hear in the darkness, stifled shrieks, the noise of sabres hewing, and the plunge of heavy bodies in the water. Of the poor wretches who were left on the barren rock to starve, one escaped. He lashed the putrid bodies of his comrades together, and on this, as a raft, he was seen floating towards the shore.'

The Turkish navy was at that period in a state of equipment and discipline much inferior to their present condition; both these and the Greek ships have improved by subsequent exercise. Still, however, the general character given to both by the author of this volume, is, as we have reason to know, so accurate, that we are induced to transcribe from one of his notes, the account which he gives of the Turkish and Greek fleets at the period adverted to:

'The Turks can bring a hundred sail of armed vessels into action, though they have never produced more than fifty at once. The Tunisians, Tripolitans, and Algerines, have occasionally furnished about twenty vessels of war, consisting of corvettes, brigs, and schooners, well armed and manned, but these, though acting under the Turkish Admiral, in reality do just as they please. The Turkish naval force proper, or that which is furnished from the arsenal at Constantinople, consists of five or six three-deckers, six or eight seventy-fours, thirty frigates and corvettes, and between forty and fifty schooners and brigs. There is no regular marine, but whenever the ships are to be manned for any expedition, an impressment takes, place. The press-gang run into the coffee and wine houses, where the poorer orders resort, and seize all indiscriminately, without making the least inquiry as to their knowledge of naval tactics. Nay, people quietly walking the streets do not escape. A more efficient race of sailors, however, is found among the traders of the Black Sea, and the boatmen of the Bosphorus, and these are impressed without mercy.

'Before the Revolution broke out, the islands of Hydra and Spezzia were obliged to furnish a certain number of seamen whenever they should be called upon by the Porte so to do, and this was a condition of their being allowed to govern themselves. This will account for so many Greeks being found in the Turkish navy at the beginning of the war, Europeans also are never wanting, but it must be stated in justice to these, that many have been regularly trepanned into their service. There are a set of wine-houses at Constantinople, which are kept by Maltese and other Europeans, to which almost all the Frank sailors resort. The landlord goes to the Turkish Capoudan, and asks if he requires any Europeans, and if so, how many. The Capoudan states the number he wants, and generally pays down the money for them. The landlord then returns to the inn, finds out all the discontented sailors in the Porte, plies them well with liquor, and contrives to make them sign a regular agreement of service. As soon as this is effected, they are immediately conveyed on board ship, drunk as they are, and most

especial care is taken that no opportunity of landing shall be afforded them as long as the vessel remains in harbour. They have the same rations as the Turkish sailor, but wine, spirits, or grog, must be paid for extra, in fact in any way that the unfortunate Christian can. Every Turkish ship, however, has a regular coffeehouse on board, at which all imaginable wants may be gratified : the keeper of this coffee-house is perhaps the very scoundrel who assisted in kidknapping the Europeans, or at least he has something to do with it. If the European has need, of any thing he is allowed to get it from the coffee-house on credit, and about two hundred per cent. on the value of the article is charged. The sailor, therefore, after he has served several months, so far from having any pay to receive, is told that the whole is due to the coffee-house keeper, and that moreover he has a further debt to liquidate, which of course can only be done by further service. I have more than once been called upon, officially, to liberate Englishmen who had been first kidnapped, and then cheated; and in some instances I have been successful, though in others the terms of the agreement, signed with the man's own hand, has been shown me to prove that he was not forced into the Turkish service.

"The officers of the fleet are chosen from among the soldiery, and their nomination is a matter of interest resting in the hands of the Capoudan Pasha. Nautical skill may truly be said not to exist among the Turks, and any one who has had the good fortune to have sailed with the squadron which accompanied our fleet at the time of Bonaparte's expedition to Egypt, is thought a very Nelson. With such a crew it is a matter of surprise how the Turks manage to navigate at all; but the fact is, that the vessel is sailed and steered by Europeans, while the fighting part belongs exclusively to the Turks. I have been told, and, from what I have seen, I can easily believe, that the confusion on board a Turkish vessel is absolutely ridiculous. One-half of the men are, perhaps, horribly seasick, sprawling about the deck; while the other half are pulling at ropes, of which they have no knowledge. The Chaouses are seen running here and there, bastinadoing right and left, and forcing the men to their duty. Indeed, the way in which the sailors are taught to handle and know the different ropes is, as I was informed, quite on a par with the rest of the system. Vegetables, pipes, pieces of cloth, &c., are attached to the rigging and cordage, and then the command is given, "haul up the long pipe; let go the cabbage," &c.

'After the news was known of the destruction of a fine ship of war, by the fire-ships of the Greeks, the panic that seized the crew of a Turkish vessel on the approach of a Greek one was excessive. Sailors on board these have told me, that nothing could exceed the scene of confusion. The guns were fired without aim, and often on the side on which the enemy was not the men were flying here

and there, vociferating and running; many were preparing to jump overboard, and others absolutely did so. In fact, at the best of times, there is little discipline; but at such a juncture there is none. It was the knowledge of this that emboldened the small Greek vessels to approach and manœuvre round the heavy armed Turkish frigates with perfect impunity. A Greek vessel once approached a Turkish heavy frigate so close, that the anchor of the latter caught hold of some part of the rigging of the former. In an instant both one and the other ran to cut away and disentangle themselves; the Greek not liking such close quarters, and the Turk taking his enemy to be a fire-ship. Not a single shot was fired. The loquacious Greek was heard to vociferate the vilest abuse on the Turk and on Mahomet; while the grave Turk, on the other side, merely shook his finger, and invited him to fight it out hand to hand. A single broadside from a European, of half the weight of metal of the Turk, would have blown the Greek out of the

water.

These scenes, however, occurred in the beginning of the Revolution. Both their panic and their thorough want of skill have been bettered by experience, and in more than one instance a single Turkish vessel has fought its way through a whole Greek squadron,

'The Viceroy of Egypt, for some years past, has been gradually increasing his naval force, and his fleet now consists of at least sixty vessels of war. Of these, six or seven are frigates, which have been chiefly built in private dock-yards at Marseilles, Leghorn, and Trieste; the others consist of corvettes, brigs, and schooners, and, with few exceptions, the whole of these vessels are of a very superior class, and in excellent order. In action, and in the management of their vessels, the Egyptians have proved themselves infinitely superior to the Constantinople Turks; but this, no doubt, is owing in a great measure to the fact of there being many foreign seamen in the Viceroy's service, who form part of the crew of each vessel.

'Such is the Turkish naval power. The Greek remains now to be described.

Five-and-twenty years ago, the present populous towns of Hydra and Spezzia were two small fishing villages. About this time the coasts of Spain and France were blockaded by our vessels: the Hydriots speculated, and sent in small craft with corn to the blockaded station; and the immense profits they realized soon induced them to extend their risks. Their Admiral, Tombazi, whom I knew, informed me, that he was the first to get an American ship as a model, and from this, his countrymen constructed those vessels which have subsequently been converted into armed ones. In a few years, almost the whole of the corn-trade of the

Black Sea was in the hands of the Greeks, and the inhabitants of Hydra and Spezzia became enormously rich. At the breaking out of the Revolution, this profitable trade ceased, and their vessels returned to their respective islands without delay. With the exception of four or five three-masted polaccas, and six or eight schooners, the whole of the vessels belonging to Hydra, Spezzia, and Psara, are rigged as polacca brigs, their size varying from a hundred and fifty to five hundred tons, being pierced for twelve to twenty guns. I am unable to state the exact number of vessels belonging to these three islands at the period above alluded to, but only forty or fifty were armed and equipped during the first months of the Revolution; and at no one period does it appear that the Greek naval force sent to sea, ever exceeded eighty vessels.

"The Greek vessels, with few exceptions, have been built from beautiful models, and sail remarkably fast : their crews have all the capabilities of good seamen, except that essential-one-discipline. There are several Capitani on board, and each man has as much voice in the direction of the vessel as the Captain himself. This, therefore, gives rise to great confusion; but in the management of their vessels, they are infinitely superior to the Turks.

Respecting the Greek marine, however, I conceive that an erroneous opinion generally exists in Europe, as, with the exception of the Hydriots and Spezziots, experience has taught me that the Greeks are far from being experienced sailors. Few even of the Captains of those two islands have studied navigation, and that to a very limited extent; their ignorance, in this respect, being obviated by the circumstance of their rarely navigating out of sight of land. During fine weather they manage their vessels and small coasting craft very well, and even expertly; but in a squall or gale of wind, especially during the night, they generally lose all self-possession, the greatest confusion prevails, incense is burnt, the Virgin invoked, and every endeavour made to run the vessel into the nearest port for shelter.'

In a letter, dated November 1, 1821, the surrender of Tripolizza is mentioned. The writer says:

'It is now ten days since we heard of the surrender of Tripolizza: the first tidings of this event were brought here by persons who quitted that place with the Albanian corps, and others have confirmed the fact, which cannot therefore be doubtful. I will endeavour to give you the best and most circumstantial detail of the horrible events which accompanied and followed the taking of the capital; events which are so revolting to human nature, that were there any doubts of their reality I should avoid putting them in writing.

In September last the Turkish garrison of Tripolizza, being destitute of provisions, closely besieged by the Greeks, and acquainted with the surrender of Arcadia, Malvasia, and Navarin, entered into

:

negociations for a capitulation, on condition that their lives and property should be spared. Before this treaty was concluded, the besieged heard of the arrival of the Ottoman fleet on the coast of the Morea this giving them hopes of speedy succour, the negociations were broken off, and hostilities resumed. No reinforcements or supplies having been sent to the capital, the Greeks pressed the siege more closely, and the Turks, exhausted by starvation, became remiss in their defence.

The Albanians, commanded by Elmas Bey, who formed part of the garrison, seeing no other chance of escape, secretly entered into negociations with some of the Greek chiefs, and agreed to remain inactive in any attack on the place, on condition that they were permitted to return to their own country, and supplied with provisions. The besiegers, thus encouraged, managed by stratagem to gain possession of the gates, poured their forces into the city, and attacked the Turks vigorously.

The first object of the Greeks was to secure and disarm their prisoners, who amounted to about six thousand men, and ten thousand women and children: exclusive of these, about fifteen hundred had been killed in the assault, and several hundreds had previously fallen victims to disease or starvation.

'The plunder was immense, as the riches of many of the first families of the Morea had been transported to the capital.

'After two days devoted to plunder and excesses of the most revolting description, the prisoners were taken out of the town, and above twelve thousand men, women, and children, were put to death by their inhuman conquerors. Some were hanged, others impaled, many roasted alive by large fires; the women outraged in the first instance, and then ripped open, (many of them far advanced in pregnancy,) and dogs' heads put into them; upwards of two hundred Jews, who were inhabitants of the city, were put to death, some of them by crucifixion. In short, cruelties were practised which pass all imagination.

The chiefs, consisting of the Kayah Bey, Chamil Bey of Corinth, Mustafa Bey of Patrass, the Harem of Chourschid Pasha, and many other persons of distinction, were spared, in hopes of their being ransomed by their friends. Many women and children were likewise saved, being either retained to gratify the lust of their conquerors, or sold as slaves.'

A serious disturbance at Zante itself is then described: but this has been before detailed in the papers of the day. We pass on, therefore, to other equally painful, but less generally known transactions. One of these is thus adverted to in a letter, dated from Zante, November 9, 1821:

I have still the painful task of recounting the particulars of an outrage committed by the inhabitants of Cerigo, the seventh of the