Greece revisited, and sketches in Lower Egypt in 1840; with thirty-six hours of a campaign in Greece in 1825

Preface

. In the hope of conciliating the indulgence of the reader in favour of the contents of the following pages, the author begs to lay before him the reasons which have delayed their appearance until the present day, as also those which have now induced him to submit them to his notice. A long and depressing illness, which attacked him at Cairo, prevented his further progress eastwards, and subsequently detained him in the south of Europe, disabling him alike, until re cently, from returning to his own country, and from preparing his notes for the press. His reasons for now trespassing on the public atten tion require a longer explanation or apology. VI

PREFACE.

. At the time when Greece, rich only in the hardihood and stern resolve of her sons, and in the good wishes of the philanthropist, stood forth single-handed to work out her own destinies, and to wrest her freedom from the hands of the Moslem, the author was a sojourner in that land. His good fortune permitted him to witness and to appreciate the daring gallantry of some of those sons, and the patient endurance of others, — nay, of all, at that period of the war of independence, when the Morea was nearly over run by the disciplined troops of the Pacha of Egypt, and when, of the cities and villages of Northern Greece, Missolonghi alone had not been profaned by the foot of the invader. Cir cumstances threw him into constant and intimate association with the leading Moreote chiefs, with the members of the Provisional Government, and with the most distinguished of those gallant islanders, who have earned to themselves an un dying name in the marine " guerilla" warfare, which during years was waged by their tiny vessels with the leviathans of the Porte. He was a spectator of the desolation which the Turk and

PREFACE.

. VII the Arab had successively scattered over the land, — its rich plains laid waste, — the olive-trees, vineyards, and woods, cut down or destroyed by fire, — the homes and the altars of Greece in volved in one common ruin, — her sons in arms, contending at the same time with the Turk and the Arab, and with the severest privations, — and her fair daughters seeking that shelter which their homes could no longer afford in the recesses and caverns of the mountains, or crowded together in huts, under the walls of the very few of her cities which still held out against the enemy. He had witnessed all this, and if he wept over the woes of the unhappy country, should it be registered against him as a weakness ? Be this as it may, he was compelled to quit these scenes by the fever, which under similar circumstances was fatal to so many of his countrymen, and would, perhaps, have been fatal to him, if he had not at the time been received with almost parental kindness by the distinguished com mander of the British naval forces in that quarter.

PREFACE.

. Peace to the manes of that gallant sailor ! Splendid in person and noble in mind, his hand and his heart were open to the unfortunate, and many were they who blessed his name for relief from misery, and not a few those to whom it was hallowed for life and for honour preserved. Respected himself, even by those whom duty compelled him to chastise, he enforced respect to the flag under which he sailed ; and over him it waved, stainless and absolute, as the beacon of justice among the intrigues of contending powers. The author returned to Greece, after having been during some weeks the guest of Captain Ha milton, on board the Cambrian, but was immediately compelled again to quit the country by a severe return of the same malady ; nor did he make any further effort to bear up against the climate which had proved so unfriendly to him.

The varied fates of the country during the following years were, as may be supposed, watched by him with deep interest, and his reminiscences often carried him back from the gay haunts of civilized life, to the companions of his

PREFACE.

. IX youthful rambles on the mountains of Greece, and of his cruises among the islands of the Archipelago. Circumstances having induced him to turn his steps towards the scene of those rambles in the early part of last year, it struck him that the change which has been since wrought in the political and social state of the country would offer many contrasts with the past, and matter for much interesting observation. Under that impression he determined on keeping a journal during his visit, without precisely deciding at the time whether he would reserve it for the perusal of those who were acquainted with the circum stances of his former residence in Greece, or whether he would submit it through the press to those who had interested themselves in the protracted struggle of the Greeks, and in the political intrigues, through the influence of which they were eventually enabled to occupy a place among the civilized states of Europe. The assurances of his friends have induced him to believe that his journal may be read with satisfaction by both : in confessing such belief, X

PREFACE.

. he must however state, that his original inten tions have by no means been carried out. The statistical notes, which, together with some de tails as to the administration of the government, and of the courts of justice, he collected during his stay at Athens, with a view to establish a comparison between things as they are, and things as they were before the revolution, are not sufficiently comprehensive to permit him to undertake this task. The effects of the changes which have taken place were prominently and agreeably brought home to himself in many ways, and he would have wished to have made them also evident to those who have not been spectators of the different " phases" of the country. Ill ness, which checked his course eastward, prevented, also, a second visit to Greece, which was to have closed his journey, and thus prevented his completing his collection of the requisite materials.* * He has felt less regret on this score, since the announcement of a statistical work, entitled, " Greece as a Kingdom."

The long residence of the author at Athens in an official capacity has afforded him the best opportunities of rendering his work in every way complete.

PREFACE.

. XI This is his apology for publishing so much of his journal as refers to Greece, and at the same time, for its not being more comprehensive on certain subjects. The sketch of the incidents of Thirty-six Hours in Greece, in 1825, is added, as bringing into view, under different circumstances and in more stirring scenes, some of those who are named in the journal. With respect to that portion of his journal which refers to Egypt, the author's apology will be much more laconic : he doubts even whether an apology be absolutely necessary. Whatever he has written respecting the monuments of ancient Egypt, applies to them now as it did then, and probably will equally apply to them one thousand years hence. The hand of Time rests harmlessly and inactively upon them, — neither shaking their solidity, nor lifting up the veil of mystery in which they are shrouded.

If, therefore, there be any merit in his observations, the delay in bringing them forward will not have diminished it. Such part of the journal as relates to the poli-

PREFACE.

. tical state of the country, he even flatters him self may have acquired additional value, if value it would have possessed before, from this delay, as, owing to the changes which have taken place in the interim, it now describes a state of things which no longer exists, or exists only in a very modified form. If the reader deems a sufficient cause has been assigned" for the publication of the journal, he will wade through the first pages with patience, and possibly, as he progresses, " his condescen sion may increase." That such may be the case, and that " his shadow may never be less," is the earnest desire of THE AUTHOR. Liverpool, 1842. CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

Chapter I

Corfu — Beauty of the island — Works of the Venetians in the Levant — Philorthodox Conspiracy — Missolonghi — Patras — Navarino — Modon — Hydra and its inhabitants — Temples of the Hellenes — Arrival at the Piræus, p. 1

Chapter II

Piræus — Approach to Athens — Theatres — Contrasts — Colocotroni — Gennaios Colocotroni — Kriezis — Mr. Masson — Trial of the Poet Soutzo for libel — Rev. Mr. Hill. p. 24

Chapter III

Bey of Maina — Offerings of the Mavromichali family on the altar of their country — Present and former political position — Giorgio Psylla — Political career, and various modes of government in which he took part — Political parties — Philorthodox conspiracy — Glarakis — Cairis, p. CONTENTS. XIV

Chapter IV

Ball at the Palace — Presentation to their Majesties — Usages of Athenian society in 1826 — First day of Greek Lent — Masks — Picturesque pic-nics around the Temple of Jupiter p. 81

Chapter V

Public Schools— Rev. Mr. Hill and his lady — Temple of Jupiter Olympius — Causes of disappearauce of ancient ruins — Power of those who raised them, and prospects of their descendants p. 99

Chapter VI

Theatre of Herodes Atticus — Death of Gourrha — Review of present state of the Acropolis, compared with that of 1826 — Propylæa — Temple of Victory — Parthenon — Erectheum — Galleries of Antiques — Cause of selection of Acropolis as site of the Sanctuary . . . . p. 115

Chapter VII

Temple of Theseus — Areopagus — Pnyx — Monument of Philopapus — Turkish batteries — Ilissus — Long walls and defences ofthe three harbours — Temple ofthe Winds — Agora — Street of Kings — Lantern of Demosthenes — State of the streets and buildings of modern Athens — Site chosen unfavourable to further discoveries of remains of antiquity p. 136

Chapter VIII

Embark on board government schooner, Nauplia — Arrival at Milo — Harbour — Proposal of Knights of Malta — Visits on board — Ride up to the Castro— Sepulchral chambers CONTENTS. XV — Calls upon the governor, the French consul, and Ma dame Tataraki — The Castro — Pilots — Beauty ofthe women — Hellenic city — Theatre — Venus of Milo, p. 158

Chapter IX

Deserted city — Kriezis' captivity in Algiers — Hellenic remains — Excursion to Cape Firlingo — Palæochori — Extinct crater — Candiote refugee — Amulet and vestige of Pagan superstitions — Salt springs — Natural bath — Palace of Zopiros — General remarks as to Milo. p. 178

Chapter X

Departure from Milo — Gulf of Salamis — Agios Giorgios — Hydriote patriarch — Rencontre with royalty — Ruins of Pieraic walls — Tomb of Miaoulis — Tomb of Themistocles — Abstinence of Greek sailors — Dinner to Athenian friends, and toasts thereat — Visit to Piræus, and the steamer Otho — Visit to Captain of Nauplia — Monument of Karaiskaki — Funeral of Karaiskaki — Cross of Merit — Feast of our Lady of Tinos — Conversazione at British minister's — Heart of Miaoulis — Royal palace — Lyceum of modern Athens — Audience of the king — Opera — Military music, and royal and picturesque attendance thereupon — Rencontre with an old comrade ... p. 205

Chapter XI

Anniversary of ETrava-rrao-i; — Te Deum at church of St. Irene — Absence of certain foreign ministers — Levee at Kriezis' — Sir R. Church— Bey of Maina's circle — Gennaios Colocotroni — Bishop of Attica a vassal of Ali Pacha — Chronicles — Greek beauty and toilette — Illuminations — General Church — Passport missing — Turkish CONTENTS. bath — Farewell visits — Capitano Salafattino — Giorgio Bulgari, governor of Hydra — Slaughterer of the Mam louks — Sir E. Lyons — Farewell to Athens — Veteran gunner of Miaoulis — Reduction of the navy . . p. 237

Chapter XII

Hydra — Origin and antiquity — Rise — State of, at commencement of war of independence — Fleet — How armed, and manned — Government under Turks — First naval expedition — Second idem — Miaoulis joins the fleet — His gallantry at Patras — Named Navarch — Battle off Spezia — Gallantry of Kriezis — Effects on position of Morea — Defeat and slaughter of Dramali Pacha's army — Hydriote families — Kriezis — Blowing up of Nereus, and massacre of prisoners at Hydra — Miaoulis — Anecdotes of the admiral — Condouriottis — Zamados — Tombasis — Giorgio Bulgari — Administration of justice — Knout given by members of council — Bastinado administered by Colocotroni — Present condition of Hydra — Causes of decay — Character of Hydriotes — Spezia — Inhabitants — Hospitable reception of the author — Calojeros Procopio — Present state of Spezia — Amazon Bobolina — Ipsara — Character of inhabitants — Giorgio D'Apostoli — Ipsariote admiral — Lamentations over wife and daughter . p. GEEECE KEVISITED etc. IN 1840.

Chapter I

Corfu — Beauty of the island — Works of the Venetians in the Levant — Philorthodox Conspiracy — Missolonghi — Patras — Navarino — Modon — Hydra and its inhabitants — Temples of the Hellenes — Arrival at the Piræus. Corfu, Feb. 20. — I arrived in this harbour yes ter-evening, at nine o'clock, having embarked at Ancona, on board the Austrian steamer "Gio vanni Arciduca d' Austria," at five p.m. on the 17th instant. My last visit to the island was in 1825. The town appears to me to have been embellished in the interim, but there is an air of poverty in the VOL. I. B CORFU inhabitants which I do not remember then to have remarked. Some of my fellow-passengers are disposed to ascribe this to the defective go vernment of the protecting power ; but it may, with more justice, be attributed to a cause inde pendent of her control — the failure of the olive crops during several seasons.

This fruit is of immense importance to the inhabitants of the island, and upon it their resources in a great measure depend. It is computed that fully three-fifths of the soil which is cultivated, or admits of cultivation, are planted with olive trees, and that of the remainder about one-third is in pasture, one-third in tillage, and one-third laid out in vineyards. This unequal distribution of the soil renders the island dependent on foreign supplies for a portion ofthe grain necessary for its consumption, and is the result of the policy of its former protectors, the Venetians. Those so-called republicans, in order to render the Corfuites as much as possible dependent upon themselves, encouraged, if they did not compel, the cultiva tion of the olive in preference to every other crop, and at the same time prohibited, under BEAUTY OF THE ISLAND. penalties, the extirpation of the tree when once planted.

The consequence is, that it abounds to an undue extent in every part of the island, al though the prohibitory statutes are no longer in force. Whether this preference be for the ad vantage of the island in a statistical point of view is doubtful ; but it unquestionably contri butes much to the beauty of the scenery, this favourite tree being here not only a rival of the tree of the forest in its dimensions, but display ing also a rich and dark foliage, which tempts one to doubt its affinity to the parched and dusty looking olive tree of lands more to the westward. Short as my present visit to Corfu has been, it has sufficed to confirm the impression left by a residence of some duration in the year 1825 — that it is a spot on which nature has lavished her choicest gifts, and where the lover of the picturesque and beautiful will find spread out before him more rich and varied scenes than are perhaps to be found elsewhere within the limits of Europe.

The vaunted " isles of the Egean" are but grey rocks when compared with it. Its outline is b ROADS not less graceful, and it is at the same time clothed in profusion with woods and rich verdure, which on the former are either sought for in vain, or are found only in isolated valleys. It is true that the " grey rocks" of the Egean abound more in classic reminiscences ; but even of these Corfu is by no means barren. The scholar may amuse himself either by establishing the localities of the exploits of the Corcyreans, as recorded by Thucydides, or by tracing the footsteps of that most unlucky of all navigators, the hero of the Odyssey. He will find no diffi culty in fixing upon the scene of his shipwreck, and of his encounter with the fair Nausicaa. The descriptions of the poet will satisfactorily prove that his powers of vision were in full vigour when he visited the island, and that, when he sung or wrote, his memory retained untarnished the treasures with which it had been stored before the bright face of nature had been veiled from them.

When I was last here, it was impracticable to travel in the interior of the island otherwise than on horseback or on foot. A carriage-road lead- FORTIFICATIONS. 5 ing from the capital had been commenced, but was completed to the distance of only a few miles. The island is now intersected by excel lent roads in various directions. Since then has also been conveyed into the interior of the town an abundant supply of excellent water — a boon which in this climate is beyond all price. For both these works, of such vital inrportance to their comfort and welfare, the inhabitants are indebted to their former excellent governor, Sir Frederick Adam, whose name is justly held in high veneration by them. When he presided over their destinies, they appeared at times to think that he curbed them rather too severely ; but they now acknowledge that he was their best friend and protector, and that he had warmly at heart the welfare of the islands committed to his care.

The works which he left behind him will remain as lasting testimonies of the wisdom of his views, and of his vigour in carrying them into effect. The government is now occupied in the con struction of works of a very different nature — viz., of fortifications on the island of Vido ; in DEFENCES OF THE VENETIANS. the island would perhaps be a more correct ex pression, for the very bowels of the rock are converted into a fortress. As the island com mands every approach to the city by sea, as well as the city itself, it will be equally efficient to protect or to overawe, as the case may require. Part of the landward defences of the city, raised by the Venetians, are in progress of demolition. Whether this be not a hasty measure, as there are many parts of the island where a landing might be effected, or whether it be not one rendered imperative by the great extent of the for tifications, to man which would have required a much more numerous garrison than England has ever retained here, is a question which I am not competent to discuss.

However this may be, the casual visiter will scarcely contemplate the work of demolition without a feeling of regret. The defences of the Venetians have been so solidly put together, that to dismantle them appears to recjuire an expenditure of labour almost as great as that which must have been bestowed on their construction. I do not remember anything which strikes a traveller in the Levant more forcibly than the extent and solidity of the fortifications which have been left by these " republicans" on the shores and islands of the Mediterranean. Those which still exist in this island, in Candia, and in the Morea, would seem to have been created by the resources of a great empire, rather than by those of a state of such limited extent as was that of Venice, even in her most prosperous days.

They will excite his admiration yet more if he has visited that " lone city of the waters" in its present melancholy state of decay ; and possibly, though he may not approve all the deeds which were sanctioned by the Lion of St. Mark, in the days when the Venetian banner scarce brooked a rival on the waters of the Mediterranean, these monuments of her past grandeur and enterprise may excite some sympathy for her fallen con dition. Before I left Italy, it was well known that an extensively ramified conspiracy had been dis covered in Greece, the ostensible object of which was the conversion of the sovereign to the Greek faith ; hence its title of Philorthodox Conspiracy. And it was predicted to me by my friends that I should find that country in a state of anarchy and confusion. I am informed here that, in consequence of its timely discovery, no outbreak has taken place, and that its chief promoters have been placed in arrest.

Among them are named a Capo dTstria, an Ionian physician named Mavrojanni, and my old com mander, Colocotroni. I am informed also that many of the Septinsulars have been discovered to be affiliated to the " Hetareia" by which (pro bably the unconscious instrument of foreign projects) this ill-advised plot was concocted. Certain restrictions have in consequence been laid upon the intercourse with the neighbouring kingdom, and arrests have taken place in several of the islands. At Zante, the papers of Count Roma were seized by the resident in a very sum mary manner, and subjected to rigorous scru tiny. In Cephalonia, four priests, who, in their sermons, had held out that it was the intention of the government to change the religion of the people, were arrested, and afterwards exiled to a neighbouring rocky island.

The arrest, at THE IONIANS. 9 Athens, of Mavrojanni, who is accused of being deeply implicated in the conspiracy, renders it probable that the precautionary measures taken here were not uncalled for. Speaking the same language, and professing the same religious faith as the inhabitants of Greece Proper, it is not surprising that the Ionians should have sympathized with designs which they were taught to look upon as sacred, however perni cious or impracticable they might in reality be. There exists among the Ionians a longing, if not a lingering hope to be one day united under the same government with their brethren in the Morea. Whether they would be gainers by the exchange at present is somewhat questionable; but it is to be hoped that the lapse of a few years will work such changes at Athens as will justify this " longing," on the score of policy and good government, not less than on that of identity of religion and of language.

I con fess that as a quondam Philhellene, I myself en tertain a " lingering hope" that, at some not very distant period, it may enter into the policy of Great Britain to countenance such an acqui- CORFU. sition of territory and power by the monarchy created under her auspices, as will not merely enable it to lighten the burdens which now press heavily on a scanty and impoverished population, but place it in a position to become an effective ally in opposing aggressions from the north. Greece, whatever may be the personal sym pathies of its rulers, must of necessity court the alliance of the maritime power which is para mount in the Mediterranean. Corfu was taken possession of by the Vene tians, in 1401, in virtue of its cession to the Republic by Ladislaus, king of Naples. Vigorous efforts were made to dispossess them in 1537-8, by Sultan Solyman, and in 1716 by Achmet the Third, which they successfully resisted.

The French took possession of the island in 1797, and were replaced by the allied Turks and Russians in 1798. The following year, the Turks, under General Berthier, became masters of it, and so remained until 1814, when it was surrendered to the British. Patras, Feb. 21. — We had a splendid sail yes ter-afternoon through the canal of Corfu and MISSOLONGHI. between the island of Paxos and Parga, of heroic but " untoward" celebrity. Night closed in before we were in sight of the Cape which the ill-fated Sappho chose as an antidote to her un requited passion. At daybreak we were paddling across the waters on which the great battle of Lepanto was fought, and had in view the small town of Missolonghi— - a name which will be scarcely less venerated for its connexion with the closing scene of the life of the great poet of modern times, than for the brilliant exploits of the band of devoted patriots of which it was the theatre.

The battle of Lepanto was fought in 1571, and the united navies of southern Europe, led by a hero, and manned by veterans in whose bosoms military ardour was exalted by religious zeal, were then a barely efficient barrier to the progress of Ottoman conquest. Three centuries and a half afterwards, the armies and the fleets of the same power were baffled by a small body of resolute men, sheltered only by mud walls ! At this period, after several ineffectual attempts to carry Missolonghi by assault, the commander of the Ottoman forces sent a flag of truce to treat PATRAS. for the surrender of the place, proposing not only that the garrison should march out with their arms and baggage, but that a large sum of money should be paid down to them on its evacuation. The answer is deserving of record : — 'Hyri tou MzaaXoyyiou Eivai Zyi/aoiaev-ti /ae ai/Aa xai 2ia ttapaoES oev ayopa^ETat — " The soil of Missolonghi is kneaded with blood, and is not to be purchased with gold."

I ask pardon for a digression suggested by a view which embraces at once the scene of the exploits of Don John of Austria, and of the more humble but not less heroic champions of Suli and of Modern Greece. Our approach to Patras was retarded by a stiff breeze from the eastward, and by the cur rent which sets out of the Gulf of Lepanto, the entrance of which was shrouded from us by a heavy bank of clouds, stretching from shore to shore, and so dark and massive as to seem a por tion of the mountains on which they rested. We did not come to anchor in Patras Road until about eleven a.m., and for an hour or two were prevented going on shore by a deluge of rain. PATRAS. Even under such unfavourable circumstances the town had a cheerful and pleasing appearance, the white buildings, of which the streets near the landing-place are composed, forming an agreeable contrast with the dark walls of the castle, which stands on an eminence behind.

The castle is an irregular, rambling pile of forti fications, in which bastion and turret are mingled in a manner which is more consistent with picturesque effect than with the precepts of Vau ban. It is in a very dilapidated state, and being commanded by the heights beyond, could not be long held out against a regular attack. During the revolutionary war, it was, however, for a considerable time, maintained by the Turks against the desultory attacks of the irregular soldiery of the Morea. The Greeks made them selves masters of the town at the outset of the struggle, and afterwards made more than one attempt to carry the castle by assault. Being unsupported by effective artillery, they were driven back with heavy loss. Subsequently they were also more than once obliged to abandon possession of the town, which thus, being the PATRAS. scene of renewed contests, was reduced to a heap of ruins.

The castle was taken by escalade in 1378, by the united forces of the Venetians and of the Knights of St. John, under the command of the Grand Master Juan Fernandez de Herrera. The Grand Master, when attempting subsequently to obtain possession of Corinth, was made prisoner by the Turks, and detained in captivity three years. On landing, I was gratified to find that the town realized, on a nearer approach, the promise which it held out at a distance. The streets are wide and well-drawn, and many excellent houses have already been built, and others of the same class are in progress of construction. The streets, it is true, are not yet paved, and the houses re cently built or building are mixed up with cabins and huts which barely shelter their inmates from the inclemency of the weather ; but there is, not withstanding these inconsistencies, an air of prosperity about the whole, and of activity and industry in the bazaars, which cannot fail to be consolatory to those who have been spectators of the scenes of misery and desolation which this NAVARINO. and every other town of the Morea exhibited during the revolutionary struggle.

The flourish ing aspect of this town is more particularly gra tifying when it is borne in mind that its heroic archbishop (Germanos) was the first captain of the Sons of the Hellenes. The rich plains which lie between it and Cape Papa have furnished the materials for its rapid restoration. Near to the Mole are two very respectable inns. Feb. 22. — Having taken in a supply of coals, we got out to sea at 9 p.m. yester-evening. At daybreak this morning we encountered sharp squalls and a heavy sea off Cape Corella. Several sail were in sight, standing to the southward under press of canvas, all of which were soon left far astern by the steaming Arciduca. The weather being bright and clear, we had an excel lent view of both entrances of the port of Nava rino, and of the island Sphacteria, which, as its name indicates, has so often been the field of combat and of slaughter.