, no doubt great part of this number would proceed thither, rather than wander to a distance of 4000 miles. OF GREECE. 345 Let us assume that* 200,000 out of the 300,000 European emigrants go to Greece ; in five years Greece would have an accession of one million of people,f and in twenty-five years she would have five millions, her territory being large enough to support seven millions ; for Greece is seven- eighths the size of Ireland, which latter country has eight milhons of inhabitants .{ But five miUions, with the addition of her numerous sea-ports, and a fleet which she would then acquire, would render Greece an independent nation, — powerful in itself, and useful in the community of kingdoms, as tending to assist in keeping up the balance of power in the East. Thus, in twenty - five years, Great Britain, France, and Russia, would have brought Greece to maturity ; she would no longer be a burthen to them ; and, by her elevation, western Europe would have discharged the debt they owed to that country, for the arts and sciences they formerly received from her. * The only additional expense which this influx need cause to England, would be an increase in the establishment now so ably directed by Sir Edmund Lyons. t Greece, according to the last census, has one million of inhabitants. £ Ireland comprises twenty millions of acres. 346 ON THE COLONIZATION It is said that Greece possesses 18,000,000 of acres, or 36,000,000 of strematas ; but let us re duce this to 30,000,000. Two-thirds of this belong to the Greek government ; therefore, the national property amounts to about 20,000,000 of stre mata. I think that we may assume, that one- haff of this land is cultivable; government would therefore have at its disposition 10,000,000 stre matas of fertile land. The planting a strema of vines, and the at tendant expenses for four years, amount, at the maximum, to about 20Z. According to the best opinions I have obtained from persons practi cally conversant with the matter, this crop will pro duce, upon an average, thirty per cent. annuaUy, amounting to 6Z. the strema. One-tenth of this goes to the government, amounting to 12s. the strema; this, multiplied by ten millions, gives the important sum of 6,000,000Z., without calcu lating the revenue arising from that which belongs to private individuals, and which, when cultivated, would (calculating after the same manner) pro duce 3,000,000Z. more of revenue. But from this must be deducted the expenses of collection. It will, however, be impossible to put the whole of the land at once into a state of cultivation. OF GREECE. 347 Let us assume, therefore, that, in ten years, one- fifth of the public lands (two millions of stremata) are cultivated by means of colonization; and all the colonists paying their dimes to the govern ment, this revenue will amount to 1,000,000Z. The land which now belongs to private indivi duals, amounting to ten millions of stremata, we will also reduce to five milhons of cultivable land. We may fairly suppose that one-fifth part of the above, amounting to one million of stremata, will be brought into cultivation in ten years, and par ticularly if a bank is established. This will produce 600,000Z. more to the revenue of the land-tax, the whole amount being 1,800,000Z., from which must be deducted the expenses of coUection. I have made the above calculation, assuming that the profit of the land is thirty per cent., according to the calculations of competent persons. But let us lower this profit to twenty per cent. ; this will reduce the revenue to 1,200,000Z., and tak ing off five per cent, for the collection, it would be reduced to 1,140,000Z. The present expenses of the nation, annuaUy, are about twenty millions of drachmas ; about 715,000Z. a year; which we may take as the average for the future years ; for any increasing 348 ON THE COLONIZATION expenses would be met by the increase of duty on exports and imports.* Deducting from 1,140,000?. the sum of 715,OOOZ., there will re main in the government exchequer a surplus revenue of 425,000Z. annually, which in fourteen years would amount to about seven millions sterling. To this must be added, the sale of two millions of stremata, government land, which may be ave raged, at the very lowest, at 1Z. the strema, which would raise the coffers of the government to nine millions. The sums of money already borrowed by Greece are as follows : — February 21, 1824, through Loughman and O'Brien £800,000 February 1 9, 1 825, through Messrs. Ricardo 2,000,000 May 7, 1832, of the three great powers, sixty millions of francs 2,400,000 Add to this the keep of foreign troops on the frontier 1,000,000 Total . . . £6,200,000 Greece, then, would, in fourteen years, be able to pay off the above sum, and have still in her * The duties on the exports and imports are now three millions of drachmas. OF GREECE. 349 strong chest 2,800,000Z., which she could dis pose of in making roads and bridges all over the country. I cannot too strongly recommend to the Greek government, as a sincere weU-wisher to Greece, that they should at once come forward, boldly and unhesitatingly, and acknowledge the two loans, amounting to 2,800,000Z., contracted by Orlando and Luriottis. I am well persuaded, from what I have heard from all quarters in the city of London, that such a measure would be of the greatest ultimate be nefit to Greece, inasmuch as it would at once raise the credit of Greece in the opinion of the most wealthy nation in the world. The young merchant rising in the world by his own industry, not having capital to obtain remittance of goods, endeavours to supply the place of this by obtaining an excellent credit, which is to him equal to gold ; and without this credit he must either sink, or creep on slowly and inefficiently. The same may be said with respect to nations. They must first say to them selves, am I powerful ? — am I wealthy ? If the answer is in the negative, they must pin their faith to some great and wealthy nation which can render them so. And this adhesion and 350 ON THE COLONIZATION attachment can only be obtained by the strictest integrity, and the most faithful and inviolate performance of all contracts in money affairs. The kingdom of Greece should bear in mind that she was called into existence to answer a great end, — the regeneration of the east. Nations, when they have been corrupted and vicious, sink and decline in power. Such is the case with Turkey; and I fear that all the efforts of the present Sultan will be of little avail, unless his successors for the next fifty years tread in his footsteps ; — of which there may be great doubts. Constantinople is very populous, and the country round about also ; and the cutting away all the prejudices of centuries will, if attainable, only be like cutting away nearly the whole body of the patient ; and, even if resolved on, can only be carried into effect by a monarch at the same time possessing the most philosophical and the most statesmanlike mind. If every Turk could be transported into Asia, and Eu ropean Turkey colonized by Europeans from the west, Constantinople would be a powerful state, and in twenty years present a most vigorous aspect. But, things being as they are, nothing but a general extermination of the existing race of Turks would effect the regeneration of Turkey ; OF GREECE. 351 since a Turk is so stubborn an animal that nothing will make him move forward but the bayonet, exercised by a firm hand. It may indeed be possible, that by supporting Greece, a small state, Turkey might be excited by envy and emulation, and rouse herself to fresh exertion : for nothing is more galling to a su perior than that an inferior should rival him in strength ; and it causes the superior to endeavour to soar still higher. Let us see how it would be to the interest of England and France to assist Greece. Let us suppose that, twenty years hence, the pre sent Sultan dies ; that there is a change in the system ; and that the Turks and Russians quarrel — than which nothing is more likely. The conse quence would be that Russia, at that period, would find herself much stronger than she is at pre sent, and would attack and endeavour to take Con stantinople. The English and French would oppose this ; and an immense armament would be sent to the DardaneUes, to assist the Turks. The troops alone (say forty thousand men) would cost, with the transport, about three millions the first year. The fleet (of say thirty sail of the line) about two millions. Besides this, very likely we might 352 ON THE COLONIZATION lose half our fleet in beating the Russians; which would cost another million more ; making, in the whole, six millions for the first year. Nor would the war end there. It might cause other wars with other countries, and double the ex pense ; and these wars, having once commenced, might last for (say) six successive years; which is a moderate period in comparison with the late war. Thus, the government would expend in that time above seventy millions ; independent of which, the loss of trade, and other evils attending war, would injuriously affect every individual in the country. Now all this may be avoided by raising king doms capable of forming a barrier against Russia, in the east. Without infringing on the exist ing rights of the Sultan, or upon the rights of any other country, Great Britain has, on her part, a full right to assist Greece with her wealth, and protect her by her power. Turkey, Greece, and Egypt must follow the example of the small states in Germany, and hold together, to resist the greater states, their neighbours. Greece, possessing five millions, would be enabled to have 100,000 troops at her disposal ; and Egypt the same. These two power- OF GREECE. 353 ful bodies, only two or three days' sail from Con stantinople, would be such a scourge held in terrorem against any encroachment on the Odessa side, that the Russians would look twice before they provoked a war against nations linked by a common feeling against her, and at the same time backed, if requisite, by Great Britain. The ideas which I here venture to present to the reader, may be crude and imperfect in themselves ; but they will not be without their use and value, if they induce other heads, more capable than mine, to consider and devise the proper and efficacious means of raising the power of Greece and Turkey. VOL. II. A A APPENDIX I. SKETCH OF THE GREEK REVOLUTION. It may be useful if I here offer to the reader a brief sketch of the Greek revolution ; for the materials of which I am principally indebted to General Gordon's work, a production which I particularly recommend to any one who wishes to have a detailed and minute account of Greek affairs during that period. The Society of the Hceteria (in which the Greek revolution took its origin) was founded about the commencement of the present century, with the ostensible view of promoting education among the Greeks, wherever they might be found. All over the states of Europe there Avere branches of it ; and the rich Greeks contributed money, by which means the society was enabled to carry its intentions into effect. The members A A 2 356 SKETCH OF THE of the society communicated to one another by signs. In the year 1815, itwas formed into a consistent body, and subsequently, in 1819, most of the Moreote chieftains entered the society. Wherever there are associations, there will be a communication of ideas, and an investi gation into the value of them ; and this was the case with the primates of the Morea, who sighed to throw off the yoke imposed upon them by the Turks, and they waited for a favourable opportunity to do so. About the year 1820, the differences existed between the famous Ali Pacha of Joanina and the Sultan, and the plan of the Hceterists was to embroil the Pacha still more with his master, and the Pacha in his turn entreated the primates of the Morea to excite the populace to take arms ; which they promised to do as soon as they possibly could. Several assemblies were held of the primates and high clergy, of which the Porte had intimation, and endeavoured to suppress the growth of the revolution, the seeds of which were still in embryo. The islands of Hydra, Spezzia, and Ipsara, openly revolted against the Sultan, and on the 19th of May, 1820, the first Turkish fleet, consist- GREEK REVOLUTION. 357 ing of a line-of-battle ship, three frigates, a cor vette, and two brigs, sailed from the Dardanelles, to suppress this revolt. The small fleets of these islands attacked and defeated them on the fifth of June of the same year, and forced them to retreat within the Darda nelles. This irritated the Sultan, and he ordered the Capitan Bey, Kara Ali, to hoist his flag in a three decker, with four line-of-battle ships, five frigates, and other vessels, amounting to thirty sail. This fleet only made its appearance before the islands, and sailed away again — not being able to effect a reduction of the islands to the subjection of the Porte. In the meantime, the seeds of the revolution were progressively ripening, and on tlie 2nd of April, 1821, it broke out at Calavrita, a small town in the Morea, where the Vayvode, his household, and the Mussulman people, to the number of two hundred, capitulated almost immediately. Two days afterwards, fighting took place near Patras, and the Turks retired within the citadel. Prince Demetrius Ypsilanti arrived in Greece in June following, and the Greeks nominated him general-in-chief of their forces ; and Prince Mavrocordato arrived on the 10th July, 1821, he having previously held an important post at 358 SKETCH OF THE the Court of Caradja, Hospodar of Wallachia. These two distinguished individuals, who have played so great a role in the Greek revolution, were jealous of one another's influence, and sub sequently their parties divided, and became the principal factions of the country. The Greek primates found it indispensable to attack and rescue Tripolizza from the hands of the Turks. That place contained about 25,000 people ; and the richest Turks in all Greece re sided in it. The Greek army, commanded by Ypsilanti, Colocotroni, the Bey of Maina, and Anagnastoras, sat down before it ; and on the 5th of October, 1821, they took it by assault, and pillaged the place ; 8000 of the besieged being slain. Previous to this, the northern part of Greece, Arta, Prevesa, Epirus, and Macedonia, had re volted ; and subsequently the Souliotes, under Marco Bozzaris and Karaiskaki, attacked Arta on the 25th of November, 1821. The siege of Athens, at the same time, was commenced bythe Greeks, May 14th, 1821 ; but they were obliged to raise it, Omer Pacha Vriones having arrived with 1800 troops ; and Ypsilanti, after the capture of Tripolizza, sat down with his army before Napoli di Romania, 11th Nov., 1821. GREEK REVOLUTION. 35!) At the commencement of the year 1822, the first assembly was held at Piada, in Epidaurus, of which Mavrocordato was elected president. The government was acknowledged to be re publican, recognising two powers, executive and legislative ; the first, composed of five members presiding over the general administration, naming the ministry, and having a voice in passing the laws ; the second, consisting of seventy national representatives, subject, like the former, to an annual election, they having the sole right of levying the taxes, which were to be imposed for twelve months only, the legal period of their own office. This assembly decided upon the national colours, which were light-blue and white ; and the emblem of the phoenix, which Greece had previously adopted, was replaced by the Athenian owl, the bird of Minerva. To add to the success of the Greeks, their flag waved on the Acroco rinthus, the 26th of June, 1822, Ypsilanti having besieged and taken it. About this time, the rebeUion of Ah Pacha ter minated with his death, and the Sultan was en abled to direct all his forces against the Greeks ; and the Turkish fleet put to sea in the middle of 360 SKETCH OF THE the winter, to endeavour to surprise the island of Hydra ; the Porte having employed some traitors in the town who had promised to assist the under taking. They were, however, foiled ; Miaulis, at the head of the Hydriote fleet, sailed out to attack them with fireships ; and the Turks immediately fled, and took refuge in Zante. I must now refer to one of the most dreadful occurrences of the whole war. The Island of Scio, which is not far from the main land of Asia Minor, was at this time very flourishing : it contained 100,000 Greeks, 6000 Turks, 68 villages, 300 convents, and 700 churches. It appears that the inhabitants had been excited by the Ipsa- riotes, who were the avowed enemies of the Turks, and in the month of March, 1822, the people of the town arose, and drove the Turks into the citadel. This news soon flew to Constantinople, and Kara Ali was sent with six line-of-battle ships, ten frigates, and smaller vessels ; and he arrived before this ill-fated place on the 11th of April, 1822. He landed several thousand men ; and at the same time, Vehib Pacha, who was in the citadel, made a sortie with the garrison. Upon this commenced a scene equal in horror GREEK REVOLUTION. 361 and bloodshed to the ransacking of Tripolizza; 9000 persons, of every age, and of both sexes, being slain. On the 16th the disorder was somewhat abated, and the Sciotes were taken and chained together like cattle ; and, by the end of May, 25,000 Sciotes had fallen victims to the fury of the Turks, and 45,000 had been carried away into slavery. In consequence of this disaster, the Greek islands fitted out a numerous fleet with brulots. Canaris commanded one of them, and, while the Turks were at anchor, attached his vessel to Kara Ali's large vessel of war, which ultimately blew up at two o'clock in the morning. The Turks were furious at this, and made fresh attacks upon the poor Sciotes ; they hunted them in the viUages Uke wild beasts ; so that, by the 19th of June, 1822, there were not 1800 Greeks upon the island, out of a population of 100,000. Such a frightful destruction of mankind, in so smaU a spot, is perhaps unparallelled in the annals of history. The account given by General Gordon, is, that of the 100,000 Greeks of Scio, 45,000 were made slaves, and that 1800 only were left on the island ; consequently, 362 SKETCH OF THE 50,000 men, women, and children, must have been massacred. In the meantime, the Greeks carried on the war in another quarter with much success. The troops who were besieging the Acropolis of Athens took possession of it on the 21st of June, 1822, the Turks being starved out. As I have said before, the Sultan directed all his energies to the quelling the insurrection ; and in July, 1822, Mahmoud Dramali Pacha entered the Morea with 30,000 troops ; and the Pacha re gained the Acrocorinthus the same month that he arrived, the Greeks having quitted it at his approach. The Greek nation appointed Colocotroni com mander-in-chief, in September, 1822 ; and it was principally under his guidance that this large and seemingly-overwhelming force was defeated. The Pacha had taken possession of Napoli and Argos, with his large force ; but finding his provisions beginning to fail him, he deemed it prudent to retire upon Corinth. In the meantime, the Greeks under Ypsilanti and Niketas had taken possession of the passes called the Dervenaki, on the road to Corinth. The Greeks had placed themselves so advan- GREEK REVOLUTION. 363 tageously that the Turks could make no resist ance ; and in attempting to get through this pass, the Turks lost five thousand men. It is said that the Turks sheathed their swords and rode as fast as they could through the pass ; and so much booty did the Greeks take, that camels were sold at half-a-crown a-head, and fine horses for a few shillings each. On the 6th of October, 1822, Odysseus was made Dictator of Eastern Greece, and Ghouras received the command of the Acropolis ; and a few days afterwards, Omer Vriones laid the first siege to Missolonghi. The first assault was made the 5th of January, 1823, when the Turks thought that the Greeks would be at prayers ; for it is the eve of the Grecian Christmas ; but the President, Mavro cordato had got intimation of it, and repulsed them. At the moment in question, the state of the Morea was as follows : — Mahmoud Dramali lay at Corinth ; Omer Vriones besieged Missolonghi ; Mehemet Pacha, after defeating Odysseus, occu pied the intermediate point of Salona ; Yussuff, the Captain Pacha, was tranquil possessor of 364 SKETCH OF THE Patras and Lepanto, and thus held in his hands the navigation of the Corinthian gulf. The united Turkish force amounted to thirty thou sand men ; that of the Greeks, to ten thousand. We have now arrived at the year 1823, and must be allowed to return to the last three months of the year 1822, to make mention of some of the Greek naval exploits. On the 20th of October, the Turkish fleet cruized about the Archipelago to frighten the islanders, and after some time they anchored at Tenedos. Two fire-ships, the one commanded by the brave Canaris, the other by a Hydriote, made use of the following ruse : — They both hoisted Turkish colours, and fled from the Greek fleet with which they were in company, as though pursued by them. The Greek fleet fired at them, and pursued them close to the mouth of the har bour of Tenedos. The Turks, deceived by this ruse, thinking Canaris and the Hydriote were Turkish vessels, allowed them to come close under their stern, and even protected them by firing on the pursuing fleet. In the meantime, Canaris ran his vessel on board a ship of the line, GREEK REVOLUTION. 365 and it was soon enveloped in flame and smoke, and it blew up shortly afterwards with one thou sand six hundred persons on board. While Canaris was doing this, the Hydriote laid his firfe-ship close to the Captain Pacha's vessel of the line, but he did not succeed in attaching the brulot to it, and the vessel escaped. The Turkish Admiral was so astounded at the above event, that he instantly left the shores of Tenedos, and fled to the Dardanelles. Thus Ca naris, in the campaign of 1822, had exterminated, by his own valour, three thousand Turks. To return to the Morea: on the 11th of De cember, 1822, the Greeks took possession of the Palamedes, the fortress of Napoli, the Turks being starved out. The term of the provisional government installed at Piada, in Epidaurus, had now expired ; and in February and March, 1823, the Greek deputies met together at Astros (the second national assembly) , and nominated Pietro Bey President ; and Mavrocordato accepted the office of Secre tary of State. This assembly closed on the 28th of April, 1823, after a violent session; its acts being signed by two hundred and sixty deputies. Colocotroni now commanded in the Morea ; 366 SKETCH OF THE Marco, Bozzaris in Western Greece; and Odysseus in Eastern Greece. Athens was again the scene of contention ; for in August, 1823, Yussuff and Omer Pacha came before it with a body of men ; but they quickly retreated. It was on the 20th of August of the same year, that the gallant Marco Bozzaris arrived at the small village of Karpenisi, and encamped, with one thousand two hundred men, two hours' march from the van-guard of the Pacha of Scodra, which was posted in a meadow, under the orders of Jeladin Bey, the nephew of the Pacha — the latter force amounting to eight thousand men. Marco Bozzaris divided his one thousand two hundred men into three bodies, and he him self led the centre, composed of three hundred and fifty men, and at twelve o'clock at night he entered with this small body into the centre of the Turkish army, the wings not coming up to his assistance. Great slaughter ensued, in which eight hundred of the Turks were killed, and of the Greeks only thirteen, — but among this latter number was Marco Bozzaris. The fall of this chief was a grievous loss to the Greek cause, and all Greece mourned his fate. GREEK REVOLUTION. 367 He was buried, on the 22nd of August, at Mis solonghi. On the 19th of October, 1823, the second siege of Missolonghi took place, under Mustai Pacha ; but it was raised in November following, the Pacha marching towards Epirus. The most remarkable event that took place in Greece, during this year, was the arrival of Lord Byron in that country, on the 3rd of August, 1823. Having electrified the whole world by his pen, in favour of the Greek cause, he now arrived, in the hour of danger, to assist it with his purse and his sword; and at this crisis, when Greece was in a state of the greatest need, he generously lent her four thousand pounds from his own pocket. Byron's arrival in Greece worked wonders for that country. His presence in that classic soil had not only tended to throw a charm over the proceedings of that people, but it had produced a much greater effect, — it had aroused the feelings and energies of the British nation ; and, in conse quence, in April, 1824, a sum of money, part of a loan, was forwarded from England. It appears that, on the 3rd of March, 1823, a meeting had been held at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, (Mr. J. Bowring the Secretary,) 368 SKETCH OF THE and circulars were sent round, soliciting suc cours for the Greeks. But though considerable contributions were obtained, their amount could do but little good, and it was deemed better to assist her by a loan. Mr. Blaquiere was therefore commissioned to go to Greece; and he left London, in company with Luriottis, and arrived at Trippolizza, May 3rd foUowing. Mr. Blaquiere* advised the Greek government to send deputies to England ; and Orlando and Luriottis were appointed. They arrived in London, 26th January, 1824. These gentlemen signed a contract at the Man sion-house, on the 21st of February, 1824, with the firm of Loughman and O'Brien, for a loan of 800.000Z. at the rate of 59Z. for 100Z. stock, bearing 5Z. per cent, interest to commence from the 1st of January, 1824. Two years' interest was reserved, and a sinking fund estabhshed of 8000Z. annually, under the control of Messrs. Hume, Ellice, and Loughman. All the national property of Greece, generally, and the proceeds of the customs, fisheries, and salt-works, were assigned as secu rity to the lenders ; and after every deduction * This gentleman, by his subsequent zealous exertions, rendered great services to the Greek nation. GREEK REVOLUTION. 369 for the expenses of raising the loan, the sum of 280,000Z. was made available for Greece. The first instalment, of 40,000/., was despatched from England on the 31st of March, 1824, on board a fast-sailing brig, in which Mr. Blaquiere took his passage, and the money was made sub ject to a mixed commission, composed of Lord Byron, Colonel Stanhope, and Lazare Con duriotti. The vessel reached Zante on the 24th of April foUowing, but unfortunately Lord Byron had died at Missolonghi, five days previously, on the 19th of April. This caused some confusion ; but after a time the money was paid over to the Greek authorities. The death of Byron was a deep misfortune for Greece ; aU classes, from the highest to the lowest, deemed it so ; and his funeral was most nume rously attended by Greek mourners ; in addition to which a splendid discourse was uttered by Mr. Spiridion Tricoupi, and which I have pre viously referred to. About the month of June, 1824, the Turkish arms predominated in the islands, and the ill- fated island of Ipsara fell a victim to their fury. This island is but a rock, but the Ipsariotes were VOL. II. B B 370 SKETCH OF THE devoted to it, and from it they dealt their blows upon the Turks, and were as much dreaded by them as the Knights of Malta were in former days. Their island was therefore particularly marked for vengeance. About 4,000 Ipsariotes were destroyed ; and the remainder, amounting to about 6,000 or 7,000, fled in their vessels, and located in Egina. The civil administration of Greece at this period was under the government of George Conduriotti, who had been nominated President in January, 1824 ; but the Moreotes, with Colo cotroni at their head, were in arms against the executive. Notwithstanding the recent loan, it was found requisite to raise another, to meet the exigencies of the war, and Orlando and Luriottis, on the 19th of February, 1825, contracted a second loan with the house of Ricardo, for 2,00Q,000Z. sterling, , at the rate of 55Z. 10*. for the 100Z. On the 23rd of February of the same year, the famous Ibrahim Pacha landed at Modon in the Morea, with 4,000 infantry, and 4,000 cavalry, and then sent back the fleet to Suda in Candia, — whence it returned on the 13th of March with 7,000 troops to add to his force. Ibrahim took pos- GREEK REVOLUTION. 371 session of Navarin in the May following, and estabhshed his head quarters there. The Greeks, with Colocotroni at their head, who held these Egyptians in the greatest contempt, soon had reason to think otherwise of them ; for in the first general engagement, the European disciphne that had been introduced into the Egyptian army prevaUed over the irregular mode of Greek fight ing, and Colocotroni and his corps were dread- fuUy beaten. The Pacha's troops were augmented on the 5th of July by 5,000 Arnauts, thus sweUing his numbers to 24,000 men ; an army quite sufficient to keep the Greeks in subjection. With respect to the proceedings in Northern Greece, Redschid Pacha was appointed by the Sultan over the western provinces of the em pire; and in August, 1825, he commenced the last siege of Missolonghi ; and in the first week of the year 1826, Ibrahim Pacha (whose troops had been increased by 10,000 men from Alexandria) marched in person to invest Misso longhi, and took a position to the left of Redschid Pacha, who had been before it for six months, and who had destroyed, in that time, 1,500 Greeks. On the 15th January, 1826, Ibrahim opened B B 2 372 SKETCH OF THE his fire, and by the 17th of February he had ap-> proached within 400 yards of the town ; his force amounting to 15,000 men, and that of Redschid Pacha to 10,000 men. On the three days previous to the assault on the 27th of February, 8,000 shot and shells were thrown into the town ; and on the 27th, at two in the morning, the Turks assaulted it, but were completely repulsed. The Turks then tried to obtain possession of Vassiladi ; and on the sixth of March, by means of rafts, they succeeded. On the 6th April, Hussein Bey advanced, at the head of two regiments of Arabs, through the swamps ; they were, however, defeated, losing at least 1000 in the attack. All these gallant efforts of the Greeks, in defending the town, however, were of no avail ; for, on the 23rd April, 1826, the Turks and Egyptians assaulted and took Missolonghi ; at which time it contained 9000 inhabitants, — 3000 of them were killed, and about 4000 women and children were made slaves ; the remainder escaped. To revert back to the civil administration. — On the 1st May, 1825, Greece put herself under the protection of Great Britain. This act was approved of by the legislature, the vice-president, GREEK REVOLUTION. 373 and by Mavrocordato, and a vast majority of the senators ; but Conduriotti did not sign it. The eldest son of Admiral Miaulis was despatched to London with the document, where he arrived in October following, being also instructed to ask for Prince Leopold as their sovereign. To this document a protest was made by General Roche, a Frenchman, and Mr. Washington, an Ame rican. After the above act, an assembly was con vened to meet at Napoli, in November, 1825. The third congress at Piada, in Epidaurus, had opened on the 18th April, 1826. The assembly consisted of a hundred and twenty-seven mem bers, under the presidency of Panouzzos Notaras. Two commissions were named : the one execu tive, with eleven members, Andreas Zaimi, pre sident ; the other legislative, with the Archbishop of Patras at their head. During this time, Grivas commanded the Palamede, and Fotomarra the lower fort, Itchkali. Colocotroni at this time was commander-in-chief at the Morea, and Col- letti was rising in importance, the Roumeliotes being entirely at his devotion. On the 22nd February, 1826, the last instal ment of the second loan, amounting to 50,000Z., 374 SKETCH OF THE arrived at Napoli. The deputies had acted for the best, and had placed large sums of money apart, for the purchase of steam-boats, and two frigates. But circumstances, entirely out of their control, foiled the realization of their hopes ; and consequently aU the armament for which the money was destined did not reach Greece. Many things conspired at that moment to neu tralize the efforts of every weU wisher of Greece. To return, however, to Ibrahim Pacha; his army of 24,000 Arabs had dwindled down to 8,000, and with these he entered Tripolizza ; and after ravaging the Morea, he returned to winter quarters at Modon, Nov. 24, 1826. I shall now narrate the proceedings in Northern Greece. Omer Pacha arrived before Athens on the 21st June, 1826, with one thousand Turks, and attacked Athens on the 1 1th July foUowing ; and on the 28th July, Kiutahi Pacha established his head quarters at Patissia. Ghouras, the Greek chieftain, was at that time in possession of the Acropolis of Athens. To assist the latter in op posing Kiutahi Pacha, the executive council confided to Karaiskaki the command of aU the forces beyond the isthmus. He left Napoh in July, 1826, with six hundred men, and, pro- GREEK REVOLUTION. 375 ceeding to Eleusis, put himself at the head of the corps of Vasso, Griziotti, and Panourias. Colonel Favier also had under his command 1,300 regulars. The army, amounting to 3,500, at sunrise on the 18th attacked the Turks at Khaidari, taking two standards. Redschid * Pa cha, in his turn, attacked Favier and Karaiskaki, and, beating them, made them retreat to Eleusis. The Pacha then continued the siege, and dis charged against the devoted Parthenon, in the course of August, 1826, two thousand one hun dred and twenty cannon baUs, and nine hundred and fifty-six sheUs. In the month following, Ghouras was killed, while going his rounds ; and the Greeks being in want of powder, Colonel Favier and Pisa entered Athens, Dec. 13, 1826, from the port of Munychia, with a body of men carrying powder for the use of the garrison. It was during this last siege of Athens that great part of the temple of Erectheus was de stroyed ; the roof of which killed in its fall several Greek ladies. The year 1827 had now arrived, and General • Church and Lord Cochrane arrived in the month * Sometimes called Kiutahi Pacha. 376 SKETCH OF THE of March of that year, at which time there were two factions in Greece, — one part of the repre sentatives residing at Egina, the other at Her- mione. Upon the arrival of the above com manders, the factions coalesced into a fourth national congress, at Damala, in April, 1827, and Zaimi, with the old executive, laid down their power. Sisini was president of this assembly, and Lord Cochrane, General Church, and Count Capo d'Istrias, were duly elected, the first as Admiral in chief, the second as General in chief, the third as President of Greece, for seven years ; and until the arrival of the latter, the presidency was put in commission, — George Mavromichali, John Milaitis, and John Nakos, being appointed. During this session a law was passed, that the clergy should not act as legislators ; and it also authorized Capo d'Istrias to contract a loan for 1,000,000Z. sterling ; and the assembly dissolved itself on the 17th May, 1827. In the meantime, the Phalerum and the Piraeus were taken possession of by the Greeks, with the view of coUecting there an army for the pur pose of relieving Athens. General Gordon and Captain Hastings distinguished themselves here. GREEK REVOLUTION. 377 Karaiskaki was approaching with a body of troops, and in the month of March he had nearly 10,000 men under his command. The battle of Athens then took place ; and on the 5th June, 1827, the Acropolis surrendered to the Turks, — the garrison marching out with their arms, and being allowed to go where they wished. This was effected through the mediation of Ad miral de Rigny. Consequent on the loss of the above battle was the treaty of the 6 th July, 1827, guaranteeing the integrity of Greece. WhUe this was going on, Grivas and Foto- marra were carrying on a civil war at Napoli, between the fort Palamede and fort Itchkali, much to the annoyance of every one. At length the whole drama was nearly wound up by the battle of Navarino, which took place on the 20th October following, and which libe rated Greece. The Sultan, however, was obstinate, and would not cede Greece ; in consequence of which the Greeks were allowed to carry on the war ; and another attempt was made on Scio, which failed. The three ambassadors left Constantinople on the 8th December, 1827, and repaired to Poros, the Grecian head-quarters for the fleet. 378 SKETCH OF THE Count Capo d'Istrias arrived in Greece in Ja nuary, 1828 ; and an assembly was convened at Argos, which was the fifth national assembly in Greece. Capo d'Istrias remained in the govern ment, but the Allied Powers, in accordance with the wishes of the Greek people, nominated his Royal Highness Prince Leopold, in February, 1830, sovereign of Greece. This not according with the views of Count Capo d'Istrias, it is reported that he magnified the diffi culties to be encountered ; and Prince Leopold re signed the crown in May foUowing. Count Capo d'Istrias remained in power until his death, which took place at the hands of the two Mavromichali, at Napoli, in August, 1831.* On the 7th May, 1832, a treaty was concluded between the three powers and Bavaria, in which Prince Otho, of Bavaria, the second son of the King, was chosen King of Greece, which choice his father, as his guardian, accepted on his behalf, 27th May, 1832. In the same treaty a loan of sixty millions of francs was guaranteed to Greece. King Otho was proclaimed, at Napoli, on the 30th of August, 1832. * See vol. i., p. 136. GREEK REVOLUTION. 379 The King arrived at Napoli 6th February, 1833, and, during the first period of the minority, - Count Armansperg, M. Maurer, and M. Abel, three Bavarians, composed the regency ; but, after a short time, the two latter were recalled, their substitutes being Baron de Kobel and General Heideck. * Finally, his Majesty, Otho I., having on the 1st June, 1835, reached his twentieth year, (the time fixed for his attaining his majority,) he took the reins of government into his own hand, dis solved the regency, and placed his confidence in Count Armansperg, to whom he gave the title of Arch-chancellor. Also, upon assuming the reins of power, the King granted pardon and amnesty to all persons who were lying under imputation of treason to the government ; and he even went so far as to bestow upon them again their former honours. Nothing could shew more wisdom than this act, or evince a mind of better promise. The strong arm of the law had proved, by their im prisonment, that they could be rendered incapable of doing harm ; and now, at an opportune period, mercy was granted to them. The happy result has been, that the individuals of whom I am speaking are now among his Majesty's most faith- 380 SKETCH OF THE GREEK REVOLUTION. ful subjects. Having perceived that they had been made the dupes of others, they wiU not again hazard their estates in attempting to subvert a monarchy which has been established and ap proved by three of the first powers in Europe. 381 APPENDIX II. The following extract from a newspaper, under date June 4, 1837, refers to the completion of a project more than once referred to in detail in the foregoing pages. The credit (whatever it may be) that is due to the originating of that pro ject wiU scarcely be denied to the author of the preceding work, even by those who have been more fortunate than himself in carrying it into effect. " French Steam -Packets. — The post-office steam-packets, established for the purpose of keeping up a regular communication between MarseUles and the ports of the Levant, com menced their service on the 1st instant. They will depart and return, without interruption, every ten days. The departure from Marseilles wiU take place on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month ; and from Constantinople on the 6th, 16th, and 26th. The steam-packets will 382 FRENCH STEAM-PACKETS. touch at Leghorn, Civitta Vecchia, Naples, Malta, Syra, Athens, and Smyrna, both going out and returning home. The communications between Greece and Egypt wiU be effected by means of another hne of packets, which wiU leave Alexan dria on the 6th, 16th, and 26th; and Athens on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month. These packets wiU touch at Syra, one arriving there on the same day with those arriving from MarseUles and returning from Constantinople ; so that the packet coming from Alexandria may immediately take up passengers and despatches brought by the other packets, to their destination at Athens. The passengers and despatches going to Alexan dria will wait at Syra, until the second day, the arrival of the packet coming from Athens and going on to Alexandria. " Ten packets, of 160 horse power each, with a crew of forty- two men, and commanded by an officer of the royal French navy, are appointed to the service of the two hnes, from MarseUles to Athens and Constantinople, and from Alexandria to Athens." THE END. T. C. Savill, Printer, 107, St. Martin's Lane, Charing Cross. Fold out YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ll 3 9002 01570 2385 ;