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Letters and Journals of 
 Samuel Gridley Howe 
 
 Vol. /. 
 The Greek Revolution 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 . The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924092568298 
 
Portrait oj Samuel Gridley Howe 
 
 From Painting by Miss Jane Stuart, daughter of CJilbert Stuart 
 
Letters and Journals of 
 Samuel Gridley^owe 
 
 Edited by his daughter 
 
 LAURA E. RICHARDS 
 
 Cl^e ©reefi Eebolutton 
 
 fVith notes and a preface by 
 
 F. B. SANBORN 
 
 BOSTON : DANA ESTES & COMPANY 
 LONDON: JOHN LANE 
 
^'^ 
 
 Copyright, igob 
 
 By Dana Estes & Company 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 Entered at Stationers' Hall 
 
 Copyright, October i8, i(p6 
 
 COLONIAL PRESS 
 
 EUciroiyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds &' Co. 
 
 Boston, U.S.A. 
 
TO MY MOTHER 
 
 STuIta Wuti Ipoine 
 
The Hero 
 
 " O for a knight like Bayard, 
 Without reproach or fear ; 
 My light glove on his casque of steel, 
 My love-knot on his spear ! 
 
 " O for the white plume floating 
 Sad Zutphen's field above, — 
 The lion heart in battle, 
 The woman's heart in love ! 
 
 " O that man once more were manly, 
 Woman's pride, and not her scorn ; 
 That once more the pale young mother 
 Dared to boast ' a man is bom ! ' 
 
 " But now life's slumberous current 
 No sun-bowed cascade wakes ; 
 No tall, heroic manhood 
 The level dulness breaks. 
 
 " O for a knight like Bayard, 
 Without reproach or fear ! 
 My light glove on his casque of steel, 
 My love-knot on his spear ! " 
 
 Then I said, my own heart throbbing 
 To the time her proud pulse beat, 
 " Life hath its regal natures yet, — 
 True, tender, brave, and sweet ! 
 
viii The Hero 
 
 " Smile not, fair unbeliever ! 
 One man, at least, I know 
 Who might wear the crest of Bayard 
 Or Sidney's plume of snow. 
 
 " Once, when over purple mountains 
 Died away the Grecian sun, 
 And the far Cyllenian ranges 
 
 Paled and darkened, one by one, — 
 
 « Fell the Turk, a bolt of thunder. 
 Cleaving all the qui|et sky, 
 And against his sharp steel lightnings 
 Stood the Suliote but to die. 
 
 " Woe for the weak and halting ! 
 The crescent blazed behind 
 A curving line of sabres. 
 Like fire before the wind ! 
 
 " Last to fly and first to rally. 
 Rode he of whom I speak. 
 When, groaning, in his bridle-path 
 Sank down a wounded Greek. 
 
 •' With the rich Albanian costume 
 Wet with many a ghasdy stain, 
 Gazing on earth and sky as one 
 Who might not gaze again ! 
 
 " He looked forward to the mountains, 
 Back on foes that never spare, 
 Then flung him from his saddle, 
 And placed the stranger there. 
 
 " ' Allah ! hu ! ' Through flashing sabres, 
 Through a stormy hail of lead, 
 The good Thessalian charger 
 Up the slopes of olives sped. 
 
The Hero ix 
 
 " Hot spurred the turbaned riders ; 
 He almost felt their breath, 
 Where a mountain stream rolled darkly down 
 Between the hills and death. 
 
 «« One brave and manful struggle, — 
 He gained the solid land, 
 And the cover of the mountains, 
 And the carbines of his band ! " 
 
 «' It was very great and noble," 
 
 Said the moist-eyed listener then, 
 " But one brave deed makes no hero ; 
 
 Tell me what he since hath been ! " 
 
 " Still a brave and generous manhood. 
 Still an honour without stain. 
 In the prison of the Kaiser, 
 By the barricades of Seine. 
 
 " But dream not helm and harness 
 The sign of valour true ; 
 Peace hath higher tests of manhood 
 Than battle ever knew. 
 
 « Wouldst know him now ? Behold him, 
 The Cadmus of the blind. 
 Giving the dumb lip language, 
 The idiot clay a mind. 
 
 " Walking his round of duty 
 Serenely day by day, 
 With the strong man's hand of labour 
 And childhood's heart of play. 
 
 " True as the knights of story. 
 Sir Lancelot and his peers, 
 Brave in his calm endurance 
 As they in tilt of spears. 
 
X The Hero 
 
 " As waves in stillest waters, 
 As stars in noonday skies, 
 All that wakes to noble action 
 In his noon of calmness lies. 
 
 " Wherever outraged Nature 
 Asks word or action brave, 
 Wherever struggles labour, 
 Wherever groans a slave, — 
 
 " Wherever rise the peoples, 
 Wherever sinks a throne, 
 The throbbing heart of Freedom finds 
 An answer in his own. 
 
 " Knight of a better era. 
 
 Without reproach or fear ! 
 Said I not well that Bayards 
 And Sidneys still are here ? " 
 
 — John Greenleaf Whittier. 
 
Introduction 
 
 It is a pleasure to comply with the wish of Mrs. Richards 
 that I should preface her biography of my ancient friend 
 Doctor Howe, with some remarks about the Greek Revolu- 
 tion of 182 1—30, which first gave him the opportunity to de- 
 velop, on the stage of active life, those traits of genius and 
 practical good sense which made him, in the years of my ac- 
 quaintance with him, the leading philanthropist of America. 
 He was not, as a person but slightly gifted in reading char- 
 acter said of Howe, "a born revolutionist," but a born 
 philanthropist, and well aware that the service of mankind 
 often requires political revolutions. That begun in Greece 
 eighty-five years ago, like that of Paris in 1 830, and that 
 culminating in our American Civil War, — in all which Doc- 
 tor Howe bore a manly part, — were distinctly in the 
 interest of mankind, and promoted a higher and better 
 civilization. 
 
 In the case of Greece, historic associations and the 
 genius of Byron gave a romantic tinge to the warfare 
 against the Turks and their Egyptian mercenaries, with 
 whom Howe fought in 1825. But the sound practical 
 results of the Greek emancipation have fully justified 
 Howe's enthusiastic devotion to the cause throughout his 
 life of seventy-four years. Those who now speak the 
 Greek language in all parts of the earth are but eight or ten 
 millions; and of those less than 2,500,000 dwell in free 
 Greece. Yet the sympathies and the wealth of the whole 
 Greek race go to the expansion or the enrichment of the 
 little kingdom ; and it has held its own and gone on grow- 
 ing ever since the fleets of England, France, and Russia 
 
xii Introduction 
 
 won for its decimated people the sea-fight of Navarino, 
 which Wellington termed "an untoward event." Time 
 has negatived his description: Greek independence has 
 harmed no nation but the Turkish, and it will in time turn 
 them out of Europe, and regain more of the ancient lands 
 of Hellas. The wrangles of unchristian sects among 
 nations nominally Christian had allowed Mohammedans to 
 acquire all the earliest Christian lands ; and it was not till 
 the nineteenth century that Christendom began slowly to 
 recover what had been taken away in the Levant during the 
 centuries of Moslem conquest. The first considerable prize 
 wrested from the Turkish Sultan in Europe was the small 
 nucleus of the present kingdom of Greece, which by 1829 
 had been assured to the Greek Christians by the churlish 
 and jealous monarchies of Europe. And justly thus as- 
 sured ; for the strength of the Greek cause was originally 
 in the orthodox national Church. It was parochical Chris- 
 tianity, localizing and fortifying the national spirit, which 
 gave the people their early savage successes against the 
 Turks in the revolt of 1821. How far this revolt was 
 from the mild wisdom of Franklin and Washington, now so 
 much esteemed in Greece, may be seen from the early en- 
 couragement given to it by Ali Pasha of Janina. This 
 cruel despot was the first active promoter of the uprising, 
 outside of the Greek race itself, and he is still reckoned 
 by many Greek writers as one of the heroes of their Rev- 
 olution. The courage and capacity of Ali were never 
 questioned ; his arduous and bloody rise to power gave him 
 the opportunity, and his dubious position between the Porte 
 and the enslaved Greeks furnished the selfish motive in pav- 
 ing the way, as he did, for the Greek Revolution. Had 
 there been no Ali Pasha, there might have been no revolu- 
 tion until the general European commotion of 1 848-49 ; 
 
Introduction xiii 
 
 had he made himself independent of the Porte, as his 
 Albanian compatriot, Mehemet Ali, did in Egypt, there 
 would have been no free Greece in their time, for he would 
 have replaced its numerous tyrants by his own shrewder 
 despotism. As it was, he not only trained several of the 
 Greek captains (Odysseus in particular), but set them the 
 example of revolt, and gave them the opening for victory 
 by his prolonged resistance to the Sultan's armies. 
 
 Rising gradually from one grade of power to another, 
 Ali of Tepeleni had become, by the time of the French 
 Revolution, the most powerful Pasha of his native Albania, 
 — winning the favour of the Porte by suppressing refractory 
 Beys and drawing power into his own unscrupulous hands 
 as viceroy of the Sultan. Ambitious to govern in his own 
 name, he did so for some years, with an appearance of 
 equity and a patronage of Christians, which won favour in 
 Western Europe, and finally made Sultan Mahmoud his foe. 
 In 1820 he declared Ali a traitor and sent an army against 
 him and his flourishing capital, Janina. Ali had the address 
 to call to his aid the brave Suliotes, whom he had conquered 
 and expelled from their country ; and the Suliotes, in turn, 
 aUied themselves with the Greek Christians, who had long 
 planned a revolt. This war of Ali went on, with varying 
 fortunes, until the early spring of 1 82 1 saw the Greeks of the 
 Danubian Principalities and of the Peloponnesus in full re- 
 volt. In the Principalities, now Roumania and Bulgaria, 
 they were soon suppressed, but in Greece, aided by the 
 stand of Ali in Albania, they became formidable. By the 
 time Ali was assassinated, in February, 1822, the strong- 
 holds of the Turks in Southern Greece were mainly in the 
 hands of Greeks, with the exception of Nauplia, Patras, 
 Modon, and a few others ; and Nauplia soon yielded. Kolo- 
 kotrones, the old Klepht, Petro Bey Mavromichali, and 
 
xiv Introduction 
 
 Odysseus were the army leaders; the Greek navy was 
 ranging the seas in defiance of the inactive Turkish fleet, 
 and was preparing for those extraordinary sea-fights which 
 eventually cost the Turks almost their whole navy. Thus 
 the capacity and treachery of Ali practically ensured the 
 Greeks their first success. 
 
 But this success stimulated rivalries and selfish ambitions 
 among the captains, and the death, at a few months' in- 
 terval, of Marco Botzaris at Karpenisi (August 22d, 1823) 
 and of Byron at Missolonghi (April 19th, 1824), deprived 
 Greece of two leaders who could together have united or 
 controlled the waywardness of the chieftains, soon quarrel- 
 ling with each other and fomenting civil war. Hardly was 
 Byron in his coffin than his uneasy friend, Trelawny, was 
 posting off from Missolonghi to the cave of Odysseus on 
 Parnassus, with cannon and ammunition to fortify that cap- 
 tain against his rivals, and soon after (August, 1824) was 
 denouncing Byron in abusive terms. In his letter from 
 the cave (May 27th, 1824) Trelawny wrote to George Fin- 
 lay, then with Odysseus: 
 
 "I trust you are still with my captain. I arrived here 
 yesterday with a splendid suite and fifty-five horses loaded 
 with stores for Odysseus, — a small brigade of mountain- 
 guns, three hundred of flannel cartridges and grape-shot, 
 and twenty picked artillerymen, accompanied by a Captain 
 Fenton, an approved good artillery oflScer. He was chief 
 engineer to General Mina, — that's enough, — and to seal 
 all he is a Scotchman of the right good sort, — independent, 
 will do anything, and wants nothing in payment. . . . Tell 
 O. I will get lots of powder and otherwise attend to his 
 proper interests, as by that means I am best serving 
 Greece, — so I think. I want to complete some plans for 
 rendering this cave the most beautiful as well as strongest 
 
Introduction xv 
 
 fortress in the world. I have Gilo with me, and all the 
 tools and necessary things to do everything. . . . Do your 
 utmost to get immediate supplies for Odysseus. I want 
 him to defend Thermopylae, and Fenton, Gilo, and myself 
 to fortify it. Don't let him take any Germans, — they are 
 all charlatans." 
 
 A little more than a year later (June 5th, 1825) this 
 same Fenton plotted to murder Trelawny in the cave, just 
 before the murder of Odysseus in Athens by his former lieu- 
 tenant, Gouras. Doctor Howe gives some account of this 
 piece of treachery, and of the young Englishman, Whit- 
 comb, who fired the shot intended to kill Trelawny, but 
 from the effect of which he gradually recovered. He was 
 seen at Athens by Eugene de Villeneuve, July 30th, 1825, 
 and by Sir Emerson Tennent at Smyrna, August 13th. 
 The latter says : 
 
 "This day arrived at Smyrna the corvette Sparrow- 
 hawk, with Mr. Trelawny and his wife on board, — Cap- 
 tain Stuart having succeeded in effecting their rescue, 
 after with difificulty prevailing on Gouras to grant them an 
 exit from the cave, — still in the hands of Odysseus' wife 
 and her adherents." 
 
 Villeneuve says : 
 
 "I saw Trelawny at Athens; he was accompanied by 
 his wife, hardly fourteen years old, but lovely as an angel. 
 It was when Odysseus was proscribed and a fugitive that 
 he married this sister; she spoke English with surprising 
 facility. Trelawny told me the story of Fenton and his 
 wounds; he said he would go to Zante to be healed com- 
 pletely. Then he would return to the cavern, which he 
 never meant to abandon till he could bring away from it 
 his treasure, his friends, and the rest of his wife's family." 
 
 He never did this, for soon after the widow of Odysseus 
 
xvi Introduction 
 
 gave up the fortress, and was allowed to live quietly in 
 Greece ; her son Leonidas was sent to the military school of 
 King Ludwig in Bavaria, and died at Munich of cholera in 
 1832. In 1865 Helen Kareli, the widow of Odysseus, re- 
 moved the bones of her husband from his rude grave at 
 the foot of the Acropolis wall in Athens to the great cem- 
 etery across the Ilissus, — first holding a fxmeral service 
 for him at the Metropolitan Church, forty years after his 
 murder. She was buried beside him in 1 879. Trelawny 
 outlived her, as she outlived Doctor Howe, spending the 
 last fifty years of his wild life in America and England 
 mostly; finally his ashes were buried beside Shelley's at 
 Rome. 
 
 Odysseus commanded the Acropolis and governed 
 Athens when Howe landed at Monembasia, and his enemy, 
 Mavrocordatos, was in power, in the Peloponnesus, under 
 the central government, which had at times very Uttle power 
 and almost no money. George Finlay, who at first sided 
 with Odysseus, presently joined the party of Mavrocordatos, 
 and became intimate with Doctor Howe. Finlay's friend 
 Dr. Julius Millingen, of whom Howe speaks in his jour- 
 nal, soon gave up the Greek cause, took service for a time 
 with Ibrahim Pasha, and afterward practised medicine in 
 Smyrna and Constantinople. With Howe's associate in 
 the colony at Hexamilia, David Urquhart, and with George 
 Finlay at Athens, Doctor Millingen, according to his son 
 Frederick (Osman Bey), formed a cabal in the Anglo-Turkish 
 interest, some years after 1835; and they were correspond- 
 ents of the London Times and allies of Sir Stratford Can- 
 ning in his diplomatic career at Constantinople.' Howe's 
 acquaintance with Urquhart faded out, but he continued 
 his friendship with Finlay, although they differed on many 
 
 • See " Les Anglais en Orient," by Osman Bey 
 
Introduction xvii 
 
 points touching the Greek character and policy. At a sale 
 of some of the effects of Byron in Poros, Howe, Miller, and 
 Finlay were present, and Howe obtained the poet's helmet, 
 while Colonel Miller had the gold-mounted sword. Mil- 
 ler, of whom Howe makes frequent mention, returned to 
 America in 1826, and was living at Montpelier, Vt., when the 
 Greek Committee of New York requested him to take charge 
 of supplies amounting to nearly ^50,000 in value, collected 
 in New York and New England for the poor Greeks, and 
 soon to be sent out in three vessels. Colonel Miller did so, 
 and sailed from New York in the Chancellor, March i ith, 
 1827, arriving at Nauplia May 23d. There Doctor Howe 
 met him, and was engaged by Colonel Miller to aid in the 
 distribution of the supplies. How this was done the fol- 
 lowing pages will show. Colonel Miller reached Boston on 
 his homeward journey, May 20th, 1828, and there again 
 found Doctor Howe, who had returned home to raise 
 money and obtain further supplies, in which he had much 
 success. Howe then hastily printed his "History of the 
 Greek Revolution " and went back to Greece, where he 
 founded the colony several times mentioned in this volume. 
 He could not revisit it in 1832, because of his imprisonment 
 in Berlin; but he did so twice afterward, — in 1844 and 
 1867. 
 
 Every reader must be impressed, as I have been, with 
 the genius, resource, good sense, and chivalry of this 
 young Bostonian, in the varied and exacting services which 
 he could render to the cause of liberty and philanthropy 
 in the eight years covered by these journals and letters. 
 His diction is not always classical, his knowledge not always 
 exact; but his head is clear and his heart in the right 
 place, — his hands skilful always to do what is needful at 
 the time. As Thoreau said of Osawatomie Brown, "He 
 
xviii Introduction 
 
 would have left a Greek accent slanted the wrong way, 
 and righted up a fallen man." And the effect of the 
 whole is that of a romance of knighthood. 
 
 F. B. Sanborn. 
 Concord, July 4, 1906. 
 
Contents 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 The Hero vii 
 
 Introduction xi 
 
 I. Introductory 1 1 
 
 II. Greece in Revolution 21 
 
 III. Guerrilla Warfare 52 
 
 IV. Kolokotrones and Ypsilanti : Fight at the 
 
 Mills 69 
 
 V. Hydra and the British Navy .... 84 
 
 VI. The Cretan Failure 114 
 
 VII. The Fall of Missolonghi 160 
 
 VIII. With the Fleet 186 
 
 IX. The Siege of Athens — Doctor Howe under 
 
 Fire 200 
 
 X. Beginning of Philanthropic Work . . . 220 
 
 XI. Travel and Distribution 247 
 
 XII. The First Crusade 274 
 
 XIII. Return to Greece 283 
 
 XIV. "The American Mole" 305 
 
 XV. Corinth 347 
 
 XVI. Transition 368 
 
 XVII. Poland and Prussia 390 
 
 Doctor Howe 
 
Letters and Journals of 
 Samuel Gridley Howe 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY 
 
 The story of my father's life has twice been briefly 
 told ; first by my mother, in a memoir written in 1876, for 
 the special purpose of printing in raised type for the use 
 of the blind, and again in 1891 by Mr. F. B. Sanborn, in 
 the series of " Lives of American Reformers." More re- 
 cently, my sisters have published a volume dealing with 
 my father's work among the blind, and especially with his 
 education of Laura Bridgman. 
 
 All these volumes have necessarily been limited in scope, 
 and the full story of this many-sided life is still to be told. 
 This can best be accomplished in his own words, and 
 therefore the present volume is compiled from his jour- 
 nals and letters, never before printed, with only so much 
 narrative as may be necessary to supply missing links. 
 
 The Howes are a numerous race, to be found wherever 
 we find the Anglo-Saxon. In this country all of the name 
 seem to have descended from James and Abraham Howe 
 of Roxbury, admitted freemen in 1637-38 ; from Daniel 
 and Edward Howe of Lynn, and from John Howe, who 
 came to Sudbury in 1638. 
 
12 Samuel Gridley Howe 
 
 The name is met with in every rank and every profes- 
 sion ; Howes have led armies, governed cities and dioceses, 
 invented sewing-machines, kept taverns. They have been 
 known as honest, sturdy, industrious people, remarkable 
 for a certain hard-headed shrewdness and caution ; as a 
 race, not perhaps remarkable for anything else (in spite 
 of the above-mentioned governings and inventings), unless 
 it be a singular likeness of physiognomy. Now and then 
 I meet a man with straight, clear-cut features, keen eyes, 
 and thin, close-shut lips ; most often his hair is sandy, but 
 not by any means always. His name may be Jones or 
 Robinson, but if I say to him, " You have Howe blood ! " 
 he is safe to answer " I have ! " 
 
 A portrait of the late Bishop Howe of Rhode Island, 
 taken in middle life, is a speaking likeness of my Uncle 
 Joseph, my father's elder brother ; yet the relationship be- 
 tween these two branches of the family is too remote to 
 trace. 
 
 I read in the record of the Howe Family Gathering, at 
 South Framingham, in 1871, that "so far as known, but 
 one of them " (the New England Howes) " was ever exe- 
 cuted for a crime, and that was Mrs. Elizabeth Howe of 
 Ipswich, hung for witchcraft in 1692." The chronicler 
 adds : " but her virtues, just as those of her great Master, 
 sanctified the altar ; and her name, now as the mists of 
 superstition break away, becomes illustrious." 
 
 Honest, thrifty, capable, unremarkable ; thus (in spite 
 of many notable exceptions) we may class the Howes at 
 large. Now and then, though, something flashes through 
 the strain, as if a diamond had caught in the shuttle of the 
 weaving Fates; or, to change the metaphor, among the 
 respectable egg-laying barn-door fowls appears now and 
 then a black swan. Such an one was my father ; and I 
 would wager something that his grandfather, Edward 
 
Introductory 13 
 
 Compston Howe, who was one of the " Indians " of the 
 Boston Tea Party, was a black swan, a dark-haired Howe. 
 I may add that when my mother heard of this ancestor and 
 his exploit, she exclaimed, " Doctor Howe is explained ! " 
 And I like to fancy the skylarking patriot with something 
 of my father's eagle look ; the Uthe, erect figure, the noble 
 head with its profusion of jet-black hair, the eyes of blue 
 fire, which were yet the tenderest in the world, the whole 
 presence like the flash of a sword. 
 
 Most of the dark Howes have brown or black eyes, but 
 my father's eyes took their colour from those of his mother, 
 Patty Gridley; and on this side he could claim distin- 
 guished descent, for his mother was of the family of Jeremy 
 and Richard Gridley, the former attorney-general of the 
 royal province of Massachusetts Bay, and the latter a gal- 
 lant soldier and engineer, who served at the taking of 
 Louisburg in 1745, fortified Bunker Hill the night before 
 the battle, and, under Washington's orders, aided in pre- 
 paring the siege-works which finally drove the British 
 from Boston. 
 
 My father, Samuel Gridley Howe, second son of Joseph 
 Neals and Patty (Gridley) Howe, was born in Pearl Street, 
 Boston, on November loth, 1801. His mother was a 
 woman of great beauty, and of lovely and sympathetic 
 nature, and though she died while my father was a very 
 young man, he worshipped her memory all his life long, 
 and never failed to speak of her as one of the strongest 
 and best influences of his life. He used often to tell us 
 how, when he was a little fellow, playing among the floating 
 ice-cakes in the Back Bay (a most congenial and charac- 
 teristic sport), he fell into the water and narrowly escaped 
 drowning, but was rescued, and brought dripping into his 
 father's office hard by. My grandfather was of the sandy 
 and cautious type of Howes, and had little sympathy with 
 
14 Samuel Gridley Howe 
 
 adventure. "Go home," he said, "and tell your mother 
 to whip you ! " 
 
 " I went home," my father used to say, " but my mother 
 did not whip me ! " and we felt in his voice the tenderness 
 of her caress. 
 
 His father was a maker of ropes and cordage, and had 
 a large ropewalk near the site of the present Public Gar- 
 den. This business was at one time extremely profit- 
 able, and my grandfather prospered in it ; but in the War of 
 1 8 12 he had the misfortune to supply the United States gov- 
 ernment with large quantities of ropes and cordage, for which 
 he was never paid ; and from these heavy losses he never 
 recovered. Grandfather Howe was strongly democratic in 
 his principles, and sent the boy to the grammar school, 
 " that his life might be rooted in the common ground with 
 his fellow citizens." In 1812 my father entered the Bos- 
 ton Latin School, where he met with rough and cruel 
 treatment. The principal belonged to a class of head- 
 masters now seldom met with, in this country at least, the 
 class that gives pain for the pleasure of giving it. One 
 day my father was called up to be feruled for some slight 
 offence; and the master, probably seeing something not 
 wholly submissive in the child's demeanour, told him that 
 he was "going to make him cry." He did not succeed, 
 though the little hand was beaten nearly to a jelly. 
 
 So far as I can remember, my father had no pleasant 
 memories of his school-days. Boston was a hotbed of 
 faction in those days, and there was fierce feud between 
 the Democrats and the Federalists. There were only two 
 or three of the former in the school, and my father was 
 one of them. One day the Federalist boys seized the 
 Democrats, and threatened to flog them unless they would 
 abjure their opinions and join the party of their persecu- 
 tors. One of the little boys, terrified, yielded and com- 
 
Introductory 1 5 
 
 plied ; but my father stood out, and was hustled through 
 the passageway and flung headlong down the stairs, the 
 head-master looking on with no sign of disapproval. 
 
 Spite of these and other trials, my father learned his 
 lessons and passed the required time in the school, and in 
 due time was ready for college. Harvard was strongly 
 Federalist, and no son of my grandfather's should go there. 
 These were hard times in the family, and only one of the 
 three boys could be sent to college; my grandfather's 
 method of deciding among the three was characteristic of 
 the man. Calling them up before him, he opened the big 
 Family Bible, and bade each in turn read a chapter aloud. 
 "The one who reads best," he said, "shall go to college." 
 
 Probably there was little doubt as to the choice, for my 
 father was always an admirable reader ; at all events, it 
 fell upon him. Joseph went into business, Edward to sea, 
 while Samuel entered Brown University, in 18 18, in the 
 seventeenth year of his age. 
 
 My father always spoke of his college days with a curi- 
 ous mixture of real regret and humorous pleasure. He 
 was truly sorry that he had not studied harder, had not 
 turned to better account the precious years whose value he 
 came to know so well in later life ; and yet — he had had 
 such a " good time ! " He was born with a passion and a 
 talent for practical joking, which never left him through 
 life; and he gave full swing to both during the years at 
 Providence. It could not be helped. The very ardour of 
 temperament which led him on from scrape to scrape was 
 that which later was to carry him through fire and water, 
 to sustain him — 
 
 " In the prison of the Kaiser, 
 By the barricades of Seine." 
 
 But the college authorities could not be expected to under- 
 stand this. When the president's horse was led up to the 
 
1 6 Samuel Gridley Howe 
 
 very top of one of the college buildings and left there over- 
 night, or when ink was squirted through a keyhole at a 
 too curious tutor whose eye happened to be on the other 
 side, the authorities only felt that here was a naughty lad 
 who was getting himself and others into trouble, and 
 bringing discredit upon the college; and Sam Howe was 
 rusticated once and again. 
 
 These were what he in later life called "monkey shines." 
 He regretted them, as I have said, but there was no keep- 
 ing the twinkle out of his eye, as he told how funny the 
 old horse looked, stretching his meek head out of the 
 fourth-story window, and whinnying mournfully to his 
 amazed master passing below. 
 
 Many years after, my father, being in Providence at 
 Commencement time, went to call on his old president, 
 Doctor Messer, then living in retirement, for the express 
 purpose of apologizing to him for the " monkey shines." 
 The old gentleman received him with a look of alarm, and 
 motioning him to a chair, took his own seat at some dis- 
 tance, and kept a wary eye on his former pupil. My 
 father began his apology, but Doctor Messer interrupted 
 him. 
 
 "I declare, Howe," he cried, moving his chair still 
 further back, " I am afraid of you now ! I'm afraid there 
 will be a torpedo under my chair before I know it." 
 
 My father used to tell this story with great gusto ; and 
 he was apt to follow it with another, telling us how, some 
 years after leaving college, he chanced to meet an old 
 classmate, who exclaimed, " You must be Sam Howe ! " 
 
 " I am his son ! " said my father, quietly. 
 
 " His son ! " cried the poor man. " Good heavens ! I 
 must be an old fellow indeed, if Sam Howe can have a son 
 as old as you are." 
 
 Another classmate, Doctor Caswell (himself at one time 
 
Introductory 1 7 
 
 president of Brown University), has thus described my 
 father's personality in his college days : 
 
 " He was a mere stripling, but nature had been gener- 
 ous in giving him an attractive physique. He was of 
 middling height, slender in form, erect, agile, and elastic 
 in his movements. With fine features, a fresh, pink com- 
 plexion, a keen blue eye, full of purpose and meaning, and 
 of mirth as well, with open, frank, and genial manners, he 
 could not fail to win the kind regard of his youthful com- 
 panions. He showed mental capabilities which would nat- 
 urally fit him for fine scholarship. His mind was quick, 
 versatile, and inventive. I do not think he was deficient 
 in logical power, but the severer studies did not seem to 
 be congenial to him. In all practical matters he saw in- 
 tuitively and at a glance what was the best thing to be 
 done. In any strait or difficulty, or any sudden emergency 
 of danger, if there was any possible way of escape, nobody 
 need inform him what it was. Before anybody else had 
 time to think, his plan was formed." 
 
 The last sentence shows that Doctor Caswell knew my 
 father well. This flash of vision, with the act follow- 
 ing instantly, was one of the things that marked him 
 through life. His lightnings always struck, though often 
 no thunder was heard. Many instances of this quality 
 will appear in these pages, but I cannot refrain from quot- 
 ing here two anecdotes which I have already told else- 
 where.' One is a story my mother used to tell us, of a 
 time when she and my father, with my sister Julia, then 
 an infant, were travelling in Italy in vettura. One day 
 they stopped at the door of an inn, and my father went 
 in to make some inquiries. While he was gone, the driver 
 saw his opportunity to slip in at the side door to get a 
 glass of wine ; and, the driver gone, the horses saw their 
 
 » " When I Was Your Age." 
 
1 8 Samuel Gridley Howe 
 
 opportunity and ran away, with my mother, the baby, and 
 the nurse in the carriage. My father, hearing the sound 
 of wheels, came out, caught sight of the driver's guilty 
 face peering round the corner in affright, and saw at once 
 what had happened. He ran at full speed along the road 
 in the direction in which the horses were headed. Round- 
 ing a corner, he saw at a little distance a country wagon 
 coming slowly toward him, drawn by a stout horse, the 
 wagoner half asleep on the seat. Then the lightning 
 struck. My father ran up, stopped the horse, cut the 
 traces, leaped on his back, and was off before the aston- 
 ished driver could utter a word. 
 
 Probably the horse was equally astonished ; but he felt 
 a master on his back, and, urged by hand and voice, he 
 sprang to his topmost speed, galloped bravely on, and 
 quickly overtook and stopped the lumbering carriage-horses. 
 No one was hurt. The horses were turned back, and soon 
 they came in sight of the unhappy countryman, still sitting 
 petrified in his wagon. He was liberally rewarded, and 
 probably regretted that there were no more mad Ameri- 
 cans to steal a ride and pay for it. 
 
 The other story is of a time within my own recollection, 
 when we were living at " Green Peace," in South Boston, 
 not far from the Perkins Institution for the Blind. We 
 were sitting at the dinner-table one day, when a messenger 
 came hurrying to say that a fire had broken out at the 
 Institution. In those days there lay between Green Peace 
 and the Institution a remnant of the famous Dorchester 
 Heights, where Washington and his troops had once made 
 their camp. Much of the high ground had already been 
 dug away, but there still remained a great hill sloping back 
 and up from our garden wall, and terminating, on the side 
 toward the Institution, in an abrupt precipice some sixty 
 feet high. The bearer of the bad news had been forced to 
 
Introductory 19 
 
 come round through several streets, thus losing precious 
 minutes ; but the " Doctor " did not know what it was to 
 lose a minute. Before any one could speak or ask what he 
 would do, he was out of the house, ran through the garden, 
 climbed the slope at the back, rushed like a flame across 
 the green hilltop, and slid down the almost vertical face 
 of the precipice. Bruised and panting he reached the 
 Institution, and saw at a glance that the fire was in the 
 upper story. Take time to go round to the door, and up 
 the stairs ? not he ! He " swarmed " up the gutter-spout, 
 and in less time than it takes to tell it, was on the roof, 
 cutting away at the burning timbers with an axe, which he 
 had got hold of, no one knew how. 
 
 That fire was put out, as were several others at which 
 he assisted. 
 
 But I have come a long way from Brown University, 
 and must go back and take up the thread of my story. 
 
 The merry mischief-making college days came to an end, 
 and my father found himself equipped with a sound knowl- 
 edge of Latin, and a very thorough one of English ; with 
 a passion for history, romance, and poetry, and with the 
 world before him. He graduated in 1821, at twenty years 
 of age. 
 
 It is a pity that none of my father's college letters have 
 been preserved. I have often wondered how the sober 
 family, then living in Pleasant Street, felt about him in 
 those days. Skylarking was not in Grandfather Howe's 
 line, nor in that of Joseph, the steady, intelligent, plodding 
 elder son, already doing well in business. The sisters idol- 
 ized their black swan, but did not understand him ; per- 
 haps no one did except the lovely blue-eyed mother. I 
 fancy there must have been some trepidation in the house- 
 hold when Sam came flashing back from college. Clearly,, 
 this was not to be a maker of ropes, nor would his record 
 
20 Samuel Gridley Howe 
 
 go far to procure him a desk in an office. What would 
 Sam do ? 
 
 Probably the family anxiety subsided when my father 
 announced his determination to be a physician. Here 
 would be an end to skylarking, and medicine was a most 
 respectable profession. Grandfather Howe probably looked 
 on with a quiet heart as the youth plunged eagerly into his 
 new work. No more " monkey shines ! " He studied 
 ardently, under Doctor Ingalls and the other great med- 
 ical teachers and practitioners of the day, Jeffries, Warren, 
 Jackson, Bigelow, Channing. He learned rapidly, and 
 took his medical degree at Harvard in 1824. 
 , When he began these studies, my father little knew for 
 what service he was about to prepare himself, to what 
 strange and distant fields he was to carry his newly ac- 
 quired knowledge. He probably expected to practise medi- 
 cine in Boston; and as the idea of receiving money in 
 return for aid given to the suffering bodies of his fellow 
 men was at this time abhorrent to him, it is not likely 
 that he would have made a fortune in his profession. 
 
 But, as usual, the Fates knew very well what they were 
 about, and now the time was coming when he also was to 
 know. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 GREECE IN REVOLUTION 
 
 I HAVE spoken of my father's great love for poetry and 
 romance. Byron was at this time, as always, his favourite 
 poet and hero. I can see and hear him now, with kindling 
 look, reciting some passage in his ringing, musical voice. 
 
 " Slow sinks, more lovely ere his race be run, 
 Along Morea's hills the setting sun ; " 
 
 or the more familiar " Isles of Greece ; " and I have some- 
 times wondered whether, had it not been for Byron, he 
 would ever have seen those isles and hills which he was 
 to know so well. The full stream of his restless and resist- 
 less energy would certainly never have been content to 
 flow within the canal-banks of an ordinary "family prac- 
 tice ; " but it might have been turned into some other 
 channel. Just at this time, however, Byron's example as well 
 as his poetry was a beacon to him as to many others, and 
 lighted up a scene as romantic as any in modern history. 
 
 The Greek Revolution was well under way. For three 
 years the people of Greece had been fighting bravely to 
 free themselves from the unbearable tyranny of the Turks, 
 and from every Christian country young and ardent spirits 
 were joining their standard. The term " Philhellene " 
 may not mean very much to-day, but in the early twenties 
 of the nineteenth century it was a word to conjure with. 
 It meant a man, generally a young man, who was ready and 
 eager to give up ease, custom, money-getting, and go over- 
 seas to fight a savage foe among savage mountains, all 
 
22 Samuel Gridley Howe 
 
 for love of freedom, and of that dear land which was next 
 in his affections to his own, the land of the imperishable 
 Ideal. 
 
 Most notable among these knightly souls was Byron 
 himself ; and, as I have said, his example, even more than 
 his glowing words, fired many hearts in England and 
 America. It was most natural that my father should long 
 — indeed, it would have been strange if he had not longed 
 to follow that gallant spirit, and to join the crusade against 
 the unspeakable Turk. But far deeper feehngs than those 
 of romance and hero-worship contributed to form the re- 
 solve which was shaping itself in his mind. The instinct 
 of helping those in need, especially those who were striv- 
 ing to help themselves, or, as he used to express it, the 
 " sympathy for the under dog," which was to be the ruling 
 passion of his life, was beginning to assert itself. He saw 
 the great opportunity, and recognized it. 
 
 There was another factor in this decision which should 
 be briefly indicated. My father was at this time ardently 
 attached to a lovely young woman, who returned his affec- 
 tion, but from whom circumstances had permanently sep- 
 arated him. This disappointment weighed heavily on his 
 spirits, and was an additional reason for his wishing to 
 find active and congenial occupation as far from home as 
 might be. 
 
 Precisely when the plan became a fixed resolve I do not 
 know, but it was characteristic of him that the flash of 
 decision did not come till he had something to justify it, 
 something definite to offer to the land he would serve. 
 To fight was good, but to bind up wounds was better. 
 He determined to offer his services as surgeon to the 
 Greek army. 
 
 The resolve was not an easy one to carry out ; he was 
 young, alone, without money or influence. If it was natural 
 
Greece in Revolution 23 
 
 for him to make it, it was no less natural for his family to 
 oppose it. Once more we may imagine the consternation 
 in Pleasant Street. No one in the family had ever thought 
 of such a thing, heard of such a thing, as a lad's giving up 
 his prospects and his profession, — at least the decent and 
 reputable practice of it among respectable people, — and 
 going four thousand miles to fight Turks and aid Greeks. 
 What was Hecuba-Greece to Sam Howe ? It was impos- 
 sible, inconceivable. 
 
 Grandfather Howe at first set his face firmly against 
 such a piece of Quixotism. But he might as well have 
 been named Canute as Joseph. It may have been at this 
 time that my father took up the watchword which was to 
 serve him through life, " Obstacles are things to be over- 
 come ! " He overcame this one, though it must have been 
 one of the stoutest foes he ever encountered. 
 
 One of the very few friends who felt any real sympathy 
 with the undertaking was Gilbert Stuart, the painter, 
 whose kindness my father always remembered with grati- 
 tude. This good man bade him God-speed. His friend, 
 William Sampson, also came to his aid ; Edward Everett 
 gave him a letter of introduction to a Greek acquaintance of 
 his ; and Grandfather Howe, unconvinced but kindly, con- 
 tributed a small sum of money. Thus slenderly equipped, 
 my father sailed on a brig bound for the Mediterranean, 
 and thence made his way to Greece, landing near Navarino, 
 and reaching Tripolitza in the winter of 1824-25. 
 
 The following letter to his friend and benefactor, William 
 Sampson, is interesting as showing the frame of mind in 
 which my father left this country : 
 
 Malta, December 20th, 1824. 
 Dear Will : — Arrived safe and sound upon terra 
 firma, it is one of my first impulses to sit me down and 
 
24 Samuel Gridley Howe 
 
 commune with thee ; had I nothing to speak of but my obli- 
 gations to you, still gratitude, duty, bids me endeavour by 
 every means to express to you that I am not one who for- 
 gets or undervalues favours. ... I am not a man of words, 
 William, and I cannot bear to prate of friendship and 
 affection ; but believe me, I can never forget that, when 
 others were held aloof by cold maxims of worldly pru- 
 dence, you, with a generosity only equalled by its delicacy, 
 gave to me unsolicited the assistance of which I stood so 
 much in need. . . . But you will say : " How are your 
 spirits .'' Has not the sea air and a distance of four thou- 
 sand miles from home damped your courage .' " Not a whit. 
 Will ! not a whit. And, far from regretting that I have 
 come here, I only regret that I am not at this moment in 
 Greece. My prospects are no more certain than when I 
 left Boston ; however, I find the affairs of the Greeks to be 
 in a flourishing way, and that they are likely to free them- 
 selves from the tyranny of the Turks ; but whether they 
 will not find oppressors in some of the allied sovereigns is 
 doubtful. Enthusiastically attached as I am to republican 
 institutions, and sincerely as I wish for the welfare of Greece, 
 I must say that it would be better for them to have a gov- 
 ernment much more despotic than ours, even more so than 
 that of England. A republic must have for its corner- 
 stone a dissemination of knowledge among the people ; 
 without this the elective franchise cannot be properly exer- 
 cised, nor can the people be aware of the gradual encroach- 
 ments of men in office upon their rights ; and in this 
 respect I am sorry to own that the Greeks are deficient. 
 
 I shall sail from here in a day or two, and hope to 
 reach Greece before the first of January ; if I succeed in 
 getting a commission in their army or navy, I shall remain 
 in the country for some years, perhaps for my life ; but if 
 I am disappointed, why, I shall only have to wend my way 
 
Greece in Revolution 25 
 
 back again, and sit down to drag out my days in the dull, 
 monotonous round of a professional life. My chance of 
 return is not great, but I care little for that. There are a 
 few (but very few) in America to whom I am sincerely 
 attached, and whom I should rejoice to meet ; but besides 
 that, what is there for me to wish for .' Suppose I should 
 succeed according to my most sanguine hopes, — what 
 then } Shall I toil away my best days in amassing a for- 
 tune ? Are the lists worth entering, when the only goal is 
 gold } I know that I shall never be rich, for I do not set 
 sufficient value upon money ; and it puzzles me much to ac- 
 count for the ardour, the enthusiasm, with which young and 
 apparently noble spirits enter into the race for this bauble ; 
 to me the prize seems paltry — the strife ignoble. . . . 
 
 In an autobiographical letter written to Horace Mann 
 in 1857, my father speaks thus of his first days in Greece : 
 
 " In the winter, the much-dreaded expedition of Ibrahim 
 Pasha, with the Egyptian army, landed at Modon. At- 
 tempts were made by the Greek government to get up an 
 army to oppose them, and Mavrocordatos accepted my offer 
 to go with them as surgeon. The President and Mavro- 
 cordatos came to the south of Peloponnesus with such 
 forces as they could raise. At first there was an attempt 
 to organize the army, and I attempted to create hospitals 
 and to provide ambulances for the wounded. But after 
 the capture of Navarino by the Turks, everything was 
 thrown into confusion. Mavrocordatos fled to Napoli.' 
 The dark day of Greece had come. All regular opposi- 
 tion of the Greeks was overcome. The Turks advanced 
 fiercely and rapidly up the Peloponnesus. I joined one of 
 the small guerrilla bands that hung about the enemy, doing 
 ' Now called Nauplia. 
 
26 Samuel Gridley Howe 
 
 all the harm they could. I could be of little or no use as 
 surgeon, and was expected to divide my attention between 
 killing Turks, helping Greeks, and taking care of my 
 bacon. 
 
 "I was naturally very handy, active, and tough, and 
 soon became equal to any of the mountain soldiery in 
 capacity for endurance of fatigue, hunger, and watchful- 
 ness. I could carry my gun and heavy belt with yataghan 
 and pistols all day long, clambering among the mountain 
 passes, could eat sorrel and snails, or go without anything, 
 and at night lie down on the ground with only my shaggy 
 capote, and sleep like a log." 
 
 This extract has been printed before, yet it seems best 
 to reproduce it here. The following extracts from my 
 father's letters and journals of the time have never ap- 
 peared in print. 
 
 Napoli di Romania, March, 1825. 
 
 My DEAR Father : — I have at last a good opportunity 
 of writing direct to America, and what is better, I have 
 time to give you a full statement of my situation, pros- 
 pects, and feelings. 
 
 First of all, I am glad, sincerely glad, that I have come 
 to Greece ; for I believe that, independent of the real serv- 
 ice that I shall be of to the cause of liberty here, I shall 
 improve myself more in one year, than I could do in Bos- 
 ton in five. I speak the French language with ease, begin 
 to talk Greek, and am commencing the study of the Italian 
 language. 
 
 My commission as army surgeon is filled out, but I 
 shall not enter upon my duties until the army commences 
 active operations, which I hope will be in a short time; 
 as for my salary, I have nothing, and care nothing about 
 
Greece in Revolution 27 
 
 it ; the government are not able to feed and clothe their 
 poor, suffering soldiers, and I have not the heart to demand 
 money, when I can support myself by private practice. 
 As for this last, I have as much as I wish, and I am told 
 that I ought to make money, but I let my patients pay as 
 they choose ; and pajdng me money I find is like pouring 
 water into a sieve ; my money runs away as fast almost as 
 it comes in ; I mean to retrench, but shall not pinch my- 
 self. I shall see and learn all that I can, live well, and 
 not worry myself about the future. Good fortune, a 
 knowledge of anatomy, and a steady hand, have carried 
 me successfully through several surgical operations, which 
 have got me some fame ; this day I amputated part of a 
 hand, and this week I am to cut a tumor from the face of 
 a merchant ; I will venture to say that I shall perform 
 more surgical operations in one year than any surgeon 
 in Boston, except at the hospital ; so you see that this 
 knowledge of surgery alone will compensate me for every- 
 thing. . . . 
 
 I shall not attempt to give you an account of my way 
 of life in this strange land, since you will see Captain 
 Smith, who will give you a particular account ; you can 
 hardly conceive how glad I was to see him ; his vessel 
 being the first American that has shown the " star-spangled 
 banner " in a port of free Greece. 
 
 I have clothes enough to last one year, at the end of 
 which time, if not before, I shall probably put on the 
 Greek dress. I am only sorry that I did not bring out 
 more books with me, particularly medical ones, and should 
 Captain Smith return I shall try to make arrangements to 
 get more. At least send me all the books I left at home, 
 particularly Pinkerton's voyages and travels, Shakespeare's 
 plays, and what others may be useful or interesting. . . . 
 
 As for the affairs of the Greeks, I do not hesitate to say 
 
28 Samuel Gridley Howe 
 
 that they will turn out successful ; although at this moment 
 the Turks are making formidable preparations, and have 
 opened the campaign earlier than at any former period; 
 but the Greeks are full of courage and confidence, and in 
 their own wild and daring way will contrive to manage any 
 number of men that can be brought against them. They 
 have nothing like a regular army, in fact the nature of the 
 country will not admit of an army to manoeuvre to any 
 advantage; it is rocky and mountainous, and in many 
 parts it is impossible to pass through the country, ex- 
 cept by narrow defiles which will admit but one man at a 
 time. 
 
 The Greek soldiers are ill-clothed, worse fed, and paid, 
 as one may say, nothing at all ; they are ignorant, not one 
 in twenty being able to read or write ; but they are very 
 shrewd and cunning by nature ; active as goats in the 
 mountains, and brave, if you will let them fight in their 
 own way, which is like that of our own Indians, firing 
 from behind the rocks and trees. 
 
 Their sailors may be said with truth to be equal to any 
 in the world ; in fact I was told by one of our navy officers 
 that they are decidedly the best sailors he has ever seen. 
 The government do not own any of the ships which com- 
 pose their navy, but they pay their owners a certain sum 
 for the use of them, and give them a share of the prizes 
 they take. They have always beat the Turks in the naval 
 engagements ; I have a perfect confidence in their supe- 
 riority. . . . 
 
 There are here, at this time, four Americans, Lieutenant- 
 General Jervis, Captain Miller,* Mr. A , and his Excel- 
 lency, myself. 
 
 'Jonathan P. Miller, of Randolph, Vt., a soldier of the United States 
 army. 
 
Greece in Revolution 29 
 
 General Jervis has been in Greece three years, has been 
 in many engagements, has become a complete Greek in 
 dress, manners, and language ; he is almost the only for- 
 eigner who has uniformly conducted himself with prudence 
 and correctness ; and he has reaped his reward. He has 
 gained the confidence of the Greeks, he has rendered great 
 service to their cause, and now is made lieutenant-general, 
 which, though in reality not amounting to anything at 
 present, will be of great consequence to him in future life, 
 he being not more than twenty-five years of age. He is a 
 man I am proud to own as a countryman. Captain Miller 
 you have seen. He is as brave a man as ever stepped foot 
 in Greece; has the most sterling integrity, and an entire 
 devotion to the cause of liberty. You would laugh to see 
 him ; he has his head shaved, has on the Greek floccata, 
 and petticoat trousers, and with his pistols and dagger 
 stuck in his belt, and his musquet on his shoulder, cuts a 
 most curious figure. He serves as a captain, and if his life 
 is spared he will be of the greatest use to the cause. Of 
 
 Mr. A I know little, and wish to know no more ; he 
 
 gives himself out for a lieutenant of our navy, which I do 
 not believe to be true. The other foreigners are princi- 
 pally Germans, who do but little honour to themselves or 
 service to Greece. The English have pretty much all died 
 or left the country ; poor Byron is dead. Lord Murray ' is 
 dead. Stanhope * is recalled, and England can boast of but 
 few men who have enlisted from proper motives in the cause 
 of freedom and humanity. It astonishes me much that 
 young men of fortune do not come to Greece ; that they 
 do not enhst heart and soul in this most sacred of all caiises, 
 and gain for themselves the gratitude of a nation and a place 
 in history ; more particularly, too, when they have such a 
 
 ' Lord Charles Murray. 
 
 * Col. Leicester Stanhope, afterwards Earl of Harrington. 
 
30 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 scene before their eyes as is presented by the treatment of 
 Lafayette in our happy and flourishing country. . . . 
 
 DOCTOR HOWE's JOURNAL IN THE MOREA 
 
 Here, under date of "April, 1825," the actual journal 
 begins. It is written in an ordinary blank-book, bound in 
 rough sheepskin, small enough to carry in the pocket. 
 The ink is faded, the handwriting very small and crabbed, 
 now and then almost illegible, and in many places only 
 decipherable by aid of a magnifying glass. The broken 
 record is evidently jotted down at odd moments, by the 
 camp-fire or in the wayside khan. 
 
 Started five hours since from Tripolitza, in company 
 with General Jervis, as he is called, and about forty-five 
 soldiers ; came within about half a mile of this village, when 
 it began to rain very hard, and we were obliged to take 
 shelter in it. Squatted down upon a sort of straw pillow 
 placed on the ground, I enjoy all the luxury of a Grecian 
 hut ; which, in point of elegance, ease, and comfort, although 
 not equal to the meanest of our negro huts, is nevertheless 
 somewhat superior to the naked rock. We have two 
 apartments, but no partitions between them, the different 
 rooms being constituted by the inequality of the ground, 
 we living up the hill, while the servants and horses live 
 down in the lower part ; and the smoke of our fires, rising 
 to the roof and seeking in vain for some hole to escape, 
 comes back again to me. . . . 
 
 Tuesday, April l8th. The space of country we have 
 passed over to-day is the most delightful I have ever seen. 
 One valley, or rather plain, was particularly fine ; it was 
 enclosed on four sides by mountains whose bases were 
 beautifully variegated by bright green spots, cultivated 
 
^t. 23] Greece in Revolution 31 
 
 grounds, and blooming foliage (?) ; higher up were the 
 gnarled oaks, and above all the cap of snow rose to the 
 very skies. The plain, as level as a floor, was spread with 
 deepest green, and meandering from each end came two 
 beautiful little streams, which united in the middle and 
 together rushed down a chasm in the earth and became 
 completely concealed, the river going underground and 
 through the mountain, and coming out on the other side. 
 In the centre of this plain is a pretty little village, which 
 we found entirely deserted; it being on the great route 
 for the soldiers, the inhabitants are unable to find them 
 provisions, and have fled to escape their extortions and 
 oppression. 
 
 At night we quartered ourselves upon a priest, the head 
 man of a village. His appearance was truly remarkable, 
 and his conduct hospitable. After sitting down to a little 
 table, the old man solemnly asked a blessing, and then, 
 turning to each of us, he said, " You are welcome ! " 
 
 Learned that the President (Konduriotes) is stationary 
 at a small village one hour hence. As we passed through 
 the beautiful scenery this morning, young Whit comb,' an 
 Englishman, who has become almost disgusted with the 
 Greeks and his reception, exclaimed to me, " This atones 
 for all ! I would fight and die for Greece, were it only 
 for her beauties of nature." 
 
 Wednesday, April igth. Arrived at the President's. He 
 received me very kindly, and made out an order for Jervis 
 to conduct me to the camp; and after half an hour we 
 were on the route again. By some misunderstanding, 
 Miller, Whitcomb, myself, and about fifty men got divided 
 from Jervis and went to different villages. We stopped at 
 Andrasa, a ruined town which was formerly of great im- 
 
 ' Mentioned afterwards as an accomplice of Fenton in the attempted 
 murder of Trelawny. 
 
32 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 portance, there being about ten thousand Turks formerly 
 within it. Here we heard distinctly the roar of cannon at 
 a distance in the direction of Neokastro ; heard sundry 
 absurd accounts. 
 
 Thursday, April 20th. Came in a man this morning from 
 the field of battle. His account is probably exaggerated, 
 but he says that the Turks attacked the Greeks, cut up 
 one thousand men, and killed Hadji Christo, Kosta Botza- 
 ris, and two other brave generals. Started on the route ; 
 in about an hour met a wounded man upon a horse, a ball 
 having passed through the thick part of his thigh. A little 
 farther, met another wounded in the same manner. The 
 road was filled with soldiers retreating, their captains hav- 
 ing been killed or missing. The roar of cannon becomes 
 more and more distinct. We are in sight of the sea, of 
 the castle of Koron, and are within fifteen miles of the 
 field of action, and I begin to find that I must fight as a 
 common soldier or retreat, which I will not do. My med- 
 icines are behind at Tripolitza. I have instruments and 
 bandages only, but those in no order ; no arrangements 
 for the wounded, and, since I cannot be useful in my 
 profession, why, here goes life and soul for Greece and 
 liberty ! It appears that Mavrocordatos ' is some way ahead 
 of us. He was at the attacked post twelve hours before, 
 and passed on to visit the others. Should he be lost, this 
 campaign is lost for a certainty. The accounts we receive 
 of the battle towards night are rather more favourable. 
 However, every one is so flurried and so disconcerted that 
 we cannot depend upon the accounts. . . . 
 
 5 o'clock p. M. Came to a halt at a small village ; know 
 nothing yet except that there has been and still is hot 
 fighting, and that, too, very near us, for the heavy peal of 
 
 ' Alexander Mavrocordatos, at that time Secretary of State, and in 
 charge of the expedition against Ibrahim Pasha. 
 
Mt.23i Greece in Revolution 33 
 
 cannon comes deeper and oftener, and the country is in 
 consternation. See much of the evil effects of the loose 
 manner of Grecian warfare. As we came up to a village 
 to-day, we found the inhabitants posted on a hill, and we 
 stood at a distance, hallooing and parleying, before either 
 side could be satisfied that the other was not an enemy. 
 Some other captains have come up to us, and in this little 
 village we have three hundred soldiers. To-morrow we 
 shall go on, and probably have a brush with the enemy, 
 who may brush me out of existence. Should fifty or sev- 
 enty-five Turkish horse fall upon our three hundred men, 
 I fear they would rout and cut us up to a man. For 
 unless the Greeks are among the rocks, they cannot do 
 anything with their enemy's cavalry ; and as far as we can 
 learn it was the Arabian " tactics," ' led on by those infer- 
 nal scoundrels the Italian and Austrian officers, who made 
 yesterday, and are probably still making, such bloody 
 work among the Greeks. And hark ! hark ! the thunder- 
 peal comes louder. Perchance that shot sent some being 
 to his long home ; my friends [and] acquaintances are in 
 the fray, and where may now be Santa Rosa, Collegno, 
 and Kallerges, — perchance fighting still like heroes ; per- 
 chance the cannon I hear rings their knell ; or perchance 
 they have been for hours cold and lifeless. Well, it is all 
 one — die on a field of battle or on a bed ; and could I 
 choose, I would rather my soul should with one pang, one 
 bound, escape control, than to lie for weeks upon a sick- 
 bed, with all the pain and misery of disease, augmented by 
 the anticipation of death, and the kind but cutting atten- 
 tions of friends and relations. . . . 
 
 There followed one of the countless skirmishes in which 
 the Greek troops were constantly engaged, with varying 
 
 " " Taktikos " in Greek were " regular troops." 
 
34 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. i8*s 
 
 success. My father was in many such engagements, fight- 
 ing or tending the wounded, as the moment might require. 
 In his journal he is constantly complaining of the irregular 
 character of the Greek soldiery, and their utter lack of dis- 
 cipline. In his " Greek Revolution " he describes them thus : 
 " Ypsilanti endeavoured to act as generalissimo, but found 
 innumerable obstacles in his way. One of the most im- 
 portant of these arose from the character of the soldiers, 
 and their ideas of miUtary duty. Here it may be well to 
 look into this character, and we shall see in each individ- 
 ual that of the whole mass. A Greek soldier is intelligent, 
 active, hardy, and frugal ; he will march, or rather skip, all 
 day among the rocks, expecting no other food than a bis- 
 cuit and a few olives, or a raw onion ; and at night, lies 
 down content upon the ground, with a flat stone for a 
 pillow, and with only his capote, which he carries with him 
 winter and summer, for covering; baggage-wagon and 
 tent he knows nothing of. But he will not work, for he 
 thinks it disgraceful ; he will submit to no discipline, for 
 he thinks it makes a slave of him ; he will obey no order 
 which does not seem to him a good one, for he holds that 
 in these matters he has a right to be consulted. In a 
 European army, a body of Greeks would be called cowards. 
 They never can be brought to enter a breach, to charge 
 an enemy who has a wall before him, or to stand up and 
 expose themselves to a fire. The invariable practice is to 
 conceal their bodies behind a wall, or a rock, and fire from 
 under cover. They wear pistols, but never come within 
 reasonable distance to use them ; they have yataghans, but 
 the only service they are of is to cut off the head of a 
 slain enemy. As an army, then, and compared to Euro- 
 peans and Americans, they are not brave ; but it may be 
 doubted whether Europeans or Americans, in the same 
 situation, would be any braver. It is not individual cour- 
 
iEt. 23] Greece in Revolution 35 
 
 age which is wanting, it is the esprit de corps; it is that 
 confidence which long habits of discipline give to the soldier 
 in his arms and his comrades." 
 
 Again he says: "They had no tents, and were quite 
 unencumbered with baggage ; the capote of a Greek sol- 
 dier being his cloak by day and his bed by night; and 
 Yiis fustanella (a garment made of white cotton, in form of 
 a Scotch kilt) is his handkerchief, table-cloth, and towel." 
 
 My father's slight knowledge of ancient Greek was of 
 little assistance to him in understanding the rather barbar- 
 ous jargon then spoken among the common people of 
 Greece (a matter greatly amended in our day), and it was 
 some time before he could have anything like free inter- 
 course with his fellow soldiers ; I cannot doubt, however, 
 that he managed to make himself understood when it was 
 necessary. He used to say, with a laugh, that the first 
 phrase he understood was a compliment to himself. As 
 he lay stretched by the camp-fire one evening, he heard 
 an old chief say to his companion, with a glance at himself, 
 " Ti eumorphon paidi !" " What a handsome youth ! " I 
 may add that this is the only allusion I ever heard him 
 make to his personal beauty, which was remarkable. 
 
 My mother, in her account of these years of strenuous 
 fighting, says that my father's description of them re- 
 minded her of Paul's synopsis of his years of trial. " In 
 joumeyings often, in perils of robbers, in weariness and 
 painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in 
 cold and nakedness." 
 
 He was never inclined to talk about himself ; his own 
 exploits interested him far less than those of any one 
 else ; but speaking of these days once, many years after, 
 he said : " I knew more than once what probably you never 
 had any realizing sense of, to wit, the sharp gnawing of 
 real hunger. You know only what a good appetite is ; you 
 
36 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 don't know what a ravening vulture it becomes when it 
 grows bad. I have been months without eating other flesh 
 than mountain snails, or roasted wasps ; weeks without 
 bread, and days without a morsel of food of any kind. 
 Woe to the stray donkey or goat that fell within our reach 
 then; they were quickly slain, and their flesh, cut up 
 hastily in little square bits, was roasting on our ramrods, 
 or devoured half -raw." 
 
 I remember asking him once, in childish disgust, if 
 wasps were not " horrid " to eat. " Not at all," he re- 
 plied. "Roasted to a crisp, and strung on a straw like 
 dried cherries, they were not at all bad." And he added, 
 " I was often thankful enough to get them ! " 
 
 In 1867 I was in Greece with my father. It was the 
 time of the Cretan war, and he had brought supplies to 
 the starving women and children of Crete. I shall speak 
 of this visit in its proper place, but I cannot refrain from 
 telling now one little episode of it. We were at Argos, 
 where many of the Cretan refugees were congregated. 
 Not far from the city were the ruins of Mycenae, the twin 
 lions guarding the gate. We visited the Treasury of 
 Atreus, and never knew that the ground under our feet 
 was full of gold cups and crowns and jewels, soon after to 
 be dug up by Doctor Schliemann. A few miles further on 
 my father showed us, in a rough, tangled field, a low wall, 
 built of huge Cyclopean blocks of stone. "This was 
 Tiryns," he said. "It is close by here that we used to 
 hide." Then he hunted, and found a passageway some 
 twenty yards long and three feet high, built of stones 
 closely fitting and slanting together to a ridge in the mid- 
 dle. This was one of the galleries leading to the fortress, 
 he said ; for Tiryns was a fortress when time was ; and 
 then he told us how, often and often, in the war-time, he 
 and his comrades had taken refuge in this cavern, and had 
 
^t. 23] Greece in Revolution 37 
 
 lain there safe, if not comfortable, while the Turkish horse- 
 men scoured the plain in search of them. 
 
 Whittier's beautiful poem, " The Hero," has been often 
 quoted in speaking of my father, yet I make no apology 
 for prefixing it to these pages, as every word of it is liter- 
 ally true. Of the incident related in it (saving the life 
 of the wounded soldier), my father speaks thus in his 
 letter to Horace Mann : 
 
 " Sumner " (Charles Sumner, the statesman) " wormed 
 out some of my adventures in Greece, and one which he 
 related to Whittier got embalmed and preserved, like an 
 insect in amber. Out of very ordinary material the poet 
 made quite a scene — for example, transforming the sorry 
 beast I rode into a gallant barb. The wounded soldier 
 would, of course, have had his head hanging at the Turk's 
 saddle-bow in a short time, if I had not mounted him on 
 my beast ; and he always swore he owed me his life, and 
 claimed the privilege of sticking to me, and preventing 
 any one but himself from picking and stealing my rations. 
 But the affair was not worth embalming, save in Fran- 
 cesco's memory." 
 
 I take up the thread of the journal again, after omitting 
 some unimportant passages. 
 
 Friday, April 2jd, 182^, 2 p. m. After travelling four 
 hours in various directions, we have found a village where 
 for some reason, forcible only to weak minds, we are to 
 spend the rest of the day and night. Our guides ran away 
 this morning, and we have made no headway at all. At one 
 time we were within five or six miles of the Turkish camp \ 
 now we are within five hours (fifteen miles) of Neokastro,' 
 four hours of the Turks, and six of the Greeks' main body, 
 as nigh as we can calculate. Learn that the cannonade 
 ' This was during the siege by the Turks of ancient Fylos, now Navarino. 
 
38 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 yesterday and the day before was by the Turks at Neo- 
 kastro ; but do not know whether they carried it or not. 
 Probably not, since it lasted into the very evening, and 
 the Greeks would not give up just when night came to 
 relieve them. All the women fled from this village on our 
 approach, for Jervis's black servant being in the front, a cry 
 was raised that the Arabs had come ; and the devil of a 
 she have we to get us something to eat. As for me, I am 
 as hungry as a wolf, and could eat the Spartans' black 
 broth without seasoning. 
 
 About an hour since, some of our soldiers went out to 
 get some sheep, as nothing eatable is to be found in the 
 village. In a few minutes we heard musquets, and knew 
 that the shepherds were resisting. Went up on the edge 
 of the hill, and saw the fight ; the fire was in all directions, 
 from behind rocks, trees, etc. Probably about eighty shot 
 were fired, when it became quite dark, and the fire ceased. 
 In a few minutes I was called to a soldier who had been 
 wounded ; the ball struck him just under the ear, passed 
 on to the vertebrae, turned, and glanced out. The wound 
 is not mortal. No other soldier was hurt, nor have we 
 yet heard of any of the shepherds. To-morrow we are off 
 for the camp, where I hope to find Mavrocordatos. 
 
 Sunday, April 24th. Arrived yesterday at the Grecian 
 camp, where I found Mavrocordatos. He received me well : 
 took dinner with him, and received orders to go back to 
 Nikaia, a village fourteen miles from this, where a sort of 
 dep6t for the wounded has been established. In the eve- 
 ning, went forth to see the camp. The fires were all lit, 
 and around each sat fifteen or twenty men, eating and 
 drinking, or smoking and talking, with all that careless 
 glee, that recklessness of the future, which characterizes 
 soldiers. In one or two places they had set fire to large 
 trees, and the flame, ascending to the top in a broad 
 
^t. 23] Greece in Revolution 39 
 
 sheet, and stretching on each side to the branches, threw 
 around its flickering arms like a giant of fire. 
 
 This morning got a little detained in the camp. At ten 
 o'clock came in the news that the enemy were rapidly 
 advancing upon the camp ; and all was in a moment in 
 confusion. The soldiers took to the houses which they 
 were to defend, the horses, baggage, and servants were 
 ordered into the church, and all was ready for a desperate 
 fight in half an hour. For myself, my feelings were singu- 
 lar, but I think not those of fear. I was about to eat 
 when the alarm was given, but afterwards had no appetite. 
 The country was open behind me ; my horse was saddled, 
 and I had my orders for Nikaia ; but I chose to stay and 
 partake of the fight, although I felt certain that the 
 chance of my life was small. I went to Mavrocordatos, 
 and told him that I was willing to obey orders, but should 
 prefer staying. He said, " Stay ! " I girt on my pistols 
 and dagger, took my musquet, and put myself in the post 
 of General Jervis. I was struck with Miller's conduct. 
 When he heard the enemy were upon us, he said, solemnly, 
 " Come, let us eat ; we shall need it." After this he 
 threw himself down on his face in a corner of the hut, 
 prayed a few minutes, then rose, and said, with enthusiasm : 
 
 " ' Now welcome be Cumberland's steed to the shock, 
 Let him dash his proud foam like a wave on the rock, 
 But woe to his kindred and woe to his cause,' etc" 
 
 . . . Mavrocordatos appears perfectly cool, nor could I 
 see the least appearance of that cowardice with which he 
 has been charged. I am now sitting writing in his quar- 
 ters, where he is transacting business with his usual pre- 
 cision and despatch; he said to me, "I do not wish for 
 the enemy to come, but would not give a pin to have them 
 keep away." . . . 
 
 J o'clock p. M. The enemy have advanced close upon 
 
40 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 us, but will in all probability delay their attack till to-mor- 
 row morning about daylight ; this being their usual time for 
 an onset. I have been around our camp, and find no signs 
 of fear among the soldiers, and not much danger of the 
 place being carried, unless the enemy come on with very 
 great numbers, and more coolness and determination than 
 is generally possessed by the Turks. However, to-mor- 
 row morning we shall know all. Received a note from 
 Count Santa Rosa,' who is now in Neokastro. Went on 
 to a hill a mile distant, from whence we could have a view 
 of Neokastro, the enemy's camp, and what was as inter- 
 esting, the old castle of Pylos, where were of yore Nestor 
 and others renowned in song. The Turks made an attack 
 upon this place two days since, but without effect. They 
 are probably meditating another upon Neokastro, but I 
 am in no fear for it. There were some acts of personal 
 courage shown the other day by the Greeks in their sortie, 
 which would have been honourable to any nation. 
 
 Monday, April 25th. To our surprise, the enemy, in- 
 stead of attacking our camp, have fallen back upon their own, 
 and we shall not see them probably for twenty-four hours at 
 least. I am almost sorry that they did not come this morn- 
 ing, for the soldiers were all ready, and would have made 
 a good stand ; but now I fear a surprise. I am counter- 
 ordered, and shall stay in the camp for the present, at 
 least, since there is no other surgeon, and there probably 
 will soon be much work for me. Mavrocordatos leaves the 
 camp to-day for Skarla to see the President, and says he 
 shall return the day after to-morrow. This I doubt, and 
 hate to have him go ; for with such a man I feel some 
 confidence that the place will not be lost from neglect. 
 We are about twenty-five hundred strong, and, well con- 
 ducted, would show fight. A camp in any country must 
 ■ An Italian noble, killed a few days later. 
 
^t. 23] Greece in Revolution 41 
 
 be a place where men are obliged to endure inconvenience 
 and hardship; but in Greece it is more particularly so. 
 There is not one tent among the whole ; the soldiers 
 have nothing to eat but meal, which they contrive to cook 
 in some way or other, and for love or money one cannot 
 have the commodities of hfe ; and this is a time of plenty, 
 it is a place they have deliberately chosen, and they have 
 not been here a week. . . . 
 
 Tuesday, April 26th. Mavrocordatos left the camp yes- 
 terday at three p. m. He told me to wait his return to- 
 morrow. I think it will be many to-morrows before the 
 old head comes back. . . . 
 
 5 o^ clock p. M. At eleven this morning we had an alarm 
 that the enemy were about to fall upon our camp, and the 
 scene ot confusion and hubbub was renewed. I did not 
 believe the report, and gradually the alarm subsided. I 
 was sent for to see General Skourtas, and while in his 
 quarters a messenger came with the news that a body of 
 troops was actually close upon us. I could not doubt this, 
 and my heart bounded with delight that something was 
 about to take place which I should be obliged to take 
 an interest in. I was in the right mood for a fray, and 
 could and would have gone into the fight with all the 
 relish in the world. Each man was soon at his post, 
 every gun was ready, and each eye was strained to see the 
 foe. They drew near calmly and confidently, marched up 
 to our breastwork, — when lo! they turned out to be a 
 reinforcement of Greek troops ! However, if these alarms 
 do not have the effect of throwing the soldiers off their 
 guard, they will have a good effect. 
 
 Wednesday, April 2yth. Some villagers came into camp 
 to get me to go and see a shepherd who had been shot by 
 the soldiers while he was defending his sheep. I rode 
 about two hours over an exceedingly rough road, and found 
 
42 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 the man in a very pleasant little village. He was badly and 
 dangerously wounded in the leg. The villagers treated us 
 most sumptuously, and sent fowls home with me. At night 
 cut a ball out of the hand of a soldier who had just been shot. 
 
 Thursday, April 28th, 1825. The day fine, and as warm 
 as the last of May in New England. Miller and Whitcomb 
 left the camp, the first for Missolonghi, the second for 
 Gastouni ; I hope to see again their faces in ten or twelve 
 days. Miller, I am certain, will return, if alive; but 
 Whitcomb is such a fickle-minded, harebrained boy that it 
 would puzzle Solomon to calculate his course. That he is 
 brave there is no doubt, but he has not one spark of 
 generous or philanthropic feeling toward Greece, and his 
 only motive in coming was the hope of distinguishing 
 himself. Rather than sacrifice this hope he would have 
 poor Greece struggle on years more, in a contest which is 
 racking her to the very vitals. How opposite in every 
 respect, how inferior in worth to the noble and generous, 
 though stern, enthusiast. Miller. Ambition in every man 
 I applaud ; without it he is not, cannot be, great ; but let 
 it not control everjrthing else, let it not stifle humanity 
 and philanthropy ! . . . 
 
 Yesterday heard some cannon from toward Neokastro ; 
 to-day it is reported that two English vessels endeavouring 
 to enter the harbour were fired on by the Turks, and one 
 lost her masts ; this I do not believe, for the Turks cannot 
 command the entrance; I myself have seen the Greek 
 vessels going in and out. Report that another portion of 
 the English loan has arrived at Napoli. Mavrocordatos, on 
 dit, will arrive to-morrow. 
 
 Friday, April 2gth. Nothing of consequence turned up 
 in the little world of the Grecian camp. Wrote part of a 
 letter to Wm. Sampson, another to my father. Had a bad 
 hand to sew up ; it was cut from side to side very deep. 
 
jEt.22,] Greece in Revolution 43 
 
 Found out a most beautiful natural bath, very retired, in 
 which I shall bathe every day of my stay here. It is 
 formed by a little brook which comes tumbling down the 
 hill, and, pitching over a rock into a little basin about four 
 feet deep, runs on continually, leaving the bath full ; it is 
 surrounded and overshadowed by thick foliage, and is the 
 very place where I should have expected, in days of yore, 
 to have found some fair nymph bathing. Alas ! where are 
 now the nymphs and swains, so beautifully sung by poets of 
 old ? transformed into ugly, silly girls, and dirty, lazy loons ! 
 
 Saturday, April JOth. More and more wounded, not 
 by the enemy, but by the bursting of guns, by playing 
 with swords, yataghans, etc. Wrote to Masson ' at Hydra. 
 Not a word from Mavrocordatos. A small troop of Turk- 
 ish horse were out on the plains just below us ; they over- 
 took three unfortunate Greeks, butchered two of them and 
 cut off their ears ; the third, whose throat they had partly 
 cut, coimterfeited death, and escaped, though horribly 
 wounded. Called to examine some men who had just 
 been whipped for stealing cartridges ; they had counter- 
 feited great agony, and frightened their punishers. This 
 is the first instance I have ever known of a Greek soldier 
 being beaten, and it did not seem to go down well with 
 them; they said to me: "These are Roumeliotes,* and 
 brave men ; shall they be beaten .' " But I am glad to see 
 this beginning, as it will show the soldiery that they are 
 not quite independent of their officers. 
 
 Sunday, May 1st, 1825. This is the first Sunday that 
 ever passed over my head without my knowing it. There 
 is not the least observance of it here, and it is only by an 
 
 » A Scotch Philhellene, of whom Doctor Howe says, " Since his arrival he 
 has shown himself to be one of the few Fbilhellenes who are not entirely 
 Phil-themselves.'' 
 
 •Then used for " Greeks." 
 
44 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 almanac or journal that one can tell which day of the week 
 it is. Rode out to a hill four miles distant to get a view 
 of the enemy's camp and Neokastro. There are four 
 Greek vessels-of-war within the harbour, and we saw, lying 
 off, a large ship of the line said to be English ; we could 
 not distinguish her colours, and possibly it may be the 
 North Carolina. I strained my eyes to find the stars and 
 stripes of my country, but in vain. 
 
 Monday, May 2d. A squadron of about thirty sail has 
 appeared off Neokastro, probably Turkish, and five hun- 
 dred men, among whom Jervis and his troop are included, 
 are ordered on to a little battery at the entrance of the 
 harbour. Saw another striking and lamentable proof of 
 the want of subordination in the Greek army ; about forty 
 of Jervis's men refused to march, nor could anything in- 
 duce them to do it. He urged, upbraided, threatened to no 
 effect. " We will follow you where you choose ; we will 
 die with you," said they ; " but we will not go to be shut 
 up on a little island, without hope of escape." And, when 
 he told them that, if it was more dangerous, it was more 
 honourable, " A fig for the honour ! " says one. " We fight 
 for money, not for honour ! " There is no resort ; he must 
 march without them, although they have pay in advance. 
 
 2 d clock p. M. Jervis has just gone, and I am alone ; 
 nearly as isolated as I should be in the deserts of Arabia, 
 for in the whole camp there is not one man who speaks 
 English, there are but five or six who speak French, and 
 as for Greek, I cannot hold any conversation in it. But 
 no matter; although lonely, I am free and independent, 
 and I thank God that intercourse with my kind is not 
 essential to my happiness. 
 
 Tuesday, May 3d. A heavy cannonading in the morning 
 in the direction of Neokastro ; rode out to a hill and saw 
 the fight ; it was from the Turkish battery before the 
 
^t. 23] Greece in Revolution 45 
 
 town, and was returned from within. The Turkish squad- 
 ron, consisting of fifty-five sail, lay off, and near them, 
 almost within cannon-shot, was the Greek fleet of eigh- 
 teen sail. Four of the latter entered Neokastro, where 
 are four more Greek vessels, for what purpose I know 
 not; it seemed to me a rash step; for, should a slight 
 breeze spring up, the Turks might bear down upon the 
 rest of the Greeks before these could get out. There is 
 some appearance of disposition for action, and I have re- 
 turned home, that I may get dinner and then go to a hill 
 in another direction which commands a better view. 
 
 J p. M. At noon the Turks attempted to run their fleet 
 into Modon, and the Greeks, with only two of their ships, 
 daringly resisted them. The cannonading was heavy, and 
 as the peal of the guns came roaring over the water, I felt 
 as much interested in their effect as if my own country 
 had been engaged. Their gallant little ships, enveloped 
 in smoke, and belching forth fire, ran boldly alongside the 
 heavy Turks, and did all that could be done to prevent 
 their transports getting in ; but it was in vain ; the enemy 
 were four times their force, and succeeded in running in 
 five vessels ; the rest of the Turkish fleet, about sixty sail, 
 lay off becalmed. 
 
 Wednesday, May ^.th. I am in a sad pickle ; Mavrocor- 
 datos is away ; Jervis is gone, and there is not one soul in 
 the camp who knows English or French, and the alarm is 
 that the enemy is close upon us. The soldiers begin to 
 abandon the quarters in this part of the camp ; and, so far 
 as I can understand them, they wish me to remove to the 
 centre of the village. Some talk of flying; and, what 
 puzzles me most, is that General Ranco, one of the bravest 
 men in Greece, has just left the camp. Civede, who alone 
 could talk to me, left two hours since. God only knows 
 what it means ! 
 
46 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 7 p. M. The soldiers have all fled from the quarters 
 around me, either into the thicker part of the camp, or 
 into the mountains ; the danger is more pressing. Went 
 to the house of Skourtas, who is now commander; he 
 told me it was necessary to sleep in his quarters to- 
 night, and if necessary, to be ready for flight early in the 
 morning. . . . 
 
 Thursday, May £tk. The morning was clear and delight- 
 ful, and instead of the roar of musquetry and the clashing 
 of swords, I was awakened by the twittering of birds, and 
 by the bright sunbeams playing on my face. All without 
 was bright and beautiful ; all within was beastly, dirty, 
 and disgusting. The room was bad enough originally, but 
 was made ten times worse by the filthy soldiery, fifteen 
 or twenty of whom lay snoring around me. General 
 Skourtas, whose room was next to mine, was no better 
 off. 
 
 Last night about one thousand men left our camp, alarmed 
 by the approach of the enemy, and, as they passed my door, 
 I could have shed bitter tears for poor Greece, who has so 
 much to struggle against with so limited means. Some 
 of the men who knew me stopped to beg me to go with 
 them. I told them if all the camp fled, I must go too ; 
 but, while any remained, I should stay. The generals 
 did not appear to make any attempt to stop them ; in 
 fact, they could use no other means than those of per- 
 suasion, for they have no hold over them. When I 
 arrived at Skourtas's quarters, I found there a sort of 
 council of war, but he was the only general present. 
 Hadji Christo has taken another position nearer Neokas- 
 tro ; Ranco has left to visit the President ; thus deprived 
 of our only good soldiers, no wonder if all things go 
 wrong. The result of the council seemed to be, if the 
 enemy came on, we should retreat this morning ; and to- 
 
^t. 23] Greece in Revolution 47 
 
 day, though they seem ready for a run, we do not start. 
 The policy is just that middling, undecided one that I 
 should expect from a man like Skourtas. He is unwilling 
 to quit his post, yet fears he cannot hold it. If it is nec- 
 essary to retreat, why in the name of mercy does he not 
 retreat in time, and not wait till the enemy, with the 
 finest horse in the world, are at his heels to cut his troops 
 up, as they did only twenty days since .' . . . 
 
 Luckily I found among the capitani^ a Pole who speaks 
 French, and with whom I have had some acquaintance. 
 Finding that all my countrymen were gone, and that I 
 was like a cat in a strange garret, he invited me to go 
 with him if we should have to retreat, and I very gladly 
 accepted his offer. I found his quarters by far the most 
 agreeable, as well as soldierlike, of any I have seen ; his 
 soldiers had formed him a kind of little bower, in which 
 he had a mat spread, and his few goods upon it. He is 
 a brave, good-natured fellow, who has served Greece from 
 the very commencement of the struggle. 
 
 The sea-fight began again to-day, and continued with 
 vigour till I P. M. About an hour before the cessation of 
 the cannonading it was very heavy, and the roar of the 
 guns came in one, long-continued peal. . . . 
 
 Friday, May 6th. Still no enemy near us, and I begin 
 to think there will be none. Mavrocordatos is said to be 
 within five hours' march, with three thousand troops ; but, 
 properly speaking, he brings on a flock of three thousand 
 men, each with a gun and two pistols. . . . 
 
 The danger thickens around us, and much more around 
 Jervis. The Turks have succeeded in landing two thou- 
 sand troops, and seem determined to take Paleokastro ; 
 if they succeed in this, Neokastro is lost without a 
 doubt. . . . 
 
 ' The chiefs of the Greeks were so called. 
 
48 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1825 
 
 p p. M. Mavrocordatos arrived, not with three thousand 
 men as was supposed, but with two hundred; he has, 
 however, raised men who will be here soon. After stay- 
 ing here four hours, he started with five hundred men for 
 Paleokastro, and wished me to go with him ; but, as the 
 devil would have it, not a baggage-horse could be found, 
 and he started without me, ordering me to follow to-mor- 
 row night. It is only two hours from here, but the road 
 is impassable in the daytime, on account of the Turkish 
 horse, who are always scouring the plain through which 
 it passes. It seems always my luck, since in the army, to 
 be left behind, but I will obviate this in future by buying 
 the first baggage-horse I can find. Civede, in fact every- 
 one who can talk to me in French, except the Pole, Dzie- 
 sawoski, has departed with the prince, and I am alone 
 among the hogs ; however, I hope to be off to-night, 
 whether Skourtas goes or not, for I am tired to death of 
 the place and its people. I might have gone to Kalamata. 
 At Paleokastro I shall suffer hardships enough, I know, 
 but it is the scene of active operation ; will, in a day or 
 two, be that of war, and I prefer it to the dull inactivity 
 of a town life. God speed the Greeks, and make them 
 speed me on my journey ! 
 
 Saturday, May "jth. No preparations for departure, and 
 my little stock of Job's panacea begins to run low ; any- 
 thing, anything but inactivity ! trouble, toil, danger, are 
 preferable. With Mavrocordatos I am content generally, 
 for he makes things fly about him in a lively manner, 
 and one's hours do not drudge on quite so heavily; but 
 patience, patience ! 'twill be all the same an hundred years 
 hence. 
 
 g p. M. They ij.. e. the Turks) have attacked Paleo- 
 kastro to-day, it appears. After some fighting they were 
 repulsed, but maintain their ground near the place, thus 
 
iEt. 23] Greece in Revolution 49 
 
 cutting off all communication between us and the fort. 
 Here is the devil to pay again ! At the very moment that 
 I am most wanted, I am obliged to be away, and here I 
 must stay with this stupid old fool of a general, who does 
 nothing but drink and sleep day and night ! Talking with 
 one of the ofiScers to-day about his abilities as a general, 
 said he, " Set abilities aside. You are a surgeon ; do you 
 know how to make shoes .' He is a sailor ; can he lead here 
 in a place he never saw before ? It was only through the 
 old goat's ignorance," said he, "that we lost three hundred 
 men in the combat a few days since." 
 
 But what vexes me is my inactivity ; and, worse than that, 
 there are men here sick, and I am obliged to say, " I have 
 no medicine ; I can do nothing for you ; " for by the plan 
 of Doctor Kephalas (as I feel certain), my box of medicine 
 has been kept behind. When I think of the scoundrel, my 
 blood waxes hot, and, if my suspicions of him prove well 
 founded, woe be to his nose if I get it between my thumb 
 and finger ! In all the foolish confidence of youth, I trusted 
 him as a man of honour, who would have some regard 
 for me, whom he saw a stranger, serving his country with- 
 out fee or reward ; instead of that, while he pretended all 
 the affection and friendship in the world, he was secretly 
 working against me, and trying to undermine me in the 
 opinion of Mavrocordatos and the President ; damn the 
 fellow ! I have a mind to start for Kalamata this very 
 moment, if only to get my things from him. It is a good 
 plan ; I will think of it to-night, and talk to Skourtas about 
 it to-morrow ; as to staying here, sucking my paws a week 
 longer, I cannot stand it ; there is something to be done 
 around me — everywhere but here. 
 
 Sunday, May 8th. Anything but a day of peace and 
 rest, for at sunrise began a furious battle by sea and land 
 between the Greeks and Turks ; the fleets were engaged till 
 
50 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 four p. M., and the fight still continues on land. I went 
 out on to a hill, and, as I gained it, there opened on my 
 view one of the most interesting sights in the world, a 
 sight that would fill a saint with enthusiasm and warlike 
 feeling. To the right, enveloped almost every moment in 
 a cloud of smoke, from which fast flashed the lightning, 
 lay five Turkish frigates, and two small Greek brigs which 
 daringly, obstinately, and effectually opposed their passage 
 to Patras; to the left were fourteen other Greeks and 
 about thirty Turks, enveloped, like the others, in smoke, 
 and fighting with the greatest fury. Now we could plainly 
 see masts, hull, everything, in one of the vessels, and in an 
 instant the vivid fire flashed from each side, the thick white 
 smoke burst forth, spread, rose, enveloping the whole vessel, 
 and in a moment more, the long, loud thunder came, rolling 
 over the water, and breaking on our ears in one continued 
 peal. About noon a vessel was seen bearing away from 
 the rest with all her speed, but she was like one who flies 
 with a deadly wound ; she was on fire ; a pillar of thick 
 black smoke rose above her, and was borne away in a 
 cloud by the wind, but still rose, still followed. In a short 
 time the fire seemed partly extinguished ; but soon the 
 smoke broke forth again, and she bore in for the land, 
 which hid her from our view ; probably they extinguished 
 the fire or threw her powder overboard, for we did not 
 hear the explosion which I expected. By land the enemy 
 attacked Paleokastro with cannon and musquetry, the re- 
 port of which latter we could hear very distinctly. Close 
 on the plain below, appeared a troop of Turkish horse, at 
 the sight of which a brave Bulgarian captain seized his 
 musquet, and commanded his men to follow, hoping to have 
 a shot from the foot of the hill. As the troop came more 
 in sight, the Greeks around me began to discharge their 
 musquets in the air to the number of two hundred ; this 
 
^t. 23] Greece in Revolution 51 
 
 startled me ; made me think the enemy close upon us, and 
 prepare myself for a fray ; but I found it was only a 
 custom which they have of always discharging their mus- 
 quets when an enemy appears in sight, that they may 
 frighten him. Came a letter from Mavrocordatos, de- 
 manding fifteen hundred men, 
 
 I was called to-day by a young Greek captain to see a 
 patient at his quarters. I went into an upper story of one 
 of the huts, and found there, lying upon one of their mat- 
 tresses, a most beautiful young girl. At the sight of me, 
 she started up, and seated herself at the head of the mat- 
 tress, shaking her thick black locks about her face, and 
 hanging down her head from shyness or shame. I was 
 thunderstruck, and should not have been more astonished 
 had I seen the ghost of my grandfather. Here in the 
 camp where I thought there was not a female, not even 
 the ugly old hags who generally hang round it, I suddenly 
 came across a most elegant young creature, with as much 
 natural and unaffected grace as I have almost ever seen. 
 Her confusion and partial undress made her the more in- 
 teresting, and entirely destroyed my equilibrium. I had 
 entered with all the gravity of Hippocrates, expecting to 
 see some sick man, and I came upon an invalid angel ! and 
 my feelings were as unlike Hippocrates' as would have 
 been those of any other young man of three and twenty. 
 However, summoning up my sobriety, I proceeded to in- 
 quire into her case, and found she was suffering only from 
 a little headache, which the fond captain was anxious to 
 relieve. I found afterwards, on inquiry, that she was not 
 his wife, only his chire amie. She is a Turk, and it is un- 
 lawful for him to marry her ; but it is almost the same, 
 and in these cases, I believe, the Greeks seldom take an- 
 other wife, but continue attached to their amie. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 GUERRILLA WARFARE 
 
 Tuesday, May lOih, Kalamata. Twelve hours from 
 the camp. On Sunday night about lO p. m. I went to 
 bed ; that is threw myself down in my greatcoat upon a 
 blanket. All was still ; about a dozen soldiers were snoring 
 around me, and I lay meditating about an hour ; then I 
 heard a low rapping at the outer gate, and presently two 
 men entered the yard, and passed by my door, which 
 stood open, into the chamber of General Skourtas. After 
 a few minutes one of them entered my room on tiptoe, 
 and woke up two of Skourtas's confidential and brave sol- 
 diers, whispering something in their ears. They arose, 
 examined the priming of their pistols, took their guns, and 
 went out with Skourtas. I woke up my servant, and told 
 him to go out and see what was the case. He soon came 
 back and said : " The Turks have taken Paleokastro, killed 
 Mavrocordatos and all with him, and Skourtas is preparing 
 to fly immediately." I armed myself, went out, and found 
 it was true. All the baggage-horses were out, and the 
 servants loading them, but not a word was spoken except 
 in low whispers, and I perceived that in an hour I should 
 be left alone if I did not exert myself. I ordered the serv- 
 ant to get a baggage-horse, but this was impossible ; he 
 said : " You must leave the baggage and save yourself on 
 horseback, for you cannot march with the Greeks ; they 
 will tire you out." This I did not believe, and after great 
 trouble and personal exertion, succeeded in getting the 
 
 S2 
 
^t. 23] Guerrilla Warfare 53 
 
 baggage fastened on to my saddle. • By this time almost 
 all had fled. I was met by a captain, who said : " The 
 devil ! not gone yet .' Skourtas is off ; you cannot catch 
 him ; come with me." I followed him, the servant leading 
 the horse. After half an hour's march I found that the 
 baggage was getting loose, and it was necessary to fix it 
 every minute ; the servant was discouraged, and I was 
 obliged to help, or rather, to do everything for him, and in 
 half an hour more we were in the rear, and out of hearing 
 of everybody, except two soldiers, who had a horse in as 
 bad a predicament as my own; they began to give up; 
 my servant began to cry, cross himself, and call upon the 
 Holy Virgin for salvation ; but he might as well have 
 called on his grandmother ! They insisted we were going 
 toward the Turkish camp ; this I knew, but I knew that 
 it was necessary to cross the mountain before we could 
 strike into the opposite direction, and, as the enemy would 
 wait for the moon, which had just risen, I concluded we 
 had time to gain the other road before they met us. Partly 
 by encouragements, and partly by threats, I induced the 
 men to go on, but soon we came to where the road divided ; 
 here I was at a stand, but, calculating the direction of Kala- 
 mata, I confidently told them I knew the road, and went 
 on. All at once we heard a talking before us in the woods ; 
 we stopped, listened, and to our joy heard them speak 
 Greek, and what was better, found them to be the serv- 
 ants of the captain from whom I had parted. They had 
 had some accident with their baggage, and were detained. 
 After this we went on together till we arrived at the en- 
 campment of General Kephale, who with five hundred 
 men occupied a little rocky hill. It was not daybreak, 
 but we found the old fellow up, squatting before his fire 
 with some capitani around him. There we stopped till 
 sunrise, when he gave me a mule for my baggage. I 
 
54 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 mounted my horse, and after travelling twelve hours, 
 arrived safely here. From the Eparch, or head man, who 
 speaks French, I learned that the President ' was an hour 
 and a half below, in a little village on the seashore. I 
 immediately went on, and found the old fellow very mel- 
 ancholy and agitated at the news of the loss of Paleokas- 
 tro, but more for Mavrocordatos. I told him that I did not 
 believe Paleokastro was lost, neither did I believe that it 
 was a Greek vessel which was burned. He told me I had 
 done well in coming here, for they had all the wounded at 
 this place, and gave me a letter to the surgeons, as they 
 are called, appointing me chief, and directing them to 
 apply to me in cases of difficulty. At ten o'clock the old 
 man went on board his vessel to sleep, and I passed the 
 night in his room. This morning I arrived here, and after 
 resting and refreshing myself, visited the patients ; there 
 are thirty, but only five dangerous, whom I alone shall 
 attend. I am now in one of the best lodgings in per- 
 haps the pleasantest place in Greece, with every com- 
 fort and convenience that she affords ; but still am very 
 unhappy. Poor Jervis ! if it is true that Paleokastro is 
 lost, he is lost ; for, young and daring, he would certainly 
 be in the thickest fray. And Mavrocordatos — oh, Greece ! 
 if thou hast lost him, thy ablest son is gone, thy strongest 
 stay is broken ! 
 
 6" p. M. A vessel has arrived here with Mavrocordatos 
 and the remnant of those who escaped from the little fort 
 at Nikaia, which the enemy have actually taken, and thus, 
 in my opinion, have gained Navarino ; still I can find out 
 nothing but that Mavrocordatos has arrived ; whether 
 Jervis is with him, or whether he is dead, God knows ! 
 to-morrow I shall know all. 
 
 Wednesday, May Ilth. Jervis is probably safe ; but I 
 ' Kondoriotes. 
 
^t. 23] Guerrilla Warfare 55 
 
 have lost another more amiable friend, more accomplished 
 man, whom I thought out of danger, — poor Santa Rosa, 
 the noble, high-minded, enthusiastic Santa Rosa, is gone 
 to his long home ! Civede, who was on the spot, says 
 at three o'clock on Sunday, as the Turkish frigates at- 
 tempted to land their boats at the little fort of Nikaia 
 where was Mavrocordatos with five hundred men, they 
 were repulsed with loss. Some time after they attempted 
 and effected a landing at another point of the island, and 
 poured in upon the little body of Greeks. The fight was 
 dreadful, and the carnage great. Mavrocordatos, deeming 
 resistance vain, fled with some others into boats, which 
 took them on board a Greek ship. They called Santa 
 Rosa and told him to fly with them. "Never! never!" 
 said he. "We have yet men, and may do much with 
 courage and proper care." They parted, and he rushed 
 on to battle, and, probably, to death. My heart glows 
 with admiration at his valour, while I shudder to think of 
 the event. Left on a little rock with a few men, to com- 
 bat with an overwhelming force of the enemy, what could 
 he do ? All that man could do I know he did ; and I fear 
 that was only to die like a man. God rest his soul ! he 
 has left behind few worthier, few nobler, on earth. The 
 vessel which Mavrocordatos gained forced her way through 
 thirty-two of the enemy's ships, all of which opened their 
 fire upon her ; she was terribly shattered, but still she went 
 on ; four times did the enemy's boats attempt to board 
 her, and four times were repulsed by the musquetry and 
 pistols. She passed alongside of two frigates, all shivered 
 as she was, with the water rushing in at a hundred shot- 
 holes ; a man was stationed with a torch at the magazine, 
 to blow her to atoms, should the enemy gain her deck ; 
 still she bore on through fire and smoke, dealing death and 
 destruction around, and receiving the same threefold, till 
 
56 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 at last she cleared the enemy's fleet, though a complete 
 wreck. Mavrocordatos got on board another vessel, and 
 
 arrived here last night. My countryman, A , was on 
 
 board the vessel in the fight, and I am glad to hear bore 
 himself with that courage and firmness which becomes a 
 man. It appears that the report of the Greek fleet having 
 been defeated is not true, neither was it a Greek vessel 
 which we saw on fire, but a Turk ; and not only she, but 
 in the evening another Turk experienced the same fate. 
 Even the shattered ship which saved Mavrocordatos has 
 been sent off to Hydra, and will probably arrive and be 
 repaired ; but Navarino is lost, unless the Greeks beat the 
 Turks who lie before it on the plain. Now that the little 
 fort is taken which commands the harbour, and the fleet 
 cannot enter, I know not what they can do when their 
 provision is finished. 
 
 Thursday, May 1 2th. Received the news of the capture 
 of Paleokastro, and, consequently, of Jervis and all his 
 men ; but what was the astonishment of the Greeks on 
 hearing the treatment of Ibrahim Pasha to his prisoners ! 
 He said to them : " Those who will enter my service shall 
 be well paid ; those who wish to go to other countries 
 I will send; but those who wish to go home must give 
 up their arms and not fight again." He even sent a troop 
 of horse to escort them some distance. This is a dreadful 
 blow to Greece, not only because the fall of Paleokastro 
 will cause that of Navarino, but this generosity of Ibra- 
 him's will do Greece more harm than if he had cut off a 
 thousand heads. 
 
 Wrote last night to Masson at Hydra, and to Miller, 
 wherever he may be, telling him to come here if he did 
 not find Jervis. The President left last night, on ship- 
 board, for Hydra or Napoli, with Mavrocordatos and the 
 others. What this movement means I cannot conceive. 
 
^t. 23] Guerrilla Warfare 57 
 
 Why go from the scene of action at the very moment when 
 the most strenuous exertion should be made ? The Turks 
 are led on by men of skill and genius ; they will probably 
 take advantage of their success, and strike into the coun- 
 try, or along the seashore. It is said this morning that 
 Navarino is fallen, but I heard a heavy cannonading two 
 hours since, which would seem to indicate that they still 
 fought ; but I fear that a day or two more will finish the 
 business in that quarter. Then the enemy will have all 
 that section of the country included between Koron and 
 Navarino, which forms a sort of peninsula, and with the 
 two strong castles of Koron and Modon, and the excel- 
 lent harbour of Navarino, they will be immovable to all the 
 feeble efforts of the Greeks. I should not wonder now if 
 the government were to call in foreign aid, for I fear that 
 Mavrocordatos is lost. The party against him before was 
 strong, and will acquire additional strength from the fail- 
 ure of this expedition. God grant a good issue ! or, rather, 
 may the Greeks rouse themselves to action, and do some- 
 thing worthy of their name ! Oh, for two thousand 
 American troops, and in three months not a Turk would 
 tread the classic soil of Greece ! 
 
 At four p. M. the servant came into the room, his mouth 
 stretched from ear to ear, and his face all grinning with 
 joy ; he said not a word, but held open the door, when in 
 came Jervis, his clothes torn and dirty, his face scorched 
 by the sun, and his lips parched black with thirst and 
 fatigue. I was as much rejoiced as astonished to see him, 
 and, after taking some rest and a good hearty supper, he 
 related his adventures ; but as he will write them down in 
 my large book, I will not repeat them here.' Suffice it to 
 say, that he was taken prisoner among i,ioo Greeks, who, 
 after laying down their arms and giving up their money, 
 
 ' This book was lost. 
 
58 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 were set free ; he lost much : his horse, his papers, his 
 baggage and money. Ibrahim Pasha, with whom he talked 
 an hour in French, offered him ^loo per month to enter 
 his service, and to each soldier he offered fifty piastres, 
 being double their present pay, but not one joined him. 
 Hadji Christo, who was taken the night before in a sally, 
 was retained, as well as another general, and the Arch- 
 bishop of Arcadia. 
 
 Arrived five more wounded. At eight p. m., during a 
 heavy cannonade which we heard, there came a most tre- 
 mendous report, which continued four seconds, shaking the 
 house like an earthquake, and in a moment, a bright, vivid 
 streak of light was seen to shoot up into the sky, and by 
 its continuance to indicate that the explosion had set fire 
 to something. It was in the direction of Neokastro, and 
 must have been an explosion of the powder-magazine there 
 or on board one of the frigates in the harbour, where the 
 Turkish fleet now is. I have no doubt it is the latter, for 
 all the houses in Neokastro are of stone, and the flame 
 could not so soon have followed the explosion. The light 
 lasted and became brighter for nearly an hour. Some say 
 that, after the first, there were two other similar explo- 
 sions ; this might have been without our hearing them, as 
 we were in a hubbub. I have no doubt it was a Turkish 
 frigate, and perhaps the Greek fire-ships have attacked and 
 burned some of their fleet. To-morrow we shall know. 
 
 Friday, May Ijtk. Jervis left in the morning for Napoli. 
 In the afternoon a fleet was discovered off this harbour, 
 bearing in. It proved to be the Greek one, with about 
 twenty sail. They entered in gallant style, ten in a file or 
 abreast, and came to anchor. In the course of an hour 
 the shouts of the inhabitants, the firing of guns and pistols 
 from every window, announced that some joyful news had 
 been received. The town seemed distracted, and it was 
 
Mt.23\ Guerrilla Warfare 59 
 
 long before I could get the truth of the matter. It appears 
 that yesterday afternoon six Greek brUlots, or fire-ships, 
 arrived and joined the fleet. Admiral Miaulis immediately 
 bore away for Modon, where lay four large Turkish frigates, 
 some corvettes, and other vessels, in all about twenty- 
 five, moored under the very guns of the fort. Old Miaulis 
 entered with his fleet, attacked with his fire-ships, and 
 burned every one of the enemy's fleet without the loss 
 of a man on his part. It was the explosion of the frig- 
 ates which we heard last night. The Turks, always re- 
 garding with horror the dreadful fire-ships of the Greeks, 
 probably threw themselves into the sea and swam on shore, 
 as the sailors say not more than half a dozen guns were 
 fired from the ships. Probably the accounts are exagger- 
 ated, but that a great, glorious, and important victory has 
 been obtained is almost certain. A great division of the 
 Turkish fleet is cut up, and now if the Greeks can contrive 
 to retake the little forts of Paleokastro and Nikaia, which 
 command the harbour of Neokastro, the latter town is safe. 
 I am not sure that Miaulis will not attempt to burn the 
 Turkish vessels in the harbour of Navarino ; he is an old 
 hero. 
 
 To-day saw the beginning of that spirit of discontent 
 which I prophesied would break out if Mavrocordatos 
 was unsuccessful against the enemy at Neokastro. About 
 three thousand soldiers passed here, all in disorder and 
 confusion, and all openly condemning the government, and 
 demanding that Kolokotrones should be set free and put 
 in command against the enemy. I fear that Mavrocor- 
 datos is lost, yet he has a firm friend in the President, and 
 a head fruitful in resources. As for Kolokotrones, who 
 was the leader of what were called the factionists, he is a 
 dangerous man, and although a better general than Mav- 
 rocordatos, and one of the first soldiers in the world, he is 
 
6o Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 not a friend to the true interests of Greece. I make a 
 distinction between a general and a soldier. Koloko- 
 trones is not a bad general, but as a soldier or an acting 
 officer he is excelled by none ; he is brave, strict in dis- 
 cipline, vigilant to seek advantages and prompt to use 
 them ; but what he most excels in is that personal quali- 
 fication, or those qualifications, which attach the soldiers 
 to him. He knows every man in his army, and is beloved 
 and admired, as well as feared, by them ; and as they can- 
 not, or will not, see farther than their noses, they think 
 him a firm patriot and a good man. He is now a prisoner 
 in Hydra, having surrendered himself to the government 
 after the defeat of his party and schemes. As far as I am 
 acquainted with the history of his faction, he has been 
 guilty of treason, and richly deserves death. Next to 
 Ulysses ' he has been the most formidable enemy of the 
 constitutional government. 
 
 Sat., May 14th. The account of the victory of the 
 Greek fleet is this day corrected and confirmed; they 
 burnt two large frigates, eight corvettes, and other smaller 
 vessels amounting in all to about twenty-five. These lay 
 immediately under the guns of the fort, which latter must 
 of course have been injured by the tremendous explosion. 
 The country is generally rising around, as nearly fifteen 
 hundred men, it is said, are in arms in Arcadia and Mistra, 
 ready to march against the enemy ; it only wants some man 
 of talent, in whom they have confidence, to unite and lead 
 them on. They will serve as an effectual barrier against 
 Ibrahim Pasha's advance into the country, or will cut him 
 off if he penetrates, but nothing more. They cannot, 
 dare not, cope with his regular troops in the open country. 
 And I will venture to prognosticate that without great 
 alterations in the regulation of their armies, the Greeks 
 
 i Odysseus Andritsos, then called Ulysses. 
 
^t 23] Guerrilla IVarfare 61 
 
 never will take Koron, Modon, or Patras, except by star- 
 vation. Their fleet will do much, will do nobly, as it 
 always has done ; but their soldiers nothing, except in the 
 rocks and mountains, where they would cut up any troops 
 in the world, perhaps. . . . 
 
 Tuesday, May lyth. Had a painful example of the 
 confident ignorance of the native surgeons. One of my 
 patients, who had a dangerous gunshot wound in the 
 shoulder, became discontented with my simple mode of 
 treatment, and demanded to have his shoulder opened 
 where it was swelled, and where he thought was matter. 
 I refused ; he called in a physician of some worth, who 
 urged me to open it, thinking there was matter; still I 
 refused, protesting there was none ; the patient in the 
 afternoon called in one of the surgeons of the country and 
 put himself under his care. We were called to see the 
 treatment. He asked what was inside; I said, "Only 
 coagulated blood." "Give me the knife," cries he, and 
 cutting away boldly and deeply, laid the part open three 
 or four inches ; still no matter followed ; he plunged the 
 knife in deeper, but could only find coagulated blood ; but 
 with all the assurance in the world he affirmed that this 
 was all he wanted, and went on to finish by stuffing the 
 enormous wound he had made with cotton dipped in eggs 
 beaten up with oil, then cramming the bullet-holes with 
 large pledgets of cotton and salves of various kinds. This 
 violent treatment, with his language, which I could not 
 understand, seemed to make a considerable impression on 
 the bystanders, who looked on me as defeated. . . . 
 
 Thursday, May igtk. Ascension, a day of frolic and 
 glee with the Greeks. The news from Navarino confirmed. 
 It appears that on Monday evening the Turks made an 
 assault on the place. Some entered, as is said, deluded 
 by an artifice of the Greeks, and were shut in and killed. 
 
62 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 The Greeks repulsed the enemy, pursued them, and slew one 
 thousand. Divide this by three, which is my general method, 
 we shall probably come near the truth. They may have 
 killed three or four hundred of the enemy, without any, 
 or but a trifling, loss on their part. It appears also certain 
 that an English frigate which entered the harbour gave 
 them water and bread ; for the first they are suffering 
 much. This must have been done privately, and although 
 we may laud the action and admire the benevolence of the 
 captain, it is unjustifiable by all the rules of warfare, and 
 this captain has done more injury to a neutral power than 
 if he had sunk a dozen of her frigates. England and 
 Turkey are at peace, but this act of an English vessel of 
 war is one of direct hostility, and a most serious injury to 
 Turkey, for it may be the means directly of saving Nava- 
 rino and indirectly of losing Modon. Apropos of Modon : 
 when the Greeks burnt the fleet of the enemy at that 
 place, it appears they were so near the town that the 
 explosion destroyed one-third of the buildings in the place. 
 
 Rode out to the seashore and saw on the beach some of 
 the masts and spars, half burnt, which have floated here 
 from the enemy's ships destroyed at Modon. 
 
 Friday, May 20th. Sundry vague and strange reports 
 about Kolokotrones are in circulation. He is not free, but 
 still at Hydra. It is said the Senate at Napoli obtained a 
 majority of votes in favour of the question, "Shall we in- 
 vite Kolokotrones to take command of the armies in the 
 Morea .? " The proposition was made to him ; he con- 
 sented with this requisition, that he should have carte 
 blanche ; have absolute power to do just what he chose, 
 without being responsible to any one ! Most strange 
 proposition of a government to a state prisoner, convicted 
 of treason, and more strange refusal on his part. It con- 
 firms what I have heard asserted, that a great part of the 
 
^t. 23] Guerrilla Warfare 63 
 
 Senate were in truth factionists, and they have taken the 
 opportunity of the President's absence to show their 
 hand. Perhaps it was to counteract these operations that 
 Mavrocordatos was induced to go to Napoli with the Presi- 
 dent. What else could have made him take so impolitic a 
 step as to leave the seat of war, just after a defeat "i The 
 people, one and all, interpret it as a sort of flight, and 
 set him down as defeated in a scheme, to the furtherance of 
 which he had only received a check. If Mavrocordatos had 
 the power in this expedition, which it is generally supposed 
 he had, he lost Paleokastro and Nikaia by sheer neglect, 
 or rather by delay. When he arrived at the camp on the 
 6th he seemed sensible of being tardy, and hastened im- 
 mediately to Paleokastro, which four hours after his arri- 
 val was blocked up by the enemy. He found when he 
 got there that the troops were not numerous enough to de- 
 fend the place, that there was a want of powder and water ; 
 but then it was too late to supply the defect. Why did he 
 not know it before ? Why were four Greek vessels lying 
 idle in the harbour while at least they might have been 
 stocking the place with water } I know from the mouth 
 of those who were in the place that they would not have 
 surrendered for some days more had there been water. 
 Says Jervis : " We had some jackasses which we would 
 have killed and eaten, but a roasted jackass without a 
 drop of liquid to wash him down with was rather too dry 
 a mess." In fact, it does not seem to have been known 
 till too late that Paleokastro and Nikaia were keys of Nava- 
 rino. The Greek fleet returned to-day, not being able to 
 gain Navarino on account of a violent head wind. It is 
 said that Mehemet Ali, the father of Ibrahim, and Pasha 
 of Egypt, is dead, and the old report is confirmed that 
 there is a serious rebellion of the Arabs. 
 
 Sunday, May 2lst. The Greek fleet again put to sea to 
 
64 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 try to give some succour to Navarino ; it must now be in 
 great want of water. To-day died the man who was taken 
 out of my care and so foolishly operated on by the surgeon 
 of the place ; thus my prophecy is verified, and I think 
 to-morrow or next day it will be so again in the case of an- 
 other patient treated in the same way. It is painful to 
 see this. It is painful to feel the fullest confidence that 
 a scientific treatment affords these men much the best 
 chance of life, and yet not be able to pursue it. 
 
 Monday, May 22d. Navarino surrendered by capitula- 
 tion, the garrison, between eleven and twelve hundred, 
 marched out, laid down their arms, were conducted to 
 Modon, and there embarked for this place. This loss 
 seems to strike considerable terror into the people here, 
 who are preparing to fly. Finished letters to Sampson and 
 my father. Toward evening the garrison arrived at this 
 port, and the town is filled with the soldiers. Kallerges, 
 commander of the artillery, stays with me ; he related their 
 sufferings, their struggle, and their final defeat with much 
 warmth. The Greeks behaved themselves in a manner 
 that would not disgrace any nation. Most of the shells 
 which they fired were those thrown in by the enemy, which 
 the soldiers prevented from exploding by throwing their 
 capotes over them. Of Kallerges's corps one-haK were 
 killed or badly wounded. 
 
 Doctor Millingen, who was sent out eighteen months 
 ago by the London committee to the assistance of Greece, 
 was among the prisoners. Ibrahim Pasha offered him 
 ^60 per month to enter his service, and ^100 as a present, 
 and he was base enough to accept, thus bringing disgrace 
 upon the name of Philhellene and infamy upon his own.' 
 Thank God he is not an American ! This step is of the 
 
 * Millingen, who was with Byron in his last illness, used to excuse this 
 act of his, but it was hard to defend. 
 
Mt.23i Guerrilla Warfare 65 
 
 same character, though of a blacker dye than some of his 
 previous ones. 
 
 Arrived eighteen wounded who are all put under my 
 charge. Chevalier Collegno also arrived, and confirmed the 
 loss of our common friend, the noble enthusiast Santa Rosa. 
 His wife and children ! my heart bleeds to think of them. 
 
 Tuesday, May 2jd. Sold my horse for ^3 5, as we are 
 to depart from here with all the wounded for some other 
 part, and if the enemy come to Kalamata we shall go to 
 Napoli. Kallerges has left for Napoli. All the women 
 and children, and many of the men are flying into the 
 interior. Should Ibrahim follow up his blow with spirit 
 he might advance unopposed to Skarla. 
 
 Thursday, May 25th, near Kalamata. Last night at eight 
 o'clock I started from my quarters with all my baggage, 
 having previously sent my wounded on board two large 
 boats. We arrived at this place after two or three hours' 
 rowing. The scene on the shore just after we shoved off 
 had a wild and curious appearance. There were large fires 
 lit, around which were men, women, and children, some 
 bustling about, others eating, and some sleeping. The 
 varied expressions of their countenances and actions shown 
 by the flickering light, the boats tossing on the waves, 
 the shouts from shore, the cries of the sailors, half 
 drowned by the plashing of the waves on the beach, all 
 contributed to bring to my mind the scene Scott paints of 
 the smuggler in one of his tales. This place, called I be- 
 lieve Kitriers, situated fifteen miles S.W. of Kalamata, 
 affords us safety from the enemy and some accommodation 
 for the wounded. How long we shall stay here I cannot 
 tell ; but I cannot and shall not quit my wounded, come 
 Turk or devil ; should the enemy make their appearance 
 we must retire to Napoli by sea, if it is possible to find a 
 vessel for that place. 
 
66 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 Friday, May 26th. Weather fine ; patients doing well ; 
 arrangements comfortable, and we shall remain here for 
 five days more at least. This is a curious place ; the sea, 
 curving in, forms a little semicircular bay, and the land 
 on all sides rises from the shore into mountains almost per- 
 pendicular, forming an amphitheatre, the walls of which are 
 the rocky sides of the mountains, and the floor is the sea. 
 The few houses are built on the ledges of rock, and some are 
 formed in the caverns of the rock by merely making a wall 
 in front. At present the place is very much crowded, being 
 entirely safe from the Turks, who, notwithstanding, might 
 bring their ships under our very feet. I have with me 
 a young Swiss ensign, of Kallerges's corps, who is very 
 slightly wounded in the foot, and whom I have taken into 
 my quarters. He had served under Napoleon, entering 
 the army when fifteen years of age, and came to Greece 
 from that sort of enthusiasm for liberty which those who 
 have lived under and felt the blessings of republicanism 
 ought to have. At Neokastro he lost everything, money, 
 papers, arms, clothes, everything but his shirt; having 
 been obliged to fly from the little isle of Nikaia by throwing 
 himself into the sea, he remained thirty-six hours on a 
 little rock, and was at last taken off in the night by 
 a little Greek boat. Also an assistant surgeon, a young 
 Greek, who brought the wounded from Navarino, will con- 
 tinue with me as assistant and student ; he has studied in 
 Italy, and has one grand requisite, a desire to learn. 
 
 Saturday, May Z^th. Pretty damn'd, considerably, par- 
 ticularly, uncomfortably hot. 
 
 Sunday, May 28th. The opposition to my every wish, 
 the jealousy and hatred of Nikoli, the country surgeon, has 
 reached such a pitch that I could no longer endure it, and 
 to-day we came to an open rupture. As I am so ignorant 
 of the language it was agreed at Kalamata that Nikoli 
 
^t. 23] Guerrilla Warfare 67 
 
 should take care of everything, getting lodgings, paying 
 rations, etc. When we arrived here we found it impossi- 
 ble to get more than one house. This was the best in the 
 place, has one large chamber and one small one, and below 
 a sort of magazine or cellar, filled with goods and families. 
 In the small chamber we took up our quarters with 
 Nikoli, but he brought all his wounded (eleven) into the 
 large chamber and occupied every place, and I was obliged 
 to put eight of my wounded into the magazine, and leave 
 five out of doors upon the ground, where they are at 
 present. It was in vain that I remonstrated against this 
 unjust arrangement, and urged that the badly wounded of 
 both should be brought into the large chamber, and the 
 slightly wounded left out of doors ; the rascal would not 
 make any other arrangement. To-day I insisted that one 
 of my patients, who was mortally wounded, should be 
 brought into the house, and he was obliged to consent ; 
 but when they brought the bed, he had it put in one cor- 
 ner, close to the fire, and far from any window. It was 
 impossible for the man to lie there, and I ordered the 
 attendants to remove the bed to a position near one of the 
 windows, in place of a man slightly wounded who had gone 
 out ; the attendants hesitated on account of the commands 
 of Lucas. I ordered them again in a severe tone and they 
 obeyed. Nikoli then entered, and in an insolent tone 
 ordered me to have the bed moved back. I refused ; he 
 began to rage, seized the bed and dragged it away; but 
 when I replaced it again he trembled with fury, grew pale, 
 his lips quivered, and he took hold of my collar and pushed 
 me back. I could not endure any longer. I lost command 
 of myself, and with one blow sent him staggering across the 
 room. He seized a stick and came at me again, but seeing 
 me on my guard, and ready to give him another blow, he 
 turned, went into the other chamber, and immediately came 
 
68 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 182s 
 
 out with his pistols. By this time several men had come in, 
 and although I feared he might in his fury use the pistols, 
 I did not show my fear, but keeping my eye on him, and 
 ready to spring at his pistols, I gave orders for the patient 
 to be brought and placed where I wished, and where 
 he now remains. Nikoli gradually grew cool, and in two 
 hours was as polite to me as possible. I wrote an account 
 of the affair to Lucas, head physician at Tripolitza, and 
 sent it by the apothecary, who was so enraged with Nikoli's 
 proceedings that he swore by bread he would not sleep till 
 he reported him. It was well for me that I had not my 
 pistols in my belt, for I do not know what I should have 
 done. . . . 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 KOLOKOTRONES AND YPSILANTI : FIGHT AT THE MILLS 
 
 At the end of May, 1825, my father was ordered to 
 Napoli. He went by way of Tripolitza, reaching the 
 town on the day (Thursday, June ist) on which Koloko- 
 trones arrived there, just from his imprisonment. He thus 
 describes the reception of the popular idol : 
 
 Kolokotrones entered Tripolitza to-day from his prison 
 at Hydra ; but he entered more like a conqueror from 
 battle than a prisoner from confinement. The enthusiasm 
 with which he was received is hardly describable ; men, 
 women, and children went out to meet him, and he was 
 welcomed by the shout of joyful voices, ringing mus- 
 quets, and thundering cannon. He made a speech to the 
 people, assuring them of his patriotism, and promising to 
 drive their enemies from the Morea. He can have what 
 number of men he chooses, for the whole Morea cries out 
 for him. " We do not want Mavrocordatos," say they ; " we 
 do not want the Roumeliotes ' to defend our country, but 
 give us our dear countryman, give us our brave Koloko- 
 trones, and we will follow him to death." 
 
 He will start from here very soon ; we shall see the result. 
 
 Friday, June 3d. Could not find horses in the morning. 
 I met Doctor Tyndale, an Englishman, who is going to 
 Napoli; we dined together. At just sundown found two 
 horses, with which I started immediately on the route ta 
 
 ' That is, Greeks of the mainland. 
 69 
 
yo Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 Napoli ; although it rained hard, and the evening was very- 
 dark, we made two hours (six miles), when we found a 
 khan, a miserable hole, which we, in America, would hardly 
 think fit for a hog-pen. Here we slept till daylight, when 
 I started on, reached the Mills at noon, embarked in a little 
 boat, and arrived at Napoli in two hours. Found Jervis 
 and Miller just ready to start for Hydra, which is actually 
 threatened by the Turkish fleet from Constantinople of 
 one hundred sail. I immediately called on Mavrocordatos 
 and expressed a wish to go to Hydra, which he was glad 
 of, and he promised to make out my papers (at $50 per 
 month), so that I might start in the morning. Jervis went 
 off with his troop, but Miller stayed to accompany me 
 to-morrow. Found here my friends Collegno [and] Count 
 Pazzo. In the night came the news that the Greek fleet 
 had just attacked the Turkish, burned two frigates, two 
 corvettes, and a number of smaller vessels, ran several on 
 shore, and scattered the whole. This renders Hydra safe, 
 and I need not go there, except to see my good friend 
 Masson. Napoli swarms with foreigners. 
 
 Sunday, June ^th. The news confirmed of the decisive 
 advantage obtained by the Greek fleet and the safety 
 of Hydra, from which the troops will be ordered back. 
 Missolonghi is surrounded by ten thousand Turks, who 
 have invested it with a ditch. Miller was shut up in it for 
 fifteen days, but escaped by passing the fleet in a small 
 boat ; he directed the cannon while there, and at his first 
 fire killed four men. Some days since the enemy started 
 from Missolonghi (or rather a part of them) and made a 
 descent upon Salona, which place they took, but were 
 driven from it by Gouras, who advanced from Athens. 
 News confirmed of Papa Phlessas's defeat and death ; he 
 was Minister of the Interior, and a gallant fellow, although 
 a priest. 
 
iEt. 23] Kolokotrones and Ypsilanti 7 1 
 
 An English brig arrived with ^^40,000 of the Greek 
 loan. The news of the defeat of the Turkish fleet, although 
 somewhat magnified, in the main is true. . . . 
 
 Tuesday, June ytk. Obtained some of my medicines of 
 Kephalas, but the scoundrel has cheated me out of the 
 most valuable of them ; or rather cheated the government, 
 to whom they mostly belonged. Mavrocordatos gave me 
 my choice to draw my rations or eat with him at his table ; 
 of course I chose the latter. His dinner is something in 
 the European style, and quite abundant. . . . 
 
 Friday, June lOth. Jervis arrived from Hydra, and upon 
 his telling me that the Greek fleet with nine fire-ships have 
 determined to make a great effort to destroy the Constan- 
 tinople fleet at Suda, and that my services would be most 
 acceptable, I immediately determined to go with them. 
 At 8 p. M. got on board a little dirty boat with all my 
 effects. On this boat, which could well accommodate six per- 
 sons, were crowded twenty-four great lousy, dirty Greeks. 
 The wind in the night was light, and we made but little 
 headway. I slept upon a pile of small stones in the bottom 
 of the boat until daylight. 
 
 Sat., June Ilth. All day the wind was ahead, and we 
 got along but slowly. At noon we passed Spetzia, a 
 very pretty little place, with white houses, rising one 
 above another on the side of a hill. At 8 p. m. arrived 
 at Hydra, where in a few minutes I had the long-hoped- 
 for pleasure of grasping my good friend Masson by the 
 hand. 
 
 Sund., June 1 2th, Hydra. The Greek fleet has gone, 
 except one fire-ship, which I visited in company with Mas- 
 son, just as she was getting under way ; the priests were on 
 board fumigating and blessing the ship. At Hydra I am 
 told by all that I cannot be of use at present, should I 
 follow the fleet, for they probably will have finished the 
 
72 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1825 
 
 business before I get there, and they will immediately 
 bring their wounded to this place. . . . 
 
 Tues.,June 14th. Hydra is a delightful place. I am 
 most pleasantly situated in the same house with my friend 
 Masson, where, with another English gentleman, Mr. Har- 
 den, and friend Miller, I spend the time pleasantly and 
 usefully. 
 
 This moment is probably the most critical of the whole 
 revolution. The Alexandrian and Constantinopolitan fleets 
 have rendezvoused at Suda in Candia, which is a strongly 
 fortified harbour. The Greeks, resolved upon hazarding 
 everything at this all-important stake, have sent off al- 
 most every one of their vessels with fourteen fire-ships to 
 burn the fleet or perish in the attempt. If they succeed, 
 Greece is freed from the Turks ; if they fail, if their fire- 
 ships are burnt uselessly, she is, perhaps, not irretrievably 
 lost, but in a dreadful situation, for the enemy's fleet will 
 carry provisions to Patras, to Modon, etc. They will go 
 to Missolonghi, and without doubt take the place. The 
 Hydriotes have also sent four brigs and one fire-ship to 
 Negropont to operate against a fleet of thirty sail, said to 
 be destined to carry troops to that place. 
 
 The Turks have taken Kalamata ; thus they hold almost 
 all Arcadia, which they will probably utterly destroy. All 
 the beautiful meadows, the golden grain, the rich olive and 
 lemon groves, which I so lately passed over, have ere now 
 been burnt to the ground. 
 
 Wednesday, June i^th. Glorious news from Missolonghi 
 The Albanian Turks before the place had fallen into dissen- 
 sions ; the Greeks took advantage of this, sallied from the 
 walls, drove the enemy back seven miles, and took all the 
 cannon. Good, if true ! A cannonade all yesterday and 
 part of to-day heard from the sea. This is bad, for it seems 
 to say the Turks have got out of Suda, and the Greeks 
 
^t. 23] Kolokotrones and Ypsilanti 73 
 
 have been obliged to engage them at sea. The moment is 
 most critical. 
 
 A little caique just arrived says the Greeks are worsted, 
 and the Turks, bearing away for this place, determined to 
 crush it, and with it all Greece. . . . 
 
 Jervis and Emerson Tennent,' a young Irish gentleman, 
 started for Napoli on business, but will return imme- 
 diately if danger presses upon us here. Every eye is 
 strained to discover the first approach of the enemy's 
 fleet. 
 
 Thursday, June l6th. Vessels in sight at a distance, 
 but we know not their character. . . . 
 
 Friday, June lytk. Heard a vessel of the fleet was com- 
 ing in, and going upon a little rock which overhangs the 
 harbour, saw one of their brigs, sailing up easily and majes- 
 tically, with the flag of the cross flying in triumph, and the 
 inverted crescent trailing along in the water. She slowly 
 entered the harbour, the sides of which were lined with an 
 anxious crowd, waiting between hope and fear to hear the 
 fate of father, brother, husband, and son. She announced 
 the news from Suda, that on their arrival {i. e. that of the 
 Greek ships) the Turks attempted to run out to sea with 
 thirty vessels, but were driven back. A Greek fire-ship 
 attacked one large corvette, but failed; another was in- 
 stantly ordered, ran alongside the corvette, and in a few 
 minutes both were in flames. The sailors left the Greek 
 vessel and escaped in boats, while the whole Turkish crew, 
 with the exception of five or six, were blown to atoms by 
 an explosion. Another fire-ship was set on fire by hot 
 shot, and a third, having got too near the fort with [out 
 any] breeze was surrounded by the enemy's boats, and 
 boarded. The Greek sailors, after a little resistance, and 
 
 ' No doubt Sir J. Emerson Tennent, who in Greece called himself 
 Emerson. 
 
74 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1825 
 
 when the deck was full, escaped in their boats, and set 
 fire to the fire-ship. The Greek fleet is now blockading 
 the place, and will take the first fair wind to send in more 
 fire-ships. 
 
 Kolokotrones is as yet inactive. Now is the moment for 
 him. Ibrahim Pasha is waiting for his supplies from Candia ; 
 he cannot be weaker than at present. If his supplies arrive 
 he will be terribly strong. 
 
 Sat., June l8th. It is confidently asserted that Ulysses 
 or Odysseus, the famous chief, is at last dead. . . . 
 
 In Hydra the youngest son is heir of the estates. If 
 the father dies before he is of age, the elder brother has 
 the management of affairs and the use of the capital till the 
 youngest can take it himself. The elder brother can- 
 not marry honourably until he has provided for all his 
 sisters, unless there be a vast disproportion of ages. The 
 mode of marrying the children is most cruel and unnatural ; 
 that is, by affiancing them to one another before they have 
 the least capacity of choosing. If a girl does not get so 
 affianced, after she arrives at a marriageable age, she falls 
 in love with some man, and sends him proposals of mar- 
 riage by her mother or some female relatives, stating the 
 terms, that is to say, the extent of her dowry, how many 
 beds, carpets, garments, etc., and how much property, 
 olive groves, or other, she may have. With very few 
 exceptions, I saw no handsome girls on the mainland. The 
 islanders are more celebrated for beauty ; but in Hydra I 
 have not yet seen one who had the least claim to beauty, 
 though some are pretty. 
 
 Their dresses, so tasteless and uncouth, disfigure them. 
 They wear no stays, and their clothes are cut exactly in 
 the same style which we see in the pictures of our grand- 
 mothers in their bloom. When they go out, they wrap a 
 shawl round the head, which covers forehead and chin. 
 
■«t. 23] Kolokotrones and Ypsilanti 75 
 
 They are shy of Franks (Europeans), and it is difficult to 
 see them. When you visit the house you are presented 
 with a cup of coffee, either by the mistress or one of her 
 daughters, who then retires. At one of the first houses 
 in the place, where I paid a visit with Masson, the ladies 
 did not retire, but really behaved somewhat like rational 
 beings, entering into conversation, and conducting them- 
 selves a little less like clowns than any others I have met. 
 
 Among the common people the women work like jack- 
 asses. They bring in the water from fountains in barrels, 
 which they lash over theii- backs ; they go into the coun- 
 try to collect and bring in wood ; in fact, do all the labour. 
 The burdens which they carry on their backs are enor- 
 mous, and I have sometimes met a woman with a child in 
 her arms, and carrying a load of wood on her back which 
 I could not carry myself. 
 
 They receive no education, it being a rare thing to find 
 a woman who can read or write. This is not so much the 
 case here as in the Morea, where such qualifications are 
 almost prodigies. They often, before they are married, 
 wear a string of money round the neck, or in the hair. 
 The pieces are of gold, and as rich as they can afford. I 
 have seen hundreds of dollars in value on some of them. 
 A girl never will part with one of these pieces, which go as 
 her marriage portion. Nothing short of absolute starva- 
 tion would induce her to spend one of them. 
 
 Sund., June igth. The news of Ulysses' death is con- 
 firmed ; various reports as to the manner, but most say he 
 was found hanging by the neck on the outside of the Athe- 
 nian tower (in which he was imprisoned), the rope fastened 
 within. Without knowing the facts one cannot judge; 
 but some hint that he had not fair play, and his deadly 
 enemy, Mavrocordatos, has his name muttered in connec- 
 tion [with the affair]. Be the manner of his death what it 
 
76 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. iSzs 
 
 may, by it Greece has become rid of a lawless, ambitious 
 son, if not an enemy, for Ulysses has twice been in con- 
 junction with the Turks. He was a man bom to command, 
 and he showed his genius and knowledge of the human 
 mind by keeping the affection of his soldiers when he 
 could not hide from, them his crimes against his country. 
 In name and reality he was the most romantic character 
 in Greece. To personal accomplishments he added tal- 
 ents, cunning, and bravery, and to imagine him with his 
 band holding the passes and caves of Parnassus and Pin- 
 dus, rushing out at every opportunity to harass his enemy 
 and prevent them from invading the Morea — the picture 
 would not disgrace him whose name he bore. His youth 
 was bred in the court of Ali Pasha ; here he challenged 
 the best horse of Ali ■ to a race up-hill, on condition that 
 he would lose his head if he did not run till the horse 
 should expire; it was accepted, Ulysses won it, and im- 
 mediately became the favourite of Ali. He was stationed 
 near Parnassus, to defend that part of the country, and 
 when Ali was declared the Sultan's enemy, Ulysses joined 
 him at Janina, and continued shut up in the place till the 
 dismissal of the Greeks. Immediately he joined the Gre- 
 cian insurgents, and often distinguished himself. The 
 government appointed another commander for Athens, but 
 its citizens chose Ulysses and gave him the Acropolis, 
 and the government was prudent enough to ratify the 
 choice. He kept Athens in good discipline, established a 
 regular police, and kept order. At the same time he was 
 probably taking measures to let the Turks into the country. 
 He had fortified and provisioned a large cave on Parnas- 
 sus, which he made literally impregnable. Here was his 
 favourite resort, where he kept his family. This place, with 
 all his treasures, is now held by Captain Trelawny of the 
 ' Finlay says he heard Odysseus deny this story. 
 
^t. 23] Kolokotrones and Ypsilanti 77 
 
 British navy, who has become a Greek. He had the entire 
 confidence of Ulysses, was affianced to his sister, and im- 
 plicated in his treachery.' 
 
 Called on Konduriotes, the President of Greece. The 
 simple-hearted old man seemed glad to see me again, as 
 he thought I was lost. His mansion (for Greece) is a 
 splendid one, and would not dishonour a civilized country. 
 Some idea of his ignorance of the world may be formed 
 from his asking me if I began to study English with Mas- 
 son, and whether I could speak it any. And he seemed 
 surprised when told it was an American's mother tongue. 
 
 His brother is altogether a superior man, with some 
 share of intellect and information. In fact Konduriotes 
 is a mere tool ; a simple, honest old fellow, who would 
 always do right if he could ; and I suppose his real in- 
 fluence in the affairs of the country is about as great as 
 mine. It is much to be regretted that the first magistrate 
 is hardly fit for a constable, and that when so much talent, 
 iirmness, and intrigue are necessary, the people should 
 have a President who cannot prevent himself from being 
 duped by all about him. I know it to be a fact that 
 Mavrocordatos, for four months back, has exercised over 
 him a sway as complete as ever did a schoolmaster over a 
 child ; perhaps he does so still. 
 
 Monday, Jmie 20th. A letter from my countryman, 
 A , of the Greek fleet, announces that they are cruis- 
 ing off Suda, where they hold in blockade the whole 
 Turkish fleet, which dare not venture out to meet 
 them. ... 
 
 June 22d. Dreadful news. Kolokotrones had surrounded, 
 or rather cut off, a body of the enemy's troops near Leon- 
 dari, but another body making a detour came to the assist- 
 
 ' Such was the story told by the enemies of Odysseus. His friends 
 have always disputed it, and Trelawny denied it. 
 
yS Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 ance of the first. An engagement took place, the Greeks 
 were worsted, Leondari taken, and the road open[ed] to Tri- 
 politza, which was only five hours distant. What was to 
 be done .■■ The Greeks could not defend the place against 
 the enemy's cannon, nor could they retake it if lost. In 
 this emergency they acted in a manner worthy their 
 descent ; the torch was applied, the walls were levelled, 
 and in three hours the beautiful, rich, populous Tripolitza 
 was a smoking ruin, a heap of rubbish. All is now con- 
 fusion, some even fear for Napoli. My course is taken, I 
 cannot remain here while the Greeks lie woimded and 
 dying at the scene of action. Called on the President and 
 told him I wished to go immediately to the army ; he was 
 pleased, and promised to give me an order. To-morrow 
 morning I go to Napoli. 
 
 Sat., June 2£th; Napoli. . . I started from Hydra the 
 day before yesterday and arrived last night. . . . 
 
 All is in confusion ; my friends and countrymen, Jervis 
 and Miller, have just departed for the scene of action ; per- 
 haps we have shaken hands for the last time. Mavrocor- 
 datos is here. . . . 
 
 They are all in arms around me, and I must start to my 
 duty. 
 
 ^ p. M. About noon the main part of the Turkish divi- 
 sion was plainly seen, having filed out of the mountains. 
 The Mills, a small post on the opposite side of the harbour 
 of Napoli, occupied by Prince Demetrius Ypsilanti, be- 
 came the object of their first attack. With the greatest 
 anxiety I watched their progress through a spy-glass ; saw 
 their cavalry wheel round the little post ; their platoons of 
 infantry advance, fire, fall back, come on again, as they 
 gained or lost the advantage. At this moment the thought 
 struck me that my duty called me to go, if there were 
 no surgeon there. I called on the Minister of War, 
 
^t. 23] Kolokotrones and Ypsilanti 79 
 
 Count Metaxas, and found that they had great need of a 
 surgeon to send over immediately with reinforcements. I 
 offered to go, and he gave me a letter to Ypsilanti, and in 
 an hour I was on board the boat. The night closed in 
 before I arrived, and the scene, before interesting, became 
 doubly so. The large semicircle formed by the harbour 
 was illuminated by huge fires, which here burnt bright 
 and steadily, marking the burning of a village, and there 
 shot up in long flaring columns, where the heaps of hay 
 or grain had been set fire to by the peasantry. Before 
 us the broad, vivid sheet of fire, which ever and anon 
 flashed suddenly out, told that the columns of the enemy 
 were still before the Mills, and the cannon from the 
 Greek vessels, moored near the place, still galled the 
 enemy. We met many boats coming from the place, 
 whose occupants told us exaggerated stories, but all con- 
 curred in giving advantage to the Greeks, some saying 
 that they had killed a thousand of their enemies, others 
 dividing the number. We soon arrived at the shore, and 
 found the enemy had retired, and also that my friends 
 Miller and Jervis were unhurt. The first had distinguished 
 himself in the fight. The loss of the enemy was about an 
 hundred, and that of the Greeks almost nothing, as they 
 kept themselves behind their ramparts. Ypsilanti directed 
 me to pass the night on board a little vessel near the shore, 
 and to come back as soon as the enemy should commence 
 their attack in the morning. 
 
 June 26th. No attack was made. I went on shore at 
 sunrise and with Emerson Tennent, a young Irishman, who 
 accompanied me from Napoli, I went over the little ground, 
 where still lay the dead, horseman and horse, which the 
 enemy had not been able to carry off. They were all 
 beheaded, and the bodies savagely mangled by the Greeks, 
 who committed upon them every possible indignity. It 
 
8o Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 was not enough to leave their bodies unburied, but they 
 must show toward them a brutality the most savage. I 
 suppose that whatever might be the wish of the officers, 
 they would not dare to express it, for I heard the aide-de- 
 camp of Ypsilanti recommending to the soldiers to drag 
 the bodies to the seashore, because they would become 
 offensive. About ten in the morning we discovered a 
 body of horsemen advancing, and pretty soon they came 
 out from behind the hill, in front of us, galloping on to 
 the plain at a double musquet-shot from us. Their appear- 
 ance was fine and their horses swift as birds. The ship- 
 ping fired on them, and some few Greeks ventured out to 
 discharge their musquets ; but nothing was done to stop 
 or injure them. They scoured round the country, seeking 
 for cattle, and burning the houses. At noon arrived some 
 French officers from Napoli. At 5 p. m., looking out 
 toward Argos with a spy-glass, I discovered a large body 
 of foot, accompanied by horse, advancing upon our posi- 
 tion. I gave the glass to Mavromichalis, the second in 
 command, who immediately cried out, " Hellenes ! Hel- 
 lenes ! to your ramparts ! The horned beasts are coming." 
 However, the distance was too great for us to be attacked 
 before night. The columns advanced pretty near us and 
 halted. Everything is ready ; we have received two pieces 
 of cannon from Napoli, have built additional breastworks, 
 and have eight hundred soldiers ; since it was yesterday 
 defended with two hundred, we hope to give them a warm 
 reception. At twelve I went round the place ; the soldiers 
 were all lying behind their breastworks snoring away most 
 soundly, each man with his head upon his musquet and his 
 pistols in his belt. Pretty soon we were alarmed ; Jervis, 
 who is continually wandering about, had discovered some 
 horse close upon us. In a moment every man was up, the 
 musquets presented over the ramparts, all eyes were 
 
-iEt. 23] Kolokotrones and Ypsilanti Fight 8i 
 
 strained to meet some mark for fire ; but it proved to be 
 only a small scouting party, who came to reconnoitre. Soon 
 all sank into stillness. I threw myself upon the ground with 
 my greatcoat, and soon forgot Turks and Greeks, blood 
 and bullets, until (June 27th) the first glimmer of morning 
 aroused me. I started to my feet to catch a sight of the 
 enemy, but none attacked. I could plainly see their col- 
 umns in the direction of Argos. About ten o'clock Miller, 
 Tennent, and myself were sitting upon the top of a stone 
 building about twenty feet high, when the Greeks, who 
 were below, cried out violently to us, "Come down." 
 Just as I began to understand them, and had risen on my 
 feet, I felt the roof going in, the walls tottering, and in an 
 instant I was precipitated downward with a load of rocks 
 and stones above and around me. . . . 
 
 When the cloud of dust had dispersed, and we came a 
 little to our senses. Miller, who had escaped unhurt, began 
 to dig me out, and soon I was extricated, without having 
 been seriously hurt, but so lame as to be obliged to give 
 up staying on shore to await the fight. I am now on board 
 a Greek brig, moored close to the shore.- Tennent was 
 not much hurt, and has started off in a boat for Napoli. 
 Our escape seems almost miraculous. In the afternoon 
 the enemy set fire to Argos. At first there rose from 
 different parts of this large place distinct columns of 
 thick smoke, which soon, uniting into one vast pillar, 
 slowly rolled away, carrying the sad news to all Greece. 
 At night the dreadful picture was heightened ; the clouds 
 had passed away, but from the vast bed of living fire shot 
 up a long, livid blaze, which now flickered, sank down, and 
 then, like the lightning, flashed up to the very skies. 
 This burning of Argos seems to imply that the enemy are 
 going off. . . . 
 
 June 28th. News from Suda is favourable. The main 
 
82 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1825 
 
 part of the Greek fleet has departed, leaving eight vessels- 
 of-war and fourteen brulots proudly blockading the united 
 fleets of Alexandria and Constantinople. Prizes continue 
 to come in, but a Greek brig, bringing in twenty-five Turk- 
 ish prisoners, was set fire to by them, and every soul on 
 board, except one Greek (who escaped on a spar), was 
 destroyed. 
 
 But what is poor Greece to do .' Ibrahim Pasha, with 
 his army, has traversed the whole Morea from Modon to 
 Napoli. He has passed unharmed through defiles where 
 five hundred resolute men might keep at bay his whole 
 army. He has burnt Argos, Tripolitza, and Kalamata, the 
 three largest towns in the Morea. It is not so much the 
 loss of these places, and the immense property which they 
 have ruined in their route, but it shows lamentably the 
 weakness of the country that cannot resist an army which 
 is not the fifth part of what the enemy can bring. 
 
 About noon the whole of the enemy's force was in full 
 motion, and for an hour it was impossible to tell whether 
 they meant to fall upon this place or to march back again, 
 but we soon saw their head column take the route to Tripo- 
 litza and were assured of their retiring. It was a gallant 
 sight to see them drawn up in full array, their arms glis- 
 tening in the sun, the richly dressed officers dashing round 
 like lightning on their superb Arabians, the foot steadily 
 marching in close columns, while the Hght troops and cav- 
 alry were beating round the plain or dashing into the hol- 
 lows. In a few hours they were out of sight, and according 
 to report three hundred Greeks after them, to endeavour 
 to gain some advantage. However, there is no believing 
 what one is told. Ypsilanti, one of the men in 'the coun- 
 try most to be depended on, though unhappily not pos- 
 sessed of talents for great command, is nevertheless a 
 coolly brave, good soldier, and a firm patriot ; he will 
 
Mt. 23] Kolokotrones and Ypsilanti Fight 83 
 
 march to-morrow in the rear of the enemy. Some hopes 
 are entertained that they may be checked in the formidable 
 passes between here and Tripolitza; first, I do not be- 
 lieve any such thing ; next, I doubt the goodness of the 
 policy. Ypsilanti advised me to go to Napoli. As he for 
 some days would be rapidly traversing the country I could 
 not be of much service. He wished me to hold myself 
 in readiness to come when he should write for me, which 
 I shall not do. 
 
 June 2gth, Napoli di Romania. Started from the Mills 
 at 1 1 A. M. for this place, and ran over with a smacking 
 breeze in an hour. . . . 
 
 On the passage saw the Cambrian and another British 
 frigate beating up the Gulf of Argolis. Two French frig- 
 ates are also here. Found most acceptable and gratifying 
 intelligence, that a great-nephew of George Washington 
 had arrived from Boston, and brought me letters. 
 
 June joth. Things are looking rather blue for Greece. 
 Masson and the other English arrived from Hydra. I shall 
 return to Hydra with them to-morrow. Called on Mavro- 
 cordatos ; he wished me to rest content here for the pres- 
 ent, but I shall not. I am reduced to 1^25 by my losses, 
 and must recruit it by private practice. 
 
 Note. — The Tennent here mentioned was the brother of Miss Ten- 
 nent, who married James Emerson, afterwards Sir James Emerson-Ten- 
 nent. The young man died before his sister's marriage; but he was with 
 Emerson in Greece, and the latter did not take the name Tennent tilt 
 1831. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 HYDRA AND THE BRITISH NAVY 
 
 July 2d, l82£, Hydra. On the 30th started in one of the 
 little caiques from Napoli at sunset, and arrived here last 
 evening at nine. Our passage, though long and uncomfort- 
 able, was not without scenes to make it interesting. . . . 
 
 The cruel, cold-blooded murder of 250 Turkish captives, 
 which took place here five days ago, has stained Hydra 
 and her inhabitants with infamy, which time cannot blot 
 out. These wretched Turks had been taken prisoners at 
 different times, and kept here as slaves. When the people 
 heard of the burning of one of their vessels by a Turk on 
 board, and that fifty-five of their friends had perished, they 
 seized these captives, and barbarously put them to death. 
 Had this been done in .a burst of fury, had it been confined 
 to the lowest rabble, it might have been excusable ; but 
 nine-tenths of the people of Hydra absolutely approve of 
 the deed. The work of death went on for three hours. 
 The agonizing shrieks of two hundred mangled victims 
 reached the ears of the old Primates, who sat in their 
 balconies, smoking their pipes, and who, knocking out the 
 ashes, merely said, " It is a bad thing," and let the work 
 of murder go on. Afterwards nothing was done to show 
 a sense of public regret. No mark of disgrace was affixed 
 to the most active murderers, nor were they shunned or 
 reproached by those who call themselves enlightened. 
 
 July 3d, Hydra. Bad news of the fleet. They have 
 burnt two of their br^lots ineffectually, and a large Turk- 
 
 84 
 
iEt.23] Hydra and the British Navy 85 
 
 ish detachment has started for Navarino, carrying troops 
 and provisions for Ibrahim Pasha, who, thus recruited, 
 becomes formidable in a terrible degree. News tells us 
 that he is blockaded in Tripolitza, or rather in its plain. 
 This I do not believe. He may be in the plain of Tripo- 
 litza, and the Greeks may be in the passes around him ; 
 but he will stay there only as long as he pleases, arid then 
 march where he will. We hear also that a body of two 
 hundred men, who were escorting twenty camels with 
 provisions to Tripolitza, have been surrounded in one of 
 the defiles by the Greeks. This is not improbable. It 
 may be the intention of Ibrahim Pasha to remain at Tripo- 
 -litza, awaiting reinforcements, and then, if his fleet can 
 come up to Napoli, he will besiege it by sea and land. 
 Demetrius Ypsilanti has started off, followed by two thou- 
 sand men. He is as brave and patriotic as Washington, 
 though unfortunately without any of his talents. I feel 
 confident he will try to do something in the passes. He 
 was considered of Kolokotrones' party, and, having spent 
 most of his fortune in the service of his country, was living 
 in entire seclusion at Tripolitza, until the arrival of the 
 Turks, who drove him off, and on the route, he, on his 
 own responsibility, gathered about 250 men, with whom 
 he made his gallant stand at the Mills. 
 
 July ifth. Miller and myself are the only two Americans 
 here, but four English gentlemen (travellers) united with 
 us to-day, and we had quite a merry time, each taking care 
 to avoid wounding the national feelings of the others. 
 
 ^July ^tk. Arrived here the main part of the Greek fleet. 
 The Turkish [fleet] has gone to Modon, having on board 
 five or six thousand soldiers, but mostly the wild Albanians ; 
 who being as undisciplined as the Greeks, we do not fear 
 much from them. 
 
 July gth. Ill for three days. Was attacked very vio- 
 
86 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1825 
 
 lently, and it was only the powerful medicines I promptly 
 took that saved my life. To-day able to be out a little, but 
 still weak. Miller started for Missolonghi on the 5th. We 
 agreed that in case all should be over with Greece before 
 he returned, we should meet at Cerigo. News from the 
 Morea is more favourable; that Solomon Bey is danger- 
 ously wounded ; that the Turks have three times at- 
 tempted to pass from Tripolitza toward Modon but were 
 driven back. I doubt. It is really astonishing to hear the 
 stories that are circulated every day. Should one-tenth of 
 them be true, Greece would be extricated from her troubles 
 in a few weeks. . . . 
 
 Missolonghi appears to be doing well ; they have repulsed 
 the Turks three times. At Napoli, the regiment of regu- 
 lars has been given to Colonel Fabvier, a French Philhel- 
 lene, who has been here about two months. They will 
 now march for the neighbourhood of Tripolitza. 
 
 July I2th. Mavrocordatos arrived here yesterday ; 
 pourquoi je ne sais pas. . . . 
 
 The affairs of the Morea assume a more favourable 
 aspect. The army of the enemy have made ineffectual 
 attempts to get away. Provisions are growing scarce 
 among them. Another sortie has been made by the 
 Greeks in Missolonghi, in which they killed about three 
 hundred of the enemy. 
 
 July 13th. Just finished a letter to my father in which 
 I strove to appear cheery and full of hope, when my only 
 hope was in soon feeling no more, neither hope nor fear. 
 What am I, why should I live .' In vain I look forward 
 and paint the most flattering picture of my future life that 
 hope will admit of ; but it seems not worth enjoying. . . . 
 
 Well, well, — I will drag on a few years more of misery, 
 a few years more wander round the world without a 
 home, without a being to rest my affections on ; and then 
 
^t. 23] Hydra and the British Navy 87 
 
 my turn will come to give back the only boon nature has 
 left me, and quit unregretted a world which I cannot regret. 
 
 Here, poor as I am, and kept from home only by want, 
 I cannot make use of the means in my power to honestly 
 make money. Such is my nature that I choose rather to 
 see myself cheated day after day, than ask for my dues. 
 Money which I so much need, I so much despise that I 
 blush to mention it. . . . 
 
 July 15th. Yesterday arrived from Napoli Lieutenant 
 W., my countryman, a French Baron Villeneuve, and 
 Major Bacon (English), who are now all staying with 
 us. This makes our party more sociable. The major is 
 one of your odd sort of fishes, who has been wandering 
 about in Russia, Turkey, and Persia, the devil knows where 
 or what for. The weather here is hot, but no more than 
 in Boston at this season. Rains are very unfrequent ; a 
 shower yesterday, for the first time in perhaps four weeks. 
 At the house of Tombazi, I met with the famous old 
 admiral, Miaulis. A fine, large, good-natured old fellow, 
 about sixty, with a nose of most formidable dimensions. 
 He is very mild and unassuming in appearance. I should 
 not set him down for a great man, or remember anything 
 about him but the size of his nasal protuberance. But a 
 fig for old Lavater and his doctrines. Miaulis, look as he 
 may, is a devilish fine old fellow. 
 
 Monday, July i8th. Yesterday came from Napoli 
 Jervis in company with Mr. Estwick Evans, an American 
 Philhellene just arrived. He brought a letter from my 
 father, but of an old date, Jan. sth. Evans is the author 
 of a book called " A Pedestrian's Tour of Four Thousand 
 Miles through the Western States." He is a lawyer — a 
 theoretical genius who will not be able to do much good to 
 Greece, much as he desires it. He has left behind him a 
 wife and four children in New Hampshire. 
 
88 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 July igth. Arrived the British frigate Cambrian. 
 Tennent and Emerson landed and took their things, 
 and are off for Zante, thence to England. They leave 
 Greece, but by crawling out at the little end of the horn. 
 Am sick a little to-day. Last Sunday arrived Mr. Miller, 
 from Syra, much enfeebled by a fever, which had brought 
 him to the brink of the black box. 
 
 July 20th. Reinforcements have arrived at Tripolitza, 
 for Ibrahim Pasha, who still remains there, some say 
 quietly, and of his own accord ; others say par force ; the 
 latter I am afraid is not true. . . . 
 
 The Greek cruisers, of which a few are at sea, have 
 taken nine Austrian vessels laden with provisions, for 
 Navarino, Modon, etc. They arrived to-day. Some of 
 them are valuable. The plan of giving letters of marque 
 to foreign vessels has received the sanction of that great 
 friend to Greece, Captain Hamilton of the Cambrian, 
 commander of the British squadron in this quarter. Im- 
 mediate means will be taken to put it in execution. The 
 Greek fleet is putting out to sea every day; they will 
 cruise off the coast, among the islands, until all are ready, 
 when one division will sail for the Gulf of Lepanto, which 
 is now blockaded by a Turkish squadron, the other will 
 go to Samos, which is threatened by the enemy. The 
 first division will be accompanied by ten fire-ships, and 
 doubtless, on their appearance, the Turkish fleet will enter 
 the gulf, and take refuge in Patras, where the Greeks will 
 follow them, and may succeed in destroying many of them. 
 I do not fear for the results. At least they will relieve 
 Missolonghi, and that is a great point gained. Missolonghi 
 must be saved. It is the most important point, almost the 
 only tenable position in Roumelia. 
 
 Thursday, July 2lst. It is said confidently that the 
 Greek troops who had collected around Tripolitza for the 
 
Mt.23] Hydra and the British Navy 89 
 
 blockade of Ibrahim Pasha are leaving and returning home. 
 In a Greek encampment> the soldiers are continually leaving, 
 and others continually coming, so that though they may hold 
 good their number, they have not the same men ; but now, 
 it appears, more go off than come in, so that the gross num- 
 ber is decreasing. A Grecian encampment hardly deserves 
 a name that indicates order or regularity ; they have no 
 numbering of men, no general system of mutual aid and de- 
 fence, in fact, no command over the men. If a soldier 
 chooses to go off, he may go and tell his captain of it, or not, 
 just as he pleases. If his captain orders him on an expedi- 
 tion, he acts his own pleasure to obey or not. I have known 
 five hundred men start off together of an afternoon for 
 their homes, without, saying a word to the commander-in- 
 chief. It is impossible for a general to know the number 
 he has under him at any given time, and more impossible 
 for him to make them do anything against their will ; that 
 is, without their first canvassing and considering the mat- 
 ter. Now the soldier has no business to think ; and what 
 can come out of this state of things but ruin to the coun- 
 try? Heretofore it was well enough. The Greeks had 
 only to oppose the irregular Turks, who fought in the same 
 way, and being their superiors in the qualities requisite for 
 a guerrilla warfare, the Greeks were victorious. But now 
 they have a regular army to oppose, and everything goes 
 differently; not even their country, which is perhaps the 
 most advantageous in the world for their mode of warfare, 
 can enable them to cope with, or even to stop the enemy. 
 But much as I knew of their miserable arrangements, I 
 was thunderstruck when I heard that Ibrahim Pasha had 
 passed the defiles, and was advancing upon Tripolitza. 
 Defilei. where three hundred Spartans would have kept 
 them at bay for years — defiles that the very women, with 
 stones in their hands, might have held impassable ! But 
 
90 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 alas ! all was disorder — no government of any force, no 
 plans arranged, no commanders to put them in opera- 
 tion, and the friends of Greece saw, with as much astonish- 
 ment as regret, the army of Ibrahim march unmolested 
 from Navarino to Nicea, from Nicea to Kalamata, from 
 Kalamata to Leondari ; from Leondari to Tripolitza, and 
 from Tripolitza to the very gates of Napoli di Romania. 
 
 Friday, July 22d. The folly, ignorance, and instability 
 of the present race of the Greeks is most lamentable. . . . 
 
 Four months ago, they rested perfectly secure in the 
 blind confidence that the enemy could not injure them. 
 If one had suggested at that time that the Turks might 
 again possibly invade the Morea and destroy their best 
 towns, they would have turned from him with contempt 
 and laughter. Talk to them of the regulars that were 
 coming against them. " Oh ! we will dig their graves with 
 their own bayonets ! " 
 
 But now the scene is changed. " What can we do .' 
 What can we do .' " is all the cry. " We cannot resist 
 the regulars, we cannot govern ourselves, — we must have 
 a foreign king ! " Very lately they have hit on a new 
 scheme, which seems to be embraced with wonderful zeal, 
 — to claim the protection of England, and be put on the 
 same footing as the Ionian Isles. To-day a meeting was 
 held here to consider the question, and I believe this is the 
 first place where it has not been embraced without opposi- 
 tion ; but (here) some of the sturdy old captains say, " No, 
 we will have no protection but our own swords. We are not 
 yet conquered, and will not beg for assistance." 
 
 But the whole idea is ridiculous. What will Britain have 
 to do with Greece .' Will she involve herself in a war with 
 Turkey and Austria, and perhaps with Russia, for the sake 
 of Greece .' Look at the Ionian Isles ! They may be of 
 some advantage as affording fine positions, but instead of 
 
xt.23i Hydra and the British Navy 91 
 
 bringing a revenue, what a vast bill of expense are they 
 annually to Britain ! Hamilton, when questioned on this 
 subject by the Greeks, said, " Do not think of such a thing 
 at present ! While there is a spark of hope, fight on ! and 
 when all is desperate, then think of foreign assistance." 
 
 The advice was friendly, but it would have been better 
 if he had said, " There is no hope but in yourselves ; fight 
 it out till the last, and then die where you stand ! " The 
 Greeks will not fight, will not exert themselves to the 
 utmost, if they see any chance of getting off clear in 
 the end without such fighting and exertion. 
 
 Saturday, July 2jd. Arrived Messrs. Wright and Rein- 
 ton, English travellers ; about two hours from the shore they 
 were attacked by a boat full of armed Greeks, who stripped, 
 abused, and robbed them. When they first hailed, Rein- 
 ton took his purse and threw it into the bottom of the boat, 
 but the pirates found it, and robbed him of nearly three 
 hundred dollars. Wright had his purse, with nearly three 
 hundred and fifty dollars in gold, in his breeches pocket ; 
 they searched him, but found nothing, for the Greeks know 
 nothing of breeches pockets. They were roughly used, 
 and much frightened ; pistols and yataghans put to their 
 throats. They were immediately advised by the Primates 
 to go on board one of the English frigates, lying about 
 twelve miles off, and state their case, since they (the Pri- 
 mates) had no power to punish the robbers. At sundown 
 Reinton, myself, and Masson, started in a little boat, and 
 at eleven p. m. arrived on board the British frigate Naiad, 
 Captain Spencer, who received us well, and immediately 
 despatched five barges, with marines, and each a cannon 
 on board. We slept on the Naiad, and were advised by 
 Captain Spencer to leave Hydra to-morrow, with all our 
 baggage, on sight of the Cambrian, which is coming down 
 from Napoli, as he says, to blockade, if not to bombard the 
 
92 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 island. Hamilton, friend as he is to the Greeks, has at 
 last become enraged on account of the numerous piracies 
 committed by Greeks and others, in which they have been 
 uniformly protected by the Primates of the different islands. 
 From the underhand manner in which they have been sec- 
 onded it has been impossible for the British to take one of 
 the pirates. Spencer is evidently prejudiced against the 
 Greeks, and perhaps states the case in too strong terms 
 (that the frigates will knock the town to pieces, etc.). At 
 any rate, it will not be safe for us to remain at Hydra, for 
 the. present at least, for if the pirates are caught and hung, 
 although the principal part of the inhabitants would not 
 object to it, there are many low fellows who might cut our 
 throats. They have that devilish principle of blood for 
 blood, so that, if one of their friends were hung by the 
 English, they would not rest content until they had the 
 life of some other Frank. It was concluded we would wait 
 on shore for Hamilton's appearance in the Cambrian. The 
 officers on board were all wide awake for a fray, and seemed 
 eager to start in a boat after the robbers. 
 
 Sunday, July 24th. At first dawn of day, we were 
 put on the captain's gig with a midshipman and six tars. 
 " Shove off, boys ! Let fall ! " The oars came down with a 
 smack upon the water. " Pull away now ! " And the 
 light boat shot away over the smooth sea like an arrow. 
 The scene was delightful. The first tints of the morning 
 were just gilding the mountain-tops, and giving a delight- 
 ful hue to the bright foliage of the little islands with which 
 the gulf is studded. After packing up part of my things, 
 and making up some arrangements at Hydra, we started 
 in a caique for the Naiad. We were well enough received 
 by Captain Spencer, who had, however, just sent us a note 
 saying it was not necessary for us to come on board until 
 the Cambrian hove in sight, which will probably be to- 
 
Mt- 23] Hydra and the British Navy 93 
 
 morrow evening. We therefore, after leaving some of our 
 heavy baggage on board, returned to the island. We had 
 written a note to Spencer, requesting to know if the same 
 protection would be shown to American as to British sub- 
 jects. His answer was very polite, assuring us that no 
 distinction would be made ; and even in his note, as a 
 compliment, he had put, "To the American and English 
 gentlemen at Hydra," instead of " English and American." 
 He told us, as we were on board, that we could stay if we 
 chose, but it was not said in a warm way, so we left, upon 
 his assurance that nothing should be done against the place 
 until we were apprised, and that if necessary an armed 
 force should be sent to bring us off ; however, I shall not go 
 on board, though I think it mere rashness to stay longer 
 on shore. One of the Primates, a young Greek of the great- 
 est worth, advised us as friends to leave the island for a 
 little while, and he would represent to the inhabitants that 
 we were only going to spend a few days away for our 
 pleasure ; for every movement of the English (Miller and 
 myself are considered English) attracts so much attention, 
 and such important inferences are drawn from them, that 
 it might cause an excitement among the people should we 
 all leave without some explanation, . . . 
 
 Hamilton arrived, sent a boat on shore, with a letter to 
 the Primates, also a message to Masson, Miller, and myself, 
 stating that he did not know what measures it might be 
 necessary to take, and advised us to come on board his 
 ship ; the rest of the Enghsh had gone on board the Naiad 
 in the morning. His letter to the Primates, I heard them 
 say, was extremely severe, but they will do anything to 
 deprecate his wrath. It is almost certain that some of the 
 pirates are in this place, and Hamilton is determined to 
 have them if possible. I think it probable that the place 
 will be blockaded by boats to-morrow morning, and no 
 
94 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 caique or small vessel allowed to go in or come out, with- 
 out examination. If the pirates are caught, they will be 
 hung. If they are hung, I cannot remain in security in 
 the island ; but we have determined not to go off need- 
 lessly, though the politeness and pressing invitations of 
 the officers of the Cambrian, so different from those of the 
 Naiad, have made me wish to go, if only for the pleasure 
 of spending a day or two on board. . . . 
 
 Tuesday, July 26th. At noon, started for the Cam- 
 brian with some of the Primates ; as we passed out of the 
 harbour, we were overhauled by one of the British barges, 
 but let pass ; soon after, another at a distance was seen 
 pulling for us, then a flash, and in an instant a bullet sung 
 sharply over our heads, and plunged, dashing and skipping 
 along the water. This brought us to, but after a little 
 examination they let us pass. They have completely 
 blockaded the port, and will not let a boat go out or in, but 
 seize them and send them off to the Cambrian. On our 
 arrival there we found the captain, Hamilton, the known 
 true friend of Greece, in a great rage against the Hydri- 
 otes ; he had come down from Napoli, determined to block- 
 ade the place, on account of the numerous piracies, and 
 the affair of Wright and Reinton has still more augmented 
 his displeasure. He says that unless the Primates give up 
 the pirates, he will burn all the market-boats he has taken, 
 and perhaps fire upon the town ; he waits for the coming 
 down of the Sibyl and another frigate from Athens, to 
 augment his force. Masson went back with a letter to the 
 Primates, but was advised to return to-night with all his 
 things. Dined with Hamilton alone. He seems quite 
 wroth, but not shut against reason. He pities the poor 
 Greeks, and is willing to hear anything in their favour ; this 
 is more than Spencer of the Naiad will do. . . . 
 
 The Hydriotes (the people) are much surprised, and I 
 
^t. 23] Hydra and the British Navy 95 
 
 believe half amused at the blockade, and say they wish 
 the pirates may be caught ; but I fear should the thing be 
 continued a number of days, they will find that entirely 
 stopping their commerce is not so pleasant a thing, and 
 will become obstreperous. As for giving up the pirates, I 
 know not how it is to be done. There is no police ; 
 the Primates have no power to do it but at the risk 
 of their lives, and in fact any man who first steps for- 
 ward is in peril of assassination from the friends of the 
 rascals. 
 
 July 2'jth. Nowhere could I spend a few days more 
 pleasantly than on board this frigate ; so much novelty, so 
 much life and bustle. The Naiad made us signals that 
 one of her boats had hailed a Greek one. She did not 
 stop ; they fired a shot over her ; she pulled for the land, 
 and they were obliged to fire a round of grape, which had 
 killed two of the men ; the rest escaped on shore. It was 
 also said that immediate preparations must be made for 
 something serious. Then the word, " Away to your quar- 
 ters ! Clear ship for action ! " was given. The shrill fife 
 and rattling drum pealed through the ship, and in a mo- 
 ment every one was busy, carpenters knocking down parti- 
 tions, boys bringing up shot, guns running forward and 
 backward on their carriages, sailors stowing away ropes in 
 boats ; in short, a most disorderly and confused scene of 
 order and regularity. The commands of the captain, in a 
 deep, clear voice, were at once spread by the hoarse tones 
 of the lieutenants, and recorded by the shrill whistle of the 
 boatswains. Soon all was arranged ; every man was at his 
 gun, everything but implements of death was stowed away. 
 On neither deck, from stem to stern, would you see the 
 slightest shaving or piece of rope-yarn. Soon the vast 
 sails were spread, and the huge mass began slowly to heave 
 round, and gaining more and more, at last cut through the 
 
96 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 waves with the rapidity of a small bark, and soon was near 
 Hydra. . . . 
 
 Luckily, it turned out that the Greeks killed were with 
 one exception pirates, and the people are content. They 
 have sent off two of the men who robbed Reinton, and 
 promise to find the others if possible. This pacified Hamil- 
 ton, and the ship stood under sail, within a mile of the 
 town, still keeping up the blockade by boats. No boats 
 are allowed to go in or come out ; they have no way of 
 getting provisions, or fruit, or wood, and must do some- 
 thing about it soon. The poor Primates say they can do 
 nothing; they have no control over the people, and for 
 their lives they dare not interfere more strongly. At 
 present, there is not much fun on shore, but should the 
 blockade continue some days, the people will lose all 
 patience. They will become like a mad bull, and who can 
 sway their course ? 
 
 July 2gth, British Frigate Cambrian. Matters with 
 the poor Hydriotes not yet settled. Some say that the 
 pirates were this morning seen walking about the streets. 
 Others contradict it. The people at noon took some 
 general measures ; they exerted themselves, seized another 
 of the pirates, and the relations of one whom they could 
 not find. These latter they hold as hostages. In the eve- 
 ning, one of the caiques which had been taken, and proved 
 to have been engaged in piracy, was burnt. . . . 
 
 All day we have been cruising off town, close under the 
 batteries. To see three British frigates and a brig-of-war 
 thus drawn up before Hydra, with their guns primed, their 
 sabres and pikes all sharpened, was indeed a tremendous 
 sight, and to the friends of Greece a melancholy one. 
 Hamilton alone seemed to feel a deep melancholy, as he 
 went to do his duty as an officer against a people whom in 
 his heart he wished to serve in every possible way. But 
 
^t. 23] Hydra and the British Navy 97 
 
 the rest of the of5Scers (with some exceptions) seemed to 
 rejoice in the prospect of a fray: the "staid lieutenants" 
 paced the deck, silently eyeing, with a keen but fierce look, 
 the batteries of the town, and then casting a look of proud 
 complacency on their own guns, by the sides of which were 
 ranged the hardy seamen ; the pert midshipmen bustled 
 around with busy importance, scarce able to conceal their 
 glee at thought of the approaching fray ; and the rough 
 tar, biting off with force a large quid of " niggerhead," and 
 hitching up his breeches, growled out, "We'll level them 
 'ere damned batteries in the crack of a rope-yarn ! " All 
 seemed to be elate with the thought of a battle, without 
 taking into consideration the situation of the poor Greeks, 
 and some said to me, " Why are you so dull ? You are 
 safe ! " Little did they know ! Had I been on board this 
 gallant ship, with her fine crew, and were four Turkish 
 frigates ranged against her, they would have seen whether 
 it [was] fear made me dull ; they would have seen whether I 
 would have heard the roll of the drum, calling for all hands 
 at their posts, without an enthusiasm equal to the fiercest 
 of them ! 
 
 In the evening, one of the caiques taken by the block- 
 ading barges, and proved to have been engaged in piracy, 
 was filled with combustibles and burnt, off the mouth of 
 the harbour, by order of Hamilton. A message from the 
 Primates has induced Hamilton to wait till to-morrow, 
 when, they say, if it is possible they will seni off more 
 of the robbers, and we shall lie before the place all night, 
 in hopes of something being done. 
 
 Friday, July 2gth. My fears for Hydra are lessened. 
 Things are more favourable, and Hamilton will probably be 
 satisfied, for the inhabitants, having set themselves seri- 
 ously to work, have sent off two more of the pirates. They 
 were found at a cave in the mountains by a body of armed 
 
98 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 Hydriotes, who took them prisoners. The people had 
 been well aware of Hamilton's intention to fire upon the 
 town this day if not satisfied. The blockade is now 
 ordered off, and all hostile measures will this day end. 
 
 An Austrian squadron to-day passed up the gulf for 
 Napoli, probably to see about their vessels which the 
 Greeks have taken. They do not incline to allow Greece 
 to be a belligerent power, or have authority to take prizes. 
 But Hamilton has sent a brig-of-war after them, under 
 pretence of taking care of his English vessels there, but 
 in reality to let the Austrian commodore know that the 
 English acknowledge the right of the Greeks to take 
 prizes. 
 
 Had a brush, somewhat sharp, with Mr. Wright, an 
 English traveller, one of the most ignorant, disagreeable 
 fellows, who pretended to be a gentleman, that I ever met. 
 He had completely disgusted Captain Hamilton and every 
 one at his table, so that no one treated him with anything 
 but the coldest politeness. We had hated each other from 
 the first ; luckily I found out that in his travels in the 
 island he had assumed the title of colonel, till some one 
 discovered the cheat. To-day at dinner he said the whole 
 race of the Greeks were scoundrels. "Sir," says I, "your 
 assertion is too broad ; it is not true." " Do you doubt my 
 word, sir .'' " says he, in rage. " Your assertion, sir," says I, 
 "is untrue. Perhaps it is from ignorance of the" people." 
 
 "I have travelled in Greece, sir," says he, "for four 
 months, and you are a presumptuous fellow to say I do 
 not know the people." This appellation I could not 
 swallow. "Sir," retorted I, with a sneer, "you have not 
 been in Greece six weeks." 
 
 He cried in a rage, " Sir, this is intolerable. How dare 
 you contradict my statement.'" "Simply, sir," says I, 
 " because I have proof positive that you left Zante on the 
 
^t. 23] Hydra and the British Navy 99 
 
 first of June. It is now the last of July. See your four 
 months ! " 
 
 " You shall answer to me for your conduct ; I wUl not 
 have you a spy on my movements," says he in a bluster- 
 ing way. I answered, " I am ready at any moment to make 
 my words good, but am not anxious for the office of spy 
 over the actions of Colonel Wright." 
 
 Had I shown him the ghost of his grandfather, he could 
 not have been more struck aback than when I pronounced 
 the word " Colonel." He was as mute as a fish ; he eat no 
 more, said no more. But if he has one grain of pluck, he 
 will make good his promise to call me out. Duelling I 
 despise, and would not for a world have man's blood on 
 my conscience, but I do not believe he can find a gentle- 
 man on board to second him. His travelling companion 
 will not have anything to say to him. If he challenges, I 
 shall have my choice of weapons. I am pretty good master 
 of the small sword, and think I could contrive to disarm 
 him, and make him beg on his knees, for I am sure he is 
 one of the most arrant cowards. . . . 
 
 August 1st, l82£. Negotiations, or rather intriguings, 
 are going on to make Greece the dependant of some foreign 
 power, England or France most probably. A paper has 
 passed through the country, and obtained pretty universal 
 approbation, for petitioning England to become the pro- 
 tectress of Greece. General Roche, visibly the agent 
 of the French committee, in reality, perhaps, the envoy of 
 that government, has published a protest against this plan, 
 asserting that this would involve ruinous consequences, and 
 charging upon the leading party at Napoli the responsi- 
 bility of the evils to which it may lead. It is said to be 
 Roche's object to get the Prince of Orange upon the 
 throne of Greece. This appears to me a wild notion ; that 
 France should wish to have the control of Greece is quite 
 
loo Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 a natural supposition, but that she should be willing to 
 erect her into an independent sovereignty appears improb- 
 able. It is said that Lieutenant W has signed Roche's 
 
 protest, as an envoy from the United States, and repre- 
 senting the feelings of the people. If this is so (which I 
 can hardly believe), he shall be contradicted publicly ; he is 
 no envoy from the United States, nor is he worthy of such 
 an office, to say nothing of the illustrious name he bears. 
 He is a disgrace to the country which boasts to have among 
 her sons many honourable, many honest, many moral men. 
 Lieutenant W was entrusted by the Greek Commit- 
 tee of Boston with ;^200, which he was to deliver to 
 Mr. Miller. On his arrival he told Miller that he had 
 spent $\2.o oi this sum for his own use. He (Miller) was 
 thunderstruck. " Why, how have you done this "i " But no 
 answer was given, except that he had taken this money, 
 which was given in trust to him, and that he could not 
 
 repay it. The Committee had given Lieutenant W $300 
 
 for his own use. He could have been at little expense upon 
 the voyage, he stayed but one week at Malta, yet he had 
 contrived to get rid of nearly $CiOO. He was open and 
 candid enough about it on his arrival, and wrote to the 
 Committee, but what of that ? He knew it could not be 
 kept secret, and made a virtue of necessity. What can be 
 expected from a man who openly boasts that he despises 
 religion and morality, and that the dearest rights of his — 
 Enough ! enough ! When I see a young man, who pretends 
 to be a republican, dashing round and making all possible 
 show, when I see him spending on trifles money which he 
 did not come by honestly, when I see him assuming titles 
 which do not belong to him, I say of that man, — I — I — 
 don't care what I say ! . . . 
 
 August 3d. Sailed from this port Tombazi, the former 
 admiral, and young Miaulis, a son of the admiral, each in 
 
■«t. 23] Hydra and the British Navy loi 
 
 his own vessel, bound for Alexandria, having sworn to 
 burn the formidable fleet there fitting out. This daring, 
 patriotic scheme has been kept an entire secret until the 
 vessels were at sea, or I would have volunteered in it with 
 heart and soul. Such, such are the few men who redeem 
 the Grecian character ; they shine like diamonds among 
 filth ; they are brave, disinterested, enlightened patriots, 
 who are willing and ready to die for their country. Oh, it 
 delights me to think of it. Tombazi has not only taken his 
 own vessel, voluntarily fitted her out, but he leaves an 
 elegant house, that a nobleman might well be proud of, he 
 has left a family that adores him, he has left riches and ease 
 behind him, to go upon a dangerous, nay, almost desperate 
 adventure, in the hope of averting from his country an evil 
 that she might not be able to resist in a short time. They 
 are all disguised as Europeans, all speak Italian, and mean 
 to go in by stealth ; and I say, God go with them ! 
 
 Wrote to N. P. Russell of the Greek Committee at Bos- 
 ton, stating the conduct of Lieutenant W in the affair 
 
 with Miller, and sending his acknowledgment of having 
 retained the money for his own use. I was made umpire 
 in this dishonourable transaction, and a more vexing place 
 one could not have. The money was raised by Miller's 
 
 particular friends, committed to Lieutenant W 's charge, 
 
 and he delivered but $%\ out of ;SS200. Thus I saw a vain, 
 foppish, unprincipled fellow enjoying, or rather having 
 enjoyed, that which would have kept in Greece one of her 
 stanchest friends for some time longer. Poor Miller ! He 
 had when he entered Greece but $60, yet for eight 
 months he served in her army as a volunteer, and though 
 he never received a copper beyond his rations and lodging, 
 he had not spent all when this supply arrived. He has 
 traversed every part of Greece, and bravely faced her 
 enemies several times. He has uncomplainingly borne 
 
102 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d.iSzs 
 
 heat and cold, hunger and fatigue. He has cheerfully 
 marched all the long day among the mountains, and at 
 night lain down on the bare ground. But what is more, 
 he has borne with the presumptuous ignorance of the 
 people without despising them ; he has felt their ingrati- 
 tude without cursing them. Compare with such a man 
 
 the character of Lieutenant W , a mere carpet-knight, 
 
 an unprincipled, dissipated fellow, who says he will not 
 live in Greece unless with the character of a soldier he 
 can also combine that of a man of pleasure. 
 
 August 4th. Prospects at Missolonghi are brighter. The 
 Greek fleet has arrived, the Turks have retired, and the 
 town is again supplied with provisions. Much depends upon 
 the saving of Missolonghi ; perhaps even the march of civil- 
 ization, of education, and Christianity in the East may be 
 forwarded or retarded many years by its standing or falling. 
 The grand armament fitting out at Alexandria, is perhaps 
 destined against Hydra first. After this is reduced, the 
 troops will be sent to Modon. From there they will join 
 Ibrahim Pasha at Tripolitza, who will then march to 
 Napoli, and establish himself on the plain of Argos, while 
 his fleet, sailing up the gulf, will blockade the place, 
 which, being surrounded completely, must fall, and with it 
 Greece. Thus I consider that the fall either of Missolonghi 
 or Hydra will ensure that of the rest of Greece. Egypt 
 may accomplish what the Sultan never could have done, 
 and in overthrowing, by means of his vassal, the rebellious 
 Greeks, the consequences may come back upon the empire 
 of the Porte. Mehemet Ali is powerful enough already. 
 His possessing Greece will give him the preponderance ; he 
 will hold in the leash a dog, which he can at any time let 
 loose to irritate the Turk. Nothing but religion enabled 
 the Porte to overthrow the rebel of Janina, nothing but 
 religion holds Egypt in subjection. . . . 
 
^t. 23] Hydra and the British Navy 103 
 
 August "Jth. Accounts from Peloponnesus rather favour- 
 able than otherwise. Ypsilanti attempted to lead the 
 Greeks against the Turks, who were reaping wheat, per- 
 haps five hundred of them, but the Greeks, upon the first 
 resistance the enemy made, fled from Ypsilanti. Part of 
 his baggage was captured, and on his return he found the 
 rest had been stolen by his own soldiers. He is now in 
 Napoli. Ibrahim Pasha had been attempting to draw 
 Kolokotrones from his rocky position in the mountains, 
 which obstructed his march to Patras. Not able to effect 
 this, he turned the position, and proceeded with his whole 
 army toward Patras. He had not got far when he found 
 his mistake. The inhabitants of the mountain district oppos- 
 ing him and harassing his army, he was obliged to return 
 to Tripolitza, where he now is. It is reported that he 
 contemplates an expedition against Mistra, the present 
 capital of Laconia. 
 
 Towards evening there came up-stairs to the terrace 
 where I was sitting a person in the Greek dress, black- 
 ened by the sun and dirt, his clothes soiled and torn, and 
 his whole appearance wan and emaciated. He advanced 
 — spoke — and by his voice I recognized Whitcomb. 
 Heavens ! How I sprung ! My heart bounded with delight, 
 and I hugged him as though I had found a brother. Poor 
 fellow, thought I, how changed ! Can this be the young, 
 genteel, romantic boy I parted from but two months ago, 
 his blooming looks changed to hollow sallowness, his rich 
 dress for the garb of a common soldier ? He has suffered 
 much, lost his money, clothes, and partly his character, 
 for it is reported that he was engaged in the attempted 
 assassination of Trelawny. He has been confined in the 
 cave on Parnassus four weeks, most of the time in irons, 
 and often in danger of assassination. Once he escaped by 
 letting himself down the precipice in front of the cave by 
 
104 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 his long turban. Afterward, by clinging, hands and feet, to 
 the rocks or crevices, he gained the plain, and had pro- 
 ceeded two miles when he was overtaken and carried back. 
 While Trelawny continued in a dangerous state, poor 
 Whitcomb's life was in imminent peril, for had Trelawny 
 died or lost his senses, his followers would have torn him 
 into a thousand pieces, as they could not be persuaded he 
 was not of Fenton's party, who shot Trelawny.' 
 
 As for Fenton, a blacker villain never bore human form, 
 and when I heard of his fate I could not help saying, " It 
 is too good for him ! " His letters had fallen into my 
 hands, and I became acquainted with one of the most deep- 
 laid plots of treachery and murder that I ever heard of. 
 And in the plot was engaged one of the most eminent of 
 the Greeks, he whose name is sounded in Europe and 
 America as Greece's most able and patriotic son. 
 
 August 8th. A letter from Lieutenant-General Jervis, 
 dated Napoli, informs me that he shall leave for Tripolitza 
 to-day, and wishes me to follow him, or [at] least try at 
 
 ' There seems no doubt that young Whitcomb was more sinned against 
 than sinning, his weak brain having been inflamed and fairly unsettled by 
 the truly devilish devices of Fenton. Describing the episode in the " His- 
 torical Sketch," Doctor Howe says : " On the sixth day they (Fenton and 
 Vfhitcomb) were to meet Trelawny on the ledge in front of the cavern to 
 practise pistol-firing. This was the moment Fenton chose for the execu- 
 tion of his plan. He got Whitcomb intoxicated, and made him believe 
 Trelawny had a plot to murder them both. Whitcomb swore to stand by 
 his friend to the last, and promised to be ready on any signal. It was Tre- 
 lawny's first fire, and after hitting the mark, he went a Uttle forward, and, 
 in his usual cold, unsociable way, stood with his back to them. Fenton 
 raised his carabine, which was not loaded, and pointing it at Trelawny, 
 snapped. He looked with pretended dismay at Whitcomb, cocked and 
 snapped again. 
 
 " ' He turned upon me such a look, I knew not what I did. I raised my 
 gun, pulled the trigger, and fell from my own emotions.' These were the 
 words of the mad boy, who had become all but an assassin. Two balls, 
 with which his gun was loaded, had lodged in the back of Trelawny, who 
 was apparently dying. The soldiers rushed in, and Whitcomb heard the 
 
^t. 23] Hydra and the British Navy 105 
 
 Napoli what arrangements I can make with the govern- 
 ment. As for going volunteer again, I cannot do it. Be- 
 tween this system, giving away, and carelessness, I find on 
 examination that I am reduced to $25, and I must recruit 
 some way or other. Were I not a physician, I should have 
 been a lost man in Greece, for, do what I will, I cannot be 
 economical, and I have had no transactions with one single 
 person in Greece who has not come off better than I. The 
 loss is always on my side. How many times have I re- 
 solved to turn Greek and give way to no one, but when 
 the trial comes, I am ashamed to ask for what is my due. 
 
 Jervis says nothing new, but I see from the tenor of his 
 letter that he is deeply afiflicted on account of the petition 
 so universally signed, imploring England to take the pro- 
 tection of Greece upon herself without any condition. 
 Nearly five years has he been fighting heart and hand 
 with the Greeks, and it has been his fond wish that he 
 may contribute his mite toward putting Greece in a situa- 
 tion of independence, and now he finds her about to be 
 
 voice of Fenton, who was supporting Trelawny, crying, ' There is the young 
 traitor ! Shoot him ; cut him down I Do not let him speak ! ' But Whit- 
 comb ran, gained an inner apartment, and taking off his sash, fastened it, 
 and threw himself over the precipice. By some strange means he got safely 
 to the bottom. After running some time, he was met by some soldiers of 
 Ulysses, and carried back to the cavern, half distracted. On entering, he 
 asked, ' Where is Fenton ? ' 'At your feet I ' and he looked down on his 
 bleeding corpse. There was a Swiss in the cavern who had seen the trans- 
 action. He had seen the emotion of Whitcomb, and could not believe he 
 committed the act. When he heard Fenton crying out to kill him without 
 letting him speak, he became convinced. He ordered a soldier to fire on 
 Fenton ; the ball just passed his head. Fenton turned round quickly, and 
 seeing the Swiss, whom he knew to be a dead shot, aiming another musquet 
 at him, he turned fully in front of him, put his hand on his breast, and cried, 
 ' Fire again ! I am ready.' He received the ball through his heart, fell, 
 rolled upon his face, and expired without a groan." 
 
 Trelawny's own account of the affair, though differing in some details, 
 agrees with this in the main facts of Fenton's guilt, and Whitcomb's com- 
 parative innocence. 
 
io6 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. iszs 
 
 made the dependant of another nation. However, I do not 
 think that Jervis has any correct ideas of rational liberty. 
 
 Ypsilanti is in Napoli ; he was obliged to come to pur- 
 chase the necessaries of life. This gives one some idea of 
 a Grecian camp. Their own soldiers are as much to be 
 feared as the enemy. Kolokotrones has with him from 
 three to four thousand men. Next week he may have 
 twelve thousand, or only a hundred. No calculations can 
 be made. No good thing can come out of such a system. 
 Things must alter, or Greece is flat in a few weeks. 
 
 August gth, 182^. An attempt is to be made to raise a 
 revolt of the Greeks in the island of Crete (Candia). Five 
 hundred Candiote refugees have started to carry the most 
 important fortresses. If they succeed, the standard of 
 liberty will be raised, but if they fail, nothing further, for 
 a useless attempt to excite a revolution would only bring 
 down the Turkish vengeance. 
 
 Miller has a relapse of fever; I cannot leave him for 
 some days, at least. 
 
 August lOth. Report says, and it may be true, that a 
 serious revolt has taken place among the Arabs of Upper 
 Egypt. Fight, dogs, fight ! Good news from Missolonghi, 
 but not yet confirmed. . . . 
 
 A letter from Jervis says, " Skirmishes with the Egyp- 
 tian army are continually taking place," and that they have 
 generally terminated in favour of the Greeks ; that the con- 
 queror and pasha of Candia was taken prisoner a few days 
 since, but soon died from loss of blood, having received 
 seven wounds. He was a most formidable enemy of 
 Greece, for after having conquered Candia, he ruled it 
 with so much policy and moderation that he most effectu- 
 ally subdued the spirit of revolution in the island. Pris- 
 oners are brought into Napoli every day. 
 
 August nth. Could it be expected that a boy of nine- 
 
iEt. 23] Hydra and the British Navy 107 
 
 teen, of a rich and honourable family, full of romantic 
 ideas, unconnected with any party, and without any hope 
 of gain, should be drawn into a plot for treason and murder ? 
 Yet such is the case with young Whitcomb. The occur- 
 rences of last night, too well impressed on my memory 
 ever to be forgotten, made him reveal all. Since the affair 
 of the blockade, we have been apprehensive of some attack 
 on our house, and have kept our arms ready. Last night 
 being very hot, I had thrown myself down on the floor in 
 the entryway between two chambers, in one of which slept 
 Masson, and in the other Miller and Whitcomb. In the 
 dead of the night I was awakened by the most dreadful 
 screechings in the chamber of Miller and Whitcomb. The 
 cries were, " Oh, Miller, Miller, save me ! save me ! for 
 God's sake save me ! Oh ! oh, murder ! murder ! for 
 Christ's sake save me ! " Before I was well awake, I 
 conceived that some ruffians had entered by the chamber 
 window, and seizing my sword and pistol I staved open the 
 door, and entering, found Whitcomb stretched out on the 
 floor beside Miller's bed, groaning in a frightful manner. 
 He stretched out his arms in the direction of a dark corner 
 of the room. " There ! oh, there they are ! They have 
 stabbed me to the heart ! O God ! " 
 
 I pointed my pistol in that direction, and strained my 
 eyes to see something to fire at — but saw nobody ; and 
 " There is nobody here ! " said I. " Who has stabbed 
 you .? " 
 
 Miller now began to awaken. " It was not me ! " says 
 he. "I have not hurt him." "They must have gone out 
 of the window," said I. 
 
 " No ! no ! " cries Whitcomb, in a voice of horrid, ago- 
 nizing terror, " Look ! look in that corner ! " 
 
 I advanced, and felt round with my sword, my heart 
 in my mouth, but no one was there. I then ques- 
 
io8 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 tioned Whitcomb where he was wounded, but he could 
 not answer distinctly. I felt his body ; it was cold, and 
 his pulse was almost gone, but I could find no wound, and 
 then began to suspect the truth. He had been dreaming. 
 After awhile a light was brought in, and things began to 
 clear up. Whitcomb threw himself on his bed, and lay 
 trembling and weeping. He insisted that he had not been 
 asleep ; that he was lying meditating on the horrid pro- 
 ceedings at the Cave, when four horrid figures entered 
 the room, and they seized him, dragged him across the 
 floor, and just as I burst into the room, they plunged their 
 daggers into him and vanished. 
 
 During the first minute after I had entered the cham- 
 ber, the state of my mind can be better conceived than de- 
 scribed. At my feet lay Whitcomb groaning and screeching, 
 and, as I thought, writhing in the agonies of death ; beside 
 me lay Miller, silent, and, I supposed, stone-dead ; my pis- 
 tol was directed toward a dark corner, from which I ex- 
 pected every instant to see the flash of another, or a ruffian 
 start out upon me, yet the thought of fear did not enter 
 my mind. I held my pistol without its quivering, and 
 grasped my sword with the other hand, intent only on kill- 
 ing the murderer. But in a minute after, when the thing 
 began to be explained, I began to tremble; a sensation' of 
 horror came over me, and I was most completely unmanned, 
 and for half an hour after, I could not approach the dark 
 corner of the chamber without a sensation of terror, which 
 I had not felt when I thrust my sword there, in expecta- 
 tion that its point might reach a ruffian. 
 
 Miaulis has arrived before Missolonghi with thirty ves- 
 sels, engaged and drove off the enemy's fleet of fifty-four 
 vessels, and raised the blockade by sea. 
 
 August 14th. It is reported that Omar Vriones has 
 played the part of Ali Pasha : raised the standard of lib- 
 
^t. 23] Hydra and the British Navy 109 
 
 erty (independence of the Sultan), and invited the Greeks 
 to join him. If true, the news is most important. The 
 prospects of Greece become brighter every day. The 
 affair at Missolonghi was more important than we thought 
 it ; the siege may be completely raised, and that quarter 
 out of danger for the present. As for the Morea, the sen- 
 sible Greeks do not seem to care about it, thinking it is 
 not in danger. The Greeks have not lost a great number 
 of men, and none have submitted. The enemy takes posses- 
 sion of a town which yesterday was bustling with life and 
 business, but he finds not a soul in it, and perchance not 
 a loaf of bread : the people, at an hour's notice, pack 
 up their all and are off to the mountains, where, in caves 
 and hollows, they spread out their little carpet and squat 
 down upon it, without thinking they are suffering hard- 
 ships. . . . 
 
 Napoli di Romania, August I^th. Started at noon 
 yesterday from Hydra, in a little caique, in which we were 
 stowed, nearly thirty in number ; there was not room to lie 
 or sit, hardly enough to stand up and breathe freely. After 
 a passage of nine hours we arrived here safely, and lodged 
 in a locanda (sort of tavern), fatigued enough to sleep 
 soundly on rocks. I threw myself down upon my blanket, 
 but after a nap of ten minutes, I was aroused by a tre- 
 mendous attack of insects of all kinds. The affair began by 
 a skirmishing of the fleas, who acted as cavalry ; then came 
 the main body of lice, followed by the light infantry of bed- 
 bugs, to the number of forty thousand. In vain I rolled 
 from side to side ; they pursued and goaded me to intense 
 wakefulness ; or if for an instant my eyelids began to drop, 
 a rat running across my face, or a mouse gnawing my boot, 
 would again make me start up to defend myself. 
 
 Things are in about the old style at Napoli. Colonel 
 Fabvier, a Frenchman, has taken command of the regular 
 
no Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 troops, in number augmented to nineteen hundred men, 
 who are quite in a forward way for discipHne. A corps of 
 cavalry is also forming, which will probably amount to 
 something in time. Coffee-houses as usual, full of lazy, 
 lousy, vain, and foolish capitani, who, dressed out in gold 
 jackets, with a boy to carry their pipe, and two or three 
 soldiers to tag round at their heels, feel themselves the 
 greatest men on earth. " Put a beggar on horseback, and 
 he will ride to the devil," horse and all. 
 
 August l6th, 182^. Passed the day in lounging about ; 
 neglected to go to government, partly from my eternally 
 procrastinating spirit, and partly from a dislike to show 
 myself where it may possibly seem that I am seeking to 
 push myself forward. I am much too proud and too 
 modest to get along in Greece ; things which though 
 seemingly opposite yet exist together in me. 
 
 Last night, after finding that a contrivance of mine to 
 keep away the bedbugs and fleas had failed, I took my 
 capote, went out in the street, and wandered round till 
 I found a convenient place to lay my head, which was on 
 the stone step of a shop door. With this for a pillow, the 
 earth for a bed, and my coat for a covering, I passed the 
 night in a sound, refreshing sleep, from which I was awak- 
 ened by the roll of the drum at the first dawn. 
 
 . . . Glorious news from Candia ! The expedition 
 sent out from here arrived safe at the bay, and after 
 hovering round awhile, took a little boat, in which was 
 a Greek. He told them that the commander of the for- 
 tification (which is on an island),' with the principal part 
 of his men, were on shore carousing, and that if they 
 approached the island in boats, in the evening, they 
 might take it ; or if they would land a party, they might 
 repair to a point of land, and fire a musquet, which was the 
 
 " Grabousi. 
 
jEt. 23] Hydra and the British Navy 1 1 1 
 
 signal for those in the fortification to come with a boat for 
 the commander, then they might seize the boat, and return 
 to the open gates of the fort. They chose the latter plan, 
 executed it with success, and surprised the fort. There 
 were but ten Turkish soldiers in it. In the morning the 
 standard of the Cross was raised upon the walls. The 
 islanders (Greeks) have risen in all directions, and driven 
 their oppressors to the mountains. If they are immedi- 
 ately supplied with arms, they will doubtless free Crete. 
 This is most important, as it will make a powerful diver- 
 sion in our favour. 
 
 August lyth. Called on Prince Mavrocordatos, and was 
 received with more than usual politeness. He gave me a 
 chamber in his house, and told me to present my accounts 
 to government for arrears, and they should be paid. This 
 surprised me, as I had not thought of getting any of my 
 past time paid for. My accounts, amounting to ^75, were 
 accordingly presented to the Minister of War for approval, 
 and payment promised in a few hours. But the day passed 
 away, and their usual promise of to-morrow was the only 
 pay I got. . . . 
 
 A letter from Allen, just shown me by Count Pazzo, 
 gives a full account of the affair with the enemy's fleet off 
 Missolonghi, in which he was wounded by a musquet-ball 
 in the fleshy part of the thigh. After the enemy's ships 
 retired, the Greeks entered the gulf, and with their boats 
 attacked the seven barges blockading Missolonghi. After 
 a considerable struggle, they captured five, the other two 
 escaping. The Greek fleet, with ten briilots, have chased 
 the enemy as far as Vatica, and are preparing to follow him 
 to Sada. Arms and ammunition are every hour despatched 
 from here to Crete, and the government have issued a 
 proclamation exhorting all Candiotes to return to their 
 island and help liberate it. 
 
112 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1825 
 
 August l8th. Danced attendance half an hour, morn- 
 ing and afternoon, on the Executive Body, without accom- 
 plishing anything. . . . 
 
 Napoli, August 20th. The regiment paraded in the 
 square, and made a grand appearance, considering the time 
 they have been drilling. Count Gamba,' the friend of 
 Byron, has arrived from Athens. He gave me a long 
 account of the affair of Fenton, Trelawny, and Whitcomb. 
 He has left Trelawny at Athens, recovered in health, but 
 deprived of the use of one arm. One ball struck him in 
 the back of the neck and came out of his mouth, the other 
 passed partly through the chest and now remains near the 
 shoulder joint. Gamba's account confirms that given by 
 poor Whitcomb, who left me this afternoon for Hydra, 
 ■where he will join the fleet. I pity him, and, notwith- 
 standing his crime, I cannot help being attached to him ; 
 he feels the most bitter remorse, and cannot be more com- 
 pletely punished than by the present state of his mind. 
 
 August 21 St. Received from the treasury sixty-two 
 piastres for past services. In order to get at money, it is 
 necessary to have four men, one of whom has the key to 
 the door, and the other three each a different key to the iron 
 chest, which cannot be opened but by all three. Thus, 
 after my various losses, I am IS20 richer than I was on my 
 first landing in Greece eight months ago, in which time 
 I have acquired a good knowledge of the French language, 
 some knowledge of Greek, and great professional experi- 
 ence, to say nothing of a better understanding of men and 
 the world. Should my health continue, I shall ever have 
 reason to be thankful for coming to Greece. . . . 
 
 August 2jd. Arrived the frigate Cambrian from 
 Smyrna. Wright, the English traveller, died at Smyrna, 
 where the Greek fleet has arrived. In the evening re- 
 ' Pietro Gamba was the brother of the Countess Guiccioli. 
 
^t. 23] Hydra and the British Navy 113 
 
 ceived a message to go to the Executive Body, who pro- 
 posed to me to go to Candia as surgeon and physician. I 
 answered, " I am ready." To-morrow we shall make the 
 arrangements. The thing is dangerous, but nothing ven- 
 ture, nothing have. Considering the danger and the 
 uncertainty of affairs in Candia, I have determined to 
 demand $afi per month, and ;^io for an assistant, to be 
 paid one month in advance, or I do not go to Candia. I 
 have long enough lost money in Greece not to begin to 
 feel that I shall always be behindhand if I do not value my 
 services higher. The Minister of War gave me an order 
 for all the things necessary on the expedition — medicines, 
 cotton, linen, lint, etc. Still, the question of pay is not 
 decided, nor will be until the last moment. Miller will go 
 with me as an assistant. The surgeon of the British frigate 
 Naiad called on me to learn the nature of the disease now 
 prevailing in this town. A right fine fellow he is. In 
 fact, thus far, I have found British officers genteel, polite 
 men, but not a whit more so than our own. 
 
 Note. — Greek Primates were not ecclesiastics, as with us, but mag- 
 nates or gentry, — the chief persons for wealth and local influence. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE CRETAN FAILURE 
 
 Grabousi, Thursday, September 1st, l82£. Very sick 
 Friday and Saturday last, but medicines promptly taken 
 restored me on Sunday. A vessel which was to sail on 
 Saturday having waited for me, I got on board Sunday 
 night, and after an uncomfortable passage of two and one- 
 half days, we arrived here yesterday morning. Found 
 young Kallerges in command of the fortress, who received 
 us kindly. The Cretans have risen in two provinces, and 
 the others are ready. On our passage we were much 
 troubled by a strange sail with all the appearance of a 
 Turkish corsair, and were obliged to flee with sail and oar. 
 The first sight of Grabousi was splendid. A little island, 
 entirely of rocks, rises abruptly from the sea. On its 
 summit is built the fortress. To the west the rocky wall 
 is two hundred feet perpendicular, and on all the other 
 sides, where nature has not made it inaccessible, art has 
 reared such walls that it is almost impregnable. There 
 are forty-six brass cannon, water, wheat, com, dried pro- 
 visions, etc., enough for many years. It cannot be can- 
 nonaded or bombarded to advantage from sea or land, and 
 is every way a great gain to the Greeks, who may now 
 with confidence call on the islands to rise, since here is a 
 place of refuge in case of need. Kallerges (a youth of 
 twenty-two, of a rich Greek family), who captured it, now 
 commands the place, and will do so until some other person 
 supersedes him. Metaxas is the man talked of at NapolL 
 
 114 
 
^t.23] The Cretan Failure 115 
 
 We get here but a small variety to eat ; hardly any fruit 
 or vegetables, for things are so unsettled that the inhabit- 
 ants will not bring them off. 
 
 September 2d. My wounded are but five in number, 
 only one hurt badly. My quarters are two miserable 
 rooms, where I must pass my time for some weeks to 
 come. Kallerges, who speaks French, Italian, and German, 
 is the only person with whom I can freely converse, but 
 with friend Miller I can talk all I wish. The fortress is in 
 most desolate condition ; the long, beautiful cannon are 
 thrown from their broken carriages, the walls crumbling 
 in all the buildings, and half the place dilapidated. At 
 night came in two Greeks, reporting that the Turks are 
 collecting in considerable numbers. There are in Candia 
 about thirty-five thousand Greeks capable of bearing 
 arms, while the number of the Turks is not more than 
 ten thousand. The Turks are lenient just now because 
 they fear the Greeks. 
 
 Saturday, September Jd. . . . Everything here now 
 waits the movement of the government at Napoli. The 
 moment the promised supply of arms and men, with four 
 blockading vessels, shall arrive, the Cretans will rise. Kal- 
 lerges has written advising- them to delay the rising several 
 days, until a supply of arms and men shall make it more 
 effectual. The Turks are assembling in numbers in our 
 neighbourhood, and if this fatal delay continues it will 
 be in vain that the Greeks have taken the place. They 
 now want mechanics to mount the guns and repair the 
 fortress, or it may be lost. 
 
 Sunday, September 4th. The Turks, about four hun- . 
 dred, appeared on the opposite hill ; we can plainly see their 
 standards and men, and the Greeks discharged a couple of 
 cannon at them, but the balls did not reach. A message 
 was sent by the enemy, desiring that two Turks might be 
 
ii6 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1825 
 
 admitted to have a conference, but Kallerges replied that 
 their only communication must be by letter ; he had no 
 authority to admit a Turk. They appfear a body of men 
 without more order or subordination than the Greeks have ; 
 and though the night promises to be dark and blustering, 
 we do not anticipate an assault. The irregular Turks are 
 great cowards. . . . 
 
 Monday, September ^th. Small vessel arrived from 
 Napoli with about seventy men. They say that they left 
 along with three other vessels, with three hundred men, 
 who have gone by Hydra to take in cannoneers for this place. 
 The Turks have disappeared from their encampment. Yes- 
 terday the Greeks of this garrison had a quarrel about their 
 quarters, and got into a fray. They lay down vmder my 
 windows, each behind his stone, with his gun cocked, ready 
 to fire upon the other party, ranged in the same manner a 
 little way off ; but others coming up interfered and stopped 
 them. Thus they go on, fighting and squabbling among 
 themselves, leaving the enemy unmolested. . . . 
 
 Tuesday, September 6th. It becomes every day more 
 plain to me that the chance of doing anything in Crete is 
 small. The inhabitants are divided, a part only wishing 
 a revolution. We are completely shut in from the main 
 island; have neither communication with its inhabitants, 
 nor [can] get any of its products. Another vessel arrived 
 from Napoli with a few men. 
 
 Wednesday, September "Jth. The general who arrived the 
 day before yesterday has only authority from government 
 to take possession, but has not actual possession, for those 
 who took the place demand payment or they will not give 
 it up. They are the strongest party ; they hold the keys 
 and guard the gates. We have nothing like order or union. 
 Our men say they only wait the arrival of the other two 
 vessels with soldiers, when they will sally out into the island. 
 
^t.23] The Cretan Failure 117 
 
 God grant they may come quick and put us to the test, for 
 if we stay here much longer, I expect to see them fighting 
 among themselves. 
 
 Thursday, September 8th. Another vessel with soldiers 
 arrived. We now wait only for her companion, when the 
 promised sortie is to be made. Discontent increases. The 
 new commander seems not at all pleased with young Kal- 
 lerges, who is ten times his superior in spirit, worth, and 
 manners. For some days the sun has risen and set in clouds ; 
 still, in New England we should call the weather delightful : 
 a temperature just congenial to the feelings, uniform from 
 day to day, from week to week ; an air pure and clear, and as 
 favourable to health as to enjoyment. I long for an oppor- 
 tunity of an excursion into the interior of Crete, to see and 
 enjoy scenes which Savary ' paints in such glowing colours ; 
 and to find in abundance those delicious fruits of which we 
 get but now and then a taste. The grapes are of a flavour 
 most ravishing, and the peaches and melons of a size and 
 beauty altogether new to me. Then there are figs, 
 almonds, olives, and oranges distributed in the many 
 groves. 
 
 Friday, September gth. The last vessel arrived, and Sun- 
 day is the day fixed for the marching forth of men, who 
 now amount to twelve hundred. The Cretans who took 
 Grabousi, and the officer sent from Napoli to command, 
 are still in dispute. They will not give him the keys until 
 he has paid a certain sum. Kallerges, tired of this, de- 
 clared he would leave for Napoli, but the Cretans say if 
 he does not stay, they will neither go out nor do anything 
 else against the enemy. They seem to be attached to 
 him ; partly, I suspect, if not principally, because he is 
 rich. 
 
 " Savary was a young Frenchman who wrote the best account of Crete 
 in the eighteenth century. 
 
ii8 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 Monday, September 1 2th. The Greeks went out to-night 
 to the number of twelve hundred. They waited till dark, 
 and proceeded without noise. They hope, and with a good 
 general would be sure, to surround completely the op- 
 posing body of Turks ; for those are but few, with a body 
 of Greeks in their rear. . . . 
 
 Kallerges is too sick to go with the expedition. His 
 staying here will make my situation much more agreeable, 
 since he knows how to treat a gentleman. 
 
 The caiques and boats which carried out the soldiers 
 have returned ; they brought two prisoners but no news. 
 The soldiers have advanced into the country to offer the 
 enemy battle, who probably are not in force enough to 
 accept it. . . . 
 
 Wednesday, Septemberl ^th. . Kallerges is so well that he 
 will immediately follow and join the expedition. At evening 
 came favourable news, that the Turks had retired before 
 the Greeks into a fortress. The Greeks call it favourable ; 
 but they might have cut the enemy off, taken them pris- 
 oners or destroyed them ; but I suppose they were afraid to 
 reduce them to such a condition that they would fight des- 
 perately. I hope that my wounded will let me leave them 
 in a few days, for I tire of being shut up here, when the 
 beautiful island of Candia lies open before me. 
 
 Friday, September l6th. Kallerges returned, having 
 an attack of fever which prevented his going with the 
 expedition. This is the story; but he is not sick now, 
 does not like to say much of the expedition, and talks of 
 returning to Napoli in a few days. From these things I 
 conjecture that everything is not right. . . . 
 
 They bring in prisoners, who are generally fine-looking 
 men, most of whom speak Greek as fluently as their 
 own tongue; one could speak but very little Turkish. 
 This would show that the religions are in some measure 
 
iEt. 23] The Cretan Failure 119 
 
 amalgamated. I am told that in Asia Minor there are 
 villages of Greeks who have entirely laid aside their own 
 language and adopted the Turkish, but their religion is 
 still distinct ; they have their services in Turkish, but [in] 
 the Greek form. This is good policy in the Turks, and it 
 would be well for them to substitute their own for the 
 Greek language in all Greece. 
 
 Saturday, September I'jth. Kallerges went out again to 
 join the expedition, with a hundred and fifty men who arrived 
 this morning from Napoli. News from Napoli is that an 
 American fleet under Rogers had arrived there; four 
 frigates and the North Carolina, hundred-gun ship. The 
 Greeks have a thousand ridiculous ideas about the des- 
 tination of this fleet. My servant came in with eyes 
 sparkling and mouth stretched from ear to ear. " Glory to 
 the Holy Virgin and to God ! " says he. " Good news for 
 Greece ! " 
 
 " What ! " say I. " Have the fleets met ? " 
 
 " No ; the American ships have been to Constantinople, 
 and proposed an ambassador ; but being refused, they fired 
 upon the town and have done much damage. They then 
 proceeded to Smyrna and killed many Turks ; now they 
 have arrived at Napoli, and have landed four thousand 
 tactic troops, who will march off immediately against 
 Ibrahim Pasha." . . . 
 
 Miller will start for Napoli in the first vessel, but I can- 
 not leave Candia at present, much as I wish to see the fleet. 
 
 Wednesday, September 2lst. Miller left for Napoli. 
 He has taken from me a companion and friend in whose 
 society, with our scolding arguments, I have passed much 
 pleasant time. I sent by him ;^50 to be deposited at 
 hydra for safe-keeping. Miller, the son of a Vermont 
 farmer, was a wild lad, and after many queer scrapes ran 
 away and enlisted as a common soldier. He was wild and 
 
I20 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 dissipated till he became very sanctified, which was brought 
 about in the half-miraculous manner so common in what 
 are called religious conversions, almost without exception 
 confined to persons who possess more feeling than reason, 
 more heart than head. From the ranks of the American 
 army he rose through all the non-commissioned grades, 
 when, peace being established, he left the army a finished 
 soldier in all the mechanical parts. He then went to 
 studying ; supported himself by drilling militia officers 
 during that time and in college. In his second year in 
 college he was returning from vacation, and just as he 
 ascended the hill he saw the building in flames where 
 were all his books, his clothes, all the property which by 
 his industry he had accumulated. Everything was lost, 
 and he determined to come to Greece. Here he served 
 as volunteer for six months, fought and distinguished him- 
 self ; but becoming disgusted with the want of system, 
 and finding that he could be of no more use than a common 
 soldier, he has commenced the study of medicine with me. 
 He is rather superficially than well educated, with an im- 
 mense deal of good common sense, an acute mind, but 
 self-opinionated, and bigoted in religion, which he reads 
 and argues about rather to confirm his belief than to ex- 
 amine the subject. 
 
 Thursday, September 22d. Now for a bellyful of soli- 
 tude ; now shall I find out whether a hermit can be 
 happy, for I must be as much a hermit as though I 
 was entirely alone in the woods ; not a soul knows my 
 tongue or the French, and as for the Greeks, I care not 
 for talk with them, for here are in the fort a set who 
 would be called scamps even by the Greeks themselves. 
 Books I have, two or three, but read over and over 
 again. Kallerges came back. Why I know not, but it 
 will be better for me. Eight days have I not tasted meat. 
 
■«t. 23] The Cretan Failure 121 
 
 but we have fruits — grapes, figs, almonds, pomegranates, 
 pears, peaches, etc. — in abundance. If this place should 
 be blockaded, I feel certain we should suffer from famine 
 in six weeks, and unless the rainy season sets in early, our 
 cisterns would soon be exhausted. Nothing is done. Noth- 
 ing can be done in this miserable way. I heard yesterday 
 the Hydriote quartermaster here in a row with the soldiers, 
 and on inquiry learned it was on account of the cisterns, 
 which he had shut up, and told them they should not open 
 them, since there was water that they might get from a 
 spring outside the fort. Notwithstanding his resolution, 
 he was obliged to yield the point, and the soldiers opened 
 the cistern. It is this insubordination, this absolute want 
 of order or system, that is ruining Greece. Its effects are 
 felt everywhere. In Candia, I have no doubt, the inhabit- 
 ants are kept from rising from their fear of the expedition. 
 They would hardly be robbed or abused less by the Greeks 
 than by the Turkish soldiery. A peasant flies from his 
 house to the mountains at the approach of a Greek troop, 
 as from an enemy. This I have seen again and again 
 in the Morea ; the villagers imposed upon in the most 
 shameful manner, houses broken open, provisions seized, 
 and the women actually beaten for not producing better. 
 I know these are among the horrors of war in every coun- 
 try, but is it strange if the poor ignorant Greek' in his 
 misery should exclaim : " What is liberty to me ? The Turk 
 despoiled me of half my goods, but the Greek takes all ; 
 the Turk beat me sometimes, but the Greek beats me 
 every day. A curse on this struggle ! " 
 
 This language is not uncommon. God bring good out 
 of evil ! 
 
 Friday, September 2jd. It appears that the Greeks, in 
 number about one thousand, came up with the Turks in 
 greater force ; that five hundred Greeks then fled or took 
 
122 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 to the mountains, while the other half engaged the Turks, 
 and were defeated completely, driven from the field, and 
 lost one hundred men. There came in some wounded. 
 At night heard that the body of Greeks who took to the 
 mountains have attacked the enemy and gained an advan- 
 tage. This may be true, but I fear things are up in Can- 
 dia. This ill success of the expedition will prevent the 
 inhabitants from rising. From the other side of the island, 
 150 Cretans have arrived, well armed. This seems favour- 
 able, though with the population of Crete, they ought to 
 rise by thousands instead of hundreds. Grabousi must 
 now be looked to. It will be immediately blockaded by 
 land, and possibly the Egyptian armada may appear off 
 here in an hour or two ; it must be near. If they attempt 
 this place my safety depends upon its strength ; if it falls, 
 every living being in it will be butchered. This second 
 attempt upon Candia will not be forgiven. Between one 
 and two hundred great, fat, lazy fellows are in this fort, 
 doing nothing under heaven but eat, smoke, and sleep, and 
 nothing of consequence is done to the walls and fortifica- 
 tions, which are all in ruins. Out of forty-six pieces of 
 cannon at least sixteen are dismounted, and of the others 
 not more than ten can be used ; and of these ten, the 
 best could not be got off under fifteen minutes' notice. 
 A sort of watch is kept at night upon the walls, but no 
 outposts, when three only, posted at proper places, could 
 give notice before a landing was effected anywhere on our 
 island. The light labour of three men, and a few hundred 
 dollars, would make Grabousi almost impregnable, but in 
 its present situation an army even of Turks might take 
 it. If they do come they will at least keep off ennui. 
 
 Found a man who in gaping had dislocated his jaw. 
 His mouth had been stretched wide open for many days, 
 the spittle running out, nor could he speak so as to be 
 
■^'•23] The Cretan Failure 123 
 
 understood. Putting my thumbs in his mouth, I instantly 
 set the bone, and he could talk and shut his mouth, to his 
 utter astonishment and that of the spectators and a Greek 
 doctor, who was ordering him some nostrum. The ignorance 
 of these fellows is only to be equalled by their presumption. 
 Sunday, September 25th. The Sphakiotes, a hardy, 
 brave set of mountaineers who inhabit what are called 
 the White Mountains, have refused to rise, and it is a 
 great damper to us. They are a race of Greeks less cor- 
 rupt and less debased than the others of Candia; they 
 have preserved some relics of olden times; their dialect 
 is purer and more correct than any other. They have also 
 the Pyrrhic dance, and it was but a few years since, says 
 Savary, that they were accustomed to practise with the 
 bow and quiver. Of old they were famed for their arch- 
 ery, as they are now for their gunnery. They have, as of 
 yore, the divisions of society into men and boys ; but the 
 men have grown degenerate or the boys obstreperous, for 
 some years since, when the Sphakiotes, suspected by the 
 Turks, were invaded by an army, the old fellows took to 
 the passes to defend them, but the young men all remained 
 at home, saying the Turks were their friends. The Turks 
 gained the passes, and used their victory shamefully, selling 
 their prisoners for slaves. Since that time, the Sphakiotes 
 have been obliged to pay the haratch, from which they 
 were before exempt. At this day the Sphakiotes are more 
 free than the rest of the Greeks. In their mountain dis- 
 tricts, by their flocks, they gain a good livelihood. Their 
 country extends to the shore on the southern side of the 
 island, where there is a port and a castle. The Turks, 
 who never dared to oppress them too much, are now ex- 
 ceeding friendly, beseeching them not to break up con- 
 nections by joining the thieves, the title by which they 
 dignify our expedition. There came in some Greeks to-day 
 
124 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 to have a talk, and pray that for God's sake nothing more 
 might be done. "You cannot drive the Turks out," say 
 they, "and if you go on will only make them butcher us 
 and our families." Just now the Turks are taking a most 
 dangerous course ; they feel their own weakness, and exer- 
 cise no cruelties on the Greeks, but all who will join them 
 they treat well. A party exists among the inhabitants who 
 are not only indifferent about the Revolution, but actually 
 oppose it with might and main, joining even, it is said, in 
 arms with the Turks. I was talking with a soldier who had 
 just found his way in from the rout. Says he : "I did not 
 know where to run. Here was the sea, but no boats ; here 
 the Turks on one side, and on the other, what was worse, 
 Greeks who were opposed to us." 
 
 Says I : " We shall do well when Metaxas comes." 
 
 " If God should come down, " says he, " we cannot do 
 anything." 
 
 But this indifference and backwardness in the Candiotes 
 is perfectly natural. They are mostly unarmed. It is but 
 two years since the last rebellion was put down by the 
 Turks, and they say with reason, " Why should we peril 
 our wives and children by joining in an affair which will be 
 quashed in a few weeks "i " If by perseverance, by send- 
 ing plenty of arms and men, and by some solid successes, 
 it can be made plain that a reasonable prospect of emanci- 
 pation is open, they will doubtless fly to arms. 
 
 Monday, September 26th. . . . Our men who were put 
 to flight and scattered the other day have come straggling 
 in from all quarters, until the number is almost made up. 
 But few are wanting, who were doubtless killed. Among 
 them is a captain who came in the same vessel with me 
 from Napoli, and who had quarters in the next room to 
 mine. He was a good fellow, and was seen fighting to the 
 last. He may have been wounded, and may lie at this 
 
^t. 23] The Cretan Failure 125 
 
 moment in the mountains, writhing in pain and choking 
 with thirst, without a being to help him to a drop of water. 
 War has its horrors viewed at a distance, but how they are 
 augmented when we are on the spot ! when we know many 
 of those engaged, and imagine at every report that we hear 
 the death-knell of an acquaintance ! We read without emo- 
 tion that in such a battle a hundred men were killed, but 
 it is another thing to be there, to bid good-bye to men as 
 they go out to fight, to listen to the first regular discharges, 
 the thick, confused roar that follows and shows the battle 
 is at its height; and then it gradually lessens, — a space 
 between the shots, — longer and longer, till at last it is 
 heard but now and then, as some poor straggler is over- 
 taken and cut down while he vainly discharges his farewell 
 shot. Then the limping wounded come in ; those who lie 
 on the field in torture, and those who are writhing in the 
 agony and sweat of death, mingle with those of their com- 
 rades who lie cold and still, sleeping their eternal sleep on 
 the spot where a moment before they stood all life and 
 vigour. But a small part of the misery is confined to the 
 struggling living or the motionless dead. Then come the 
 agonizing widow and wailing orphan, weeping not only in 
 sorrow for him who lies still before them, but in terror at 
 the bitter loneliness of their prospects. Within hearing of 
 a battle in which those whom one knows are engaged, one 
 cannot rest a moment. You try to compose your thoughts, 
 but some shot comes clear and distinct upon the ear, and 
 you start up at the idea of its having given his death-wound 
 to some acquaintance ; or if it is still a moment, you busy 
 your thoughts about the success or failure of the fight, of 
 who are dead, or dying, or wounded. And then the few 
 minutes that are passed before the messenger arrives with 
 the news are of keen anxiety. He comes ; good news is 
 on his face. " We have beat them ! " shouts he, and is 
 
126 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 answered by a louder, gladder shout. But then comes the 
 inquiry of friends, and his countenance brightens or darkens 
 as he answers : " Your brother or son is well," or " Your 
 husband — why — why, he was in front — he fought well." 
 
 "But is he alive .■'" 
 
 " I saw him fighting bravely ; he — he — may be still 
 alive ; we do not know surely, but console yourself ! " 
 
 Wednesday, September 28th. . . . Matters in Crete are 
 rapidly going to the deuce, and all our hopes will soon be 
 lost unless a head arrives. The soldiers go about plunder- 
 ing and wandering where they choose ; no one can keep 
 them in any order. No rising as yet of the inhabitants, 
 nor will there be unless order is introduced. . . . 
 
 Saturday, October 1st. Great cry and little wool, as the 
 devil said when he sheared the hog. Last night our soldiers 
 attacked the Turks in their little castle, about ten miles from 
 Grabousi ; but such an attack ! My stars ! as the old women 
 say, it was wonderful ! Such gallant deeds ! Such heroic 
 exploits ! Oh, for the pen of Homer to paint those who 
 standing ran away, and those who falling fought ! The 
 government had sent a schooner, which was brought up so 
 that her guns would bear on the castle. About six hundred 
 of our men advanced upon the land side until they got 
 within musquet-shot of the fort, when part turned about 
 and gallantly marched back, in plain sight and defiance 
 of the enemy, while another part, still more gallant, threw 
 themselves down behind the stones, and kept up a fire on 
 the enemy for a long time, making much noise with their 
 musquets and more with their voices, calling the enemy 
 "homed beasts," etc. But now opened the tremendous 
 broadside of the schooner, and at the report of her three 
 guns, we saw fall and bite the dust two gallant — don- 
 keys, who were feeding on the shore ! Encouraged by 
 this brilliant exploit, she again charged to the brim her 
 
^t-23] The Cretan Failure 127 
 
 engines of destruction, and sent the balls whistling about 
 half a mile from the castle. But at the third discharge, two 
 of the enemy's cavalry fell. All day the fight has been 
 on, and seven of our men, badly wounded, were brought 
 to the rear. At sundown, the affair was decided by the 
 appearance of the Pasha, with two thousand men, to the 
 relief of the castle. The Turks within did not amount to 
 more than a hundred and fifty men, yet the Greeks could 
 not drive them [out]. Our men have nothing to do but to 
 retreat and get into Grabousi as fast as they can, for they 
 are too much terrified to resist at all. Affairs are now, I 
 consider, finished in Candia ; the expedition has shown itself 
 to be incompetent to resist the enemy, and it will require 
 a great deal to inspire the inhabitants with any confidence 
 for future attempts to revolutionize the island. To-morrow 
 we shall have it again ; Grabousi even may feel it. My 
 wounded have so increased as to keep me pretty busy ; 
 but things begin to come to a crisis, and the constant 
 stir now going on prevents me from feeling ennui. Oh 
 for a hundred young Americans whom I could pick ; 
 they would attack the Turkish camp in the night, and 
 spread rout and destruction among them. But the poor 
 Greeks, without order or confidence in one another, can 
 do nothing. 
 
 Evening. The Pasha is not content with relieving the 
 castle, but is continuing on toward Grabousi, our soldiers 
 retreating before him. If they continue, I know not what 
 is to be done ; there are not provisions enough in the place 
 to last us a fortnight. And then for the hundreds of fam- 
 ilies who have taken refuge under the walls of the fortress, 
 God ! what must be their sufferings ! As for myself, come 
 what will, I am ready. I had half made up my mind to 
 leave the place, but now that ill luck has come and danger 
 thickens, it would be dishonourable ; nor can I think of quit- 
 
128 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 ting my wounded, though the tirae for which I was engaged 
 expired a week ago. 
 
 Grabousi, Sunday, October 2d. At daylight our troops 
 had passed the ridge of hills just opposite this fort, and 
 hardly had the sun cleared the horizon when from its walls 
 I saw the blood-red standard of the Pasha, and heard the 
 beat of his tambour. The ridge was soon lined with Turks, 
 who poured down showers of balls upon our retreating 
 soldiers, but with little effect, and they could not be fol- 
 lowed with safety. The Greeks soon gained a little hillock 
 advantageously situated, where they made a stand, and for 
 some hours were undisturbed ; but after noon the enemy 
 came round the hill and commenced a spirited attack, 
 which was answered as by one general round; another, 
 and then all was one confused, undistinguished roar of 
 musquetry for an hour. Every now and then, from a neigh- 
 bouring hUl where the enemy had planted a cannon, flashed 
 forth the bright blaze, followed by the cloud of rushing 
 smoke, and then came the bellowing sound, drowning all 
 other. The fight was just below me, and I could see the 
 motions of every man when the momentary clearing away 
 of smoke gave an open view. The Greeks ran not, and 
 thought not of running, and showed that they wanted 
 nothing but resolution to resist the enemy ; for now when 
 there was necessity, when they could not retreat any far- 
 ther, they easily kept the enemy at bay, and might have 
 done the same five hours back in the country. Toward 
 night the combat became thicker and the loss of the enemy 
 became great, apparently, while ours was very small ; this 
 is to be accounted for from the distance at which they 
 fought, the Greeks having first-rate English powder, while 
 the Turkish powder is that adulterated stuff sold in these 
 countries. The Turks having brought one of their guns 
 down near the shore, a Hydriote brig, a most beautiful 
 
iEt. 23] The Cretan Failure 129 
 
 vessel, started over just at sundown and neared the bat- 
 tery. It was a delightful sight ; she approached, discharged 
 the guns of one side, and in a second, wheeling round, 
 poured in the other, and was soon out of the narrow, dan- 
 gerous channel where she was so skilfully manoeuvred. 
 Her fire silenced the enemy's cannon, and afterward until 
 dark we only heard the scattered fire of the musquetry, 
 which soon grew less and less, and ceased. Then blazed 
 forth the long flames on either side, and the shadow of 
 figures was seen moving about them, preparing supper for 
 those who could eat any. Work began to thicken on my 
 hands ; the slightly wounded, the dying, and the dead were 
 alike brought in, and it was long after midnight before I 
 could get a moment to eat my supper. During this time 
 I have dressed more difficult wounds than I should have 
 an opportunity of seeing in Boston in years, and performed 
 more operations than might have fallen to my lot during 
 my life had I stayed at home. I could not weary. But not- 
 withstanding all feelings of pity or shuddering were drowned 
 in those of surgical duty, I could not help taking notice of 
 many interesting circumstances : the anxious inquiry with 
 which friends awaited my answer as each man was exam- 
 ined, and the fixed, half fearful, half hopeful gaze, with 
 which the patient would watch my countenance, as if to 
 read his doom in my looks. One youth of twenty, a beauti- 
 ful, modest boy, sat silently waiting while I dressed the 
 others, and when his turn came, he only groaned slightly, 
 though I saw he was in agony. A bullet had entered his 
 arm, and I found and cut it out of his back ; as I traced its 
 course, he fixed his eyes on my face with a steady, firm 
 gaze, hoping to read a favourable answer, yet half despair- 
 ing, and I fear with too much reason. Poor boy ! he has 
 met his doom early, but in the best of causes. Just as he 
 was levelling his musquet at the enemy, he received the 
 
130 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 shot which felled him to the ground, and which, I fear, will 
 be his passport to another world. Where does the soul 
 go ? say men ; but what is the soul .' Does it, can it exist 
 independent of the body "i Who knows ! 
 
 Monday, October 3d. The fight is not renewed this 
 morning with the vigour of last night ; some skirmishing 
 and firing of cannon, for we have sent over two small 
 guns, which are planted opposite the Turkish [battery], and 
 keep up a good fire. We have had very few men killed, 
 and not a great number wounded — say forty. These, 
 however, with my former ones, keep me running from 
 morn till night, and I am perfectly content to do so, since 
 I find all satisfied with my treatment. I have left in but 
 four balls, which I could not find ; this is a small proportion. 
 More wounded will probably be brought in to-day, and I 
 hardly know how I shall manage ; Miller is always like the 
 Dutchman's anchor, — whenever I want him most, he is 
 away, and soon as business is over he comes back again. 
 
 The enemy seem to be in considerable force, say twenty- 
 five hundred men, but irregulars ; their movements or 
 intentions we cannot tell; but it is not probable they 
 will remain to attack a place like Grabousi without having 
 made greater preparation. The commander is a fine, 
 hardy old Turk of eighty years, still preserving his vigour, 
 and the Greeks say he exposes himself on all occasions, 
 cheering and forcing on his men to the fight. How they 
 may have treated the Greeks in the villages they have 
 passed through we do not know, but it is to be feared with 
 clemency, for if the old Pasha is half as cunning as brave, 
 he will in this way most effectually keep down the people ; 
 but if he cuts off arms, noses, and heads, he will stir up a 
 nest of hornets about his ears. 
 
 Tuesday, October 4th. ... A vessel with some soldiers 
 arrived from NapoU ; others are to follow, and General 
 
iEt. 23] The Cretan Failure 131 
 
 Kosta Botzaris. Botzaris ! What a name ! At the sound 
 of it the friend of Greece starts with exultation, and when 
 her detractors ask him in scorn, " Where are your modern 
 Greek heroes ? " he exclaims, " Marco Botzaris ! Behold a 
 hero worthy a place beside Leonidas ! " Marco Botzaris 
 was a man whose name and whose remembrance are 
 justly cherished by the Greeks as a source of pride and 
 boast. He united to first-rate talents the most ardent 
 patriotism and a lion-like courage. He is the only leader 
 in this revolution who dared attack superior numbers of 
 Turks when they were intrenched. His name was to 
 them a terror, and he won, like Aristomenes,' his heka- 
 tombia; he, with his few chosen followers, would break 
 into the enemy's camp in the night, and, sword in hand, 
 spread terror and destruction. . . . 
 
 Friday, October yth. Yesterday everything conspired 
 to put me in so cross and blue-devilish a mood, that I 
 could neither read nor write, nor do anything with sat- 
 isfaction. This afternoon Miller returned, with books, 
 clothes, and things, which will make the time pass rather 
 more quickly in Grabousi, shut up as we may be all winter. 
 News from the Morea unfavourable. . . . 
 
 As for affairs in Candia, they look rather bluish. There 
 is some talk of the soldiers going out to-morrow, but they 
 will not be able to do anything. 
 
 A goletta from Napoli brings us provisions, but no men ; 
 nor can I learn that any number are ready to start. The 
 enemy have not vacated the castle next to this ; they will 
 hold it against any effort that this body of Greeks can 
 make. As for Greeks attacking their enemies when shel- 
 tered by those walls, it is out of the question. That spirit 
 and fire that blazed for awhile at the beginning of the 
 Revolution no longer exist. 
 
 • The hero of Messenia against Sparta. 
 
132 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 Sunday, October gtk. Wrote to Georgios and Count 
 Pazzo. The soldiers have not gone out as yet, nor will 
 they start for some da}'s, when it is probable they will all 
 go in the vessels and land at Sphakia. This is an excellent 
 move, and will decide the game at once ; if the Sphakiotes 
 rise and join them, Candia is on a fair footing for becom- 
 ing free ; if they will not rise, nothing will be done. The 
 influence and ascendency of the Sphakiotes among the 
 Cretans is very great ; if they rise all the rest will follow 
 their example. Nor are they less dreaded by the Turks ; 
 they would rather all the provinces would rise than the 
 single one of the Sphakiotes. The Sphakiotes once in 
 arms, the Turks must quit their open campaign, shut 
 themselves up in the castles, whence I do not see [how] 
 they can be driven. 
 
 Tuesday, October Ilth. The soldiers yesterday left for 
 Sphakia, and we shall soon know the fate of Candia. A 
 long conversation with a former Sphakiote general gave 
 me much light upon the present and past state of affairs ; 
 he, though proud of his province, seemed to be candid, and 
 claims for them that superiority only which is granted by 
 their neighbours. 
 
 " Our boys," says he, " are given arms as soon as they 
 can handle them ; they become very expert, and are the best 
 marksmen in Greece. A Candiote from any other province 
 is not allowed to wear arms when he comes in presence of 
 a Turk ; he bows humbly to him as to his lord ; the Spha- 
 kiote walks proudly by with his arms, and bows only to 
 those who salute him." 
 
 I asked him why Sphakia did not rise. "They will," 
 says he, " they will rise if proper attention is paid. Gov- 
 ernment has now within two months expended 70,000 
 piastres upon Candia, but they have not written a line to 
 Sphakia. The rest of the Cretans are jealous of the 
 
-<Et. 23] The Cretan Failure 133 
 
 Sphakiotes, and do not wish them to partake in the affair, 
 for they know their power and fear their ascendency ; but 
 now that they find nothing can be done without their 
 assistance, they stretch out both hands to them for help 
 and succour." 
 
 These are the opinions of one of the most intelligent 
 capitani I have ever met with, and one whose wealth and 
 courage gave him great ascendance formerly; he spent 
 many thousand dollars in forwarding the last attempted 
 revolution, and was one of the sixty men who attacked 
 this castle, of whom but five escaped alive, and recently 
 he was one of the eleven who took it by surprise. 
 
 Wednesday, October 1 2th. Nothing new within the walls 
 of Grabousi, except a few moments of peace and quietness 
 caused by the leaving of the soldiers. Wrote to Masson, 
 and sent my letters to Napoli by the other vessel, which 
 has been delayed until to-day. The Turkish leader is wide 
 awake ; we have discovered that he had stationed men to 
 find out when our vessels might leave Grabousi ;' then he 
 would know that an attack was threatened somewhere else 
 and prepare for it. 
 
 "His hairs are white, 
 But his veteran arm is full of might." . . . 
 
 Tuesday, October l8th. News from Sphakia of the most 
 encouraging kind, and if it prove true, the die is cast, and 
 Candia will immediately become the seat of war. The 
 Sphakiotes, it is said, have risen with unanimity, and, 
 joined with the expedition, will advance in two columns, 
 one against the enemy immediately, the other to form a. 
 junction with the troops which will go out from this place.. 
 Nothing is now wanted in Crete but an able head ; a man 
 who shall know enough of the country to direct advan- 
 tageously the efforts of the people, and possess influence 
 
1 34 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1825 
 
 enough to have his directions followed. I know of no 
 such man in Candia ; there is no Candiote of eminent 
 abilities who is possessed of pecuniary or family influence 
 sufficient to give him a great ascendency. Therefore they 
 must accept a Greek from some other part, although such 
 a man would be regarded as half a foreigner. . . . 
 
 Friday, October 2 1st. A sensation of heat different 
 from what I have ever felt before, which causes a kind 
 of languor and perspiration, turned my attention to the 
 weather, and I found the Greeks attribute it to the siroc 
 wind, which they say is blowing in Africa, and is conveyed 
 to us by the southern gales now prevailing. One does not 
 exactly feel hot or oppressed, but wonders how he is per- 
 spiring. My patients get on well, and I have thus far kept 
 the unshaken confidence of forty out of forty-two wounded, 
 in spite of the machinations of a native doctor, who has a 
 great advantage over me in knowing the language ; but 
 while I labour from sunrise to sunset with the sick and 
 wounded, he has but two to attend. I never have felt 
 toward any of the native doctors anything but pity for their 
 ignorance and contempt for their presumption. Gladly 
 would I do my duty and endeavour to instruct them in 
 the principles of surgery, but they are so conceited or so 
 stubborn that they will not allow any mode but their own 
 to be even worthy of trial. Then they are generally the 
 most unprincipled rascals, and I have no doubt that many 
 of them would give me a dose of poison if they could get 
 a chance. 
 
 The Greeks are full of compliments. If you enter a 
 house you are bid welcome ; if you drink a glass of wine 
 they wish it may be for your health ; if they drink, they 
 wish you a long life, a happy marriage, and many children ; 
 if you sneeze, may it be for your health ; when you go out, 
 a happy to-morrow and many years ; if you wash — to your 
 
•ffit. 23] The Cretan Failure 135 
 
 health ! I could not help smiling this morning, as I went 
 round to the patients, to observe them put their hands to 
 their chins, and say, " May it be for your health ! " as I 
 had just been shaved. A barber, when he cuts your hair, 
 wishes it may be for your health. Four or five Greeks 
 may sleep in the same room ; in the morning they lie and 
 talk, but when [one] gets up, he washes his face and 
 hands, bows and crosses himself a dozen times to the Holy 
 Virgin, says his prayers aloud, then turns round and 
 wishes the rest good morning. When you are sitting talk- 
 ing with one of them at dusk of eve, if he lights a candle 
 at the fireplace, as soon as it blazes he turns to you and 
 wishes you " Good evening ! " with as much solemnity as 
 though he had just entered the room. If you talk with a 
 Greek in the forenoon, at parting he wishes you a good 
 appetite for your dinner ; if you meet him after some 
 absence, he kisses you three times on the lips. An inferior 
 kisses your hand and puts it to his forehead, and many 
 kneel in doing it. When a schoolmaster dismisses his 
 school, each boy comes to him, kneels down, kisses the 
 back of his hand, puts it to his forehead, then kisses it 
 again, rises, and goes out with his hand on his breast. . . . 
 Sunday, October 23d. Our advance-guard proceeded 
 forward into the interior this morning, at a little past noon. 
 A cannonading and an indistinct sound of musquetry in- 
 formed us that they had met the enemy. It must, I 
 think, be the Pasha with the main body, for ours have no 
 cannon, nor do I know of the other bodies of Turks having 
 any. We shall know in an hour or two. Indeed, if ours 
 retreat, we may have the fight renewed under the walls of 
 Grabousi to-morrow morning. No news from Sphakia, nor 
 am I sure that all things are going on well there. We 
 ought to hear. All Sphakia must be up and against the 
 enemy immediately, or the blood of thousands of mothers 
 
136 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 and children will have to flow before Turkish vengeance 
 for this attempted Revolution will be glutted. 
 
 A Greek soldier is quite a man at ease ; a gentleman, 
 in fact, who does and says what he will, and goes where 
 he wots. When he enters the army, as it is called, he 
 goes to some captain and agrees with him to pay him two 
 and a half dollars per month and shoe leather. The cap- 
 tain perhaps writes his name down on a piece of paper, and 
 the affair is settled. Once in two or three days, perhaps, 
 he calls on his captain, squats down on the floor, and wit- 
 nesses his bravery, displayed by cursing the Turks. If 
 they are on a march the soldier goes ahead, behind, or 
 strolls to one side, according to his will. Arrived at night 
 in a village, the soldiers run to the different houses and 
 get the best quarters they can find for themselves, leaving 
 the captain's immediate attendants to shift for him. If the 
 inhabitants of a house refuse to open their door, the sol- 
 diers break it open ; if good fare is not produced, they 
 beat the family. A soldier obeys the order of his captain 
 or not, just as he chooses. If ordered to march on such a 
 day to such a place, he goes, or says he will not go so 
 soon, or perhaps not at all. When he wishes to leave his 
 captain he generally goes and picks a quarrel with him 
 upon some trifle, and then goes off in a pretended rage, or 
 he goes and joins another captain without any ceremony at 
 all. He finds his own musquets and pistols, and draws 
 cartridges from government. When in a town he draws 
 rations of bread and meat, and perhaps a few little pickled 
 fish. When in the village, he lives on the villagers. 
 There is no baggage-wagon, and seldom a horse. A soldier 
 carries with him his bed, his table, his chair, his all, in his 
 capote. His knife is to him dagger, fork, and spoon. He 
 carries no change of clothes, nor will he lay off his dress, 
 perhaps, once in three months. At night he never thinks 
 
^t.23] The Cretan Failure 137 
 
 of getting more than a dry place and a smooth stone for a 
 pillow. As for this way of life, one soon gets used to it. 
 It is now two months since I took off my clothes at night, 
 or have had any other bed than the floor and a blanket, yet 
 I sleep as sound as ever I did on a feather bed with clean 
 linen sheets, and my head is as easy, with only my hand- 
 kerchief between it and a flat rock, as it was on down 
 pillows. 
 
 Monday, October Z^-th. Got through with success a 
 difficult surgical operation. Four more wounded arrived. 
 The firing of yesterday was not from our advance-party. 
 To-day a heavy cannonade heard from a distance, the cause 
 of which we do not know ; possibly some rejoicing or feast- 
 day of the Turks. May it be changed into one of howling 
 if he changes not his way ! Communication with the island 
 again in some measure opened, and we have a taste of the 
 grapes and delicious fruits of Candia. . . . 
 
 Tuesday, October 2£th. Our advance, instead of pro- 
 ceeding against the enemy, have quietly squatted down 
 upon a mountain two hours hence, where, destitute of 
 everything but water, they depend altogether upon the 
 provisions they may receive from this place. Wretched, 
 cowardly proceeding ! The villages with a majority of 
 Greeks inhabiting them are close at hand, and the army 
 dare not go to them and seize the enemy's possessions for 
 their support. The fertile island of Crete is before them, 
 and they depend for every mouthful of bread upon Napoli. 
 Thus much have we done in Crete : we have brought here 
 twelve hundred men, have spent three months and ;SS8,ooo, 
 and have taken the mighty fortress of Grabousi. True 
 indeed is the proverb of friend Miller, " that an army with- 
 out order is only calculated to prey upon itself." . . . 
 
 Wednesday, October 26th. A scene which may be dis- 
 agreeable in its consequences, showed to-day most forcibly 
 
138 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 the misery and utter inability of the present system. About 
 seventy soldiers took four caiques and were to be trans- 
 ported west to join the army, but as soon as they got out a 
 little way they forced the sailors to turn the boats and 
 steer for the Morea. The plan was immediately discovered, 
 and cannon fired from the walls to bring them back, but 
 on account of the almost ruined state of the gun-carriages 
 and the ignorance of the cannoneers, the balls hardly went 
 within a quarter of a mile of them, and only one boat 
 turned back. A small smack started out in pursuit, and 
 from her superior sailing gained fast upon another of the 
 boats, and when within musquet-shot a discharge of mus- 
 quetry was begun and immediately returned from the boat ; 
 this was kept up till they passed behind a little island and 
 disappeared from our sight. The two foremost boats soon 
 came out in sight on the other side, and appeared in a fair 
 way to escape entirely. Night coming on, we saw no 
 more, but probably the smack will bring back one, and 
 a larger vessel will be sent after the others. The wind 
 was very light, and the four vessels or caiques lay far 
 within cannon-shot, and not a long distance, yet of at 
 least ten guns on that side of the fortress not [one] 
 could be brought to bear upon them, and they, after a 
 quarter of an hour's labour, could effect nothing. A good 
 cannoneer with two good guns would have sunk every one 
 of the caiques during the half-hour they were within shot. 
 The soldiers who went off were all foreigners, as they are 
 called ; that is, they were not Cretans, but Moreotes, 
 Roumeliotes, etc., who, seeing no chance of getting much 
 pay or booty by staying in Candia, took this way of steal- 
 ing off to the Morea. 
 
 Thursday, October 2'jth. Things in statu quo; that 
 is, in the same bad way : nothing done but scolding, noth- 
 ing thought of but self-interest. The Greeks are most 
 
^t. 23] The Cretan Failure 139 
 
 abominably selfish, and most cruelly unfeeling. I verily 
 believe that if I should be taken badly sick and were some 
 friend not near me, I could not get a Greek to give me a 
 cup of water, or wipe the sweat from my face, without 
 extorting an abominable sum for it. They will turn a sick 
 man out into the street to die without a roof above him 
 if he has no money. Often, when I have been doing some- 
 thing to a dying man to relieve his sufferings, the rest of 
 the wounded will say, " Oh, leave him, and dress us. 
 Don't spend time about him ; let him die ! " and this to 
 men who a day or two before had been their companions 
 in everything. I have seen them dying, parched with 
 thirst, gasping on the ground, and their mouths filled with 
 flies which they had not strength to brush away, while 
 half a dozen soldiers were in the same quarters, playing 
 cards, and not one would offer to perform the last soothing 
 acts of humanity ; to wet the lips, or brush away the flies 
 or cover the body. I have ordered them to give him 
 water, but not one would do it. " We have only a bottle 
 apiece," say they ; " we are afraid to catch the disease if he 
 drinks out of ours. Besides, he is a stranger ; why should 
 we meddle with him .' " 
 
 The women are if anything worse. This morning I 
 found an old woman, who lived with some others in the under 
 part of my house, stretched out and apparently very weak, 
 in my back room. I inquired why, and was told the other 
 women had turned her out and put her here. I was much 
 enraged at this imposition, as the woman's husband was 
 away and she had the same right as they to their quarters. 
 I ordered her down, but they said they would turn her out 
 in the street; as they thought she had the plague. I did 
 not believe they would dare to do this, and taking her by 
 the arm led her down-stairs, but what was my surprise to 
 learn, some time after that they had absolutely turned the 
 
140 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 poor old wretch into the street. I inquired her out and 
 found her in an old mill, but as she was as warm and com- 
 fortable as she could have been in my wretched quarters, 
 I contented myself with ordering her some food and medi- 
 cine by my own servant. What made me more indignant 
 was that the women who turned her out were not only her 
 townswomen, but some [of them] related by blood. My own 
 servant is a boy of eighteen whom I picked up by chance,' 
 but had I searched six months I could not have found his 
 equal. He has been with me since last spring, and I do 
 not think he has cheated me out of a cent. When I have 
 been sick he has shown me as much attention and kind- 
 ness as I could expect from an American, sitting for hours 
 and fanning me when oppressed with heat and pain. 
 Still, I do not know how soon he might curse and quit me 
 if I should be in want ; but if he did it, I should for ever 
 give up hope of finding a faithful Greek. 
 
 Friday, October 28th. All my wounded being now dead 
 or entirely out of danger, I shall take the first opportunity 
 of going to Napoli to settle my affairs and make arrange- 
 ments for the winter. Either I shall take a commission 
 and return here for the ensuing three or four months, or 
 go to Athens and spend them there ; but first must find 
 my friend Masson and learn his views, and perhaps we 
 shall join company for the winter. Miller will remain here 
 to dress the few remaining convalescents, and this will be 
 an excuse for me to get away ; for I do not think the gov- 
 ernment would let me go if it thought I should not soon 
 return, but as I am under continual expense, I must look 
 out for my interests or I shall soon be ashore. 
 
 Island of Santorin,^ Sunday, October JOtk. On Friday 
 
 'This was probably the youth whose life my father saved in the man- 
 ner described in Whittier's ballad. 
 ' Now called Thera. 
 
Mt.23i The Cretan Failure 141 
 
 eve, it being told me that a caique was about to start for 
 this place, I had my things put on board and we were soon 
 under way. The breeze was fair but light during the 
 night ; yesterday it blew freshly, and we came on rapidly, 
 passing Melos, which we left to the southward and west- 
 ward and to the left hand, not as it is laid on my map, to 
 the northwest of Santorin. We passed also Polykandria, 
 and a desert island. At an hour after dark we moored in 
 a little port opposite Santorin ; this morning at sunrise we 
 drew into this place, and never was I struck with more 
 surprise and wonder than at the first view of the town. 
 From the sea the rocks rise (it seemed at first perpendic- 
 ularly) to the height of three hundred feet, and on the 
 very edge of the precipice the houses of white stone, 
 ranged in form of a crescent, seem to overhang the 
 waves, so that from the immense height one might pitch a 
 biscuit into them. The windmills ranged on the edge of 
 the precipice, the fantastically built churches, the line of 
 houses all of pure white stone, with the great height and 
 steepness of the rocks, all combined to give to the scene a 
 romantic appearance ; it seemed almost the work of magic. 
 As we came close to the shore the illusion vanished in a 
 measure, and the rocks which appeared to me at first pre- 
 cipitous proved only very steep. Left our things in a little 
 house of customs, and commenced the task of climbing up 
 to the town. The road is exceedingly steep, and zigzags 
 all the way up, going a few paces one way, then turning to 
 the other, just as they build rail fences in Virginia. After 
 much toil we reached the top, where I found many very 
 pretty houses of stone whitewashed, and many inhabitants, 
 quite like Europeans in their appearance, the men being 
 many of them in the French dress. I was carried to the 
 Eparch, a young Greek smartly dressed, who in answer to 
 my inquiry for a chamber, after finding that I was to stay 
 
142 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 but a few days, offered me one in his house, which I find 
 very convenient, fitted out with bed, chairs, table, glass, etc., 
 etc. After much talk, and a particular inquiry on his part 
 about affairs in Candia, and my opinion of the affairs of 
 Greece in general, he went on to ask about the feelings 
 of America, the views of England, the interests of France 
 and the other European powers, relating to Greece. After 
 inviting me to dine with him, he sent a person to conduct 
 me to the English consul. I found him in a room of spa- 
 cious dimensions, fitted out in pretty good imitation of 
 European style, and he received me in a tolerably polite 
 way, though rather inquisitive, as asking my age, that of 
 my brother, sisters, if they were married, and how many 
 children they had, etc. He speaks French very tolerably, 
 and Italian excellently. He informed me that some 
 months since he had received letters from Offley, our con- 
 sul at Smyrna, requesting him to give his attention to 
 whatever Americans might chance to come here, but he 
 said I was the first who had visited the place since the 
 commencement of the Revolution. ... I learn that San- 
 torin is a vineyard ; nothing else is cultivated. You have 
 to buy everything here but wine; water is sold, but no- 
 body thinks of buying wine. . . . 
 
 November 1st. Got hold of a Herodotus, and a slight 
 sketch of the ancient history of this island. It was origi- 
 nally called Kallisthene, or " most beautiful ; " it bore vari- 
 ous names afterward, but the most common was that of 
 Thera. Tradition, says Herodotus, informs us that this 
 and some of the neighbouring islands sprung from the sea. 
 One of the sons of Cadmus (?) retired to this island with 
 his followers, but if they built any town their ruins have 
 long since vanished. He does not speak of it as famous 
 for the grape or for the quality of its vine. Its modem 
 name of Santorin is probably derived from "St. Irene." 
 
^t-23] The Cretan Failure 143 
 
 Some of its modern history seems to confirm the opinion 
 prevalent in the time of Herodotus that the island had 
 risen from the sea. I found a paper written by the great- 
 grandfather of the consul, which gave an account of the 
 formation of the little volcanic isle on the opposite side of 
 the harbour, which he says rose from the sea in the year 
 1707, he being an eye-witness.' He says: "One day 
 about noon we felt a smart shock of an earthquake, and 
 soon after some one perceived what appeared to be a 
 little rock on the other side of the harbour. Curiosity 
 was excited, and some fishermen passed over to within a 
 short distance, but appalled by the agitated surface of the 
 sea, the discoloration of the water, and the noise, they im- 
 mediately returned. Others, more daring and inquisitive, 
 went over and remained an hour near the new-born rock, 
 which appeared soft and red like fire. The sea changed to 
 a milk-white colour and appeared troubled. Afterward the 
 sea became yellow, a sulphurous odour was emitted, the fish 
 were found dead and putrefied. After some days the sul- 
 phurous emission became much greater, the rock (or earthy 
 space) was observed to increase in size. Soon the odour 
 became so bad that it reached the village and caused much 
 inconvenience ; metals, gold and silver coins changed their 
 appearance when exposed ; in fine, the inhabitants quit the 
 village and repaired to a higher station. Things went on 
 thus for seven years, the island continually increasing in 
 size, from the throwing out of matter from its crater ; at 
 the end of seven years, having become one mile in circuit, 
 it stopped its eruptions, and has ever since been peaceable." 
 No changes have been observed since, but it is said that 
 some time since, just after an earthquake, the earth ap- 
 proached so near the surface of the sea as to become vis- 
 ible in the middle of the harbour, where it had before been 
 of an unknown depth ; whether this is true or not, some 
 
144 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 of the Santorinians look for the time when another island 
 springing up here shall make for them an excellent har- 
 bour. A volcanic isle about a mile from this last one, be- 
 yond it, is said to have sprung up before the time of our 
 Saviour. Be these things as they may, Santorin and its 
 neighbourhood appear as though Vulcan and his Cyclops 
 had been and were still busily to work underneath it, and 
 I think it not unlikely that an earthquake will one day pre- 
 cipitate this village into the sea. 
 
 Wednesday, November 2d. A caique for Syra is to 
 start immediately, and has been starting immediately ever 
 since yesterday, but has not got away yet. . . . 
 
 /os. This island lies about twenty-eight miles north of 
 Santorin and between Siphnos and Polykandria. It is a 
 little larger than Santorin, but not near so productive or 
 important. It contains but about five hundred families. 
 They subsist chiefly upon the productions of the island, 
 some of which however, they exchange with their neigh- 
 bours. There is but one village, built on a hill just above 
 the harbour. The latter is small, but safe and pretty con- 
 venient. The appearance of the island from a little hill 
 where I am is quite pleasant, and the variety of rural oc- 
 cupations in which the inhabitants seem busily engaged 
 gives life and interest to the scene. los is the only name 
 which the sailors can give for this island, but as it is not 
 marked upon my chart, I cannot say whether it is the 
 correct one or not. A slight indisposition renders me 
 unable to go up to the village and around the island to 
 make those inquiries that I should like to, while the un- 
 favourableness of the wind detains us here. We have been 
 out once, but the captain is so great a coward that he dare 
 not attempt to beat as far as Antiparos, notwithstanding 
 all my solicitations. The wind is not violent ; it merely 
 blows a smart tacking breeze, and we might easily get to 
 
^t. 23] The Cretan Failure 145 
 
 Antiparos to-night. But it is enough for the sailors that 
 the wind is ahead ; they put into a port and wait patiently 
 until it changes. About noon a small schooner under 
 national colours, and with the standard of a Greek captain, 
 entered the harbour and came to anchor as they passed us. 
 We heard the roll of the drum, a thing very rare in Greece. 
 An invitation was soon sent for me to come on board, at 
 which, though much surprised, I departed. I foiuid there 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Rhodius, brother of Colonel Rhodius 
 of the Tactics at Napoli. He received me very politely, 
 and informed me that having heard that I was on board 
 the little boat, he had sent for me to do me the little 
 honour in his power, for he respected and loved those 
 Philhellenes who leave their own country to serve his. 
 We soon sat down to a dinner served upon deck, and I 
 learned that he had been employed all summer in going 
 from island to island, enlisting men for the regiment 
 at Napoli. He said the policy of government was to get 
 all their soldiers from the islands, since those of the Morea 
 and continental Greece are so full of clanship for their 
 chiefs, all of whom have been in the opposition, that the 
 loyalty of the soldiery would be doubtful. After many 
 compliments, and making his clerk write down my name, 
 he allowed me to depart. The wind becoming fair, we left 
 los about three hours before sunrise this morning ; at this 
 time and through the day our passage has been delightful. 
 At sunrise I saw just before us the island of Paros ; to the 
 right lay Naxos and to the left Siphnos and Seriphos, while 
 away to the south and west were discovered Melos and 
 around in the distance appeared the other Cyclades. The 
 sea was calm, and borne on by a light breeze we entered 
 into the beautiful channel between Paros and Antiparos. 
 These lie very near together, and the prospect on either 
 side of us was delightful. On the hillside to our left was 
 
146 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 pointed out to me the situation of the entrance of the 
 famous grotto of Antiparos, the most beautiful in the 
 world ; I hope another time I shall find leisure to visit it. 
 The water in the channel I should judge to be about 
 twenty-five feet, but the water was so beautifully clear 
 that one could plainly distinguish the grass upon the 
 bottom. The shores on each side are of gradual ascent 
 and there is good anchorage. Paros, indeed, has a very 
 fine harbour for vessels of any magnitude, where our fleet 
 has been lying for some time past ; they have now left. 
 Emerging from the channel, which is quite narrow at the 
 mouth, we entered the open sea, and a breeze from the 
 south springing up we rapidly left these islands behind us, 
 and approached Syra, into whose harbour we entered about 
 five p. M. . . . 
 
 Syra, Saturday, November £tk. Masson, whom I ex- 
 pected to find here, has gone. The English consul is sick, 
 and as it is impossible to find a chamber in the locandas, I 
 should have been in- a bad box if I had not by chance found 
 Nikolas, a young Greek of Scio who was with me as an 
 assistant at Kalamata and Kitries. He was all joy at 
 finding me, and appeared exceedingly anxious to show his 
 gratitude for the advantages I gave him and the kindness I 
 showed him when he came to me all dirt and rags, without 
 even a greatcoat to sleep on, having lost all at Navarino. 
 I did not know him at first, so completely was he meta- 
 morphosed. He had come to Syra with the intention of 
 going to Smyrna, but finding some countrymen (Sciotes) 
 doing business here, he took up with their offer of com- 
 mencing doctor here. They lent him money, and fully 
 and smartly rigged out in the Frank dress, he bids fair to 
 become the first physician in the place, for he has very 
 good talents arid learned considerable of the profession in 
 Italy. 
 
^t. 23] The Cretan Failure i/^'i 
 
 But half sick, and disappointed at not finding friend 
 Masson, I care little about seeing Syra, and engaged pas- 
 sage in a sloop for Hydra, to start this eve if fair wind. 
 The place contains about sixteen thousand inhabitants, 
 nearly one-third of whom are engaged in commercial trans- 
 actions. . . . 
 
 Sunday, November 6th. Head winds prevent the vessel 
 in which I have engaged my passage from going to Hydra, 
 and a dull, drizzly day, combined with my dreary state of 
 feelings, prevent me from going around to see what may be 
 seen in this mongrel place, Syra. A vessel arrived from 
 the Greek fleet, bringing the melancholy intelligence that 
 the Alexandrian armada has passed the west of Candia, 
 and the Greeks could not attack them on account of the 
 wind, but they have followed them up. This may be the 
 death-blow of Greece. 
 
 Tuesday, November 8th. Yesterday morn at daybreak 
 we left Syra with a tolerable wind, which, however, did not 
 last longer than enough to carry us past the isle of Kyth- 
 nos, when we were becalmed, and lay rolling like a log till 
 evening, at which time a southern breeze sprung up and 
 carried us on finely for awhile ; but it soon began to blow 
 so tremendously that the sailors dared not hold on their 
 course, and yielding to the breeze, passed Cape Colonna, 
 and running up the Gulf of Athens, we came to anchor in 
 a little harbour in .^gina. This island, extremely interest- 
 ing in itself, independent of those historical recollections 
 with which it is connected, I am not permitted to examine 
 on account of the wind, a small variation in which will 
 start our vessel off. The appearance of the island is fine, 
 and the view of the gulf above is very fine. I am now in 
 the Gulf of Athens, in the neighbourhood of Salamis. 
 Around me on every side the country is sacred; it is 
 classic soil, and one cannot restrain those feelings of en- 
 
148 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 thusiasm to which the neighbourhood of such spots will 
 give rise. But I must refrain awhile ; first my duty to liv- 
 ing Greece, and then let loose those feelings of enthusi- 
 astic admiration which ever must be felt toward her former 
 heroes and the relics which speak so forcibly of the genius 
 and enterprise of a people of whom they were the chiefs. 
 A few weeks more and I may visit the seat of war. 
 
 A damper is indeed cast upon the prospects of this cam- 
 paign by the news of the passing of the armada. They say 
 the Greeks could not attack it on account of the weather, 
 but I fear it is too true that the Greek fleet were not at 
 their post. Some weeks ago, one of the vessels having re- 
 turned to Hydra for necessary repairs, her sailors as usual 
 were clamorous for pay, and the Primates were weak enough 
 to yield to it and pay them. They returned to the fleet 
 and spread the news that they had been fully paid. It 
 spread like wild-fire among the sailors, who all cried out, 
 " Let us be off and get our pay before the money be all ex- 
 pended ! " They went, all the fleet, and before they were 
 reassembled wholly the armada had passed. The pressing 
 danger for Hydra seems now to be past, and it will be some 
 weeks before it is molested, if it should be at all ; but Na- 
 poli ! It is said eight thousand will be landed at Navarino 
 and Modon, etc., etc. 
 
 Hydra, Wednesday, November gth. A breeze springing 
 up this morning brought us here in a few hours, and to my 
 very great joy I found my friend Masson, three days from 
 Grabousi. It appears that last Wednesday the enemy at- 
 tacked our party on Frying Pan (?) just under Grabousi ; 
 after firing away awhile they crossed over with their cav- 
 alry, dashed in among the Greeks, and of the four hundred 
 more than one-half were cut to pieces. Consternation at 
 Grabousi ; provisions almost gone ; anarchy reigning ; all 
 the Roumeliote soldiers going off, most of them without 
 
iEt. 24] The Cretan Failure 149 
 
 arms ; in fact, the devil is to pay in Crete, and I must be 
 off for Napoli to see what is to be done. 
 
 Thursday, November loth. The Alexandrian fleet'have 
 indeed passed on safely to Navarino, and we now wait anx- 
 iously for the movements of the Pasha. The number of 
 troops which he has received by this fleet is variously 
 stated, but it is probably not far from ten thousand. 
 Two steam-vessels are with the fleet. The enemy may 
 now send round his fleet to Napoli with his heavy artillery, 
 and march across the Morea with his army to invest it by 
 land. Napoli is apparently strong, but if he is allowed to 
 invest it by sea, he will carry it in a short time. But we 
 may expect much struggling in the Gulf of Napoli; the 
 Greek fleet will not let the Turkish pass unmolested. Hy- 
 dra, or more probably Spetzia, may be the first attacked ; 
 in fact the latter is in great danger ; it will be a matter of 
 so much consequence to the Pasha to have it for a deposit 
 for his stores that he will try hard for it. As for Hydra, 
 he will have a terrible reception if he attacks it ; every 
 house must be carried separately, and they will fight to the 
 last like bloodhounds. Others suppose that the Pasha will 
 proceed against Gastouni and the western parts of the 
 Morea, and leave Napoli until spring. 
 
 Mr. Gaston, an accomplished young Englishman, arrived 
 from Napoli. He has been some time in Greece and has 
 served by land and sea as a volunteer ; he is a fine fellow. 
 
 Napoli, November 1 2th: Left Hydra yesterday at noon, 
 arrived here to-day at noon. Napoli is full, and more than 
 full of people. The poor wretches who have been driven 
 from the Morea have flown to Napoli as to the only[ place of 
 succour. The place, however, seems to be in order, and 
 the police pretty well established. No news from Crete. 
 
 Sunday, November Ijth. The regular troops of the 
 Greeks have increased to about thirteen hundred men. 
 
150 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 part only of which are here ; there are four companies at 
 Spetzia, four hundred men at Athens. The fortifica- 
 tions of this place we are repairing as fast as possible, 
 and it will [be] put into a tolerable state of defence in a 
 short time. Kolokotrones with about eight thousand 
 men is near Tripolitza, which is garrisoned by two thou- 
 sand Arabs. There are perhaps five thousand soldiers at 
 Hydra, six thousand at Spetzia, two thousand at Misso- 
 longhi; many are here; all waiting for pay before they 
 will go out. 
 
 Monday, November 14th. Letters from the Greek fleet, 
 which is off Cape Matapan observing the movements of 
 the enemy, state that he has not debarked the troops from 
 his fleet, but on the contrary has taken more troops on 
 board, and will proceed undoubtedly for the Gulf of Na- 
 poli or for Missolonghi. The critical moment approaches ; 
 the Pasha will not, as was expected, rest during the winter, 
 but drive matters to an extremity at once. His policy is, 
 as it has been through the whole season, most excellent. 
 He has gone on rapidly from conquest to conquest, with- 
 out allowing us time to breathe. The superior number of 
 the irregular Greeks retarded him not a whit ; he held them 
 incompetent to cope with his disciplined troops, and the re- 
 sult has shown his correctness. I think Spetzia will now 
 be his aim ; there are six thousand Greeks there, but if he 
 effects a landing the place will be carried. Should he at- 
 tempt Hydra it will be another thing ; he must sacrifice 
 an immense number of his men, and exterminate the inhab- 
 itants before he can carry the place. But all depends upon 
 the Greek fleet ; they will not probably leave the enemy to 
 effect a landing at Spetzia or Hydra, or to come up the 
 Gulf of Napoli, without making a desperate effort with 
 their fire-ships to burn his fleet. The hope, the salvation 
 of Greece hangs, as it has done before, upon her fleet ; 
 
^t.24] The Cretan Failure 151 
 
 should they from neglect or necessity fail to harass or cut 
 up the enemy by sea, I fear that a few months will wind 
 up the affairs of this distracted country. There is yet an- 
 other plan which the enemy may follow : he may strike at 
 Missolonghi. And if he strikes, the place will fall ; West- 
 ern Greece will be lost ; our hopes of a rising in the upper 
 parts of Roumelia will be blasted j the prospects of the 
 country darkened essentially. 
 
 The fondly cherished hopes, the sanguine expectations 
 that Lord Cochrane with his fleet would arrive in time to 
 save Greece, begin to waver. Although the contract has 
 been made with him, although his armament has been pre- 
 pared, it would seem from the English papers that diffi- 
 culties are thrown in his way, that even Government may 
 forbid his leaving England. However, first, I do not think 
 the ministry would wish to prevent his coming ; next, I 
 believe it would be entirely out of their power to forbid 
 him, although they might indirectly hinder him. 
 
 Arrived a brig last night from England, with one thou- 
 sand barrels of powder and twenty-four thousand balls for 
 the government. The people crowd around with the most 
 intense anxiety to inquire about Cochrane, but no news of 
 him. All seem to be of opinion that the salvation of Greece 
 depends upon him. If you ask any one's opinion about pub- 
 lic affairs, he says, " Ah ! If Cochrane comes, we shall do 
 well!" "But if not.'" " Why, if not, all is lost ! " In Eng- 
 land the rumour, or rather the probability, of Cochrane's 
 coming out had the effect to raise the Greek bonds fifteen 
 per cent. This is something. Others suggest that it may 
 be a scheme on Cochrane's part to make a speculation, as in 
 the affair for which he lost his station in the British Navy, 
 but this I cannot believe. His expedition was to consist of 
 six steam-vessels and two frigates, which we know were 
 ordered to be built in the United States seven months ago 
 
152 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 and which are doubtless finished by this time. A proper 
 naval force arriving in time may save Greece. 
 
 November l£th. It appearing still more certain that the 
 enemy has [the] intention of coming this way, or to Misso- 
 longhi, more men have been ordered to Spetzia, and Hydra 
 is to be made still stronger. As for Napoli, it can only fall 
 after one or both of these. 
 
 The enemy have retreated entirely from Salona and its 
 neighbourhood, but Missolonghi is still invested by land, 
 although not closely as heretofore. Eastern Greece is 
 quiet and is not threatened. Called, with Masson, on De- 
 metrius Ypsilanti; but I have passed opinion upon him 
 before. It is said he intends quitting the country ; if this 
 is true, I am convinced it is from conviction that he cannot 
 be useful. He is a sincere patriot, but he is kept entirely 
 out of power, military or civil, some think through the in- 
 trigues of Mavrocordatos, but I doubt it. 
 
 The President is absent (at Hydra), and perhaps it would 
 be better were he absent from Greece ; he is a man with 
 talents, but stubborn as a mule, and Mavrocordatos is the 
 only man who can manage the old goat. He is the richest 
 man in Greece, and extensively connected, but he has filled 
 every office in Greece with his relations or creatures ; there 
 is not a custom-house, not a commission, not a town of 
 consequence in which you will not find his creatures in of- 
 fice, and it is rare to find any officer of government under 
 his appointment who is not a Hydriote. But it is not in 
 this way alone that Konduriotes has essentially injured 
 Greece. His policy has been narrow and contracted, and 
 although he might wish at heart for her welfare, he has 
 erred in the way to promote it. 
 
 Thursday, November lyth. Nothing certain is known as 
 yet concerning the intentions of I. Pasha. All Greece 
 waits with anxiety his movements ; the crisis is at hand, 
 
Mt.24\ The Cretan Failure 153 
 
 and the country may be lost or won in a few weeks. Mis- 
 solonghi, it is said, is now open ; the Turks have retreated. 
 Western Greece in statu quo. Having called on the rep- 
 resentative of Candia to explain the reason of my leaving, 
 he was perfectly satisfied, and said that such was the state 
 of things at present that he could not wish or advise me to 
 return. After a little time, should the affairs of Greece 
 take a favourable turn, fresh efforts may be made in Can- 
 dia, and he wishes me then to return. Being thus free, I 
 shall take the first opportunity to see Athens, that mistress 
 of olden and wonder of modern days, and on my return I 
 am promised the situation of surgeon and physician to the 
 hospital here. If this succeeds I shall remain all winter 
 in Napoli. 
 
 Friday, November l8th. Have got the promise of an 
 appointment to the hospital in this place, and after a visit 
 to Athens, I shall commence. I might make better [pay] 
 by practising privately, but I prefer to be in the employment 
 of Government, as I can be more immediately assisting to 
 the cause. The Government seems to be pretty active, if 
 not alarmed, as well they may be. The most intelligent 
 Greeks with whom I am able to converse allow that the 
 danger is imminent ; that the crisis is at hand, and that the 
 conflict must be soon determined if the weather will allow 
 the enemy to act. We shall soon see. 
 
 Ligourio,^ Saturday, November igth. Started this morn- 
 ing from Napoli in company with Captain Dujourdhui (a 
 young Swiss in the regular company) and a quack doctor, 
 and after riding five hours we arrived at this place. It is 
 a little village with about thirty families, who are in a tol- 
 erably flourishing way, not having Tjeen disturbed by the 
 Turks for five years. The route, first over the plain of Ar- 
 gos (northeast), has been through a level, delightful coun- 
 
 ' Near Epidauros, the health resort of the Romans. 
 
154 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. iszs 
 
 try, abounding in olives. We passed two Hellenic castles, 
 both on the left and on hills, but I could not visit them. 
 The country seems exceedingly rich, and might be made to 
 produce well, but there are no inhabitants. We have not 
 passed a single hut since leaving the neighbourhood of 
 Napoli. However, this is always the case in Greece ; the 
 inhabitants congregate in villages, which are almost always 
 on hills, and have their houses very close together. In 
 this village there are the ruins of a Venetian castle and 
 church, as well as houses. Also, one hour from here, 
 Hellenic ruins, which I shall visit to-morrow morning. 
 
 November 20th. Taking with me a guide, I started at 
 daylight for the Old Place (or Palaio), as the villagers call 
 it. My guide took me at first to a ruined church, which 
 he called, old, but which I knew to be Venetian ; then 
 after a walk of an hour I came to a place where upon the 
 bank of a rivulet I found some remnants of an ancient 
 building of considerable size, the foundations of which 
 were entire. Going on farther I came to more remains. 
 There were two little rising hills with a space of thirty feet 
 between them. On each side seats were placed, rising one 
 above the other about twelve feet ; they were regular, and 
 constructed of immense stones, smoothly hewn. Whether 
 these two risings, or hills, were natural or artificial I can- 
 not say, but I think artificial, for on the back side of one I 
 found a small hole, and on entering it proved to be an 
 arched vault or passageway leading to the space between 
 the two hills. What this could have been I am not anti- 
 quarian enough to determine. Just back of this place 
 were the ruins of a temple. Huge blocks of smooth stone 
 lay around, half buried in the earth ; here and there the 
 broken pillars appeared, mixed with carved pieces of marble 
 and hewn stone, but probably this temple was not a very 
 splendid one. About half a mile west of this ruin, I 
 
^t. 24] The Cretan Failure 155 
 
 came to the ruins of an amphitheatre. Like other ancient 
 amphitheatres it was built on the side of a hill, the seats 
 rising one above another to a considerable height. The 
 seats were almost entirely constructed of a dark coloured 
 stone, in large, flat, smooth pieces. The seats were fifty- 
 six in number, the upper one 272 paces around, the lower 
 one an hundred paces. It was built with the greatest 
 uniformity, and had an imposing appearance, being, from 
 my calculation, capable of containing at least ten thousand 
 people. In the centre and on each side were the places by 
 which to mount. The earth had covered the slabs in some 
 places, and trees had sprung up in the others, yet still it 
 had a grand appearance, melancholy as it was. The arena, 
 or space where the acting was, is now a wheat-field, and 
 the modern Greek now drives his plough on the very spot 
 where his ancestors fought and wrestled, without any other 
 sensation than that of regret that the splendid steps and 
 seats of the theatre make his field so narrow. . . . 
 
 Some way from this theatre are found two immense 
 cisterns, perhaps fifty feet long, twenty-five wide, and eight- 
 een deep. They were built of large stones and covered 
 with a mortar which has become as hard and even harder 
 than the stone, for in some places the stone had crumbled 
 from age and exposure, but the cement is still hard and 
 firm. It has in it small gravel, but I believe artists are not 
 able to imitate it. I do not know what ancient town was 
 here, nor have I any book by which to inform myself, but 
 it is certain that a town of some magnitude had its site 
 here thousands of years back." There are other ruins about 
 here, but time would not allow me to examine them, for 
 having engaged to go with my party to Athens, I cannot 
 break the company agreement. At parting from the vil- 
 lage we had a row with the villagers, who, finding that we 
 
 ' It was Epidauros. 
 
156 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 were not inclined to pay them exorbitantly, attempted to 
 frighten us out of it. Numbers assembled, some with pis- 
 tols and knives, others with sticks. In the fray, one with 
 a club threatening me, I laid my hand on my pistol to 
 frighten him, but nothing daunted, he cried out, " Fire if 
 you dare, and I will beat your brains out." However, after 
 much altercation, finding us determined, they let us go, 
 wishing us a good day and a happy journey. The route to 
 Piada is through a more mountainous country than between 
 Ligourio and Napoli, but the land appears fertile, and as you 
 approach Piada you find it cultivated and the scenery beau- 
 tiful. I found on the roadside, on little shrubs or trees, a 
 red fruit about the size of a nutmeg, of a fine flavour and 
 taste, soft and juicy like a berry, of which I eat abundantly. 
 
 Piada, November 2ist. Arrived here last night, but 
 not in time to visit the ruins of Epidauros, which is two 
 hours from here. This place was principally dedicated to 
 ./Esculapius, who had a temple there, the ruins of which 
 still exist. . . . 
 
 Tuesday, November 2jd, ^gina. Left Piada this morn- 
 ing and arrived here at four p. m. The captain of our 
 bark, frightened at the lowering appearance of the sky, 
 dared not run for Athens, though he might have done it in 
 three hours. The news from the fleet are of most painful 
 nature : the Spetziotes and Ipsariotes have had a quarrel 
 with the Hydriotes about a prize, and have withdrawn 
 their vessels and left Miaulis with twenty-five vessels and 
 five brillots, to do what he can against the enemy's fleet, 
 which, it is said, has got under way for Missolonghi. This 
 is dreadfully degrading ; after all the fond hopes and ex- 
 pectations which had been built upon the efforts of the 
 fleet, to have this most shameful division ensue is heart- 
 rending to every friend of Greece. . . . 
 
 Thursday, November 2£tk, Eve. I am at last, then, in 
 
iEt. 24] The Cretan Failure 157 
 
 Athens. I can hardly realize it; and yet, though my 
 arrival after dark has prevented from seeing anything, my 
 feelings are not the less affected by the idea of being at 
 the scene of so many things endeared to our memory, and 
 become as sacred. 
 
 Friday, November 26th. I have my head so full of what 
 I have this day seen, that I can describe nothing ; nothing 
 like arrangement is formed, and it is necessary to see them 
 again before I can separate. 
 
 Magnificent columns, half-ruined temples, rich sculpture, 
 and Cyclopean remains are scattered about with such pro- 
 fusion, meet one at every corner in such a way, that at first 
 only a confused idea remains upon the mind, which is 
 rather filled with astonishment than admiration. The gate 
 of Adrian, the columns of the temple of Jupiter Olym- 
 pius, the theatre, the temple of Theseus, and surmounting 
 all the Acropolis with the famed Parthenon, all these 
 strike the eye and astonish the mind at first in such a way 
 that no distinct idea of any one is left. But being now 
 commodiously lodged chez le Docteur Vitelli, with Miller 
 and Gaston, I shall to-morrow commence a deliberate sur- 
 vey of Athens and its environs, examining each remnant 
 of antiquity as long as it affords me pleasure and indulg- 
 ing in those reflections which Athens gives rise to. . . . 
 
 Friday, December lOth. Leaving Athens on mule-back 
 at noon, I arrived at the Piraeus in two hours, and stepping 
 on board a boat which was ready, a fair wind brought me 
 in an hour and a half to Koulouri (or Salamis). This place 
 is so small and crowded with refugees from the Morea, 
 that I found lodgings with the greatest difficulty. There 
 are also many soldiers quartered here, who oppress the 
 inhabitants in a most outrageous manner. This day one 
 of the captains shot a citizen in the public street for hav- 
 ing dared to contradict him. I am told that many of the 
 
158 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 inhabitants are of opinion rather to burn the town and 
 repair to the mountain than to submit to these impositions. 
 The Roumeliotes and other soldiers, being disbarked from 
 the Morea, distribute themselves round in the different vil- 
 lages and towns, and oblige the inhabitants to support 
 them through the winter. They know no law but force, 
 and spend their time in worse than idleness. 
 
 Saturday, December Ilth, Piada. Leaving Salamis at 
 nine a. m. with a light breeze, we arrived upon terra firma 
 at sunset, and after half an hour's walk came to this village. 
 About one hundred soldiers came with us. 
 
 Sunday, December 1 2th. After much trouble in finding 
 a horse (for the inhabitants hide them through fear of the 
 soldiery), I started at noon from Piada, and crossing the 
 mountain to the southward came in two hours to the mod- 
 em village of Epidauros, which is built very near the site 
 of the ancient town. Old Epidauros was finely situated 
 upon a small peninsula, which, projecting into the sea, 
 formed two harbours, both of which were probably much 
 better than they are at this day. There are upon the 
 little peninsula extensive vestiges of the old town, and the 
 remnants of an extensive wall round it, extending across 
 the neck to the mainland, are still visible. As you cross 
 the neck to go to the peninsula, [you] observe upon the 
 right hand, half buried in rubbish, a mutilated statue; 
 close by this are some fragments of columns, and farther 
 round to the right one traces the walls and finds other in- 
 teresting remains. At night we arrived at the village of 
 Leondari, where we made out to get a dry earth floor to 
 sleep upon. 
 
 Monday, December 13th. This morning the rain delayed 
 me an hour or two, but finding that my muleteer, a little 
 timid, was inclined to magnify the difficulties of the route, 
 I obliged him to start, and we came off in a smart shower 
 
^t. 24] The Cretan Failure 159 
 
 which drenched us immediately. Jogging on, we came to 
 a little stream swollen by the rain ; attempting to cross this, 
 my horse slumped very deep, threw me into the stream, and 
 I was only saved from drowning by the greatest exertions. 
 After this I went on rapidly on foot, to keep myself warm. 
 After travelling an hour, I slacked my pace for my serv- 
 ant and muleteer to come up, but finding that they did 
 not, I began to fear I had lost the route. Mounting a 
 little hill and not seeing them behind me, I was convinced 
 I had got out of the way or they had stopped. I fired off 
 my pistols, and soon heard a report in answer, off half a 
 mile to the left, where I proceeded and found them. Af- 
 ter a fatiguing march of four hours, I arrived at Napoli and 
 found quarters at the house of the representative from 
 Crete, with friend Masson. 
 
 Here ends the first volume of Journal (small calf-bound 
 note-book). Last date, Dec. 13th, 1825. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE FALL OF MISSOLONGHI 
 
 There is no record between December, 1825, and No- 
 vember, 1826, and it seems probable that one volume of 
 the Journals may have been lost ; or it may have been 
 merely that the active and wandering life which my father 
 was leading during the greater part of 1826 left little or no 
 time for writing of any kind. This year of 1826 was a mo- 
 mentous one in the progress of the Revolution. In his 
 " Historical Sketch " my father tells of the proceedings of 
 Ibrahim Pasha, the fall of Missolonghi, and the continued 
 siege of Athens by Kiutahi Pasha, but there is no mention 
 of himself. Fortunately, a few letters have been pre- 
 served, which, while touching upon public affairs, give also a 
 glimpse of some of the wild ways the young surgeon was 
 treading. The first of these is to William Sampson, and I 
 give it in full. 
 
 Athens, Dec. 19th, 1825. 
 Dear William : — My last was dated in the month of 
 September, and from the island of Candia ; since which 
 time I have been so hurried about from one part of Greece 
 to another, and so continually agitated in mind on account 
 of the distressing state of pubHc affairs, that leisure has 
 not been left me to address any of my friends in America. 
 Having finished the campaign with the army, I have come 
 to enjoy a few days of ease at Athens. Doubtless you will 
 start at the name of Athens, and expect from me a long 
 
 160 
 
^t. 24] The Fall of Missolonghi i6i 
 
 and interesting account of it, but I have no heart for this 
 now. I am an admirer of ancient, but a lover and friend 
 of modern Greece. All travellers have described the feel- 
 ings of melancholy which pervaded them when wandering 
 among the remnants of the gigantic buildings on the Ac- 
 ropolis, or gazing upon the beautiful and still perfect temple 
 of Theseus ; but how much is that melancholy increased 
 at this moment, when, recalling to mind the proud state of 
 Greece in the age of Pericles, one compares it with her 
 present situation — exhausted by a desperate struggle, and 
 in danger of coming again under the yoke of the barba- 
 rian. I speak of Missolonghi, now in imminent danger. 
 This season has been important for the Greeks ; it has 
 taught them that an army without order or discipline is a 
 curse to itself and to its country. They were so proud of 
 having battled successfully more than three years with 
 their former masters, that they would not listen to the so- 
 licitations of foreigners to organize their army. But things 
 are now changed. Formerly it was merely one herd of 
 men struggling against another herd, with this difference, 
 that the one was inspired by the spirit of liberty and a 
 thirst for vengeance, and [therefore] they were the con- 
 querors. But now, science and discipline regulate the 
 Turks, and the Greeks find them irresistible ; the army of 
 Ibrahim Pasha goes where it will. 
 
 In my last I gave you an account of the expedition to 
 Candia, detailed the taking of Grabousi, and explained our 
 hopes and prospects. About twelve hundred men were 
 sent to Candia, rendezvousing at Grabousi. They proceeded 
 into the island, hoping the inhabitants would rise and en- 
 able them to chase the Turks from the country. But time 
 was lost by delay ; too many faults were committed from 
 want of subordination ; and after vainly attacking a castle, 
 the expedition retreated, followed by the enemy to Gra- 
 
1 62 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 bousi, under the very walls of^ which the Turkish cavalry 
 cut to pieces two hundred Greeks. It was then impossible 
 to expect the Candiotes to rise, and provisions growing 
 scarce in Grabousi it was determined that the expedition 
 should return, leaving only men enough to guard the 
 fortress. Thus terminated the attempted revolution of 
 Candia, upon which so much hope was, not irrationally, 
 built. 
 
 During this time the Alexandrian armada had been de- 
 layed from one cause or another, and Ibrahim Pasha was 
 anxiously awaiting its arrival. The headquarters of his 
 army were at Tripolitza, from which place he made some 
 excursions, scouring the neighbouring country ; he went to 
 Napoli di Malvasia, but found it too strong for him ; he 
 burnt Mistra, the defence of which was not attempted ; he 
 passed through the district of Maina, but did not meet that 
 resistance which the resolute character of its inhabitants 
 had led us to expect. In all these excursions the inhabit- 
 ants fled before him, but only to their inaccessible places of 
 refuge in the mountains, and as soon as he had left the 
 plains, they returned to them and to their occupations. 
 Nor were the Greeks altogether idle ; they once attempted 
 the taking of Tripolitza, which had been left by the Pasha 
 with a garrison of two thousand men. Colonel Fabvier led 
 about four hundred regulars of the infant Greek army, and 
 was supported by four thousand irregulars ; the regulars 
 went up to the very walls of the place, but were deserted by 
 the others, and of course could do nothing. Kolokotrones 
 also attacked the enemy's positions several times, and with 
 more success than was to have been expected from his wild 
 troops. If you compare the Greek regulars to our militia, 
 and their irregulars to our Indians, you will come near the 
 truth. In fact, their way of making war is not dissimilar ; 
 they prefer to wait the attack of an enemy, and to sur- 
 
^t.24] The Fall of Missolonghi 163 
 
 prise by ambuscades. Then they pitch upon some defile 
 through which the enemy must pass, hide themselves 
 among the rocks and stones, and patiently await his com- 
 ing. If they decide to await open attack, they encamp 
 upon some rocky hill, where they build their little tam- 
 bouris, or breastworks about three feet high, behind which 
 they lie down, and when the enemy advances pour in their 
 fire. They depend principally upon their musquets, or 
 rather do their principal execution with those, though every 
 Greek soldier thinks it necessary that he should have a 
 pair of pistols and a yataghan stuck in his belt. The yat- 
 aghan is a short, crooked sword, curved inward like the 
 blade of a scythe, and is one of the clumsiest weapons in 
 the world ; the same may be said of their pistol, the handle 
 or stock of which is perfectly straight. The principal use 
 of either is for show, for they seldom come near enough to 
 the enemy to use them. When they attack a position, 
 they wind among the rocks so as to keep themselves cov- 
 ered, each man taking care of himself, and following what 
 course he chooses. They do not even form a line ; each 
 soldier is isolated, and if he finds himself in danger avoids 
 it without the least idea of receiving assistance from others. 
 They never trust themselves in the open plain, for should 
 the cavalry come upon them they cannot defend them- 
 selves. They have no bayonets, and you might as well 
 talk to them of the mountains in the moon as of hollow 
 squares. The Turkish cavalry is most formidable. They 
 are mounted upon the finest Arabian horses, which they 
 manage with great dexterity, and they never fail to attack 
 whenever the nature of the ground will admit. The Greeks 
 fear the cavalry as much as the Turks dread a fire-ship. 
 With an army of sixteen thousand regulars, backed by such 
 a cavalry, is it strange that Ibrahim Pasha should overrun 
 the Morea, or that the undisciplined Greeks cannot stand 
 
164 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1825 
 
 before him ? To prevent the arrival of the Alexandrian 
 armada was the great object of the Greeks, and to effect it 
 their fleet was kept continually cruising to the north of 
 Candia until the ist of November, when, to the astonish- 
 ment of all Greece, the vessels returned to the islands of 
 Hydra, Spetzia, and ^gina, leaving the sea entirely open 
 to the enemy. It was pretended that the vessels needed re- 
 pair, and could not keep the sea, but this was a mere sham ; 
 the true reason was far less honourable. One of the ves- 
 sels being at home for repairs, the sailors became clamor- 
 ous for their prize-money, and the Primates of Hydra vsrere 
 weak enough to give it. Soon this vessel returned to the 
 fleet, and it was immediately known to every sailor that its 
 men had been paid off. A commotion at once arose ; the 
 cry was, " The government has received money ! We must 
 go and get paid off before it is spent." In vain old Miau- 
 lis pleaded, joined by the other captains ; there is no more 
 discipline among Greek sailors than among the soldiers ; 
 home they went. Still, the Alexandrian squadron had 
 not sailed, and it was hoped there might yet be time to op- 
 pose them. Every exertion was therefore made to send 
 the Greek fleet out again as quickly as possible, and they 
 sailed, but too late ; the wind opposed them, and favoured 
 the enemy's squadron, which passed the west end of Can- 
 dia before the Greeks arrived at their station. The Greek 
 fleet followed to Navarino, but the landing had been made, 
 and Ibrahim Pasha had received eight thousand troops, with 
 supplies of horses, artillery, ammunition, and provisions. 
 But Ibrahim did not immediately strike any important blow. 
 He returned to Tripolitza with his reinforcements, and 
 marched north to Patras [expecting], as is supposed, to 
 take possession of it ; but this was refused him. Patras is 
 a very strong place, held by Yussuf Pasha and the Albanian 
 Turks ; now Yussuf did not choose to open his castle gates 
 
^t. 24] The Fall of Missolonghi 165 
 
 or give up his command to an Egyptian, and when Ibra- 
 him produced a firman from the Sultan ordering that the 
 castle be delivered to him, Yussuf produced another fir- 
 man ordering that it be not delivered. Ibrahim, finding 
 that he could not get into Patras either by force or by 
 fraud, moved off southward, and entered Pyrgos and Gas- 
 touni, the inhabitants taking refuge in the mountains. At 
 Pyrgos about eighty Greeks had placed themselves upon a 
 little island in a lake, and the cavalry was ordered to pass 
 [over] at a fordable place and destroy them, but cut down 
 by the fire of the Greeks, they dared not go on. An at- 
 tack was made on the other side, but the cavalry would 
 not advance on account of the depth of the water. The 
 Pasha in a rage rushed forward himself, but lost his depth 
 and was very near being drowned. Other attacks were 
 made, but this little band [of Greeks], after killing nearly 
 two hundred of their enemy, were left conquerors. 
 
 At Gastouni, two hundred Greeks shut themselves up in 
 their little fortifications. The enemy attacked, but were 
 repulsed with great slaughter ; they were led on a second, 
 third, and fourth time, but were driven back. Unfortu- 
 nately toward night it began to rain : the Greeks could not 
 use their musqiiets ; the enemy's infantry then came in 
 with their bayonets, and put every man to death. 
 
 Returning from Pyrgos and Gastouni, the enemy crossed 
 .the Gulf of Corinth and advanced into Roumelia nearly as 
 far as Salona, where finding formidable bodies of Roume- 
 liotes [gathered] to oppose him, he rested ; and we have 
 had no news since. During this time the Greek vessels 
 have been watching the enemy's fleet, which lay in the 
 harbour of Navarino until the 25th of November, when 
 they sailed for Missolonghi, followed and harassed by the 
 Greeks. Off Missolonghi considerable skirmishing took, 
 place. 
 
1 66 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1825 
 
 Napoli, Dec. 28th, 1825. 
 
 The Greek sailors have lost all patriotism, and become a 
 mere set of hirelings. The fleet has come home, and left 
 Missolonghi in imminent danger ! This was due to a quar- 
 rel about prize-money between the Hydriotes and Spetzi- 
 otes ; the latter came off, and brought all the fire-ships 
 with them, leaving the brave old Admiral Miaulis with only 
 seven vessels, to contend with the whole Turkish squadron. 
 He, too, has been obliged to come home, and the poor Mis- 
 solonghiotes are left alone. They have provisions for 
 twenty days only, are closely besieged by sea and land, 
 and unless the Greek fleet returns and throws in provis- 
 ions, all win be soon over. They will never surrender, but 
 will bury themselves in the ruins of the place. Perhaps 
 the loss will be a death-blow to Greece. 
 
 Greece is in danger, but if Missolonghi should be suc- 
 coured, prospects will brighten. The regular troops are 
 rapidly increasing [in number] ; officers arrive every day 
 from Europe, and as government is sensible that it is only 
 by a regular army that the country can be saved, it is hoped 
 that by next spring seven thousand or eight thousand foot 
 and two thousand horse will be fairly well disciplined. 
 There are nearly three thousand now. Next spring will 
 decide this long and bloody struggle, and that the God of 
 armies may give the victory where it is due is the sincere 
 prayer of 
 
 Your friend, 
 
 Sam'l G. Howe. 
 
 The next day he writes to his father as follows : 
 
 Napoli di Romania, Dec. 29th, 1825. 
 My dear Father : — I have let a longer time pass with- 
 out writing you than I ever meant to have done, but for 
 
^t. 24j The Fall of Missolonghi 167 
 
 the last three months I have been so driven about from 
 one part of the country to another, and from one island to 
 another, that really I had neither time, place, nor opportu- 
 nity ; sleeping now in a hut, another night in a cave, the 
 third in the open air, I have never been stationary long 
 enough to write at ease. This must plead my excuse to you 
 for my silence. 
 
 As for my health, I have reason to be thankful that it 
 has been excellent. This is very strange, too, for out of 
 perhaps one hundred foreigners whom 1 know here, there 
 is but one save myself who has escaped the fever of the 
 country. All the Americans have had it ; Mr. Miller very 
 
 ill, but now recovered. Lieutenant W now lies under 
 
 my care in a dangerous state. Mr. Evans also was sick, 
 but I hope that before this time he has called on you, and 
 given you the things I sent by him. He left months ago. 
 I am very careful, and have enjoyed both health and excel- 
 lent spirits. Deprived of everything like what you con- 
 sider comfort, I felt not the want of them. It is now three 
 months since I have slept on a bed, and I have passed 
 weeks without taking off my clothes, day or night. As 
 for a chair, table, looking-glass, knife and fork, or any such 
 things, you might as well look for them in the moon as in 
 a Greek hut in the country. In the towns it is different, 
 and you meet with such things now and then. It is all the 
 same when one gets used to it, and now I can squat down 
 with the soldiers upon tbe ground, and dine on olives, figs, 
 and bread, with as good an appetite as that with which I 
 used to attack your roast beef and Indian pudding. Oh, 
 roast beef and Indian pudding ! when shall I see you 
 again .' When shall I again fall foul of the hot rolls and 
 butter, and the toast and tea of America .■' Thus I ex- 
 claim sometimes, whgn the Greeks ask me what we eat at 
 home. I have become so accustomed to the Greek way of 
 
1 68 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1825 
 
 life that I enjoy it, except when I think of home — of the 
 comfort and luxuries of home ! There, if I am sick, I 
 have sisters to take care of me, father and friends to in- 
 quire about me, and half my sufferings are taken away. 
 But here, with my servant alone to attend me, all are 
 strangers around me, who would leave me to die without 
 water if I could not pay them for it ! Not that I have not 
 friends ; I have good ones, and one dear to me as a brother ', 
 yet we are often separated. However, I have finished the 
 campaign, and I shall spend the winter in Napoli with 
 Masson and Miller. I have a servant who has been with 
 me eight months ; he is attached to me, and quite faith- 
 ful. I pay him but three dollars per month and give him 
 his victuals ; this is good wages for Greece. My other 
 expenses are in proportion, and I contrive to get along. I 
 think I have done exceedingly well, after passing a year in 
 Greece, to be as well off as when I arrived. Should things 
 go on well, I shall not need ; but if the Turks should con- 
 quer, I may be obliged to fly, with less than a hundred 
 thousand in my pocket ! However, I worry not about the 
 morrow ; let that take care of itself. I came to Greece to 
 serve her, and not to make money, and I shall stick by her 
 to the last. 
 
 The affairs of the country do not go on so well as could 
 be wished. We could beat off the Turks, let them come 
 on as thick as they pleased, but this season they have sent 
 an army of disciplined Arabians from Egypt, before whom 
 the Greeks cannot stand. But we are now raising rapidly 
 a corps of tacticians, which now amounts to three thou- 
 sand men, and by next spring will be seven or eight 
 thousand, with which we can meet these Egyptians, who 
 have gone just where they pleased this summer. They are 
 now besieging Missolonghi, a very important town (forti- 
 fied mostly by poor Lord Byron), and if they take it things 
 
jE.t.24] The Fall of Missolonghi i6g 
 
 will go badly. If they do not — hurrah for next spring ! 
 when we shall be able to meet this Pasha, with his black 
 army, on his own ground. Our cause has suffered very 
 much [during] the last campaign, and the country is in 
 danger, but it is by no means lost yet, and next spring will 
 decide. The powers of Europe may possibly do some- 
 thing, or we may be able to drive the enemy into the sea ; 
 if neither of these things take place, why, poor Greece is 
 lost. You see I speak of myself as one of the Greeks, and 
 I feel almost so. 
 
 My private situation is better than I could have ex- 
 pected. I have received the appointment of physician and 
 surgeon to the hospital at Napoli, where I have an excellent 
 opportunity of perfecting myself in my profession. I am 
 still a young man and a young doctor, and I look upon 
 information as of more value than money ; and could I 
 receive in Boston, now, ;^i,ooo a year, I should do wrong 
 in leaving Greece, where I have a better opportunity to 
 accomplish myself in my chosen profession than in any 
 part of the world. But it is not only as a physician that I 
 am learning. I have daily intercourse with men from all 
 parts of the world ; I feel my mind enlarging in knowledge 
 of all kinds, particularly that of human nature. Here, too, 
 I can learn the languages ; and besides French and Greek, 
 which I speak fluently, I can get along in Italian, and mean 
 to apply myself to German. This will all be valuable to 
 me, for as you used to tell me, " Knowledge is the safest 
 thing for a young man ; he can neither lose it, sell it, nor 
 give it away, nor can anybody steal it." Therefore, per- 
 haps when I come home I shall not have a shirt to my 
 back, but I hope I shall be wiser than when I left it. . . . 
 
 On April 22d, 1826, the long agony of Missolonghi came 
 to an end. The story of this famous siege and defence is 
 
lyo Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1826 
 
 vividly told in the " Historical Sketch," from which I can- 
 not forbear quoting a passage in its proper place. In 
 the following letter to Sampson he gives way to the feel- 
 ings natural to a heart at once brave and tender. 
 
 Napoli, April 30th, 1826. 
 Dear William : — I write you with an almost break- 
 ing heart. Missolonghi has fallen ! Her brave warriors 
 have thrown themselves in desperation upon the bayonets 
 of their enemies ; her women and children have perished 
 in the flames of their own dwellings, kindled by their own 
 hands ; and their scorched and mangled carcasses lie a 
 damning proof of the selfish indifference of the Christian 
 world. Christian, do I say .' Alas ! I fear Christianity 
 has fled from the world. You send missionaries to the east 
 and to the west, and from pole to pole ; millions are annually 
 paid for the support of pampered priests, or of overen- 
 dowed institutions, while the poor Greeks are left to worse 
 than slavery and death. For ten months have the eyes of 
 Christian Europe been turned upon Missolonghi. They 
 have seen her inhabitants struggling at enormous odds 
 against the horrors of war and famine ; her men worn out, 
 bleeding and dying; her women gnawing the bones of 
 dead horses and mules ; her walls surrounded by Arabs, 
 yelling for the blood of her warriors, and to glut their hell- 
 ish lusts upon her women and children. All this have 
 they seen, and not raised a finger for their defence, and at 
 last they have seen the catastrophe. You may talk to me 
 of national policy, and the necessity of neutrality, but I 
 say, a curse upon such policy ! It is contrary to Christian- 
 ity and humanity ; it is a disgrace to our age, that millions 
 of Christians should be left to the sabre and yoke of the 
 Turk. Pardon me ! Perhaps my language is too strong ; 
 but when I think of Missolonghi, when I think of the pro- 
 
^t. 24] The Fall of Missolonghi 1 7 1 
 
 tracted sufferings of her inhabitants, many of whom I 
 knew, I cannot restrain my feelings. Jervis, too, poor fel- 
 low, I fear was there. I have before mentioned him to 
 you, the young American who ranked so high in the army. 
 I heard a few days ago that he had entered the place, and 
 been twice wounded ; if this is true he is lost, for he could 
 not cut his way out. Well, peace to his ashes ! He has 
 fought often for the cause, and at last sealed his love of it 
 with his life. 
 
 My last letter was from Athens, and I think dated 
 before the ist of January ; in that I informed you of the 
 need in which Missolonghi then stood of provisions, and of 
 the exertions which were making to get out the Greek fleet 
 to her relief. Missolonghi was then surrounded by the 
 Albanian Turks, and blocked by the Alexandrian fleet ; 
 the Arabian army under Ibrahim Pasha was then near 
 Salona. Soon after the opening of the year, the Pasha 
 sat down with his army before Missolonghi, and increased 
 the number of its besiegers to thirty thousand. On the 
 1 5th of January the brave old Admiral Miaulis with the 
 Greek vessels arrived ; he immediately attacked the enemy, 
 burnt one corvette, took a fire-ship, and drove the rest of 
 the fleet under the guns of Patras. He then attacked and 
 destroyed the enemy's boats on the shore before Misso- 
 longhi, and threw into the town two months' provisions, 
 which were all the limited means of the Government had 
 allowed them to send. This supply animated the courage 
 of the Greeks ; they bravely repulsed the almost daily 
 attacks of the enemy, who twice carried one of the bat- 
 teries and entered the town, but were driven out with great 
 loss. Nevertheless the Pasha continued his operations 
 with great vigour ; the town was bombarded day and night, 
 and during the last three months it is supposed that two 
 thousand of the three thousand fighting men of Misso- 
 
172 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1826 
 
 longhi were killed or wounded. Meanwhile the Greek 
 fleet was at Hydra. The siege was hotly pressed during 
 February, and until the middle of March ; at which time 
 the Turkish squadron surrounded the little island of Vasi- 
 ladi, defending the mouth of the harbour, and commenced a 
 most furious bombardment. It was desperately defended 
 by a little band of Greeks, who repelled every attempted 
 landing, until a bomb bursting in their magazine caused 
 the whole to explode, and left the poor fellows without 
 a cartridge. Reduced to this miserable situation, they 
 awaited the approach of the enemy, and perished sword 
 in hand, save about thirty who made their escape to Misso- 
 longhi. Thus was the town again reduced to extremity ; 
 their two months' provisions were nearly exhausted, and, 
 even should the fleet arrive with supplies, the capture of 
 Vasiladi rendered it extremely doubtful whether they could 
 be got in. A few days after, Anatolia, another island 
 about six miles from Missolonghi, was attacked at the 
 same time by the fleet and by the Arabian army, who, 
 wading across the shallow channel that separates the island 
 from the main, made a landing and marched up to the town. 
 Their first columns were cut to pieces and driven back ; 
 a second attack was not more successful ; but at the third 
 they broke through the feeble defences of the Greeks, 
 hewed down the soldiers where they stood, and butchered 
 or carried off as slaves three thousand women and children. 
 Meanwhile every exertion was making to get out the 
 Greek fleet with provisions for Missolonghi, but this was 
 not effected until the first of April. It soon arrived, and 
 the sight of it for a moment cheered the famishing Misso- 
 longhiotes ; but only for a moment. It was soon found 
 impossible to get the provisions in, though Miaulis made 
 three attempts, battling with the whole Turkish squadron, 
 protected as it was by the guns of Vasiladi ; he did all that 
 
Mt. 24] Tke Fall of Missolonghi 1 73 
 
 a brave patriot and a skilful sailor could do, but in vain. 
 The inhabitants of Missolonghi saw these attempts and saw 
 their futility ; they then knew their only alternative to be 
 death or submission. They had been six days without a 
 morsel of bread, they had eaten up all the dogs, jackasses, 
 and rats, in fine everything that could be converted into 
 nourishment, and had only the last resort of the brave, 
 death with their swords in their hands. The sick and 
 wounded, the old people and children, with some men who 
 would not leave, were then shut up in some buildings over 
 a mine in which had been placed all their powder. The 
 rest then sallied out upon the enemy, and made a desperate 
 attempt to cut their way to the mountains ; who and how 
 many effected this we do not yet know, but it is supposed 
 one-half perished. The Turks entered in the morning, and 
 attacked the remaining Greeks, who after a short resistance, 
 when they had drawn their enemies around them, set fire 
 to the train, and involved them with themselves in one 
 common ruin. 
 
 An attempt has been made this season to effect a diver- 
 sion, by carrying the war into the enemy's country ; for 
 this Colonel Fabvier led twenty-five hundred men of the 
 Greek regular troops to surprise the principal fortress of 
 Negropont, Chalkis, which is situated at the narrow part of 
 the Euripos, where the island is joined by a bridge to the 
 mainland. Finding that the enemy had been apprised of 
 bis designs and had made formidable preparations for a 
 defence, the Colonel fell back as far as Marathon, whence 
 taking boats, he made a sudden descent upon the island 
 coast, effected a landing, and after ravaging the country 
 up and down for some extent, he prepared to attack Ka- 
 rystos, situated in the southwest part of Euboea. The 
 troops carried the suburbs of the place ; the infantry then 
 advanced upon the castle, protected by the fire of the 
 
174 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1826 
 
 artillery, when an accident (entirely to be traced to the 
 cupidity of the Greek deputies in London) rendered their 
 attempt futile. The cannon had just been received from 
 England, and not sufficiently proved, and after a short 
 cannonade the axletrees of every one of them broke and 
 left them useless. Thus unprotected by artillery, the in- 
 fantry was obliged to retire. The next day a large body 
 of Turks appeared for the relief of Karystos, and a Turk- 
 ish fleet arriving off the harbour at the same time rendered 
 the situation of the Greeks rather critical for some days. 
 But the timely appearance of a few Hydriote vessels put 
 to flight the Turkish fleet, and the troops embarked for 
 the island of Tenos,' where they still remain. 
 
 On the first of this month deputies were assembled 
 from every part of the nation at Epidauros to consider 
 the state of affairs, and the deputies agreed that for energy 
 and despatch, the present provisional Government should be 
 annulled and the power vested in twelve men who should 
 have absolute control of affairs till September next. The 
 assembly then dissolved. The newly elected supreme 
 commission arrived here this day; the old Government 
 quietly resigned its power, and to-morrow the commission 
 will begin operations. Greece is in imminent danger, but I 
 do not yet despair. I shall have an opportunity of writing 
 you again in a few days, and then can give you a more 
 correct opinion on the probability or improbability of her 
 success. 
 
 Till then adieu ! 
 
 S. G. Howe. 
 
 My father's more detailed account of the fall of Misso- 
 longhi, from the " Historical Sketch," here follows. 
 The letter is his first outcry of horror and pity, but the 
 ' Tenos and Andrea are very near Eubcea. 
 
^t. 24] The Fall of Missolonghi 1 75 
 
 second description shows in every line that he had seen 
 and spoken with some of the few survivors of the catas- 
 trophe, and taken from their Hps the dreadful story. 
 
 " They had just rejected the proposals of Ibrahim, and 
 it was in vain that Sir Frederick Adam, Lord High Com- 
 missioner of the Ionian Islands, moved with compassion at 
 the fate which seemed to await these devoted warriors, had 
 repaired to the camp of the Turks, to try to effect a capitu- 
 lation. The next day they saw the attempts of Miaulis 
 renewed, and again frustrated; the third day it was the 
 same: there was no hope of succour left, and they re- 
 solved to cut their way through the enemy's ranks or die 
 in the attempt. A man was found bold enough to venture 
 with letters to the chiefs on the outside, beseeching them 
 to come to their aid, and make a feint at least to divert 
 the attention of the enemy at the moment of their sortie, 
 and to give them notice by a volley from the mountains. 
 
 " They then proceeded to the melancholy task of prepa- 
 ration for the sortie. It was found that the number of the 
 soldiers was reduced to three thousand, of whom from four 
 to five hundred were sick or wounded ; there were about 
 a thousand men without arms, and five thousand women, 
 children and aged persons. It was resolved that the 
 wounded and sick, the aged, feeble, and those women who 
 would not consent to attempt the flight, should be shut up 
 in a large mill, with a quantity of powder ; that they should 
 make resistance enough to bring the Turks around them, 
 and then blow it up. An old wounded soldier agreed to 
 take his seat in the mine, which had been dug under the 
 bastion Botzaris, and put fire to thirty casks of powder 
 which were there, when the enemy should enter the 
 town. 
 
 " The men then went round, destroying everything that 
 
176 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1826 
 
 was valuable ; the women sat with their heads bowed on their 
 knees ; they spoke not to one another, — they looked not 
 on one another, — all feelings seemed lost, the stillness of 
 desperation alone was there, — and they waited with dread, 
 yet impatience, for the signal of sortie which was to deter- 
 mine their fate. 
 
 " On the 22d, at sunset, a volley was heard from the 
 mountains ; the chiefs knew that their countrymen were at 
 hand to help them, and they sent round to warn all who 
 were determined to sally, to meet at the Orange battery 
 and start at eight o'clock. Then the long suppressed feel- 
 ings of human nature burst forth ; then the wailings of 
 those who were to be left — the agonizing sobs of wives, 
 mothers, and sisters, who were to part from husbands, 
 children, and brothers — half changed the stern resolution, 
 and many determined that, come what would come, they 
 would stay and share the fate of their sick or feeble rela- 
 tives ; others resolved to try to drag them with them, and 
 lessen their own chance of escape by sharing it with an- 
 other. Many of the women assembled at the appointed 
 place, clad in male attire and armed, determined at least 
 to die if they could not escape. The last sacrament was 
 administered by the bishop and the priests to the whole 
 population, and each one prepared himself for death. 
 
 " By eight o'clock the people had almost all assembled, 
 and four Ught bridges, which had been prepared for the 
 occasion, were thrown over the ditch. It had been agreed 
 that they should go in two bodies, one composed of about 
 thirty-five hundred persons, principally Greeks from other 
 parts, with but few women ; the other body, composed of 
 about as many more, but principally Missolonghiotes, with 
 their families, were to follow the first body. The enemy 
 had become, by some means, advised of the sortie, and had 
 made arrangements to destroy the garrison before they 
 
^t. 24] The Fall of Missolonghi 177 
 
 should reach the mountain. The Arab corps was posted 
 on the left in intrenchments, the army of Kiutahi on the 
 right ; the cavalry was posted in the centre of the plain, 
 ready to act wherever it might be necessary ; and a body 
 of Arabs was stationed at the foot of the mountain. 
 
 " Almost all the Greeks had now sallied out, and were 
 waiting in darkness and silence to hear the musquetry of 
 their countrymen, whom they expected to attack the enemy 
 in the rear. An hour was passed in the most impatient 
 expectation ; not a sound was heard but the voices of the 
 enemy's sentinels, and the low wailing of women and chil- 
 dren behind ; all were uneasy and restless, when a voice 
 was heard among them crying, ' Forward, fall upon the 
 Turks ! ' It was repeated by every voice, and the whole 
 of the front body, rising from the ground, where they had 
 been crouching in order to be more screened, rushed 
 eagerly forward and forced their way past the first of the 
 enemy's intrenchments with small loss ; pushed across the 
 plain and rapidly approached the mountain. A body of 
 cavalry here met them, but they dashed on with desper- 
 ate speed, the pistol in one hand and the yataghan in the 
 other, and the cavalry gave way before them. Uniting, 
 however, again, the Turks hung upon their rear, and killed 
 a great many of those who lagged. The sick and feeble, 
 and many women, sunk down and were left ; and some hus- 
 bands stabbed their wives and children, who could no 
 longer drag after them, and who were thus saved from tor- 
 ture. Arrived at the foot of the mountains, they were 
 met by the corps of Arabs who were stationed there, and 
 who tried to oppose them. But it was as easy to stop a 
 mad bull, and they broke through every obstacle, heedless 
 of the danger, and gained the mountains with the loss only 
 of four hundred of their little band. 
 
 " The fate of the other body was far different. This 
 
178 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1826 
 
 had a great proportion of women and children in it ; they 
 were not prepared to start when the signal * forward!' 
 was given by the first body ; many of the men were still 
 within the place, collecting their families ; they started, 
 however, almost immediately after. But the Turks were 
 now aroused ; the cannon began to roar, and the mus- 
 quetry to rattle all along their line, and loud yells of the 
 Albanian army on the right were heard, as they rushed to 
 assault the town on that side. At this moment of confu- 
 sion, a cry was raised among the Greeks, ' Backward, back- 
 ward; to the ramparts, to the ramparts! ' and the whole 
 crowd, without knowing why, eagerly turned, and ran 
 toward the town. At the same moment that they entered, 
 the Turks entered upon the other side, and they were all 
 instantly mingled. The Greeks fought with the fury of 
 desperate men, and the women ran shrieking toward the 
 sea, where many plunged in with their children. The old 
 soldier seated in the mine now touched the train, and the 
 tremendous explosion, which threw down the whole bastion 
 and destroyed many of the Turks, added to the horror of 
 the scene. For a few moments all was still ; the Greeks 
 began each to seek some place where he could longest de- 
 fend himself, or where his friends were shut up, and the 
 Turks were uniting to make a general attack. The mill, 
 where so many women, and all the sick and wounded were 
 shut up, was from the size of the building supposed to con- 
 tain something valuable, and the Turks, eager for plunder, 
 collected round it and attempted to burst in, when fire was 
 put to the powder, and besiegers and defenders were blown 
 together into the air. 
 
 " At daylight the whole Turkish army came trooping in 
 from every part, eager to take possession of a place which 
 had cost them so much blood and toil, — and what did 
 they find .' A wide extent of smoldering ruins, — the 
 
-Et. 24] The Fall of Missolonghi 1 79 
 
 walls were thrown down, or crumbling ; the streets choked 
 up with the rubbish of fallen houses, and strewed with 
 dead bodies ; a few buildings only were left standing, and 
 over three of those the flag of the cross was still flying, to 
 tell that yet a desperate few were alive, to fight under it. 
 These were immediately attacked, and after an obstinate 
 resistance, destroyed, with all their defenders ; one of them, 
 however, held out three days, and was then blown up — 
 and thus ended Missolonghi." 
 
 The fortunes of Greece were now at a low ebb. With 
 Missolonghi lost and Athens closely invested by Kiutahi 
 Pasha, it was no wonder that Greeks and Philhellenes were 
 alike despondent. In the next one of this little parcel of 
 letters, my father still hopes that Greece may not be lost, 
 but the happy confidence of victory is gone, and he is even 
 making plans in the event of total defeat, and is thinking 
 of joining a kind of Marion-band of "gentlemen land-cor- 
 sairs." This would have been a singular episode in the 
 life of the future philanthropist ! 
 
 In this letter, too, we learn of his having a severe attack 
 of the dreaded fever, which may in part account for the 
 scarcity of records of this time. 
 
 Napoli di Romania, June 8th, 1826. 
 My dear Will : — Your kind letter of March 1 8th 
 must be answered this afternoon, as there is a vessel for 
 Smyrna this evening, and pressed as I am for time, I would 
 not neglect doing it were I to go without eating a week. 
 I wrote to Prof. Edward Everett yesterday by way of Malta, 
 and detailed to him the state of public affairs ; you will see 
 by the letter that things look rather blue. Foreigners begin 
 to hang tail and skulk off ; not all, — for there are many 
 noble spirits who despise the thought of quitting the coun- 
 
i8o Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1826 
 
 try in an hour of danger, because she cannot pay them. 
 There are several Frenchmen and Germans who will stick 
 it out to the last. I hope my fears may not be realized, 
 that Greece may not be lost, but if she is, it will be a long 
 time before the conflict is over ; a partisan warfare will 
 be continually kept up, and the enemy harassed in every 
 possible way. Many chiefs begin to make their prepara- 
 tions for this. In case regular opposition is over, I am de- 
 termined to join some young French officers who are here, 
 and who have agreed to form a little band of twelve, to be 
 mounted on fleet horses, hover round the enemy, and dart 
 in upon him and pick off stragglers on every occasion. A 
 good example set by Franks may be useful to the Greeks, 
 and a guerrilla warfare may become to the Turks more 
 harassing than the present one. They will be obliged to 
 relax in their caution ; small bodies of men must be mov- 
 ing about the country, and will give a good chance to 
 gentlemen land-corsairs, I have become so attached to 
 Greece, so confident that she will eventually triumph, 
 that I shall not quit her while there is a prospect of being 
 useful. . . . 
 
 Mr. Miller will give you an account of how I get on here. 
 Don't believe, however, all that he will say to you about 
 the future ; he has been prophesying for a year past that 
 Greece could not hold out a month, but she has done it, 
 and I say she shall hold out months more ! Hydra is not 
 yet gone, and if attacked, her people will defend them- 
 selves like tigers ; Napoli will hold out as long as her pro- 
 visions do; and the fire-ships may do much. This is 
 supposing that something should prevent Lord Cochrane 
 from coming. But if he comes, then you will see at least 
 a desperate struggle ; the Turkish fleet will be attacked in 
 spite of the number and size of their ships, and if they are 
 beaten ! God ! It will be glorious ; it will be a triumph 
 
^t. 24] The Fall of Missolonghi i8i 
 
 such as Christianity and humanity have not had for years. 
 The proud Pasha who now is devastating this land will 
 be obliged to quit it in disgrace, or leave his bones to 
 bleach upon that earth which he has steeped in the blood 
 of the Greeks. 
 
 I shall attempt to go in one of Cochrane's vessels ; I 
 shall not only see fun but escape what I dread more than 
 Turks, the fever of this town. It has brought me once 
 so low that I had some idea of what kind of a process 
 dying was, and I have no appetite for lying on my back 
 fifty days upon the stretch again ! However, if the gov- 
 ernment orders me to stay here I shall not murmur, nor will 
 I quit the place if it should be besieged. I am not fond 
 of making but one meal a day, and that one on a steak cut 
 from a jackass, but what is to be done? I have put 
 my hand to the plough, and cannot look back. I have 
 thought often of what I used to tell you, that my chance 
 of returning to America was as one in two, and I think so * 
 still. I may get popped off by a ball or the yataghan of a 
 Turk, but hope still whispers me that I shall see home 
 once more, and that you and I will have some more of our 
 moonlight strolls and while away the time by the relation 
 of past events. But if it is not so, — if we are not to meet 
 again, — may God give you many friends who will love you 
 as I do ; greater blessing than this can no man desire. 
 I remain yours sincerely, 
 
 Sam'l G. Howe. 
 
 The next letter is more hopeful in tone. Indeed, the 
 beautiful incident he relates, of the meeting in the public 
 square of Napoli, might have roused hope in even the most 
 despondent. In the " Historical Sketch " he gives the 
 name of the simple and noble patriot, "Gennadios, a 
 schoolmaster, and a man of some learning." 
 
1 82 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1826 
 
 Napoli, July 8th, 1826. 
 
 My dear William : — ... I assure you that, entirely 
 as I have got rid of those foolish romantic ideas with which 
 my head was once stuffed, I have one which clings closely 
 to me : honour and fame I have done sighing for, but not 
 the hope of making my friends proud of me, and being 
 worthy of it ; more particularly to make my good father 
 feel that his pains with me have not been useless. 
 
 You will see by my letter to Professor Everett that 
 public affairs are at a most interesting crisis. The Greeks 
 now begin to rouse from the stupor into which they seemed 
 to have fallen since the loss of Missolonghi. Yesterday, 
 in accordance with a notice stuck up previously, calling 
 all Greeks to meet in the public square to consider the 
 state of the country, a large part of the inhabitants as- 
 sembled, when there came forth a man to address them. 
 He was of good character and education, and universally 
 ' marked for his patriotism. He painted in glowing colours 
 the dangerous state of the country ; called on the people 
 in the name of all that was dear to them, to lay aside their 
 party feeling and disputes, to unite one and all against the 
 enemy, to contribute every cent they could spare to feed 
 the starving soldiery. " And that you may know, my dear 
 countrymen," said he, "that I am not a man of mere 
 words — behold my purse! It is all, all I have in the 
 world, but I give it to my country, and swear to devote to 
 her as freely my service and my blood." 
 
 The effect of his simple and pathetic speech was aston- 
 ishing. The crowd was in tears. Then, as if moved by 
 one common impulse, each rushed forward to contribute 
 his uttermost. A committee was chosen, and each one, 
 even the poor soldiers, who had no money, gave in some- 
 thing, a gold or silver ornament, etc. ; others [gave] their 
 horses, their jewels. Prince Ypsilanti sent in the golden 
 
iEt. 24] The Fall of Missolonghi 183 
 
 scabbard and mounting of his sword, of immense value. 
 Poor fellow, he has done his uttermost, and he has become 
 destitute. Had Greece many such sterling patriots [as 
 he], she would not now be so low. I hope this newly- 
 awakened enthusiasm may spread over the country, and 
 be productive of some good. It was in this way that they 
 (the Greeks) hewed down so many armies in the commence- 
 ment. All were animated with a burning zeal to rush 
 foremost upon the enemy, and distinguish themselves by 
 saving their country. But latterly it has been sadly other- 
 wise. The sordid spirit of gain, and what is worse, the 
 spirit of party, has sprung up to blast the hopes of the 
 friends of liberty. It is affecting to talk with those /^zc; 
 Greeks who have uniformly and steadily fought for the 
 good of their country ; [to see] how they lament the change 
 of public spirit, and with what fervour they dwell on the 
 first year of the Revolution, when, like a band of brothers, 
 they fought the sacred battles of their country, and were 
 each animated with that zeal that made all things common ; 
 when he who had gave freely to him who had not. Sainted 
 spirits of Botzaris, Giorgaki, Rhiga! what must be your 
 emotions if you look down upon your country, and behold 
 it neglecting the cause you died to maintain ! An expres- 
 sion in your last letter pained me much. You say: 
 " Many who were formerly enthusiastically attached to the 
 Greek cause, now say they believe the Greeks less entitled 
 to sympathy than the Turks!' This is doing them much in- 
 justice, though I am forced to say that many of them justify 
 such an opinion, But there are redeeming spirits ; there 
 are men who would honour any cause, any country. Do 
 not believe those who may denounce the [whole] nation 
 as wanting honour and patriotism ! Such persons do not 
 know the Greeks, or from disappointed hopes detract from 
 their merits. They judge the nation by those they meet 
 
184 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1826 
 
 with in Napoli and the seaports ; men who, having spent 
 their lives in Europe, have adopted European vices. They 
 do not look at the character of the peasantry, of the moun- 
 taineer; they do not take into consideration that Greece 
 has for four hundred years been crushed under the weight 
 of a despotism more grinding than that of the West Indian 
 slave system. But I say, and without fear of contradic- 
 tion, that the modern Greek, notwithstanding his life of 
 slavish oppression, is a more virtuous, pleasing character 
 than the Sicilian, the Italian, the Spaniard, or the Russian, 
 and that he has more shrewdness and quickness, and as 
 much talent, as the native of any other part of Europe. 
 It is curious to hear the relation of the wanderings of our 
 comrades. There is in the same house with me an old 
 Greek whom I delight much to talk with. He is a man 
 of tried courage, and covered with wounds. He has 
 fought with the Mamelukes in Egypt ; he served as a 
 Cossack, and fought with the Russians ; followed them 
 to Paris ; wandered in every comer of Europe ; knows 
 the character of every nation, and has been a most keen 
 observer of men and manners. Such a man is a precious 
 volume, out of which one may glean much valuable matter. 
 It is his pride and boast that neither he nor his father 
 ever paid tribute to the Turks ; that he has killed them 
 on every occasion ; and that he left a major's commission 
 in the Russian army to come and fight as a common sol- 
 dier for his country. 
 
 Perhaps I weary you with these details, but I assure you, 
 could you hear them from his mouth, you would never 
 tire. Last night, talking over with him the clouded pros- 
 pects of the country, I said to him : " Well, we will stand 
 it out to the last, and when all is over we will go together 
 to America." The old man's eyes flashed fire, then 
 melted ; a tear obscured it. " No," he said. " Save your- 
 
^t. 24] The Fall of Missolonghi 185 
 
 self ! Go and live beloved in that happy land of liberty. 
 But I — I have drawn my sword for my country, and I 
 swear that when she falls, I will sheathe it in my own 
 bosom." 
 
 Remember me to all worth remembering, and believe 
 me to be your sincere friend, 
 
 Sam'l G. Howe. 
 
 There are no more letters of this period. We may 
 suppose that work was plenty and leisure small, in the 
 crowded garrison town ; or there may have been — there 
 probably were — alarums and excursions hither and thither 
 through the distracted country, when the surgeon would 
 be marching with the troops — 
 
 " Over moss, over moor, 
 Thorough bush, thorough briar," 
 
 sharing their labours and their adventures, binding up 
 their wounds after the skirmish, or roasting wasps and 
 snails with them over the camp-fire. But this is all guess- 
 work ; I have no documents, and must now open the sec- 
 ond volume of the Journal. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 WITH THE FLEET 
 
 The second volume of the Journal is a ragged, coverless 
 book of coarse, rough paper. There is no date on the 
 first page, but we learn from the context that the month 
 is November, the year 1826. It begins abruptly, and 
 some pages have apparently been torn out. It is badly 
 water-stained, and in some places hardly legible. The 
 first entry reads : 
 
 Having received my commission from government as 
 Director of the Medical Department in the Fleet, I em- 
 barked yesterday on board this vessel for Hydra, where is 
 the steam-frigate Karteria (Captain Frank Hastings), on 
 board which I shall be Archichirurgos. In Napoli I leave 
 a situation where I was highly regarded and comfortably 
 enough situated, but I find that the uneasy spirit which 
 perhaps brought me to Greece, has not yet left me, and I 
 cannot stay long in a place without being anxious to get 
 away. . . . Captain Hamilton, of the Cambrian, in taking 
 me down to Hydra, goes out of his way; straws show 
 which way the wind blows, and it is a proof of his feelings 
 toward the Greeks, for no other naval commander of any 
 nation would have done it, knowing as he does that the 
 Greek frigate is waiting for me, and that I cannot get 
 there possibly by any other means. He is not only a 
 gentleman and a man of humanity, but disposed to go to 
 the very extreme of his power as a neutral commander, to 
 
 186 
 
^t. 24] With the Fleet 187 
 
 help the poor Greeks. His officers are fine, urbane men, 
 whom some of my good but prejudiced countrymen could 
 hardly believe to be English, for the very reason that they 
 are so affable. ... I have always found that either with 
 Englishmen or Americans an ill opinion was entertained by 
 each of the other exactly in proportion to their ignorance 
 of each other. 
 
 There was some delay in reaching the KarteiHa, but 
 finally we are told (no date) that : 
 
 This mom at ten I was put off in a boat, and boarded 
 this vessel, where I was warmly received by Captain Has- 
 tings. He assigned me a beautiful and commodious cabin, 
 upon the deck over the wheels, and I am to mess in the 
 room with the officers. We have two Englishmen, one 
 German, one Frenchman, and one Greek ; the Greek is 
 the eldest son of Tombazi. Captain Hastings is a man 
 who deserves the deepest gratitude and respect from the 
 Greek nation. It is only through his exertion, his activity, 
 and generosity, that this ship was ever got out. She was 
 built under his own eye in London, and carries as much 
 weight of metal as a thirty-six-gun frigate; her engine, 
 however, is not of the best,. Captain Hastings, having on 
 board about forty English and forty Greek sailors, is all 
 ready to join the Greek fleet and engage the enemy. He 
 sees the eyes of the whole people turned upon him — they 
 are tired with waiting for Lord Cochrane and the rest of 
 the vessels. Captain Hastings finds himself obliged to 
 attempt something alone, and I doubt not, from his char- 
 acter, he wDl succeed or perish with the vessel. "Tell 
 Captain Hastings," said Commodore Hamilton to me, 
 " that I honour and envy him for what others pity him [for] : 
 his situation is perilous, nay almost desperate, yet so glori- 
 
1 88 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1826 
 
 ous is the attempt that, were I without wife or children, 
 I would give ;^i,ooo to be in it." 
 
 Syra, Tuesday, Nov. yth, 1826. All the world, men, 
 women, children, old and young, black and white, are com- 
 ing on board to see the steamboat. The inhabitants of 
 Syra endeavour to imitate European manners, and some 
 do not succeed badly — their women really look something 
 like women, and some few of them actually wear bonnets ; 
 I was astonished beyond measure at the sight of them. . . . 
 
 Syra, Steam-frigate Karteria. Letters from Cochrane 
 say that he will be along soon. I do not believe it ; doubt 
 whether he will ever come. Syra is a place of mushroom 
 growth, which sprang up in three years ; its decay will be 
 as rapid. It 'contains thirty thousand inhabitants, while 
 three years ago there were but five or six shops along the 
 shore. Its locality caused it to be pitched upon by the 
 Greeks who were driven from Scio, Smyrna, Roumelia, 
 etc., as a convenient port, and here they transact their 
 business for the moment. There are consuls from almost 
 all the nations of Europe. Syra pays its tribute to the 
 Sultan ; also its contribution to the Greek government. 
 Yet, though apparently neutral, no Turl^would venture 
 here without risk of losing his head, — a bad trait in the 
 Greek character. Last year a Turkish corvette was driven 
 on shore here. The crew burnt her to prevent her falling 
 into Greek hands, yet, thinking themselves on neutral 
 ground, they attempted no defence until the Greeks fell 
 upon and murdered about fifty of them. The others, 120, 
 were sent to Hydra, where they soon shared the same 
 fate. 
 
 We have taken a new officer, Mr. Derby, an English- 
 man, who has just arrived in Greece full of the best feel- 
 ing for her noble cause, but with knowledge enough of 
 men and of Greece not to be disgusted because he finds 
 
JEt. 25] ff^i^k t%e Fleet 1 89 
 
 the people in disorder, greedy for gain, without enthu- 
 siasm or courage, and often basely unconcerned about 
 their country. True it is, indeed too true, that the 
 Greeks are now unworthy of liberty, and incapable of ap- 
 preciating its value should it once be gained. That they 
 should maintain a free form of government is impossible ; 
 they must be ruled despotically. But it is not for this 
 generation that we fight ; they are sunk in trespasses and 
 sins, but their children may and will be better. 
 
 Karteria, at Sea, Sunday. All things being in readi- 
 ness, we hoisted anchor, and up with the sails (the wind 
 being fair) without steam, and came gently out of the 
 port, the sides of which were lined with Greeks gazing 
 upon the vessel. The breeze gradually stiffened, and we 
 are now running off at the rate of six miles an hour. How 
 my spirit springs with joy at being on our way to meet the 
 haughty Turk ! And though our fate is uncertain, it can- 
 not be an inglorious one. To be engaged in something 
 active and important, in so glorious a cause, in such 
 consecrated regions, makes my heart beat with a wild 
 enthusiasm, which to my sober senses seems boyish and 
 romantic. . . . 
 
 These ardent hopes were to be disappointed. The 
 cruise of the Karteria seems to have been one succession 
 of disasters, to cannon, to engine, to one thing after an- 
 other. The list stretches out like Leporello's catalogue. 
 November 15 th, my father writes : 
 
 Passed yesterday on board. The cannon were tried for 
 the first time, and the result showed that we should have 
 been destroyed had we entered into action. Of the eight 
 guns, one only stood the test uninjured ; the shock of such 
 terrible charges as are required to throw a 68-pound ball was 
 
190 Samiiel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1826 
 
 too much for them ; but all can be repaired in a few days, 
 and probably be put in such order as to be quite secure. 
 The shells did not succeed well, but few of them bursting. 
 The great fear was, however, found to be groundless, viz., 
 that the shock of the cannon would be too great for the 
 vessel. She stood it perfectly well. 
 
 The necessary repairs occasioned a week's delay. Then 
 the Karteria started again, and they went by Vathy and 
 Scio, only to be met by "furious and tempestuous 
 weather," in the midst of which, " Last night, just as the 
 wind had a little subsided and we were beginning to make 
 headway with the steam, a part of the machinery gave 
 way, and we have been all day knocking about to no 
 purpose." 
 
 The record of delay goes on from day to day, discour- 
 aging enough to the young Philhellene. But on December 
 7th, the entry is : 
 
 At Sea, off Acaria. Got steam up and under way at 
 four this afternoon, and running out of the eastern pas- 
 sage, — toward and close to the west coast of Samos, — 
 we wore round the group of islands composing Phoumos, 
 and leaving Patmos to the southeast, we are now steering 
 northwest, probably for Syra. I say probably, for our cap- 
 tain never says anything of her course or intentions. Thus 
 are my hopes of a brush with the Turks at an end, for the 
 present at least, and I must while away time yet longer. 
 By the way, I do not like this whiling away of time : it is 
 precious, irreparable when lost, never valued till gone. 
 
 In the course of this desultory voyaging, my father saw 
 a good deal of the country and the people, and his notes 
 on the latter are interesting, the more so in that they show 
 
^t. 25] With the Fleet 191 
 
 the growing bent of his character toward the study of men 
 and conditions, and of the ways in which they might be 
 helped and bettered. 
 
 December 9th finds him at the island of Amorgos. He 
 writes : 
 
 Saturday, December gtk. Landed at nine this morn at 
 the beach, on which are a few miserable huts inhabited by 
 still more miserable beings, refugees from the most miser- 
 able parts of miserable Greece, — Cretans, Ipsariotes, Sci- 
 otes, etc. Many, perhaps, who but two years ago were 
 rich, with houses, lands, comforts, nay, many of the lux- 
 uries of life, now make their habitation in little stone 
 hovels, or even caverns, without a chair, table or bed, 
 sleeping in the rags which partly cover them by day, as they 
 grope about the shore to gather the shell-fish that make 
 their whole subsistence. . . . The island has never been 
 molested by the Turks, but much injured by the pirates, 
 who do an immense deal of damage, landing in bodies of 
 1 50 or two hundred, and carrying off everything. Still, I 
 suspect the inhabitants make a much greater cry about 
 their poverty than is really necessary. A Greek is con- 
 summately crafty about this ; even if he thinks you will 
 make an exception to the general rule, and pay him for 
 what you take, he will endeavour to make you think him 
 miserably poor, so hard is it for them to quit a line of con- 
 duct which under the Turks was their only safeguard. 
 You may often enter into one of the cottages and demand 
 if they have meat and wine to give you. 
 
 " Meat and wine ! Lord help us, poor miserable crea- 
 tures ! we have not tasted such things these many months." 
 
 " Some cheese, then, and herbs ! " 
 
 " Oh, lucky should we be to find them ! " 
 
 " At least give me some bread and olives .■' " 
 
192 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 " No, by the Virgin, by our holy religion, we have not 
 got any." 
 
 But if you sit awhile, and they find you have money and 
 are inclined to pay them, they will dress you out a fine 
 supper, roast lamb, stewed chickens, vegetables, hot bread, 
 olives, cheese, wine, etc., etc., etc., in abundance : all this 
 they have at hand ; whereas, had you rummaged the house 
 beforehand, you would have found nothing upon earth, — 
 for it was all under the earth. . . . 
 
 The new year {1827) found my father still cruising 
 among the islands in the unlucky Karteria, at the mercy 
 of winds and waves and of engines hardly less unruly. On 
 January ist he was at Spetzia. 
 
 I cannot resist the temptation of quoting here a passage 
 from the concluding chapter of my father's " Historical 
 Sketch of the Greek Revolution," in which he describes 
 the state of Greece as it appeared to him in this year 1827. 
 
 " The situation and prospects of the Greeks at the com- 
 mencement of this year were exceedingly dark and vmprom- 
 ising, though not desperate; the warmest supporters of 
 the cause could not deny that the final result of the strug- 
 gle was at least doubtful ; but then, they had so often been 
 snatched from apparently worse situations, there were so 
 many things within the range of probability that might 
 prevent Turkey from continuing the war, that they were 
 by no means discouraged. Roumelia had, in some parts, 
 ceased from carrying on hostilities ; the peasantry had 
 accepted the offer of the Turks, and returned to cultivate 
 their lands. They had not given up their arms, however, 
 and lived continually prepared to renew the struggle f jr 
 independence on the least prospect being held out of its 
 success, and it was hoped the exertions of Karaiskakis, 
 
Mt.as] With the Fleet 193 
 
 whose influence over the Roumeliotes was very great, and 
 who had been appointed by the government commander-in- 
 chief in Roumelia, would be successful in reorganizing the 
 insurrection there. Athens was closely besieged by Kiii- 
 tahi Pasha, but no fears were had of its immediate sur- 
 render. The islands were free, and agriculture there 
 flourished uninterrupted, except by the soldiery of Roume- 
 lia, who, being out of employ, and having no way of getting 
 a subsistence in the Morea, or Roumelia, had crossed to 
 the islands, where there was plenty, and in many instances 
 committed excesses highly discreditable to themselves, and 
 vexatious to their fellow countrymen. 
 
 "The Morea had been devastated by the troops of 
 Ibrahim in almost every direction. All Messenia, part 
 of Arcadia, Elis, and Achaia, presented a scene of utter 
 devastation ; it would seem as if the siroc had blown over 
 it for years, destroying every vestige of vegetation, and 
 had been followed by pestilence in its train, which swept 
 away every living thing that had once inhabited it. Those 
 delightful plains, which poets in all ages have sung, but 
 whose beauties have not been overrated, which two years 
 ago were chequered with pleasant little villages, sur- 
 rounded by groves of lemon and olive and filled with a 
 busy and contented peasantry, were now barren wastes, 
 where the roofless and blackened walls of the houses, the 
 scathed and leafless trunks of the olive-trees, and here and 
 there the whitening bones of human beings, remained to 
 tell that fire and sword had passed over and blasted them. 
 
 " This was the situation of at least one-half of the Pelo- 
 ponnesus ; of its inhabitants many had been slaughtered, 
 others carried off into slavery in Egypt, and the rest, 
 where were they .' Oh, God ! it is an awful question to 
 answer, but it is a question which must one day be an- 
 swered to Thee by this generation, who left thousands 
 
194 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 and tens of thousands of their fellow beings to be hunted 
 like wild beasts to the mountains ; to dwell in the caverns 
 of the rocks ; to wander about, year after year, seeking 
 for the roots of the earth, giving to their ragged and ema- 
 ciated children sorrel and snails for food, unable to get 
 enough even of this, and pining and dying — ay! abso- 
 lutely perishing from want, while the rest of the earth was 
 full of fatness. 
 
 " There were about a hundred thousand persons in the 
 Morea in this destitute situation, some suffering more, 
 others less ; all had fled from their burning houses and de- 
 vastated fields, but some had saved their effects, while others 
 were absolutely destitute. They took refuge in the recesses 
 of the mountains, in caverns, in the centre of swamps ; 
 in every situation which afforded them security from the 
 enemy's cavalry were seen collected crowds of old men 
 women and children, suffering all that misery which the 
 want of houses or sufficient covering or regular food 
 must bring; they lived in little wigwams or temporary 
 huts, made by driving poles in the ground and thatching 
 them with reeds. In these hovels dwelt many a once 
 prosperous family, without chair, table or bed ; they had 
 no blankets, they had no clothes to change, and their own 
 had become dirty and tattered ; they were obliged to 
 wander about in quest of food, and their naked feet were 
 lacerated by the rocks ; their faces, necks, and half-ex- 
 posed limbs were sunburnt, and their hollow eyes and 
 emaciated countenances gave evidence that their suffering 
 had been long endured. 
 
 " If there was anything wanting to fill up the picture of 
 human wretchedness, it was to see among them those 
 whose former habits ill qualified them to endure want ; to 
 see on their tattered and faded robes the fur and embroid- 
 ery that attested their former splendour; to see the 
 
^t.25] With the Fleet 195 
 
 woman who had once many servants at her beck, bending 
 under the load of a fagot which she had cut with her own 
 hands on the mountain, and was carrying to sell for a few 
 cents ; to know that in these wretched hovels was con- 
 cealed many an amiable female whose clothes were abso- 
 lutely insufiflcient to cover her decently, and who concealed 
 herself for shame from the passenger. 
 
 "Yet amid all this misery, strange as it may appear, 
 the light and volatile Greek was not always depressed ; the 
 boy sang as he gathered snails on the mountains, and 
 the girls danced around the pot where their homely mess 
 of sorrel and roots was boiling ; the voice of mirth was 
 often heard in these miserable habitations, and the smile 
 of fond hope was often seen on those countenances, which 
 mere want and exposure, and not care, had rendered so 
 wan and emaciated. But there were others from whose 
 bosoms misery had banished mirth ; there was the orphan 
 who ran about bareheaded and barefooted, with only a 
 ragged shirt to cover him ; there was the houseless widow, 
 to whose breasts clung the half -famished orphan, — whose 
 ragged children clung around her, begging for more food, 
 after she had given them her last morsel, regardless of the 
 hunger that was gnawing her own entrails ; there was 
 the wretch whom sickness had overtaken, and who had 
 sunk down by the roadside, and lay parched with fever, 
 without a blanket beneath him, or other covering than the 
 shade of an olive-tree. 
 
 "Such were the scenes of woe and misery which pre- 
 sented themselves to the foreigner at every turn, and 
 reminded him of the dreadful price Greece was paying for 
 her liberty. And among them, too, were seen many who 
 had escaped from captivity, and bore about them marks of 
 Turkish barbarity ; their ears had been shaved off close to 
 their heads, their noses had been cut off, or their eyes had 
 
196 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 been put out, or their bodies mutilated in some way or 
 other. 
 
 " Such were the scenes which attested the long struggle 
 and great exhaustion of Greece. The number of these 
 sufferers had been increasing every year, till it had now 
 arrived to a frightful magnitude, and bore a large propor- 
 tion to those who still had the means of livelihood." 
 
 My father hardly ever speaks of himself or his own 
 doings in this " Historical Sketch," but he has appended 
 a foot-note to the passage just quoted, which makes the 
 terrible picture even more clear and distinct. He says : 
 
 " I was once with a party of soldiers, three of whom got 
 separated from the rest, and were surprised upon the 
 plain at daylight by a few Turkish horsemen j they ran 
 for the mountains, but the cavalry pursued them, and fired 
 upon them with their carbines, just as they approached 
 the position of their companions. Two of them fell dead, 
 and the third, hearing the horsemen at his heels, fell also, 
 but not wounded ; the Turks came up, dismounted, cut 
 off in haste the noses and ears of all three, the living one 
 having the fortitude to keep up a counterfeit of death, 
 and the Turks strung their prizes on a string, with some 
 others, and galloped off. The poor fellow then got up, 
 and came to us covered with blood from head to foot. I 
 soon cured him, and promised him a new Taliacotian nose 
 and ears, at the expense of the first of his mutilators whom 
 he should overtake." 
 
 I return to the Journal. 
 
 ^gina, Wednesday, Jan. 3d, l82y. Left Spetzia yes- 
 terday with a very slight breeze, by help of which we 
 
^t. 25] With the Fleet 197 
 
 crawled along the coast, and at sunset were off Hydra. 
 This morn a gentle southern breeze coming up, we entered 
 the beautiful Gulf of Athens, or rather .^Egina, and had a 
 most delightful passage up, the continent bounding the 
 gulf to the left, Cape Colonna upon the right, Angistri 
 in front, and .^gina discovered beyond it. . , . 
 
 Friday, Jan. £th, 182'/. Went to visit the ship built 
 for the Greeks in New York, and was astonished indeed 
 at her size, beauty, and strength. Her upper deck, an 
 immense plain as it were, flush fore and aft, without ob- 
 struction to the eye, presents a range of thirty-two guns 
 on each side, all of 32-^ound calibre and of the finest 
 quality ; the slender but perfectly proportioned masts, the 
 beautiful brass capstan, are almost the only objects that 
 arrest the eye in its sweep over the vast deck. The lower 
 gun-deck presents a battery still more formidable, of thirty- 
 two 42-pounders, all in perfect order. And so large, yet 
 perfect are the dimensions of the ship that, though mount- 
 ing but sixty-four guns, she would be a match for any 
 seventy-four that swims. She is perfectly fitted out in 
 every respect, and her accommodations for the officers are 
 excellent ; beautiful, yet simple and useful. 
 
 What to me was more interesting was my finding Kana- 
 ris on board, a man who has justly acquired as much fame 
 as any other during this Revolution. On entering into the 
 great cabin I found a small man sitting there, quite ordi- 
 nary and modest looking, dressed plainly, almost coarsely, 
 and when I was introduced to him as the famous Kanaris, 
 I in vain tried to catch something remarkable about his 
 appearance, but there was nothing except perhaps his full 
 protuberant eyes, which, without beauty or fire, were yet 
 full of intelligence when raised and looking at you. I 
 paid him my compliments on his gallant deeds, which he 
 received as a thing he had been perfectly accustomed to. 
 
198 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1827 
 
 Yet, after all, we contrive to twist a man's appearance into 
 something of that which it should be from his mind, and 
 perhaps we ought to expect from a man of Kanaris's quiet, 
 unpretending calm, nay, indifferent appearance, that sort 
 of cool, determined courage which his deeds have mani- 
 fested in him. I shall long remember his appearance, — 
 his slight but well-proportioned figure, his protuberant 
 forehead and eyes, black eyebrows, hair, and moustache, 
 his nose a little turned up ; not a pert, cock-up nose, but 
 as though it had been flattened and bent up. At ten 
 A. M. Miaulis came on board. The old fellow looks ruddier 
 and fresher, but not fatter, than when I last saw him. 
 Gave him a salute of eight guns when he went off. 
 
 ^gina, Sunday, Jan. yth, 182"/. Hot words coming on 
 last night between two of our officers, a challenge fol- 
 lowed ; and followed by me, this morning at daylight, on 
 shore, they proceeded to a duel. Finding that my exer- 
 tions could not prevent them from going on, and being 
 the only one on board who could come off, I was made to 
 act as second, witness, doctor, and allj so loading the 
 pistols equally, but taking care to put in both balls so 
 badly that I was sure they would not go true, I placed 
 the two combatants back to back at twenty paces distant, 
 gave the word, one, two, three, turn, — they both turned, 
 
 both levelled their pistols deliberately, — fire ! S 
 
 fired, and his ball whizzed over H 's head, who hesi- 
 tated one instant, and then fired in the air. I urged 
 
 reconciliation, which S , to my astonishment, accepted, 
 
 though he had fired at his antagonist, who did not return 
 his shot. Let men say what they may, I believe that I 
 did a good deed in being engaged in this affair ; and so 
 far from my conscience accusing me of being accessory 
 to a murderous party, it tells me that I have probably 
 saved a life. The siege of Athens still going on, there is 
 
iEt.2s] PVith the Fleet 199 
 
 some prospect of this vessel being sent to attack the 
 Piraeus. 
 
 ^gina, Tuesday. Athens seems to be in a worse con- 
 dition than I had imagined it. They have not a stick of 
 wood to burn, are deficient in clothing, and a violent dis- 
 ease is raging among them. The Turks seem to have 
 come to a fixed resolution not to abandon the siege ; dur- 
 ing the winter they have partly encircled Athens with a 
 ditch, cut down all the olive-trees, and formed with them 
 a sort of fence for their ditch. They have about ten 
 thousand troops, including servants, etc. Letters from 
 within call loudly for relief, and government, feeble in 
 means, is doing all that is possible for them. . . . 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE SIEGE OF ATHENS DOCTOR HOWE UNDER FIRE 
 
 The siege of Athens was more and more closely pressed, 
 and many pages of the Journal are devoted to speculations 
 on the various reports that were flying through the coun- 
 try. Was Cochrane coming ? Was Kolokotrones trying to 
 play his old tricks ? Was Bourbakis, the " Greek French- 
 man," sincere in his protestations ? These rumours have 
 their own interest, taken in connection with the narrative 
 of the " Historical Sketch," but without explanation they 
 are often confusing ; I therefore omit some of the entries 
 of this time. 
 
 On January i6th, my father writes : 
 
 It is strange, it is passing strange, that at a time when 
 the country is reduced almost to ruin, when the holding 
 the reins of government can only be a harassing, danger- 
 ous, and unprofitable task, men are so anxious to get them 
 that they are sacrificing the true interest of their country 
 for it ; quarrelling for mastery in a house while the rob- 
 bers are at its very doors to plunder it. Preparations for 
 relieving Athens are going on briskly. . . . 
 
 Saturday, January 20th, finds him at Hydra, where he 
 was sent for by Government and desired to take charge 
 of letters to the secretary of Lord Cochrane, who arrived 
 at Hydra eight days ago with letters for Government from 
 
^t. 25] The Siege of Athens 201 
 
 his lordship, but who for some reason had not come to 
 ^gina to present them, probably deceived by the represen- 
 tations of Konduriotes, who would fain make out that the 
 Commission of the National Assembly is not the legal gov- 
 ernment. It was supposed that to keep him in the dark 
 the Hydriotes would intercept all letters and messages, sent 
 from Government, but I contrived to find him out, and in 
 him found a man whom I had formerly laid under some 
 obligation during a time of his sickness and want. My 
 appearance seemed to give this Hesketh joy on many 
 accounts, not only as meeting an old friend, but a person 
 who might inform him impartially of the true state of 
 parties and things. Sounding him and finding him igno- 
 rant of the actual state of affairs, and of the incontestable 
 legality of the present government, I informed him of my 
 errand and delivered my letters, and at last persuaded him 
 to go to iEgina to present his letters. Konduriotes, after 
 doing all he could to prevent this, at last consented upon 
 promise of his returning to await Cochrane at Hydra, and 
 we shall be off in an hour. Hesketh says that Cochrane 
 will be here in ten days, but he appears to be not well 
 acquainted with the business of the expedition. All is 
 quiet in Hydra at present, but I do not think it will last 
 long ; the sailors have completely got the upper hand of 
 the Primates, and do as they choose. . . . 
 
 Poros, Sunday, Jan. 21 st, iSzy. Left Hydra at three 
 p. M. with Hesketh and a Hydriote creature of Kondu- 
 riotes sent as a spy upon Hesketh. A fair wind brought 
 us in a few hours to the entrance of the Gulf of Athens, 
 near .^gina, but scarcely had we cleared the little passage 
 between the mainland and the rocky islet at the west 
 entrance, and entered into the beautiful gulf, when the 
 wind coming contrary, it was impossible to reach ^gina, 
 which lay in plain sight. We made out, an hour before 
 
202 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1827 
 
 sunset, to get into a little harbour upon the main; here 
 we debarked to come on foot to the ferry, and left the 
 boat to row round. . . . 
 
 About five minutes' paddling brought us over the ferry, 
 the distance being one-fifth of a mile. We paid ten paras 
 (about eight cents) for all four of us, and set about seeking 
 the house of Admiral Tombazi ; soon foimd it, and were 
 made most welcome by the hospitable old man. His 
 family were just sitting down to supper, but a little prep- 
 aration was made for us. His daughters retired, and we 
 squatted down upon cushions to a table a foot high, and 
 enjoyed a good supper. The old admiral apologized for 
 not being able to entertain us as he could have done at 
 Hydra. "But," said he, looking round, "if I have not 
 here my splendid rooms and European furniture which I 
 had there, at least I have peace and comfort, and am not 
 worried, insulted, and put in peril of my life, as I used to 
 be there by the seamen." He and his brother, with Miau- 
 lis and some of the other Primates, have succeeded in 
 getting their families and properties away from Hydra, 
 and it is not probable they will ever return there. . . . 
 
 yEgiita, Jan. 22d, l82y. Leaving at dawn the comfort- 
 able beds spread for us upon the carpets by the hospitable 
 Tombazi, we proceeded to our ablutions in the Eastern 
 style, waited upon by Turkish slaves, and sallied out with 
 our host to the house of his brother Emanuel, where we 
 regaled ourselves with pipes and coffee. Came in imme- 
 diately after Prince Mavrocordatos, with whom an hour 
 passed away in conversation. Then, our boat being ready, 
 we rowed out of the harbour by the northern passage, in 
 a dead calm, and had a noble prospect from both sides. 
 Sailing along, we passed slowly by the peninsula of Me- 
 thana, the neck of which has been fortified by Colonel 
 Fabvier, a small part of whose troops now occupy it. A 
 
^t. 25] The Siege of Athens 203 
 
 breeze springing up carried us swiftly by Andros, and 
 brought us up to the lower part of ^gina. Went to the 
 Government with Hesketh and reported my return ; found 
 that Colonel Gordon had sailed for Salamis, to arrange for 
 an attack upon the Piraeus, and that the steam-vessel 
 will go in a day or two. . . . 
 
 Salamis, Jan. 28th, l82y. Even at this moment the 
 Greeks are struggling to repel the attacks of the Turkish 
 hordes which surround the sacred city, but doubtless the 
 sight of our vessel comforted them, and let them know 
 that assistance was at hand. About eleven a. m. our engine 
 got completely out of order, and there being not a breath 
 of wind to break the glassy smoothness of the sea, we lay 
 motionless; but in what a spot, and with what objects 
 around us ! I could not regret the delay which afforded 
 me such a scene. Behind lay .^gina, with its slope to the 
 sea, richly cultivated and interspersed with olives, while 
 farther back rose its hills, crowned by the temple of Jupi- 
 ter Pluvius, whose still standing columns were plainly to 
 be seen. To the right lay Attica, stretching south and 
 terminated by Sunium ; high up was Athens, its Acropolis 
 and Parthenon rising above the mist which floated over the 
 town ; Salamis was before us ; to the left the Isthmus of 
 Corinth, above which rose the ragged, almost perpendicular 
 Aero Corinth, crowned by its fortress. . . . 
 
 The Acropolis is in plain sight from Ambelika, on 
 Salamis. It appears that the enemy have erected a bat- 
 tery upon the hill of Philopappus, from which they throw 
 shells into the town. Fabvier has been about six weeks 
 in the fortress ; he went in with five hundred men, each 
 carrying ten okes of powder. For lightness' sake they 
 entered without their capotes, expecting to return again 
 immediately. They met resistance from the enemy, whom 
 they actually charged with the bayonet, and forced their 
 
204 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 way in, thus relieving (in fact saving) Athens, for no more 
 powder was left in the fortress, and no one else could be 
 induced to undertake the relief. After getting in, he 
 found the garrison not inclined to let him come out ; they 
 swore if he did they would come too, and he was obliged 
 to remain. The garrison in all amounts now to nearly two 
 thousand men. It is more than a month since a messenger 
 has been able to escape the enemy's vigilance and come 
 out, so that we are in ignorance of the actual state of things, 
 except [for] some slight information that may be gleaned 
 from the very imperfect system of signals which they have 
 established, such as fires in different positions. The enemy 
 appears active. A spy was taken here yesterday, and after 
 the clearest proofs and his own confession, his throat was 
 cut with a yataghan and his body left upon the beach, to 
 deter all from following his example. The straits of Sal- 
 amis are about a mile in width, separating this island from 
 Attica, and were the scene of the celebrated sea-fight of 
 Salamis. The remains of the old town are quite visible, 
 though nothing is entire ; mere traces of walls, founda- 
 tions, etc. The island was never celebrated for its fertil- 
 ity, and is now filled, not with its own inhabitants only, 
 but with refugees from all parts of Greece. . . . 
 
 Ambelika, Salamis, Feb, 2d, 182"/. At sunrise found 
 ourselves off the village of Eleusis, which still bears its an- 
 cient name, and is situated upon the site of the ancient 
 town. It has a very pretty appearance from the sea, being 
 built upon a little rising ground close to the shore, the 
 prettiness of the view being much heightened by two 
 square Venetian towers. The Thriasian plain is large and 
 apparently rich naturally, and if the country should again 
 become free Eleusis will enjoy a consequence and im- 
 portance better merited than her ancient one, derived 
 solely from the celebration of the mystic rites of Ceres. 
 
^t. 25] The Siege of Athens 205 
 
 Passing down the gulf, we approached the scene of the 
 famous battle, and soon from behind the hills the Acrop- 
 olis of Athens broke upon our view. Turning to the 
 right, we entered the harbour of the ancient town of Sal- 
 amis and anchored near the remnants of its walls. The 
 port is good, and perhaps spacious enough for all the pur- 
 poses of the ancients, yet not to be compared in beauty 
 and extent to that upon the other side of the island, where 
 the modern Salamis, or Koulouri, is built. The view of 
 the Acropolis is very good from here. At the entrance 
 of the harbour is a small island, Psyttaleia, upon which four 
 hundred Persians took refuge after the battle of Salamis, 
 and were massacred by the Athenians. The little village 
 of Ambelika is prettily situated on a ridge to the left of 
 the old city. Found there Philhellenes of all nations, — 
 two English, one Irish, several Frenchmen ; Italians, 
 Swiss, Germans, Russians, etc., — assembled to assist in the 
 attack upon the enemy at Athens. The Swiss are really 
 fine fellows in general, and among the foreigners in Greece 
 I have had more Swiss friends than of any other nation. 
 It is probable we shall start in three days, and this vessel 
 will have the hottest of the work. 
 
 Ambelika, Feb. 4th, iSsy, Sunday. Preparations have 
 been going on actively for the attack, and everything was 
 ready this afternoon, but some delay on the part of Notaras 
 has knocked the business in the head for another twenty- 
 four hours. Yesterday a council of war was held ; there 
 were present Colonel Gordon, Colonel Heideck the Bava- 
 rian, Captain Hastings, Count Pazzo, Makroyanis, and some 
 others. The tactics have arrived, three hundred in num- 
 ber ; the artillery is ready, with a pretty park of twelve 
 pieces. The troops of Vashos and Bourbakis made an 
 attack yesterday and gained possession of a small village 
 north of Athens upon the extremity of the plain ; this is 
 
2o6 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 well, and will draw the attention of the enemy toward 
 them. All day a brisk cannonade has been kept up from 
 the Acropolis, probably in order to favour Vashos and 
 Bourbakis. We can see plainly the smoke of every gun, 
 and that it is but feebly answered from the battery of 
 Philopappus. 
 
 We have the port blocked, but from the infernal delays 
 of the Greeks the Turks will undoubtedly have full notice 
 of all our preparation. 
 
 Yesterday at four p. m. the troops began to embark on 
 board of three brigs, about twelve small craft, and in this 
 vessel. We took in the tactics, four hundred in number, 
 and after much hurry, bustle, and confusion, all were on 
 board and everything ready for a start. The moon shone 
 bright and clear, the wind was fair, and everj^hing prom- 
 ised to favour our enterprise. The chiefs assembled on 
 board this ship to consult, — Gordon, the leader, Makro- 
 yanis, Notaropulos, or Archondopoulus, Colonel Heideck 
 the Bavarian, and some others. About ten the vessels were 
 all despatched in advance, and at eleven we got imder way 
 with steam, and moving on rapidly soon overtook the 
 little fleet, which had but a light breeze. Off the Piraeus, 
 having passed all the vessels, we took a turn backward, sailed 
 round them, and again took the lead. The scene was ex- 
 ceedingly fine, — the night still and clear, a slight breeze 
 filling the sails of our little fleet, which lay about us in 
 every direction ; the camp-fires of the enemy brightly 
 burning round Athens ; the fires of the Greeks under 
 Vashos and Bourbakis upon the sides of the mountains ; 
 while from time to time the launching of bombs from the 
 enemy's batteries into the Acropolis marked the horizon 
 with a long streak of fire, and showed that the siege was 
 still hotly pressed. 
 
 About three o'clock this morning we anchored at Pha- 
 
^t.2s] The Siege of Athens 207 
 
 leron, and as soon as the little vessels came up proceeded 
 to disembark the troops. In the first boat went about 
 fifty irregulars, and all were in breathless suspense to see 
 if the enemy occupied the ground and would make resist- 
 ance. All was still as death for a few moments ; when 
 the boats pulled off for more troops, the first were climbing 
 to the summit of the hill. The moon had gone down, and 
 it was pitch-dark. Suddenly from the top of the hill opened 
 a brisk fire of musquetry, mingled with wild shouting. 
 
 " The Turks are there ! Our men will be cut to 
 pieces ! Back with the boats and take them off." These 
 were the words of Colonel Gordon, leader of the expedi- 
 tion, who seemed to be agitated and surprised. Others 
 [were] more cool, particularly Captain Hastings and 
 Colonel Heideck, who besought him calmly to consider 
 whether he should not, instead of reembarking, proceed to 
 send more men to support those already there. After a 
 few moments of apparent indecision. Colonel G., hearing 
 the cries of the soldiers on shore for more men to their 
 assistance, and considering that the firing might be only 
 from the Greeks, decided to disembark more men. In a 
 few minutes the cessation of firing showed that the enemy, 
 if any had been there, were gone. The landing went on, 
 the Greeks gained the height, and immediately began to 
 throw up their tambouris of earth and stones all along the 
 crown of the hill ; at daylight the work was almost finished, 
 and two thousand men were safely posted there. A round of 
 cannon from the Acropolis announced that its garrison saw 
 and hailed us. It was an object with the commander to gain 
 the monastery and custom-house, which lay upon the shore 
 of the Piraeus, and at the foot of the hill where he was 
 encamped, and the Karteria was ordered there to batter 
 them. In half an hour we were there, anchored, and im- 
 mediately began to throw in our 68-pound shot, which did 
 
2o8 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1827 
 
 much execution upon the walls. The garrison, which could 
 not have been more than ninety men, after finding that we 
 did not mind their musquetry, showed an inclination to 
 fly, but the Greeks, too confident, advanced upon the side 
 of the hill in such a manner as to cut off their retreat, and 
 this made them desperate. The Philhellenes advanced 
 with one cannon toward the monastery, and battered it for 
 some time, but did no harm, and wasted their men in vain. 
 About noon the irregulars began to come down, crawling 
 upon their bellies from stone to stone, firing from behind 
 everything which would cover them, until they were very 
 close to the walls, where they kept up their fire; but it 
 was evidently useless, for the Turks, sheltered completely, 
 poked the muzzles of their guns out of the chinks formed 
 for that purpose, and blazed away in security. Our vessel 
 did her duty. Her guns knocked down whole sides of 
 the buildings, leaving immense breaches, but not a Greek 
 would go through. Two thousand men stood regarding 
 us with idle applause, but came not down. Such complete 
 cowards are they that they never will attack an enemy 
 who is sheltered in such a way as to make an attack in 
 the least dangerous. About three p. m. a large body of 
 Turkish cavalry came down upon a hill to the left of the 
 Greeks, and Kiutahi himself was in the centre. They 
 sent five or six horsemen to the monastery to communicate 
 with and encourage the men in it ; they passed along the 
 beach at full gallop not far from us, and I gave them a 
 rifle-ball, which missed them. After this the ship began 
 to fire shells, and though they dropped and burst among 
 the Turks, such was their obstinacy that they clung to the 
 shore and kept up their fire. Enfin, we kept up our 
 fire till after sunset, hoping (though indeed against hope) 
 that the Greeks might make an entrance. No, not they ! 
 They expected our ship to march upon the land, enter the 
 
JEt. 25] Tke Siege of Athens 209 
 
 monastery, and drive out the enemy. Cowards I always 
 knew them to be, and have often seen them show them- 
 selves such, but never in a more shameful manner than 
 to-day. In fact, my prediction will be accomplished : this 
 expedition cannot relieve Athens ; the country is too open 
 for Greeks to fight in. At ten we hoisted anchor and 
 came just outside of the Piraeus, in order to prevent being 
 caught by the enemy's bringing down cannon and placing 
 it upon the entrance of the port, which is not more than 
 fifty yards across. 
 
 This day's work has convinced me that our head, Colo- 
 nel Gordon, is a man of no military talent ; second, that 
 the expedition is altogether useless, and that the only 
 natural plan is to go to the Euripos and cut off the enemy's 
 provisions. Vashos and Bourbakis are advancing upon 
 the enemy from the north, but I fear for them as soon as 
 they shall come into the open country. 
 
 Port Phaleron, Wednesday, February yth. If yesterday 
 was for us a day of useless labour and unsuccessful fighting, 
 to-day has been a complete failure. We entered the harbour 
 again this morning at about nine, and commenced shelhng 
 the custom-house, which, as well as the monastery, had 
 received a reinforcement during the night ; consequently it 
 was folly to expect to get it until every piece of wall should 
 be knocked down, and every man in it killed. Even should 
 we gain it, I could not see the great importance of it. 
 However, we anchored within close musquet-range and 
 blazed away. The Turks would only poke out their heads, 
 fire their musquets, and retire. But one of them held his 
 head out long enough for me to take aim at it and level 
 him with a rifle-ball ; he fell sprawling upon his face, and 
 I hardly know whether pleasure or pain predominated in 
 my mind as I witnessed his fall. Said I, "A moment 
 more and I may fall in the same way." 
 
2IO Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1827 
 
 After firing about two hours, advice came from Colo- 
 nel Gordon that our further stay was useless. Imme- 
 diately after we saw a body of horsemen rapidly gallop- 
 ing down and making for our rear, where the port was 
 very narrow. Presently I heard a whizz over my head, 
 and a 12-pound shot struck just the other side of the 
 ship. The cavalry had brought down their artillery, and 
 had us at point-blank shot. Our stay was in vain ; the 
 captain ordered up anchor, and it was soon done, the 
 cannon-balls whizzing about, and striking the ship in 
 all directions. Soon we were moving ; the enemy saw it, 
 and galloping rapidly down to the narrow part of the 
 port, awaited us. We passed close by them, their bul- 
 lets rattling round like hail, and I could see them waving 
 their swords and cutting the ground in rage for our 
 blood. Among them were many Delhis, with their tre- 
 mendous long caps, I should think at least two feet and 
 a half high. I plied my rifle as fast as possible, and 
 luckily was not called to one single wounded man, they 
 being sheltered by the high sides of the vessel. We 
 were soon out of the reach of their shot, and came- round 
 to this place to get further orders. Our retreat was neces- 
 sary, because we could not possibly do any good by remain- 
 ing, but I could not help feeling shame as we moved off 
 from a pursuing enemy hooting at us, and this in plain sight 
 of the Greeks in the Acropolis and upon the hills. Nay, 
 when I think of it, perhaps we should have either gone 
 before the enemy began to fire, or have returned their 
 . shot as long as our shells lasted, for we had but four or 
 five left. The peculiar circumstances will make it appear 
 badly ; the vessel will have lost her terror to the enemy, 
 and the confidence which she inspired in the Greeks. We 
 came to anchor again, and found that the Turks had forti- 
 fied themselves upon the opposite hill, where the Greeks 
 
/Et. 2s] The Siege of Athens 211 
 
 should have gone in order to secure the taking of the 
 monastery, but it is now too late. This evening we saw a 
 brisk and continued fusillade about and from the Acropolis, 
 but cannot tell whether it was an attack or a sortie. Saw 
 also the camp-fires of Bourbakis and Vashos, who are 
 north of Athens, upon the extremity of the plain. . . . 
 
 Went on shore this morning and strolled among the sol- 
 diers, who, lying about, amuse themselves with killing the 
 lice upon their bodies ; they get into the rays of the sun 
 and carry on the slaughter with great vigour. Some of 
 them, spying a small body of cavalry among the olives, 
 went down, and approached much nearer than I had any 
 idea they would have dared. They began skirmishing, 
 and dismounted several horsemen ; they took seven horses, 
 one prisoner they brought in alive, and one head dripping 
 with blood. The Turks from the monastery cried out to 
 our men that the troops under Vashos and Bourbakis had 
 been completely routed. This I fear may be true. Vashos 
 is an experienced Greek soldier and knows the palikaris 
 completely, and probably did not suffer much, for he would 
 not trust himself in the plain, where he knew they would 
 desert him. But Bourbakis is fresh from France, full of 
 French notions, and though born a Greek, knows them 
 not. He talked confidently of what he would do : nothing 
 less than taking Kiutahi alive would satisfy him, — and 
 such nonsense. He is brave, and probably ventured upon 
 the plain ; the cavalry came upon him, his men ran away, 
 and he was killed or taken prisoner': this we fear, but 
 know nothing certain. 
 
 Phaleron, Friday, February gth. Having repaired our 
 boats, which were much damaged by the enemy's shot, we 
 are now only waiting the orders of Gordon. But nothing 
 will be done by him ; he lies upon the hill with his twenty- 
 two hundred men, whom he knows not how to manage in 
 
212 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1827 
 
 their own way, and has not spirit enough to make [over] 
 yet in his own. The enemy have fortified themselves on 
 the hill opposite where he is, which commands the way 
 to the monastery and was the only way by which he could 
 have taken it. The Bavarian colonel went away last night 
 to .^gina; he said to me, "What could I do.? I gave 
 advice which they do not follow." He insisted upon tak- 
 ing the opposite hill. Gordon was also inclined to do 
 this, but had not force enough with the Greeks to make 
 them do it. The enemy yesterday made a desperate as- 
 sault upon the Acropolis, or else the Greeks salHed out 
 (we cannot tell which) ; we could see three distinct bodies 
 of men firing down from the height round the town ; 
 the batteries from Philopappus and from the temple of 
 Jupiter Olympius were playing upon the Acropolis and 
 [were] answered from it. 
 
 News of the defeat of Vashos and Boiirbakis is con- 
 firmed. They advanced into the plain with part of their 
 troops, and left the rest upon the sides of the mountain ; 
 Turks got between them, attacked the latter, and beat 
 them. Vashos then fled like a poltroon. Bourbakis 
 fought in vain ; four hundred of his men were cut to 
 pieces, and he himself, with some French officers, taken 
 prisoners. What will be done with them we know not ; 
 the French frigate which lies up a little to the north of 
 the Piraeus will go in to-morrow to try to ransom them. 
 The Turks have since sunset brought down a gun and 
 established it upon the hill just over us which forms 
 the left side of the Piraeus. About two thousand men, 
 cavalry and infantry, placed themselves, about five this 
 afternoon, upon the hill opposite the Greeks. What can 
 be their object ? I think and hope, an attack, for if they 
 attack the Greeks in their present position they will surely 
 get beaten. They have placed this cannon where, if the 
 
^t. 25] The Siege of Athens 213 
 
 Greeks do not take it, they crown their shamefully inactive 
 conduct by a piece of cowardice unpardonable. In fact, 
 from the very beginning of this affair, the Turks have 
 shown courage, skill, and activity. Indeed, I despair for 
 Athens. Kiutahi Pasha shows himself too wise and cir- 
 cumspect to [give] hope he will commit any of the usual 
 Turkish follies, and the Greeks cannot relieve it by open 
 force. There are two thousand men in the fortress, and 
 but four months* provision and very little ammunition. 
 Now twelve hundred of these men ought to come out, but 
 they cannot do it, so close have the Turks blocked them. 
 Our ill success must discourage the garrison and hearten 
 the Turks, but the Pasha has no need of that, for he is 
 obstinate as a mule, and will stick to the siege as long as 
 he has a man with him. We shall see to-morrow if the 
 Greeks can do anything; doubtless we shall have our 
 share of the enemy's shot. Karaiskakis, it appears, is 
 doing well. He defeated the enemy the other day, killed 
 two hundred men, and writes that he has Vriones shut up 
 in such a position that he cannot possibly escape, and 
 must fall into his hands in a few days. 
 
 Phaleron, February llth, Sunday. My hopes were this 
 morning realized ; the Turks, emboldened by their re- 
 peated successes, resolved to attack the Greeks in the posi- 
 tion over our heads, and at daylight, their cavalry and 
 infantry being all on the move toward the position, we up 
 anchor and sailed round into the harbour of Piraeus, to mo- 
 lest them in their rear. As we slowly entered the port, a 
 scene well worth the pencil of some artist broke upon us. 
 From the height above flashed, smoked and roared in con- 
 tinued peal the Greek artillery, the smoke bursting forth 
 from the batteries and as it were rushing down the hill to 
 devour the Turks, who were obstinately climbing up, fir- 
 ing away with their musquets, as furiously returned by a 
 
214 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1827 
 
 shower of Greek balls. Men were seen slowly staggering 
 off the field, or struggling on the ground in the agonies of 
 death, and here and there, — 
 
 " With bloodshot eye and nostril spread, 
 The loose rein dangling from his head, 
 Saddle and housing bloody red, 
 The riderless steed dashed by." 
 
 The cavalry upon the ground to our right discharged 
 their pistols at us, and galloped off to get out of the reach 
 of our grape; the infantry were beaten back from the 
 Greek lines, but did not retreat far, only lodging them- 
 selves behind some old walls, perhaps two musquet-shot off 
 from their lines. Soon all attention was turned upon us. 
 I saw about a dozen men drawing a cannon down to the 
 shore ; in a moment it flashed and belched forth its cloud 
 of smoke, and the ball came hissing toward us, but plunged 
 into the water without reaching us. Finding that our shot 
 would not well reach the enemy, and hoping by entering 
 farther into the harbour to be able to harass the rear of the 
 Turkish army with his grape, the captain up anchor, and 
 taking a turn, entered between the narrow walls which the 
 ancients had placed at the mouth of the harbour, and 
 dropped anchor within short musquet-shot of the shore. 
 Soon we began to blaze upon the enemy, and their shot to 
 whistle about our heads. I had been directed to keep be- 
 low, but the scene was too interesting for a young man to 
 lose sight of. The cannon of the enemy soon bearing upon 
 us, a shell struck upon our deck and burst amid twenty of 
 us. I expected at least four or five would have been 
 killed, but my attention was drawn by the shrieks and cries 
 of a drummer boy. I saw him fall, terror and despair 
 pictured in his countenance ; seizing him in my arms, I 
 carried him below, and (not from his mouth, for it uttered 
 
Mt.2s] The Siege of Athens 215 
 
 only shrieks) did I learn by examination that he had only a 
 scratch upon the leg. I have often observed this, that 
 when one is wounded by an enemy whom he has been 
 watching with fear, the terror is infinitely greater than if 
 he had received a much more severe wound from a hidden 
 foe. The balls now began to whizz about the ship, to 
 strike her sides, cut her cordage, etc. Two other men 
 only were wounded, but finding that the ship was exposed 
 to immense risk and danger without anything to be gained, 
 the captain gave orders to up anchor and get out, for the 
 enemy had been repulsed from Gordon's lines, and was di- 
 recting all his artillery on us. While I remained below I 
 felt very queer sensations that were something like cow- 
 ardice, for I knew nothing of what was going on, and the 
 uncertainty made everything worse. Getting upon deck, 
 this feeling vanished, and I found myself, in comparison to 
 some others, quite a hero. Some were busy dodging can- 
 non-balls that passed yards above them ; others were 
 stooping down upon the deck, pretending to hold on the 
 stopper of the cable; others skulked from the musquet- 
 balls behind the bulwarks. To our dismay, on the word 
 being given to start the engine it was found not to move. 
 There was repetition of the order ; it was shouted, but in 
 vain ; the engine would not start. Many a cheek blanched 
 and many a lip quivered, for we were in a narrow port, ex- 
 posed on every side to musquetry, and could see the enemy 
 bringing down more cannon ; ,to make it more dreadful, 
 the anchor had been cut away, and it was whispered to me 
 by the lieutenant that the ship's head was aground, — and 
 she only a pistol-shot from the shore. The enemy appar- 
 ently perceived this, and shouting and waving their sabres, 
 they began to rush down, expecting to have us in a few 
 minutes. I must say that a feeling of bitterness and 
 almost agony came over me for a moment at the sight of 
 
2i6 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1827 
 
 these barbarians, who I expected would soon be merci- 
 lessly hacking us to pieces, but I thought of a desperate 
 defence, and the moment I began actually to prepare, I 
 felt a degree of indifference that I now wonder at. But a 
 person who is disengaged has always need of more courage 
 than an active combatant. For a few moments all was 
 doubt and uncertainty. The captain exerted himself, and 
 showed much coolness and skill, and was well obeyed by 
 his men, who did not know the danger in its full extent. 
 Soon the engine began to move a little, the wheels turned 
 back, the ship cleared the land, the sails were got up, and 
 we passed slowly out of the mouth of the port, which is 
 not more than fifty yards wide, peppered, however, by the 
 musquet-balls of the Turks, who lay concealed behind the 
 stones on each side, to which our grape made reply. I 
 fired several shots with my rifle, but am not sure of having 
 killed any one. The result of the day is altogether advan- 
 tageous to the Greeks, who killed perhaps three hundred 
 Turks, with a loss of only fifteen on their side. An Ipsa- 
 riote vessel just outside of the harbour received a ball 
 from a cannon intended for us, which smashed two of 
 her men to atoms. I came round to Phaleron, and went 
 on shore to visit the Greek hues \ found everything in or- 
 der and the soldiery exulting as if they had gained an 
 important victory. We gave our powder, etc., to Gordon, 
 and shall sail for ^gina at midnight. 
 
 Napoli di Romania, February l^tk, Tuesday. Upon 
 awaking yesterday morning at ./Egina, and going to the 
 Government, I was requested to come here to procure ten 
 thousand pounds of powder for the expedition. Took also 
 letters for Finlay (said to have been on board an Ameri- 
 can corvette at Poros) ; found there the British corvette 
 Rose, but no other. Pursued our way during the night. 
 In the morning were off Kastri, where the pretended Gov- 
 
^t. 25] The Siege of Athens 217 
 
 emment is, — an unhealthy place and but very thinly inhab- 
 ited before the Revolution. Kranidi is a better one, and 
 has about six thousand inhabitants, besides the strangers 
 who now transiently fill it. Its inhabitants are noted for 
 their bravery, and were formerly enthusiastic. My boat- 
 men were all three Kranidiotes, and fine, active, persevering 
 sailors. I asked them about their town at the beginning 
 of this Revolution. " Who," said they, " then thought of 
 their caiques, or anything else but their country .' Now, 
 who thinks of anything but parade .' " Arrived here and 
 found the locanda in good order. . . . 
 
 ^gina, Friday, February l6th. Left Napoli on Wednes- 
 day, four p. M. Called at the castle where the committee 
 from the Government have this day taken refuge from the 
 importunities and troubles of the soldiery. Slept, or partly 
 slept, in the boat, but to say that one really sleeps in a 
 Greek caique is impossible, for you can neither lie down, nor 
 sit down, nor stand upright at your whole length ; you have 
 no covering but your greatcoat and the firmament ; you 
 are annoyed by flies and lice ; the spray of the sea dashes 
 over you ; you are cold, wet, and benumbed ; your limbs 
 ache from their position confined so many hours ; your 
 head aches from fever, and your heart aches from the 
 thought that you may be still many hours cooped up in 
 this miserable place. In the daytime it is often worse, for 
 the wind leaves you, you Ue still as a log upon the smooth 
 sea, and the sun's rays, beating down with terrible force 
 upon your exposed head, give you the most painfully 
 uneasy and tormenting feelings. I am confident that, 
 were an unhardened person from Europe at once to be 
 subjected to the sufferings that one is obliged to undergo 
 in these boats at some times, it would cost him a fever, 
 perhaps his life. Then the boatmen are generally such 
 cowardly or irresolute fellows that your voyage is unneces- 
 
2i8 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1827 
 
 sarily lengthened ; they will only go on with a fair wind, 
 they run into some cove every night, and hold on till 
 morning. But the men I had this time were remarkably 
 otherwise, and got along in spite of everything, by beating 
 or rowing. Upon the second night we were driven into a 
 little cove for refuge upon an islet near Hydra. There 
 was one very good stone house of some size there. I sent 
 my servant to say to the owner that a stranger, a Philhel- 
 lene, a doctor, who was unwell, cold, and wet, begged a 
 corner of his floor to sleep upon, or of his outhouse ; but 
 the beast said, just as I expected he would say, " No, let 
 him lie in a cave in the rocks." He knew very well that 
 there was no cave there, and that I must sleep in the 
 open air during the approaching storm ; for big drops 
 began to fall, and the thick, dense black clouds that were 
 rising promised a dreary night. Now this man was rich ; 
 he saw me, knew me to be a stranger, that I had left my 
 country to serve his, for what motive indeed, — 
 
 Here, in the middle of a sentence, this volume of the 
 Journal ends. Apparently several pages have been lost, 
 for the next volume opens with the date, "July 5th, 1827." 
 Before beginning upon this, however, I must quote a pas- 
 sage from my father's letter to Horace Mann, in which he 
 sums up the recollections of his campaigns in Greece, in 
 words which show clearly that his soldiering days were 
 pleasanter to look back upon than he sometimes found 
 them at the moment. 
 
 I liked the excitement immensely ; the dangers gave 
 zest to it, and I was as happy as youth, health, a good 
 cause, and tolerably clean conscience could make me. 
 Inter nos, I think I was unconscious of any purpose usually 
 called selfish. I wanted no money, and got little. I did 
 
^t.2s] The Siege of Athens 219 
 
 not think about other glory than the approval of those 
 about me. These circumstances, I think, together with 
 my familiarity with their language, and my sharing their 
 hardships, made me a favourite with the soldiers, the peas- 
 antry, etc., whereas most of the foreigners were not so. 
 They came usually for personal distinction, and for hon- 
 our ; they were brave, longed to expose themselves and be 
 distinguished, and were generally discontented and disap- 
 pointed because there was hard fare, hard marches, and no 
 glory. Many and many a poor fellow have I known — 
 Germans, Swiss, French, or English — who came with high 
 hopes and ambition, who were only disappointed. Many 
 could not bear to wait; they disliked the poor fare, the 
 exposure, the poverty, but above all, the lack of glory 
 — gazetting glory. Some were killed, some were broken 
 down and died on marches, some took to raki (rum), some 
 deserted, and but very few got off alive. My desire was 
 to help along the cause. I cared not for what I ate, or 
 what I wore, or whether anybody knew me, and there- 
 fore the people and soldiers rather took to me. I had 
 many friends in humble life, God help them ! I can say 
 sincerely that I found the Greeks kindly affectioned, trust- 
 ful, grateful, and as far as my intercourse with them went, 
 honest people. They always treated me as well as I wished 
 to be treated. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 BEGINNING OF PHILANTHROPIC WORK 
 
 From February to June of 1827, we have neither Jour- 
 nal nor letters to tell of my father's doings. We may 
 suppose him still working and wandering. But in order 
 to explain many allusions in the next volume of the Jour- 
 nal, it is necessary to speak briefly of the condition of 
 affairs in Greece at this time, and to quote, still briefly, — 
 though the temptation is strong upon me to be more liberal 
 in my quotations, — from the " Historical Sketch." 
 
 Athens was still closely pressed, and near her fall. 
 Many attempts were made to relieve the garrison, now 
 imprisoned since August of the year before ; the story tells 
 of Gordon's heroic exertions, of the efforts of Karaiskakis, 
 Bourbakis, and others ; it is a sad story of a most gallant 
 struggle against odds that were too heavy. . But the name 
 to conjure with in Greece at this time was Cochrane. For 
 months the cry had been, by land and by sea, " If Coch- 
 rane comes ! " It seems as if every hope of every man in 
 Greece were pinned on this shadowy figure ; for a shadow 
 he remained through long months of anxious waiting, of 
 cruel suspense. If Cochrane came, all would be well. He 
 would do — no one knew precisely what, but it was clear 
 that he would bring victory in his hand. How he actually 
 came, my father shall tell. 
 
 " Ibrahim Pasha was tranquil in the southern parts of the 
 Morea ; he had not much force, nor did he need much, as 
 he was not molested, for Kolokotrones, the Commander- 
 
^t. 25] Philanthropic Work 221 
 
 in-Chief of the Morea, was again busy in civil broils. He 
 . . . was determined to have the National Assembly imme- 
 diately convened at Hermione, where he could overawe it. 
 The Government, in whom lay the legal right to fix the time 
 and place of the meeting, summoned it at ./Egina. And 
 thus the two parties were tugging together, and two 
 National Assemblies about to be formed in two different 
 places at the same time ; the spirit of party ran high, when 
 suddenly — Lord Cochrane arrived ! and the two parties 
 seemed much in the situation of a set of schoolboys, 
 ca^ught quarrelling by a dreaded master. 
 
 " There was no event within the range of possibility (save 
 the utter destruction of the Turkish armies and navy) 
 that could have produced such an excitement among the 
 Greeks as this circumstance ; high and low, rich and 
 poor, were in ecstasies, and could hardly be made to be- 
 lieve it ; the news was too good to be true. ... He now 
 arrived with only a single goletta,^ without that formidable 
 armament of steamboats and frigates which had been 
 promised ; still it was Cochrane, the mighty man of war, 
 and though without force, from his brain were expected to 
 spring plans which should make Sultan Mahmoud tremble 
 in his seraglio. 
 
 " The first step taken by Cochrane on his arrival was a 
 very judicious one, and probably of more utility to Greece 
 than any of his subsequent achievements ; he gave notice 
 that if within a certain number of days the two parties 
 did not unite and pitch upon some government to whom 
 he could account, he would most certainly leave the coun. 
 try. This was a poser to the two factions. ... A hasty 
 peace was therefore patched up, and the two factions 
 agreed to advance each half-way, and meet one another at 
 Troezene or Damala." 
 
 ' A small sailing-vessel. 
 
222 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1827 
 
 At Troezene then, the Deputies met from all parts of 
 the country in National Assembly, and the Governing 
 Commission having resigned their power into its hands, 
 immediate steps were taken for the regulation of affairs. 
 Among the acts passed were, first, an act appointing Alex- 
 ander Cochrane High Admiral, with full power to direct 
 the naval force of Greece against the enemy, where and 
 when he will, without obligation to divulge his plans to 
 any one, and requiring him only to give an after-account 
 to Government ; second, an act by which " Count John 
 Capo d'Istrias is appointed by this Assembly, in the name 
 of the Greek nation, Governor of Greece, and is charged 
 with the executive power thereof." 
 
 There follows a vivid description of the redoubtable 
 Cochrane, with the after-comment : " The mixture of such 
 materials in nature's mould would have formed a hero, had 
 she not in the composition thrown in avarice to alloy 
 them. . . . Surely ^160,000 independent of his expenses, 
 to be set aside from the loan in advance, was depriving 
 himself of all claim to disinterestedness, for it was drawing 
 hard upon the fund upon which poor Greece depended for 
 her salvation." 
 
 But I must not allow myself further quotation. Coch- 
 rane came in March, 1 827, and the government was formed 
 in April. On May Sth the garrison of the Acropolis 
 (of Athens) surrendered, being persuaded thereto by the 
 French admiral, De Rigny. 
 
 The third volume of the Journal begins with July of 
 this year, and begins, as usual, abruptly, but the following 
 letter to his father should precede it. It is evident that 
 the friends of Greece in this country had been bestirring 
 themselves, and sending provisions, but more help was 
 needed, and at the request of the Greek Government, my 
 father was preparing to return to America, tell his story. 
 
^t. 25] Philanthropic Work 223 
 
 and try to rouse an enthusiasm which should have sub- 
 stantial results. 
 
 Napoli di Romania, June 24th, 1827. 
 
 My dear Father : — A considerable length of time 
 has elapsed since I have written you ; the cause has been, 
 not only a great scarcity of opportunities, but that I have 
 been sent to America by the Government. My letters 
 will be made out as soon as the Government arrives at 
 this place, which will be in a few days, and after six weeks 
 I hope to take my departure, and by the mercy of God to 
 see you once more, and express to you in person my feel- 
 ings of gratitude for the kindness and anxiety about me 
 which you have continued to feel during my long absence. 
 I left the naval service at the instance of Government to 
 go to America, but the arrival of the vessels with provis- 
 ions has detained me here in order to help in the distribu- 
 tion. About them all I can say is, that a universal and 
 deep feeling of gratitude is expressed by the thousands of 
 poor, half-starved beings who have been fed and clad, and 
 they pray God to crown with his blessing the generous 
 freemen of America. The vessels came most opportunely, 
 and not only the poor about here, but the half-starved 
 wretches who came out of Athens, partook of them. But 
 it was most unlucky that the Committee tied the hands of 
 their agents in such a manner ; you can have no possible 
 means in America of knowing the wants of Greece, and 
 the distribution should be left more free. 
 
 The affairs of Greece look somewhat black. Athens ! 
 alas, poor Athens ! I cannot speak my feelings ; all is 
 comprised in the dreadful words, she is lost. And how 
 lost .' Let the cabinet of France answer the challenge. 
 But Greece shall yet triumph ; the Morea and Roumelia 
 may be again reduced and in Turkish despotism, but their 
 
224 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1827 
 
 inhabitants will live free and independent in the islands. 
 All our hopes are in Cochrane ; he is out with the frigate, 
 steamboat, and thirty brigs ; with them I confidently hope 
 he will meet and beat the formidable fleets of Constanti- 
 nople and Alexandria. 
 
 My best love to all the family, and believe me to be 
 ever your affectionate son. 
 
 S. G. Howe. 
 
 JOURNAL OF 1827, CONTINUED 
 
 Napoli di Romania, July 5th, l82y. Yesterday, the glo- 
 rious anniversary of American independence, I passed 
 here, not in rejoicing for the progress of liberty and the 
 happiness of man, for be the march of these what they 
 may in the West, poor Greece has seen them dawn upon her 
 only to fade away ; her affairs are going on every day from 
 bad to worse, and they have now arrived at such a pitch 
 that the inhabitants of the Morea are actually beginning to 
 submit in despair. . . . 
 
 Sunday, July 8th, [on Board the\ Six Brothers, off Hydra. 
 This ship arriving yesterday at Napoli loaded with provis- 
 ions for the suffering Greeks, I repaired on board, and at 
 my representations the supercargo thought fit to repair to 
 Poros, where we are now bound. Government, and more 
 especially the generals, were very much piqued at the ship's 
 leaving Napoli, for they are disappointed in their expecta- 
 tion of sharing in the spoil ; but I know them too well ; not 
 only was I in a measure forced to dispose of the last cargo 
 partly to the garrison, but the Government, who took charge 
 of the Tontine s cargo, promising to dispose of it according 
 to the instructions of the Committee, sold it for their own 
 benefit, and sold it, too, at a most shameful price, giving 
 flour which in Philadelphia had cost ;^ 12,000, for 1^2,500. 
 It is true that the manner in which the Committee have 
 
^t. 25] Philanthropic Work 2.2.$ 
 
 been pleased to direct these succours is not half so much 
 for the interest of Greece as if full liberty had been left 
 for the agents to dispose of them here as circumstances 
 should point out ; for how much good do we do by giving 
 to the poor families a few pounds of flour, which lasts 
 them but three or four days? While by appropriating 
 these supplies for the use of an army to defend these poor 
 and their country, much more might be done. But the 
 Committee have the right to do what they will with their 
 own. 
 
 Passing Spetzia, we saw most of the Greek vessels lying 
 in the port (if so it can be called) lashed together, and 
 placed in such a way that a single fire-ship would destroy 
 them every one. Their dependence (a wrong one) is on 
 the stupidity and want of activity of the Turks. Spetzia 
 has about eighty vessels, but most of them are old and un- 
 fit for service, and all of them are out of repair and require 
 an expense to fit them out which no owner is willing to incur. 
 
 Pons, Monday, July gth. Arrived at two p. m., and 
 came to anchor at the ground south of the port, after 
 rather a tedious passage, delayed by calms. We saw noth- 
 ing of pirates, though they have become very thick of late, 
 [so] daring in their robberies that even in passing from 
 here to Napoli boats and small vessels are every day 
 robbed. Found Lord Cochrane here on board the Hellas 
 frigate ; paid him a visit and was received with the custom- 
 ary civility. Y\fi was in citizen's dress, which makes his 
 tall, gaunt figure appear still more so ; but though not big, 
 you can see that he has a strong, bony frame, and would be 
 a match, in a personal struggle, for most strong men. His 
 head exhibits no peculiar traits indicating talent, but one 
 has only to be with him, to hear his questions and remarks, 
 to see that he has no common mind. Often on board the 
 steamboat he used to puzzle me with questions about my 
 
226 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1827 
 
 profession, and often put me to a non plus. But with all 
 his information and knowledge of the world, and in spite 
 of his politeness, one can see that he has a strong preju- 
 dice against America and Americans ; nay, he appears to 
 be inveterate against the South Americans, and claims 
 to have suffered much from them. . . . 
 
 Pons, July lOth. Commenced the discharge of the 
 cargo. Miller deciding to take out one-half for this place, 
 Salamis, .^gina, Epidauros, Angistri, etc., and to send me 
 with the other half to the Gulf of Argos, to Astros, Leo- 
 nidi, and Napoli di Malvasia. 
 
 Thursday, July 1 2th, yEgina. Left Poros this morning 
 in a caique with the supercargo, a passenger, and the son 
 of the captain, for the purpose of visiting the antiquities. 
 Found my good friend Mr. Finlay living here, and he re- 
 ceived us kindly in his home. Walked out to the south- 
 east part of the island, after examining the ancient port, 
 which remains very perfect; it is entirely artificial, and 
 is formed by running out a pier of stones on the top of 
 which [is] a solid upright, flat-topped wall. Below and to 
 the east is the site of the temple of Venus, of which only 
 one column remains ; walking farther north we came to a 
 large tumulus, said to have been raised by to Phocas. 
 
 Friday, July 13th, Poros. Engaged the goletta of 
 Pandelis, of Hydra, a fine, fast sailing brig, carrying eight 
 guns, for ;^i8s per month, we finding provisions. She is 
 taken in my name and I shall have unlimited command, 
 in order that no difficulty may occur with the captain. 
 Mr. Finlay arrived in his whale-boat from .^gina in order 
 to make the voyage with me. News from Napoli that the 
 long nourished and deadly enmity existing between Grivas 
 and Phoutomaris has broken out into open war, and that 
 a thousand men have been killed in the streets; prob- 
 ably much exaggerated. 
 
Mt.2s] Philanthropic Work 227 
 
 Saturday, July 14th. Finished loading the brig, but 
 
 from neglect on the part of Mr. S and his supposing 
 
 the Hydriotes would do their duty, only four hundred 
 barrels were got in. I ordered the cargo to be hoisted on 
 deck and the barrels to be properly stowed, and by break- 
 ing up the large barrels of peas and throwing them in 
 loose, I hope to get in many more. . . . 
 
 Monday, July l6th. Finished loading the brig. At ten 
 A. M., with Mr. Finlay, came on board, and at eleven got 
 under way. The wind was fair, and running down the 
 coast we passed between a little island and the mainland, 
 and then entering into the channel of Hydra, we stretched 
 across it, and at two p. m. brought the ship to, and jumping 
 in the boat with the captain, I went on shore to see his 
 owner, Pandelis, and get on board four more cannon and 
 some sailors. Found Pandelis, according to Eastern custom, 
 taking his after-dinner nap, but roused him up, and made 
 our arrangements, which were that I should go on to 
 Astros, and he send the men and guns in a boat after me, 
 as they were not quite ready. So leaving again the rocks 
 and the neat stone houses of Hydra, I went on board, and 
 after a delay of half an hour for a sailor who (in Greek 
 style) had thought fit without his captain's permission to 
 go on shore, we up stick and ran up the channel, and 
 passing outside of Devil's Island we saw Spetzia before 
 us, about fifteen miles distant. The wind dying away, 
 and it remaining calm (as usual) all day, we are here yet. 
 Learnt at Hydra that the troubles at Napoli have not yet 
 ceased. The affair appears to stand thus : after a contin- 
 uation of the growling and preparation for open scuffle on 
 the part of the two disputants, last Tuesday Phoutomaris 
 insisted that Stavros Grivas should no longer be command- 
 ant, for, says he, " I hold Itsh Kaleh " (a fort) " and all 
 the batteries ; you have been plundering the people for a 
 
228 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1827 
 
 year at the rate of a thousand piastres per day ; now if 
 Government will not appoint some other, I will be com- 
 mandant by force." So at evening, coming down with 
 five hundred men from Itsh Kaleh, he met his opponent 
 Stavros, and they saluted one another near Papa Phlessas's 
 house with respective volleys, which on each side killed 
 forty men. This was the signal for open war, which has 
 been carrying on ever since, Grivas from Palamidi amus- 
 ing himself with throwing shells into the town, and cutting 
 the houses of Phoutomaris and Kolokotrones to pieces. 
 This business is as usual not the mere work of two jeal- 
 ous, bull-headed captains ; it has its source in the intrigues 
 of the great, and they say that Government (partly divided) 
 is on the side of Grivas, while Delyannis, the arch-demon 
 of intrigue, supports Phoutomaris, who has a league with 
 many capitani, of whom Nikolo Stratos is head. 
 
 Tuesday, July I'/th, Gulf of Napoli. Light breeze spring- 
 ing up at daylight, we came gently along toward Spetzia, 
 when the breeze from the gulf took us aback, and we had 
 to make a tack or two to get into anchoring ground, where 
 letting go anchor we brought the vessel to, and I went on 
 shore, as well to get off my trunks (which a friend flying 
 from Napoli had brought here with him) as to see about 
 magazines, for it appears much the best place for an 
 American Dep6t. The Primates received me as usual, 
 and seemed to be pleased with the idea ; showed me some 
 superb magazines (storehouses) which they offered rent- 
 free. At eleven up sticks again, and with a slight south- 
 eastern breeze entered the gulf, in company with a fleet of 
 caiques going to Napoli to bring off the families. . . . 
 
 At three p. m., a breeze freshening drove us on, and at 
 four p. M. we came to anchor at Astros. Went on shore 
 and mounted to the castle, commanded and owned by 
 Zaphyropulos ; he is a clown in appearance and manners, 
 
Mt.2s\ Philanthropic Work 2,2.<^ 
 
 but promised to give all assistance in his power to facili- 
 tate my distribution. Caiques and vessels of all descrip- 
 tions are coming in from Napoli, with families who have 
 fled from the horrible scenes there. 
 
 Wednesday, July l8tk, Astros. Commenced at daylight 
 this morning visiting the huts and holes of the poor, and giv- 
 ing orders for flour to those whom I found in misery. There 
 are about four hundred families here, all poor enough, but 
 I found one hundred and twenty in a state of misery al- 
 most beyond conception or endurance ; half -naked, without 
 shoes, lying under a miserable hut made of the branches of 
 trees, was many a poor widow with three or four children, 
 without clothes, without food, except the grass and herbs 
 they could pick up around the houses. The general here 
 was apparently willing to let me go on without attempting 
 to appropriate anything to himself until about ten o'clock 
 when, that prince of intriguers Metaxas arriving here, the 
 general sent down word that I must not go on distributing 
 unless I would do it according to a list that he should make 
 out himself, and his soldiers proceeded to drive the poor 
 from the magazines. But I, in order to gain time and give 
 out the twenty barrels and the clothes which I had got on 
 shore, sent him word that I would finish with the families to 
 whom I had given orders, and then I would examine the list. 
 His plan is as evident as day, for he says that I am not giv- 
 ing enough, — when he had sent one of his men with me, 
 and the catalogues were made out in a great measure ac- 
 cording to his will, so that is only an idle pretence. He had 
 sent to me this morning while I was going about, and said, 
 that I was taking much trouble and fatigue, running about 
 in the sun and exposing myself without necessity, for he 
 could send me a catalogue much better than I could make 
 it out. I replied I was very much obliged to him, but I was, 
 doing only my duty ; that as for capacity, I knew enough of 
 
230 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 Greece not to be deceived by the representations of the 
 families; but I told him if there should be any families 
 left listed after I had finished, I would give to them. 
 Went on meantime distributing at the rate of nine pounds 
 of food to each person, and clothing all the naked that 
 came around. Then, having finished, I sent up word 
 that I should be off for Napoli, and return here by to- 
 morrow. If he consented to let me distribute to the few 
 remaining in my own way, very well ; but if not, I should 
 go on to some other place. Finished distributing to about 
 twenty families, and at sunset bore away for Napoli, with 
 wind very light. 
 
 Napoli, Thursday, July igth. Came in here this morn- 
 ing and anchored about a mile from the town, outside of the 
 outermost English frigate, of which there are three lying 
 here, besides the Asia line-of-battle ship and a brig, under 
 the command of Codrington, commander in the Mediter- 
 ranean. Landed at the castle, and in passing along found 
 every vessel and boat in the harbour filled with families 
 who have taken refuge here ; the castle was also full, there 
 being the Government and perhaps fifteen hundred persons. 
 No one is left in the lower town ; the families have all fled 
 and left their homes, which had been pillaged by the sol- 
 diery. Women and children were killed by the bursting 
 of shells, and many a poor sick person was hurried to his 
 long home by being driven from his house into the air, 
 and forced to lie down upon the shore to die without a 
 covering over his head. I went into the town, and a scene 
 of desolation and misery presented itself which was horrible 
 indeed : the houses pierced by cannon-balls ; the streets 
 filled with stones and rubbish brought down by bursting 
 bombs ; the stillness uninterrupted except by the tramp of 
 soldiers who, going about armed cap-d-pie, dared not move 
 but in great numbers, for though since yesterday open 
 
^t. 2s] Philanthropic Work 231 
 
 hostilities have ceased, upon the least signal they may 
 break out again. Phoutomaris has succeeded in driving 
 the soldiers of Grivas from many houses, but they still 
 hold many, and both the gates of the town. We may 
 pretty fairly draw from the miserable state of Napoli a 
 picture of the effects of the palikari system : a whole pop- 
 ulation of twenty thousand souls driven from their houses 
 by balls and shells ; women and children killed, or turned 
 out to sleep without a blanket upon the rocks ; the dead 
 bodies of peaceable inhabitants lying unburied in the 
 streets, and the houses plundered by a brutal soldiery. . . . 
 
 There is now hope of an arrangement ; the fellows in 
 the lower town begin to want provisions, and they are 
 willing to enter into an arrangement. Phoutomaris will 
 quit his fort, and Grivas the lower town, and Colonel 
 Heideck of Bavaria will take possession and bring the reg- 
 ular troops of Fabvier here. 
 
 Went on board the Cambrian to pay my respects to 
 that true Philhellene and most honourable man, Captain 
 Hamilton. It was on account of meeting him that the 
 admiral (Codrington) turned back and came up again, for 
 he hoped by Hamilton's superior knowledge of the Greeks 
 and his great influence over them to effect a reconciliation. 
 The conduct of the English here has been very creditable 
 to them ; the admiral went so far as to send in his barges 
 with cannon pointed upon the batteries, forcing the sol- 
 diers to allow the families to save themselves. 
 
 Went on board the admiral to inquire for young Lieu- 
 tenant W , and found that he died yesterday morn- 
 ing, four hours after being wounded in the side by a 
 cannon-shot from the Palamidi,' while he was in the act of 
 pointing a gun. He had distinguished himself in the affair 
 as cannoneer for Phoutomaris, and by exposing himself to 
 
 ' The citadel of Napoli. 
 
232 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 the fire. He knew his situation, said he was glad to die, but 
 wished to have been shot dead ; asked the doctor to open 
 his arteries. On being asked if anything should be said or 
 written to his friends, talked of some trifling business he 
 had left undone ; then feeling death approaching, he sol- 
 emnly left his bitter curse to his country, wishing her 
 every ill and misfortune, muttered something about 
 "Amelia" and a lock of hair, and expired. Thus ended 
 in a civil broil the wild, nay, mad course of a young man 
 whose superior talents, education, and address might have 
 given the most reasonable hopes of a brilliant life and hon- 
 ourable deeds. He was brave but unprincipled, and his 
 unbounded vanity swallowed up all his other qualities. . . . 
 Saturday, July 21 st, Napoli di Malvasia. After lying 
 to all night, found ourselves this morning at daylight off 
 this place," with the wind from the north. Passing in close 
 to the rock, we beat up to the north part of the harbour, 
 if harbour it can be called, and came to anchor about 
 seven miles north of the town and castle. The holding 
 ground is tolerably good, and water may be obtained near 
 by. The port is well sheltered from everything but a 
 southeast wind, on which side it is entirely open to the sea, 
 so that in winter it would be bad lying here, and at the 
 south of the town impossible. Then this place labours 
 under a decided disadvantage in not having any nearer 
 place for shipping, though at small expense, by running 
 out moles, two excellent harbours might be formed. Got 
 into our boat, and pulling for the town, were obliged to 
 land on the mainland (for on the island was no landing- 
 place), and crossing the little bridge of one hundred feet, 
 under which the water is five feet deep with a very rough 
 bottom, we passed along the edge of the hill, and after 
 being questioned at the gate were conducted up a zigzag 
 
 ' Now called Monembasia. 
 
^t. 25] Philanthropic Work 233 
 
 pathway, cut in the rock, to the upper castle. After some 
 fuss at the gate, which was closed, we entered and were led 
 to the home of the commandant, Mavromichalis, a brother of 
 Petro Bey, for whom I had a letter from his nephew, Geor- 
 gios, a member of government. The fat old boy, with a long 
 beard descending upon his breast, received us politely, and 
 invited us to dine. We went out and viewed the fortress, 
 and immediately drew the conclusion which every one does 
 who views it, viz., that it is, or with a few dollars' expense 
 might be made the strongest fortress in the world. No 
 better idea can be formed of this extraordinary place than 
 to suppose that formerly a mountain rose in the sea, just 
 separated by it from the continent ; that the earthy parts 
 of this mountain had been washed away and left its rocky 
 base bare. There it rises from the sea six hundred feet 
 high, and on three sides perpendicular. 
 
 The poor here are not numerous, but are so in the sur- 
 rounding towns. The commandant manifested the strong- 
 est wish to have the vessel brought round here and 
 under his guns, which I shall take very good care to avoid, 
 for I have fear enough of small Mainote robbers, and 
 shall do well to escape them ; how should I do if in the 
 hands of a great one } . . . 
 
 Sunday, July 22d. Made out catalogues of the poor 
 families here, and commenced distributing flour and giving 
 out clothes to the naked. There are but few refugees 
 here, say one hundred and twenty distressed families, more 
 than half from Candia. . . . 
 
 Have to keep a very sharp lookout for thieves here, for 
 though no direct attempts have yet been made to rob me, 
 it is evident from every movement of a Mainote that he 
 wants only an opportunity to steal and not be discovered 
 and he will seize it. In fact one can see, or imagine he 
 sees, the influence of the principles of Lycurgus, for a 
 
234 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 Mainote, like an old Spartan, thinks stealing no crime if it 
 succeeds. In the home where I lodge I found four chairs 
 and a table in the European style, and of excellent con- 
 struction, and my host made not the least scruple in own- 
 ing they had been taken from a French vessel pillaged 
 near this place some months ago. 
 
 "That is," said I, "they were stolen." 
 
 " We took them," said he. 
 
 " But," said I, " it was in reality stealing." 
 
 " Ay," replied he, " perhaps, strictly speaking, it is so, 
 but we Mainotes call it taking things, not stealing \hQm." 
 
 Monday, July 2jd. Went up to visit the King, as the 
 commandant is called, and the jolly fellow received me in 
 his usual frank, honest way. Intending to be off to-day, I 
 was obliged to temporize with him, as he has not yet given 
 up the idea of appropriating to himself a considerable part 
 of the cargo. The poor come in from the surrounding 
 country, but I saw none who appeared to be very miserable 
 except some Candiote refugees. Bought of a priest and 
 of the King a negro slave, in whom they both had a right, 
 the priest having bought her, and the King claiming her 
 for a debt ; so I got a paper from them both, paid i8o 
 piastres, and gave her immediately a writing of freedom. 
 The circumstances of this poor creature were miserable 
 enough ; her master, an infernal brute by nature, treated 
 her so much the worse as she was a burden on his hands, 
 he not being able to sell her for as much as he gave. She 
 was in the same house with me, and came so often, pray- 
 ing me in such agony to deliver her from the monster, 
 falling at my feet and kissing them, and showing me not 
 only marks of blows, but scars from wounds and stabs in- 
 flicted by her master, that I determined to get her liberty 
 and try to send her home, and after much trouble and traf- 
 ficking I effected it, getting a receipt from Mavromichalis, 
 
Mi. 25] Philanthropic Work 235 
 
 in order that I might show to the world, if it should be 
 necessary, that in Greece, although slavery is not allowed 
 by law, a man can keep slaves and most abominably ill- 
 treat them, — may kill them ; for this priest, I am certain, 
 if he could not have sold her to me, would have shot her. 
 And by having the name of Mavromichalis I can show 
 to the world that the great and powerful have the same 
 principle. Took the poor creature on board with me, and 
 was consoled by the thought that, if my expenses should 
 not be paid from the Committee's funds, I have saved a 
 human being from a horrible state of slavery, and perhaps 
 from death. . . . 
 
 But it must be said that the Greeks in general, though 
 they make their prisoners slaves, treat them very kindly, 
 except when they kill them. This may seem paradoxical, 
 but is true, for all the massacres of prisoners have been 
 in cases of strong public grief, indignation, or excitement. 
 Though much outcry has been raised against them on this 
 account, I must own that in my opinion other nations in 
 their places might have done worse. Sailors and soldiers 
 without discipline, law, or fear of punishment, seeing in 
 their power their former dreaded tyrants, men from whom 
 they had suffered the most horrible oppression, in whom 
 perhaps they saw their father's murderer, their mother's 
 or sister's ravishers, and their own persecutors, could 
 hardly be expected to refrain from seizing an opportunity 
 of revenging injuries the most infernal that man commits. 
 I remember, too, in one affair, where four or five boats 
 from Greek vessels, and one from the steamboat manned 
 by Englishmen, boarded some Turkish vessels, the Eng- 
 lish committed enormities the most horrible. I saw one 
 jump overboard after a Turk who was trying to save him- 
 self by swimming, drag him out, and after opening his belt 
 and finding he had no money, stab him and throw him 
 
236 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1827 
 
 overboard. Another, to whom a Turk surrendered and 
 presented his arms, dehberately cocked his pistol and 
 shot him dead. Nay, our boatswain's mate could with 
 difficulty be persuaded from attempting to kill a prisoner 
 whom we had had on board some days. If foreigners do 
 these things, how much more excusable are Greeks ! 
 
 Tuesday, July 2^th. Got under way this morning at 
 daylight, though the captain had orders from me, and had 
 promised to start at midnight ; thus a second time deceiv- 
 ing me, and losing several hours of the sea-breeze, which 
 might have sufficed us to reach Leonidi ; but being almost 
 calm the whole day, we made almost no progress. Passed 
 close along the coast, which has a barren appearance, the 
 mountains rising abruptly from the sea, presenting no 
 
 beach or ports. should be excepted ; the entrance 
 
 is crooked, and difficult to perceive, but it leads to a large, 
 beautiful port, as secure as any dockyard could be, and 
 might be of importance were not the entrance so narrow 
 and crooked that vessels must warp in and out. There 
 are, we are told, the ruins of some ancient castle here. 
 
 Leonidi, Wednesday, July 2^th. Got in here at noon, 
 after some difficulty about the anchorage, there being 
 neither safe port nor good bottom, so that we were obliged, 
 as in many ports in Greece, to lash by hawsers to the 
 rocks. There is upon the shore a sort of custom-house, 
 and some magazines, from whence, mounted on jackasses, 
 we pushed our way up the valley, which is nearly a mile 
 broad at the sea, but soon narrows and forms a curious 
 scene, one side of it being bounded by a steep mountain- 
 side, the other by a rocky precipice several hundred feet 
 high, and so regular as to form a perfect wall, and not to 
 admit even of a goat ascending the least way. The valley 
 thus bounded on the right by its stupendous rocky wall, 
 and on the left by the steep mountainside, runs up about 
 
-^t. 25] Philanthropic Work 237 
 
 five miles, and we followed in the bed of a river until we 
 reached the town of Leonidi, a little on the slope of the 
 hill and about half a mile from the upper end of this cu- 
 rious valley. There is no other natural exit but the bed 
 of the river, which runs between enormous rocks and preci- 
 pices from its source on the mountains. The village of 
 Leonidi being our stopping-place, we were conducted to 
 the house of the First Man (a sort of voluntary title given 
 in every Greek village to the richest person), who received 
 us well enough, gave us something to eat, and then ap- 
 pointed us a lodging, to which we repaired as soon as the 
 shower of rain was over, and made preparation for writing 
 a catalogue of the poor as well as for visiting the surround- 
 ing villages. This village has not many poor, because it 
 has never been ravaged by the Turks. Its houses are 
 excellent, and the rich valley, well cultivated, makes the 
 inhabitants prosper ; in fact there is not, perhaps, so 
 flourishing a village in the Morea, every other one having 
 been sacked and burnt by the Arabs. They came as far 
 as this, too, and looked over into the valley from the preci- 
 pice, but dared not enter a trap from which fifty Greeks 
 might have prevented their ever escaping. 
 
 Thursday, July 26th. Left Leonidi this morning at 
 break of day, accompanied by Doctor Dumont, our three 
 servants, and three muleteers, all armed to the teeth, for 
 the people had warned us that although going on a work 
 of charity, we might possibly meet with gentry who would 
 ask us no questions, but knock us down. So we started, 
 as I said, mounted on good mules, — most malicious devils 
 by the way, kicking at every one who came within reach of 
 their heels, as all good mules in Greece seem to make it a 
 principle to do. Mine, for instance, after sundry attempts 
 to throw me off by kicking up, backing, and raising his rump 
 to an angle of forty-five, took an opportunity (when I had 
 
238 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 got off with the Christian-like purpose of relieving him in 
 climbing a mountain) most unchristian-like to return evil for 
 my good, giving me an infernal kick with his right hinder leg 
 in the belly, which would undoubtedly have killed me, ac- 
 cording to the beast's intentions, had it not been for a stout 
 pistol-belt crammed full of pistols, yataghans, and other such 
 weapons. I write this that all decent folks may be put 
 on their guard, and not venture near a mule's hinder parts, 
 particularly if you have been riding said beast, and have 
 chanced to give him any hard knocks by way of urging 
 him on. Be assured he will remember you, and if you 
 are beside him, he will generally edge his rump round till 
 he gets his hind leg to bear upon you, when with a whisk, 
 a leer, and a kick, he will repay you for all you have in- 
 flicted upon him. 
 
 So ! let me go on ; where was I } Oh ! mounted on a 
 mule, and ascending the precipitous ridge which forms 
 this boundary of the valley, by a rude road made zigzag, 
 in some places hewn in the rocks, and just broad enough 
 for one mule to pass ; with a precipice rising on one hand 
 close by me and an abyss yawning on the other to receive 
 me if my beast should make a misstep and roll with me to 
 the bottom. Getting safely to the top, we watered our 
 beasts at a cistern, and continued our route northwest, pass- 
 ing every half-hour a cistern, until we reached the top of 
 a hill, which brought us in sight of the beautiful val- 
 ley of Limpia, which lay spread as it were under our 
 
 feet. Before us was the Monastery of , to the right 
 
 the village of Limpia, and farther on that of Plateniki, the 
 roofs of whose houses were seen peeping from among the 
 branches of the mulberry-trees. Winding down the hill, 
 we soon came to the village, whose eighty houses, though 
 half dilapidated, still are inhabited. We entered the house 
 of an old man, and proceeded to find out the poor and 
 
^t. 25] Philanthropic Work 239 
 
 miserable ; found about twenty families of the place and 
 two Roumeliote families, the latter in most abject misery, 
 to all of whom I gave orders for flour at Leonidi. . . . 
 
 This place has about eighty houses ; all were burnt and 
 pillaged last year by the Turks, the inhabitants saving 
 themselves in the mountains. . . . 
 
 After riding an hour and a half from Limpia across a 
 ridge of hills, we arrived at a village, which is built at the 
 head of a valley and contains about one hundred and fifty 
 houses. We were kindly received by the Primate or First 
 Man, whom I recognized as a patient whom I had last year 
 cured of a fistula. The old man was delighted to see 
 me, and has really done everything in his power to 
 show his gratitude, slaying his fatted calf and giving us a 
 fine supper. This village partly escaped the Turks, though 
 they entered it and set fire to some houses, but were 
 frightened off. 
 
 Friday, July 2^th. Left our good host and the comfort- 
 able village of Palaiochori at dawn of day, my mule loaded 
 with fresh cheese and other nice things from the old man's 
 larder, and journeyed on through a rough, stony country, 
 crossing one fine valley, however, and after three hours' 
 ride came to the village of Kosma. . . . 
 
 We were conducted to the home of the bishop of the 
 district of Leonidi, and proceeded to make out a catalogue 
 of the poor and distressed families, many of whom are 
 refugees from other parts, and to give them orders for 
 flour at Leonidi. We found nearly a hundred families 
 here in want, and after finishing the distribution of billets, 
 passed out of the village amidst the benedictions of the 
 poor, with outstretched hands, praying God to bless the 
 people of America, who were thus relieving their wants. 
 Our road descended rapidly, through some of the wildest 
 scenery imaginable, now at the base of huge precipices. 
 
240 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 now on the edge of deep abysses, now over steep rock, 
 and now along the deep ravine. Journeying thus three 
 hours on foot (for it was impossible to ride), we had nearly 
 reached the bottom of the mountain when a turn brought 
 us in view of the Monastery of the Virgin, built in a cu- 
 rious manner in a crevice of the mountain. Nearly at 
 the top the rock had been hollowed in by nature, and a 
 sort of roof formed by the part above, which overhangs 
 the cavern and rises in a precipice of two hundred feet. 
 There is but one possible entrance to this monastery, and 
 this is by a narrow pass round the precipice to its left wing, 
 where it has a door ; a pass which five men could defend 
 against five thousand. If you imagine an enormous preci- 
 pice in the middle of which is scooped out a cavern with 
 precipice above, precipice below, and precipice around, 
 with but one narrow sheep-path along the rock, you will 
 have an idea of this monastery. The overhanging rocks 
 prevent anything being rolled down upon it from above, 
 and would make extremely difficult the throwing in of any 
 shells from the opposite heights. The monastery is rich, 
 has about fifty monks, who cultivate the land belonging 
 to it, and when the Turks were ravaging the surroimding 
 country, a thousand persons, perched up here as in an 
 eyrie, saw in safety their enemies ravaging and burning 
 all before them. Just below is a most delightful fountain, 
 shaded by thick foliage, which to the heated traveller de- 
 scending from the rough mountain path, is one of the 
 most delicious treats. . . . 
 
 Leaving this fountain, we continued the descent, and 
 striking into the dry bed of a river, we wound our course 
 through ragged, rocky hill-bases until it led us out to the 
 head of the valley, and in a few minutes, after five hours' 
 journey from Kosma, we again squatted down upon our 
 carpets in our house at Leonidi. 
 
^t. 2s] Philanthropic Work 241 
 
 Saturday, July 28th. Spent the day in giving out bill- 
 ets to the poor, who came in from the surrounding moun- 
 tains, where they lodge in holes and caverns, and who, 
 hearing of the distribution, had come down for their share, 
 and to eat bread the first time, perhaps, for months. I 
 went down to the vessel at one time, and it was really odd 
 to see me riding on a jackass and surrounded by a troop 
 of three hundred ragged, half-naked women, men, and 
 children, all running down to the magazines for their por- 
 tion of flour, and teasing me on the way for cotton or 
 cloth ; I might say, with Fal staff, that in my regiment 
 there was but a shirt and a half. 
 
 Sunday, July 2gth, Lerna, or Mills of Napoli. Left 
 Leonidi at one a. m. and ... at two p. m. came to 
 anchor off the Mills, opposite the Lake of Lerna. Got 
 into our boat and ran over to Napoli, where I found every- 
 thing as I left it ten days ago : Grivas holding the Pala- 
 midi, Phoutomaris the fort. Government in the Bourg, and 
 the poor inhabitants of the town still lying about in tents, 
 under the shelter of rocks, etc., while the two brigand 
 chiefs (God's curse light on both of them !) are pillaging 
 their homes. General Church with an army is outside, 
 and trying to make some arrangement. In fact, it is the 
 most shocking, melancholy picture that I have witnessed 
 since I have been in Greece : at a moment when the most 
 imminent peril is hanging over a country, to see civil war 
 raging under the very eyes of Government, a population 
 of twenty thousand souls driven almost naked from their 
 homes by their countrymen, their houses plundered ; in 
 fine, all the disposable force of the country assembled and 
 unable to put an end to a quarrel between two wretches 
 whose whole force does not amount to eight hundred men. 
 The conduct of the Government has been very weak, and 
 perhaps worse ; there has been a want of unanimity which 
 
242 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. D.1827 
 
 has paralyzed all attempt at putting down Grivas, one 
 party perhaps even supporting him. 
 
 Monday, July JOth, Lerna. Started at daylight on 
 horseback and rode over the plain south four miles to 
 Chevadi, a little ruined village with a mill, where we found 
 thirty-seven families in great misery and gave them orders 
 for flour. Then rode on to the west, finding here five, ten, 
 and fifteen miserable families, refugees from their native 
 villages, and living under the projections of rocks, or in 
 caves or little huts made by sticking up poles, slanting, 
 and thatching them with branches of trees. Most of these 
 were not only hungry but half-naked, and I gave them 
 large orders, even to an hundredweight, with the great- 
 est delight. Hearing that up in the mountains were hid- 
 den many others, we began the ascent, and after a tedious 
 climbing of two hours we came to a little plain where we 
 found about six hundred persons, but not a single house, 
 only the aforesaid huts, if they even merit that name. 
 Here was a sight ! Six hundred persons, mostly widows 
 and orphans, driven from their homes, hunted into the 
 mountains like wild beasts, and living upon the herbs, 
 grass, and what they could pick up about the rocks. Many 
 women came to me haggard and wan, their skin blistered 
 by the sun, their feet torn by the rocks, and their limbs 
 half exposed to view from the raggedness of their clothes, 
 and they swore upon their faith that for many weeks they 
 had not tasted bread. Here I gave them orders for about 
 ten hundredweight of flour, and each one, seizing the 
 billet, ran toward the road to the sea, blessing God that 
 he had created men like the Americans to succour them in 
 their distress. Repaid thus for my toil by the pleasure of 
 relieving such wants, I jogged on to find more misery, and, 
 after giving many orders upon the road, returned at night 
 to the ship. 
 
^t. 25] Philanthropic Work 243 
 
 Mills of Napoli, July 31st, Tuesday. Mounted again 
 on horseback at daylight, and starting off toward Argos 
 crossed the Erasinos, and found myself among about one 
 thousand families, refugees from Napoli, from Argos, and 
 from different parts, most of them in great misery. Went 
 on to Argos, two hours' ride ; found it a melancholy 
 scene ; of the houses which last year I left in good order, 
 filled with a busy population, all but about one hundred 
 and fifty were in ruins ; the fire and the sword had passed 
 over it, and of its numerous inhabitants a few wretches were 
 wandering about among the ruins of their once happy homes, 
 and trying perhaps to pick up some of their effects to sell 
 for a day's bread. Leaving the place by the Tripolitza 
 road, I passed the ancient theatre, which is still tolerably 
 entire, and will probably remain distinguished as long as 
 any in the world, its seats being hewn out of the solid 
 rock in the mountainside. Continuing, we came through 
 the famous Marsh of Lerna without meeting any Hydra. 
 Distributed to three hundred families. . . . 
 
 Thursday, August 2d. Nearly finished all the flour, 
 and exchanged eight barrels of rice for the flour of the 
 country in order to distribute it. 
 
 Friday, August 3d, Spetzia. Left the Mills and arrived 
 here this morning, and landed in the national magazines 
 the goods intended for the hospital. The Primates gave 
 me a superb building, having two large magazines, several 
 chambers, and a fine piazza, rent-free. Some difficulty 
 with the captain. 
 
 Saturday, August <^th, at Sea. After much exertion, 
 and by dint of alternate persuading and threatening, pray- 
 ing and swearing, I succeeded in getting into the maga- 
 zines the goods for sale, viz., beef and fish, and having 
 engaged caiques for ballasting the brig (the beast of a 
 captain would have been three days ballasting with his 
 
244 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1827 
 
 own boat), I got under way at nine A. M,, and we are 
 now off Hydra, with the wind ahead. 
 
 Sunday, August 5th, Poros. Found ourselves at 
 
 daylight off Cape , and having the wind from the 
 
 north, we made a long stretch toward Cape Sunium ' and 
 stood for Poros, which we reached at ten a. m. Found 
 Miller well, and just the same in way and manner. The 
 other brig had just arrived with Stuyvesant and Jervis, 
 having distributed at Corinth, etc. Discharged. 
 
 Tuesday, August yth, Spetzia. Left Poros this morn- 
 ing at eleven in a boat for Hydra, and running rapidly 
 along the coast we soon arrived off the cape, near which 
 are two little rocks, keeping a sharp lookout for a piratical 
 boat, armed and manned by twenty-five Hydriote brig- 
 ands, which had been three days off this port, plundering 
 all small boats. Suddenly, when we were about a quarter 
 of a mile from the little island southeast of the cape, our 
 sailors discovered their lookouts, posted on the high points 
 about, and running toward their boat, trying to grab us ; 
 but we having a stiff breeze from the north, and being 
 to windward, our boatman, shifting his helm, ran west 
 between the island and the cape, and with all sail and 
 oars we got out of the passage and were bearing away full 
 sail for Hydra before they got under way, and thus es- 
 caped. Arrived at Hydra, I quitted my good Karavokurios 
 and entered into another boat of a very suspicious char- 
 acter, for this island, and after waiting some time for the 
 master, who at last came on board, drunk as a pig, we got 
 under way. We were hardly out when I began to see, too 
 late, that I had imprudently put my life at hazard by tak- 
 ing passage in a boat of bad character. Luckily one of 
 my men understood Albanian, and he gathered enough 
 from the discourse of the sailors to know they had some 
 
 ' The modern Cape Colonna. 
 
^t. 25] Philanthropic Work 245 
 
 bad plan. All night it was calm, and I saw the sailors would 
 not take their [oars] though we were near land. Seeing 
 another boat approach, they began a shrill whistling, but 
 it was not answered. I put on the best appearance pos- 
 sible without breaking with them, primed my pistols, kept 
 my servant, who was well armed, always by my side, and 
 showed them they must have a fight for their spoil. But 
 what probably saved me was the presence of two Spet- 
 ziote sailors who were passengers, who would not agree to 
 my being robbed, and thus I got up here. 
 
 Friday, August lOth. Left Spetzia yesterday at three 
 p. M., and after a pretty run arrived at Port Hellada, one 
 of the ports of Kranidi. Went to the monastery, and 
 was well enough received and treated by the hegoumenos, 
 or superior, until he found my object was to see if his 
 monastery might not be turned into a hospital, which put 
 his pipes entirely out. Supped on his good things, never- 
 theless, and after a comfortable night's rest got up this 
 morning, and mounting a mule rode to the town, about 
 four miles from the port. The Primates, coming together 
 to consider my proposition, began only to consider whether 
 it would be for their interest or not, and started so many 
 selfish questions that they well deserve to be ranked with 
 their semi-barbarian brothers of Hydra, Spetzia, and Poros. 
 In this town (containing three thousand houses) and the 
 surrounding villages there are about fifteen hundred refu- 
 gees from Roumelia, etc. Got under way at noon, and 
 after some difficulty in getting out of the port, came away 
 for Didaskaleion, or School Island, which I thought might 
 possibly serve for a hospital. Found it dry and barren ; 
 the old Venetian school in ruins and the cistern dry. 
 Ate of the fruit of the prickly pear, which much re- 
 sembles in taste the musk-melon. At six p. m. arrived at 
 Napoli and found everything in statu quo. 
 
246 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1827 
 
 Napoli, Saturday, August llth. I found this unhappy 
 place just as I left it twenty days ago; its population 
 driven to take refuge (from the shells and balls from Pala- 
 midi) in the environs, where, either in caves or in huts 
 erected by hanging a blanket on a pole, they wait and 
 wait until the most imbecile beasts that ever took the name 
 of Government shall effect some arrangement with the 
 brigand chief who holds the castle. . . . 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 TRAVEL AND DISTRIBUTION 
 
 Sunday, August 26th, Poros. Arrived last night, from 
 Philadelphia, the brig Levant, with a cargo of provisions 
 for the poor. Went on board this morning and found 
 letters from my father, Mr. Everett, and- others. The 
 cargo is consigned to Mr. Miller and the supercargo for 
 distribution, the Committee doing me the honour to direct 
 them to consult me in case of any disagreement, and to 
 make me umpire. Accompanied young Mr. Leib to the 
 Mills, and there displayed to him a scene of wretchedness 
 and misery such as he had never been witness to, nor had 
 formed any idea of. Here was offered to us for sale a 
 beautiful Turkish woman for ^100, the Greeks still keep- 
 ing up the dreadful practice of selling their prisoners. 
 Went with him also to the Government, and found them on 
 the point of embarkation for .iEgina. 
 
 Monday, August 2'jth. It being impossible to remain 
 there in the present state of things, the vessel got under 
 way at nine p. m. last night, and running outside of Spetzia, 
 and this morning outside of Hydra, we arrived here and 
 came to anchor at five p. m. Found all well. 
 
 Tuesday, August 28th, Poros. Started with Mr. Leib 
 this morning, and crossing the neck which now (not an- 
 ciently) connects the two islands, rode about one hour, 
 until we came to the monastery, finely situated in a ravine 
 facing the sea to the southwest. Here we found Mavro- 
 cordatos and his family, who received us in his usual kind 
 
 247 
 
248 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 way. From this we jogged on up the hill until we came to 
 the top and found ourselves among the ruins of the once 
 famous temple of Neptune. This sanctuary, dear to the 
 classic traveller as the spot in which Demosthenes took 
 refuge and where he died, can plainly be traced by the 
 foundation of its walls, still visible, and by the fragments 
 of marble which lie scattered about in confusion. A broken 
 column and a block with an inscription remain, but all the 
 rest have disappeared ; its lofty walls, its splendid columns, 
 its rich ornaments have been thrown down, crumbled, or 
 carried away, and the spot once frequented by supersti- 
 tious thousands is a dreary waste, dear only to the solitary 
 traveller. 
 
 Report of the sailing of the Egyptian fleet has spread 
 alarm, and Cochrane has gone upon the lookout for them, 
 but he has almost nothing prepared, nor has he the means ; 
 the supply which reached him the other day was only 
 ^20,000. . . . 
 
 Wednesday, August 2gth, ^gina. Left Poros in com- 
 pany with Mr. Leib at about ten this mom, and with a 
 smacking breeze we ran over here in three hours. Found 
 everything in confusion, — the Government just arrived and 
 [in] the greatest difficulty about houses to put their heads 
 in. Found my friend Finlay on the point of departure for 
 Syra. Got a place to stay, not to lodge, in the cJtaumiire 
 of Prylas, an Athenian, a man of information, of liberality, 
 and oh ! rarest of all, a man of honesty. Went out and 
 visited the spot where once stood the splendid temple of 
 Juno, of which but a single column is now standing. This 
 island is full of tombs, which being opened every day pro- 
 duce great numbers of remnants of antiquities, vases, etc. 
 Delivered the biscuit we had brought into the hands of 
 a commission composed of Prylas, Doctor Anag[anei ?], 
 the Bishop of Atalanta, and Kanaris, to be distributed 
 
^t. 25] Travel and Distribution 249 
 
 to the poor, of which great numbers have taken refuge 
 here ; say the population is forty thousand. 
 
 Thursday, August JOth. Spent the day in inquiries 
 about the situation and ground for a hospital. Left in 
 the evening in a caique, and had one of the [most] delight- 
 ful sails imaginable ; the wind blew fair and strong, the 
 moon rode in the bright, cloudless sky, and shone upon 
 the dark waves of the .^gean around us with a splendour 
 unknown elsewhere. . . . 
 
 Friday, August Jlst. Left Poros this morning at ten 
 o'clock; passed and went on board the steamboat. Am 
 charged with a trabacalo loaded with four hundred barrels 
 of biscuit, destined for distribution to the poor of Spetzia. 
 Winds light and ahead all day ; toward eve we passed the 
 point and ran for Spetzia with a fair wind. 
 
 Saturday, September 1st, Spetzia. Arrived here early 
 this morning, and commenced unloading the trabacalo. 
 Wrote letters to Poros and to Napoli, communicated with 
 the Primates about the manner of distributing. . . . 
 
 Monday, September 3d. Occupied all day in loading the 
 trabacalo with the fish and meat for the hospital. Message 
 from the Government pressing the Spetziotes to hasten to 
 elect their representatives ; for the deputies from France 
 and Russia having arrived, and Hamilton, on the part of 
 England, being daily expected, important business is on 
 hand. Our news are confirmed by the sailing from Alex- 
 andria and arriving at Rhodes of the Egyptian fleet. 
 Cochrane has run down to Candia and back to look out, 
 and is again at Poros, hurrying out the Greek vessels ; 
 they will rendezvous here. He is very active. 
 
 Tuesday, September 4th, Napoli. Left Spetzia this morn 
 at daylight and arrived here at dark. . . . Families begin 
 to come back, but with fear and trembling. Skirmishing 
 about Tripolitza ; Greeks killed some hundred and fifty 
 
250 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 Turks and pursued the rest to the walls of the place; 
 few Turks in it. 
 
 Wednesday, September §th, at Sea. Left Napoli at 
 ten A. M., after having delivered to Mr. Millikanis two 
 barrels of rice and taken his receipt therefor, payable in 
 two months, I considering it more for the benefit of the 
 hospital to sell the rice than to keep it a length of time to 
 spoil. Wind being ahead, we made very small progress 
 down the gulf, and at night are off Kranidi. 
 
 Thursday, September 6th, Spetzia. At daybreak found 
 myself off the east end of Spetzia, becalmed, so leaving 
 the trabacalo in my boat, landed and pushed down to town. 
 Found the business of giving out billets to the poor for 
 bread had been badly done, the priests giving them d. tout 
 le monde, so I declared them all null and void, and com- 
 menced giving them out in my own way, to distressed 
 families only, and sending them directly to the magazines 
 to receive their portion. Received a message from Lord 
 Cochrane requesting me to come immediately on board to 
 consult with his surgeon upon the case of young Bona- 
 parte, the son of Lucien, who had just wounded himself 
 accidentally with a pistol. I went on board the frigate, 
 and found the really noble fellow stretched upon the deck, 
 and without a groan, without a shadow of fear upon his 
 pale countenance, suffering the pain of a wound which he 
 thought must be mortal ; and so upon examination I found 
 it, for the ball having apparently passed into the cavity 
 of the abdomen, leaves but little hope for him. An exact 
 examination could only have satisfied curiosity, not done 
 any good, so consoling him, and giving him all the hope 
 possible, we dressed his wound. The agitation of Lord 
 Cochrane during the dressing was extreme, and on hearing 
 our opinion he paced up and down his cabin, weeping like 
 an infant; his heart, warm and affectionate to all, had 
 
^t. 25] Travel and Distribution 25 1 
 
 been particularly impressed by the open, ingenuous man- 
 ner and the fine enthusiastic feeUngs of young Bonaparte 
 (who in his countenance has the strongest resemblance to 
 his great uncle), and his regret was heightened by the 
 accident happening while the young man was under his 
 care. Continued the distribution, and gave to eight hun- 
 dred and fifty poor persons at the rate of nine pounds of 
 biscuit each. 
 
 Friday, September yth. Going on with the distribution, 
 but with peculiar difficulties from the character of the 
 people. The priests, upon whom I am obliged often to 
 rely for information, are little to be trusted, for each one 
 wishes to get billets for all the poor of his own parish ; 
 that is to say, for all who are not rich. Now my object 
 is not to give to all the poor, but to those poor who are in 
 distress and have not the means to get their daily bread. 
 There are many poor and miserable families here from 
 other parts, and the poor Spetziotes try all possible means 
 to exclude these strangers, as they call them, from getting 
 a share of it. It is a scene really of the comico-serio, to 
 see the pulling and hauling, scratching, screaming, and 
 jabbering among the women that besiege my door from 
 morning till evening. The Spetziote women, not knowing 
 Greek, jabber away in Albanian, and the strangers scold 
 as stoutly in Greek, and end by pulling one another's hair 
 after a long "jaw," in which one has not understood a 
 word the other has been saying. 
 
 Sunday, September gth, Poros. Left Spetzia yesterday 
 morning at ten and arrived here at nine p. m. Found 
 Miller and Stuyvesant ; George gone to Grabousi. To-day 
 arrived a letter from Doctor Russ, announcing his arrival 
 at Hydra. Miller went off in the Greek brig-of-war, Cap- 
 tain Thomas, to find him. 
 
 Monday, September lOth, Poros. Arrived the brig 
 
252 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1827 
 
 Statesman from Boston, with provisions from the Com- 
 mittee. Doctor Russ is supercargo, and the Committee 
 have associated Mr. Miller and myself in the distribution. 
 Received letters from many of my friends, and one from 
 the Committee naming me an associate with Doctor Russ 
 and begging my acceptance of the sum of ;^Soo, for which 
 they have sent me an order on Paris. Occupying myself 
 very busily about the hospital, for which I have persuaded 
 Miller and the rest to make provision by selling part of 
 the things. 
 
 Wednesday, September 1 2th. Loaded the trabacalo with 
 ten barrels of fish and two hundred and seventy-seven bar- 
 rels of bread, and am ready to start, but the tempestuous 
 weather prevents us. . . . 
 
 Saturday, September I^th. Ran around the island much 
 yesterday and to-day in search of a spot fit for a hospital ; 
 at last, after viewing several delightful situations, selected 
 one which, combined with other advantages, presents that 
 of a very large natural cavern in the rock which will serve 
 for magazines.' . . . 
 
 Sunday, September 2jd, Tent at ^gina. Left this 
 island on Monday and went to Poros. Continued and 
 finished the landing of the cargo of the Statesman, sent ofif 
 the trabacalo to the Mills ; George and Stuyvesant going 
 with her. . . . 
 
 Monday, September 2^th, Poros. Left .^Egina this morn- 
 ing at eight a. m. and arrived here at one p. m. 
 
 Friday, September 28th. Engaged a bombard 2X the rate 
 of two thousand piastres per month, with two hundred 
 okes of bread, one barrel of fish and one of meat. Com- 
 menced loading. Had confirmation of the loss of the 
 cargo of the trabacalo at Napoli ; she had strict orders 
 not to go to Napoli, but a tempest forced her in, and 
 
 ' The common word for " shop " or " store " in Greece is magazi. 
 
Mt. 25] Travel and Distribution 253 
 
 the Government, by the farce of a petition from the people, 
 stripped her completely, in spite of the remonstrances of 
 Mr. S. I had prophesied this, and it was in part brought 
 on by the foolish vanity of Constantine, who must, for- 
 sooth, go about the streets bragging that he had got charge 
 of a cargo of American flour ; so the good folk, being hard 
 pressed for the rations of the soldiers, saved their own 
 pockets by plundering the trabacalo. Miller, after much 
 swearing at an accident which prudence or an ordinary 
 attention to advice might have prevented, went off to 
 .^gina to rail at Government. . . . 
 
 Tuesday, October 2d, at Sea. Embarked last night at 
 nine, and have the company of Doctor Russ, my associate, 
 with the gallant and virtuous Colonel Pisa, who goes the 
 rounds with us for his amusement, and Doctor Dupont, 
 who wishes a passage to Syra. 
 
 Wednesday, October Jd, Melos. Found ourselves at 
 daybreak off St. George, and the wind being north, bore 
 away for this island, and at noon entered into this beautiful 
 and spacious harbour, where we found several men-of-war. 
 Went on shore and up to the town, which is on a hill about 
 four miles from the port. Found an English consul, who 
 acts for America also. There are very few poor here of 
 the natives, but a number of Candiotes. Called the chiefs 
 and directed them to number their poor, and we will com- 
 mence to-morrow. 
 
 Thursday, October 4th, Melos. Gave out orders to 
 about one hundred and thirty families, of which one hun- 
 dred are Candiotes ; commenced delivering to them meal 
 at the rate of five okes each person, and delivered forty 
 barrels. The inhabitants of the island are not in want, 
 for there is more land even than they can cultivate. The 
 Candiotes here are about three hundred in number, have 
 one hundred and fifty to two hundred musquets, and 
 
254 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 are complete masters and tyrants in the island; they 
 are just like the palikaris in the other islands, who strip 
 and abuse the poor. Here a man cannot have any- 
 thing in security except in the town. All the villages 
 and farms get pillaged ; that is to say, the Candiotes 
 take what they choose. The islanders are about two 
 thousand in number, at the very outside. The soil is 
 middling, producing a little of ever)rthing, cotton, rye, 
 wheat, figs, grapes, etc. There are several sulphur mines, 
 and there were silver mines. There are some mineral 
 springs, and one of water hot enough to boil eggs. But 
 the only thing that renders Melos of any consequence is 
 its fine port, always a secure refuge from any storm. 
 Visited the amphitheatre, which is still very perfect, it 
 being only filled up in the centre by a vast heap of earth 
 which has fallen in ; but all the seats are entire, of white 
 marble. There is here a port-charge of a dollar per mast 
 for entrance, and half a dollar per anchorage. Our news 
 are that [the] Russian fleet is coming along, that the 
 English and French are blockading the Turks, and have 
 distinctly expressed their determination to oppose by 
 force any hostile movement toward Hydra or Spetzia. 
 The Greek vessels are coming in, leaving Cochrane and the 
 national vessels. 
 
 Friday, October ^th, at Sea. Left Melos at two A. m. 
 and soon gained the open sea, but there the wind proved 
 contrary and prevented us not only from gaining our in- 
 tended port, Paros or Antiparos, but headed us off from 
 Seriphos and Siphnos ; nay, before we gained Thermia we 
 were to the leeward of the port and unable to gain it. 
 Vain also was any attempt to beat through the passage 
 between Thermia and Zea ; for besides that our vessel, 
 partly from her nature and partly from the inability of our 
 crew, is entirely unable to beat to windward, there runs a 
 
^t. 25] Travel and Distribution 255 
 
 strong current through from east to west. Making the 
 best of necessity, we concluded to hold on during the night, 
 hugging the wind ; but the Greeks are timid sailors, and 
 ours, according to the general custom, took in every sail, 
 reefed close to the topsail, and then, having hardly enough 
 to steer by, gradually drifted to leeward, notwithstanding 
 the breeze was steady, the sea smooth, the weather fine, 
 and a full moon shining. 
 
 Saturday, October 6th, Paros. At daybreak this morn- 
 ing found ourselves about fifteen miles to leeward of 
 Thermia, but the wind soon died away, it became calm, 
 and remained so an hour, when a light breeze springing 
 up from the west, we soon came through the passage be- 
 tween Thermia and Zea, and thus entered among the beau- 
 tiful Cyclades. Leaving Syra and Tenos away on our left, 
 we steered for this island, and about evening came off the 
 north port, and taking a tack or two, soon gained the en- 
 trance and came to anchor among a division of the Greek 
 fleet, commanded by Miaulis. This port is very fine ; 
 sheltered in one part from any wind, its holding ground is 
 good, its waters rather deep, and it can accommodate in the 
 worst weather thirty ships-of-war, in summer one hundred. 
 We have been in danger from pirates, and should have 
 undoubtedly been attacked once by a mistico which was 
 pulling for us, had it not been for a breeze that saved us. 
 We have two cannon, twenty musquets, and should hold a 
 pretty good tussle against two or three boats. 
 
 Sunday, October yth, Paros. Came on shore early in 
 the morning, and found friend Finlay and Captain Bannis- 
 ter both here from Naxos ; persuaded them to accompany 
 us in a visit to the grotto of Antiparos. Set my secretary 
 about making out a catalogue of the poor, and at eleven 
 A. M. started with the two and Colonel Pisa and Russ for the 
 grotto, all mounted upon jack and jenny asses. Riding an 
 
256 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 hour and a half over ground badly cultivated but naturally 
 rich, we began to mount to the left till we came to the 
 Monastery of St. John. Leaving our beasts, we took 
 candles and guides, and descending the other side of the 
 hill, we came to the entrance of the celebrated and exten- 
 sive quarries from which the ancients drew their [Parian] 
 marble. The entrance was natural, but everything within 
 bore marks of the chisel, and we could see that the long 
 vast hall, as far as the eye could reach, had been all cut 
 out, and was all beautiful white marble. Going about 
 one hundred and fifty feet, we were obliged to light our 
 candles, and went on through a vast hall, high as the 
 light of our candles could reach, and one hundred and 
 fifty feet broad. This continued perhaps four hundred 
 yards, when we were stopped by the passage being filled 
 up. Our guide, pointing out a low passage, entered it 
 crawling on his hands and knees, and we followed him. 
 Soon the passage became so low that we could only ad- 
 vance by lying fiat on our bellies and hitching along, 
 always guarding well our candles ; then advancing another 
 two hundred yards, we came to a place where we could 
 stand upright and walk about. Stretching out to the 
 right, we followed a passage to its extremity, and there we 
 saw every mark as though the ancients had only yesterday 
 left their work ; every mark of the cuttings being perfect 
 in the marbles. To the left our guides dared not go far for 
 fear of getting lost, but there evidently was an opening 
 once on that side of the mountain, from which the marble 
 was drawn. We left with regret this mark of the industry 
 and enterprise of the ancients, and at five p. m. arrived at 
 the village of Parechia on the shore opposite Antiparos, 
 where we spent the night. 
 
 Monday, October 8th. An hour before daylight we were 
 awakened by our guide for the grotto of Antiparos. Hav- 
 
^t. 25] Travel and Distribution 257 
 
 ing provided ropes, a ladder, candles, etc., he embarked 
 with us in a boat, and in an hour and a half we rowed across 
 the channel to Antiparos. Landed at the little village, we 
 were provided with twelve jackasses. Accompanied by 
 guides for the route and for the cavern, we started, and 
 after two hours' ride arrived at the summit of the ridge, 
 where leaving our beasts, we descended a little to the other 
 side, and turning to the right came to the entrance of 
 this most famous of all grottoes. It is high, arched, and 
 entering some way into the mountain forms by itself, with 
 its two fine columns of stalactite in the centre, a noble 
 cavern. Our guides began by fastening a strong rope 
 around a column, by which they descended [through] a 
 small hole in the rocks at the back part of the outer 
 cavern ; they soon called us, and lighting our candles, we 
 followed them. Hanging on to the rope and slipping 
 down the rock some distance, we came to a more level 
 place, over which we crawled, always hanging by the rope, 
 which was fastened at both ends and drawn tight ; we 
 were completely shut out from the light of day, and our 
 candles showed us that we were in a sloping passage 
 through the rock of considerable dimensions. After push- 
 ing on for some time we came to a frightful abyss, down 
 which it was necessary to descend by a rope ladder which 
 our guides had placed ; this we did with some difificulty, 
 and then pushed along over a ridge with an unfathomable 
 abyss yawning on our right, the blackness of which was 
 made partly visible by the light our candles threw into it. 
 This passed, we came to more level ground, and having a 
 moment to breathe, we held up our candles and found our- 
 selves in the body of the grotto, one of the finest situations 
 in nature ; a huge cavern whose extent the eye could not 
 make out, with a lofty wall from which hang thousands of 
 large and brilliant stalactites in forms of icicles, while at 
 
258 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 the head of the cavern the glittering stalagmites, in forms 
 of tables, columns, and altars, formed a tout ensemble the 
 finest in nature. We recognized the splendid altar on 
 which the bishop caused mass to be celebrated, and we 
 found it as he had left it ; its beautiful columns, its stalac- 
 tites hanging about, here in light fanciful fringes, here in 
 long icicles, were just as he described them. Beyond the 
 altar we found the beautiful little chamber formed by the 
 alabaster fringe that hangs from the roof. 
 
 Tuesday, October gtk, Paros. Having a list made out 
 of the poor, and tickets given to each family, we com- 
 menced distributing, giving to each person three okes of 
 flour and one of beans, being on an average forty pounds 
 of flour and five of beans to each family. Gave to three 
 hundred and ten families. 
 
 Wednesday, October lOth, Paros. Continued distrib- 
 uting; gave out to about five hundred and five fami- 
 lies, whole number of barrels one hundred and fifteen. 
 Cretans making some fuss. The Politarch sent me a 
 paper, half petition, half order, for flour for his soldiers ; 
 put off answering him until nearly night, when he could 
 not bother the distribution, and then sent him a flat re- 
 fusal. The island has seven villages, of which Parechia 
 is the principal, but its port is bad. This village has 
 about sixty houses, but its port is excellent ; there is a 
 ruin of a Venetian fort with a tower and lighthouse. The 
 whole island may have about two thousand inhabitants, 
 but the foreigners are perhaps still more numerous, that is 
 to say, the Candiotes. . . . 
 
 Antiparos is rather insignificant, separated from Paros 
 by a channel nearly a mile broad, but with rocks and islets 
 in it ; the island has about fifty houses and two hundred and 
 fifty souls. Here also the Candiotes rule supreme, in fact 
 in these two islands. In Melos they are tyrants ; they 
 
JE.t. 25] Travel and Distribution 259 
 
 oppress the people abominably ; they go about armed ; they 
 rob the farms, or rather openly take possession of them. 
 In this place they have openly taken away the contents of 
 two shops, and just now I was called to a man who had been 
 stabbed in the belly and mortally wounded by a Candiote ; 
 he had, upon being questioned by the Candiote about 
 something, merely grumbled about the right to examine 
 him, when the Candiote stabbed him. Now this man will 
 die, probably, and what will happen to the Candiote? 
 Why, nothing, just nothing, for there is no civil power. 
 Laws exist in Greece, and good laws, too, but who is to 
 put them in execution > . . . 
 
 The smaller islands about here, such as Argustier, 
 Siphnos, Seriphos, etc., are still more distressed by the 
 Candiotes, who do just as most of the inhabitants of 
 Greece would do if in their place ; and probably better than 
 the inhabitants of most other countries would do ; for an 
 ignorant people with no law to restrain them, with arms in 
 their hands and nothing but their own will for directors, 
 will not sit among another people who have plenty and 
 starve because this is not their own. . . . 
 
 The Greeks [themselves] fear no punishment, for none 
 follows even murder. The lawless, half-starved soldiery 
 are scattered all over the country, and yet robbery on the 
 highway is as rare as in any country, and murder rarer 
 than in any other that I know of. During three years' 
 residence in the country I have not known more than six 
 murders. The Greeks are not a bad people ; in fact, all 
 things considered, it is strange they are so good ; for with- 
 out religion, without the still stronger tie of a spirit of 
 honour, what can be expected of a people ? They have 
 no religion, I say, that tends to govern their moral conduct 
 or inspire them with honest or honourable feelings, for it 
 is nothing but superstition, which is stronger than most 
 
26o Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1827 
 
 people are aware of. The most desperate, abandoned crew 
 of pirates that cruise the Archipelago would hardly be 
 found to have one man aboard who would dare to go forth 
 on a thieving voyage without lighting a lamp before the 
 picture of the Virgin, or to level his gun to shoot a man 
 without making the sign of the cross ; nay, should they 
 succeed, and their consciences become a little more bur- 
 dened by some outrageous robbery, they have only to enter 
 the first church (of which every barren rock has one), 
 make the cross some dozen times, fill up the Virgin's 
 lamp, leave a few paras for the priest, and all is well ; 
 they are as good candidates for heaven as their most pious 
 neighbours. I found a very good old woman to-day, with 
 whose expression I was pleased. "I will crawl on my 
 belly " (for she could not walk) " and beg my bread in the 
 streets, rather than [that] my daughter shall be dishon- 
 oured, or the lamp of the Virgin be not filled day and 
 night." 
 
 Thursday, October llth, Naxos. Got imder way from 
 Paros at nine this morning ; nearly calm. Hardly had the 
 anchor up when I saw a boat pulling off to us filled with 
 Candiotes ; got guns and cutlasses all ready, and warned 
 them off, but finding they wanted only to give a message, 
 and that they were not so strong as we, let them come on 
 board. They brought a message from the principal Can- 
 diotes, which I found was apparently to beg a portion 
 more of flour for families which they pretended had not 
 received any, but in reality to get a little rice for them- 
 selves ; they talked about writing to the Government about 
 unjust distribution, but on my answering that I was not 
 accountable to Government, and cared not for them, they 
 went off satisfied I was not to be hummed. At two p. m. 
 came into this port, if port it can be called which cannot 
 shelter vessels of any size, and cast anchor close to the 
 
jEt. 2s] Travel and Distribution 2.(>i 
 
 town and near the little island on which is the splendid 
 gateway of the temple of Bacchus. On shore found friend 
 Finlay, lodged like a prince. Went off to see the gate- 
 way ; it is indeed most nobly simple : two slabs of white 
 marble eighteen feet in length, crossed at the top by 
 a third twelve feet, form a tout ensemble hardly to be 
 surpassed by any combination. . . . 
 
 Friday, October I2th. Commenced the distribution to 
 the families to which we had given billets last night. Find 
 many who have every earthly mark of being poor, poor, 
 poor. Gave to about two hundred and sixty families. 
 Last night was much agitated by a report received of 
 the killing of my friend Haine, but to-day a letter from 
 Captain Hastings not only relieved us of all anxiety on 
 Haine's account, but filled us with exultation for the glo- 
 rious success of the old Perseverance steamboat. Hastings 
 •writes thus : 
 
 My dear Finlay : — The 29th of last month was the 
 finest day of my existence ; we went into the Gulf of Salona 
 to attack nine Turkish vessels, one brig of sixteen guns, 
 bearing an admiral's flag, one schooner of fourteen guns, 
 three smaller schooners, two armed transport-brigs, and 
 two boves. Thomas and the two gunboats went in with 
 me, but before we could come to anchor, although close 
 astern of me, the admiral was on fire, a schooner on fire, a 
 transport-brig sunk forward and on fire aft, and a cargo- 
 schooner deserted. They were all aground, and we destroyed 
 all but one very small schooner and one bove. But as a 
 counter-balance to all this, I am in want of everything,, 
 provisions, ammunition, coals, ropes, boats, and above alL 
 money ; pray try to get me some. Yours, etc., 
 
 F. Hastings. 
 
262 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 Saturday, October 13th, Island of Naxos. Left the 
 principal town this morning at eight o'clock and proceeded 
 to the village to oversee the distribution of tickets to the 
 poor, as well as to get a view of the fine parts of this 
 island, called the Queen of the Cyclades. Rode one hour to 
 the little village of Agio Previna : about thirty-five houses, 
 all well off. From hence an half-hour we turned the hill 
 and saw to our left the beautiful Potavtia, a sort of ravine 
 between two hills, down which runs a perennial stream. It 
 is full of olives, citron, etc. High up on an almost inac- 
 cessible mount is the ruin of the castle of the Dukes of 
 Naxos. Farther on we came to the plain of Damario, 
 which is surrounded by mountains, and on which are about 
 twelve villages ; this is one of the most beautiful spots 
 imaginable. . . . 
 
 Sunday, October 14th, Naxos. According to arrange- 
 ments made, started two hours before daylight on mule- 
 back and commenced climbing to the top of Mount Zeus, 
 or Jupiter, the highest peak upon the island, from which 
 all the isles of the Archipelago may be seen in a clear day. 
 By a tedious and dangerous route we arrived at the peak 
 just as the first streak of light began in the east. We 
 were surrounded by a thick mist, which wet us, although 
 the clouds were far beneath our feet. For a few moments 
 as the light advanced we could see, through broken rifts 
 in the sea of thick white clouds which hung round the 
 mountain, the Archipelago spread as a chart beneath our 
 feet, but soon the mass closed around us, and we lost one 
 of the finest views in nature — a sunrise from the peak. 
 But I was amply compensated by the sublime scene we 
 enjoyed for half an hour of the thick clouds rolling 
 about beneath us, shutting out all view of the earth. 
 Leaving the mountain-top with our guides we began to 
 descend, and in half an hour reached the entrance of one 
 
^t. 25] Travel and Distribution '2(i2, 
 
 of the finest caverns in the Levant. Having everything 
 prepared, light brushwood in abundance, candles and 
 guides, we entered through a narrow hole, which soon ex- 
 panding, we were in an entryway through the rock of such 
 dimensions that our candles could not throw light across 
 it. Advancing thus about two huridred feet, we turned 
 a little to the right and found ourselves in a vast apart- 
 ment whose dimensions we could hardly calculate, but 
 when we had kindled brushwood in different parts of it 
 and the flame lit it up a little, we could see that from 
 side to side was at least six hundred feet, the roof of 
 smooth stone three hundred feet high, while the farther 
 end was lost in distant darkness. After sufficiently admir- 
 ing this grand scene, we began crossing to the upper end 
 of the cavern, lighting fires as we went along, by which we 
 might find our way back. We lighted twenty fires along 
 at intervals, and at last reached the upper part of this great 
 natural church. Here we found a huge stone altar, from 
 which rose columns of alabaster. On each side were ante- 
 chambers formed by sheets of stalactites ; in one was a 
 column perfectly round, about ten feet high, twenty inches 
 in diameter. Long icicles and sheets of stalactites hung 
 about and formed a scene equal to any I have yet seen for 
 magnificence, and only surpassed in brilliancy by that of 
 Antiparos. We were an hour in the great cavern, and yet 
 did not explore it all, so huge are its dimensions. Re- 
 turned to the town and finished the distribution. . . . 
 
 Monday, October l^th. Left Naxos at midnight, and 
 had a breeze for about two hours, and then it became calm 
 and continued so all day. 
 
 Tuesday, October l6tk, Syra. At daylight, about three 
 miles from the entrance of this port, were becalmed, but 
 by nine o'clock got in and began unloading. Syra, as 
 usual, very busy. Three ships were taken in sight here 
 
264 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 to-day, by the pirates, at noon. We mustered twelve 
 foreigners, and with our servants volunteered to go and 
 release the vessels, which are at Mykonos, if the Govern- 
 ment would give us an armed vessel with ten sailors. This 
 they would not do ; nobody would start. We offered one 
 thousand piastres for a small vessel ; they demand two 
 thousand, and there is not public spirit enough in the mer- 
 chants to pay it. 
 
 Wednesday, October lyth. Commenced distributing to 
 the poor here after having a list of the families, of which 
 about one thousand are very poor and four hundred miser- 
 ably so. Got the whole of our cargo landed. 
 
 Arrived last night the brig Cherub, of Boston, brought 
 in by a Greek brig ; she was found ashore upon the isle of 
 Delos, abandoned by her crew, and pillaged of the best 
 part of her cargo. Her jolly-boat being missing makes it 
 probable that her crew saved themselves on one of the 
 other vessels which escaped ; for there were three together, 
 and only one got away. On her arrival (part of her goods 
 being on board the brig), the authorities put a guard on 
 board, as also [did] the English consul and the captain of 
 the brig. The authorities had some intention of landing 
 the cargo (hoping to get the duties), but with Doctor Russ 
 I protested against it. Being the only Americans here, and 
 no consular agent, we petitioned the authorities to have all 
 the cargo put on board, 3.procks verbal taken of the state of 
 the vessel, and seals on our part, as well as that of the 
 authorities, put on until some vessel-of-war arrives. The 
 EngUsh consul is very meddling, and pretends to be [an] 
 American agent, which we doubt. 
 
 Friday, October igth. Going on with the distribution 
 without the least trouble or confusion, and apparently to 
 the satisfaction of every one. The brig, with part of the 
 cargo of the Cherub on board, left this port last night with- 
 
^t. 2s] Travel and Distribution 265 
 
 out having had an inventory of the things taken ; this out- 
 rageous proceeding of the local authorities in allowing the 
 brig to go away aggravates the guilt of their neglect, and 
 in some measure renders them responsible for the cargo. 
 All that we can do after our petition, of which no notice 
 has yet been taken, is to make protest and represent the 
 business to the proper authorities. 
 
 Saturday, October 20th. Finished the distribution, and 
 there remaining about six barrels, we decided to commit 
 them to the charge of the Swedish consul, a man who by 
 his honourable conduct, his philanthropy and urbanity, has 
 rendered his name dear to all Philhellenes. He will dis- 
 tribute the flour to some miserable Catholic families in the 
 upper town, who from fear of the Greeks had not got them- 
 selves written down upon the list. 
 
 Nothing yet done about securing the cargo of the Cherub. 
 Endeavoured to get an authorized copy of the address we 
 sent to the local Government yesterday, but could not suc- 
 ceed ; their eternal delays prevent. Just as we were ready 
 to go off came news that the brig had returned and brought 
 the boat that was missing from the Cherub. The captain 
 says he found it anchored near Mykonos, and saw three men 
 on shore, two with hats ; called them, but they fled ; thinks 
 they were part of the crew of the Cherub. Thinking it 
 an imperious duty to countrymen in distress, I endeavoured 
 to get a boat to go to Mykonos, but there being no suitable 
 boat here, and all others fearing to go, I am obliged to 
 wait till to-morrow in a painful uncertainty about the fate 
 of the crew, who are probably living in the mountains, 
 afraid to go to the town of Mykonos. 
 
 Sunday, October 2Ist, Mykonos. Got a Mykoniote boat 
 to take me to Syra for thirty piastres. We had a pretty 
 breeze and a pleasant passage, passing in view of Tenos 
 and plainly distinguishing the houses in its villages (of 
 
266 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1827 
 
 which there are sixty-six), and passing close to Delos, once 
 so famed and held in awe, not by Greeks alone, but by 
 barbarians, as the chosen seat of Apollo, now inhabited 
 only by a dozen shepherds. At two p. m. arrived here ; 
 the port is miserably bad ; houses about one thousand in 
 number. 
 
 Went with a letter from Signer Manolaki to the French 
 consul, who, simple old soul, did all he could for me 
 in the way of sending out for the crew, but nothing is 
 known of them here. Afterwards came to look for Signer 
 Cordei, who was supposed to be United States consular 
 agent. Found that he in reality was so, and that he had 
 been doing all he could about the crew ; but every circum- 
 stance seems to prove that they are lost, or gone on board 
 the other vessel, and not on this island. Sent out some 
 shepherds with a letter and the United States arms, to 
 show in case they should find one of the crew. Persuaded 
 the consul, as he is appointed for the three islands of Tenos, 
 Mykonos, and Syra, that it is his duty to go to S)n-a and 
 protect the cargo ; and he is ready to do his duty as 
 soon as he sees it, but as his instructions from Offley 
 were to act no more publicly than should be actually 
 necessary, he is in doubt. In fact, Ofiley's letters to 
 him are written in a very equivocal and bungling man- 
 ner. . . . 
 
 Monday, October 22d, at Sea. Started from Mykonos 
 in company with the consul at four A. m. ; arrived at Syra 
 at eight a. m., and at ten got under way with our bombard, 
 [bound] for Poros. Passed a pirate boat, but he saw too 
 many marks of preparation about us to attack us ; in fact, 
 if vessels only knew what cowards these pirates are, they 
 would never be robbed, for the least resistance will keep 
 them off. Give me a vessel with moderately high sides, 
 two light guns, and twelve resolute men, and I would 
 
^t. 2s] Travel and Distribution 267 
 
 pledge my all on sailing about every port of the Archi- 
 pelago and beating off every vessel which approaches. 
 The pirates always come in long, light, open boats which 
 pull from sixteen to thirty-six and forty oars ; they some- 
 times have a gun, and always select calm weather to attack. 
 But how get up the sides of a vessel if twelve men with 
 cutlasses were to oppose them ? They are arrant cowards, 
 and as the first half-dozen who mounted would be likely 
 to be killed, they would give up the attempt. . . . 
 
 No place can be better than the Archipelago for piracy ; 
 with an island always in reach, and calms almost every 
 noon, the light boats can always escape from vessels of 
 war. The crew land and hide among the rocks ; there is 
 no police, they are safe. Before the breaking out of the 
 Revolution each island had great numbers of men entirely 
 supported by navigation. The war cut off their means 
 of livelihood. They suffered two or three years, then some 
 began to " pirate ; " they had no other resource. Others 
 saw that they gained, that they risked but little, and ves- 
 sels of all nations were plundered. In the disorganized 
 state of things they found a ready market for their spoil ; 
 they could bring it into any port, sell it openly, be known 
 as pirates, and yet not be punished. They enriched them- 
 selves, built vessels for the business, and went on flourishing. 
 If now and then one was taken, the vessel was burnt, or 
 perhaps the men sent to Malta for trial, where they were 
 sure to be acquitted, and come back to resume their trade 
 more boldly, for they saw their punishment was not to be 
 death. They never murdered those whom they plundered, 
 and they escaped hanging. But it was a great fault on 
 the part of the commanders of vessels-of-war not to have 
 made examples ; a few bodies hanging at their yard-arms, 
 and displayed round among the islands, would have had 
 more effect than all they have done. . . . 
 
268 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1827 
 
 A brief extract from the " Historical Sketch " will 
 further illustrate the methods of these pirates. 
 
 " It was not uncommon for a frigate, after a hard chase 
 of a pirate, to cut her off from every chance of escape, and 
 force her into a bay from which there was no outlet ; the 
 barges would then be manned, and sent in to bring out 
 the pirate, but not a vessel, nor boat, nor the least appear- 
 ance of one, was to be seen. There was no creek or out- 
 let by which she could have escaped ; where was she ? for 
 she certainly had come in here. Had the Greeks lugged 
 her off, masts and all, into the mountains.' It was for 
 a long time a mystery ; they did not know that the Greeks 
 would pull out the plugs of their little vessel, tumble over- 
 board, and paddle ashore like water-dogs, and let her sink 
 to the bottom, which was not very deep. They would 
 then watch in the caves till they saw the astonished Euro- 
 peans retire, and the moment the frigate was well imder 
 way, they would plunge into the water, dive, one after 
 another, till they had thrown all the ballast-stones out of 
 their sunken bark, and thus lighten her until she would 
 rise to the surface, when they would right her and row 
 away to seek more spoil." 
 
 The two letters which follow throw further light upon 
 this eventful autumn of 1827. 
 
 PoROS, November ist, 1827. 
 To the Members of the Greek Committee, Boston. 
 
 Gentlemen : — We beg leave to inform you that in the 
 disposition of the cargo of the brig Statesman we have ven- 
 tured to deviate a little from the course generally pursued 
 in the distribution of supplies sent out from America, be- 
 lieving that we should most effectually " relieve the distress 
 occasioned by the disastrous war in this country " by de- 
 voting a portion of it to the support of a hospital for the 
 
^t. 2sJ Travel and Distribution 269 
 
 gratuitous relief of the poor sick. But a few weeks ago, 
 the American agents were solicited by the Government, and 
 by many of the most respectable citizens in the country, 
 to lend their assistance in establishing an institution of 
 this nature. This fact, together with the simple circum- 
 stance that but one hospital (and that upon a distant 
 island) existed in Greece, might be sufficient to authorize 
 us in so doing, but we had other and more powerful reasons, 
 which convinced us that the benevolent donors would have 
 taken the same step had they been intimately acquainted 
 with the peculiar kind of suffering which exists in Greece. 
 Many a poor object have we seen lying upon the bare 
 ground by the roadside or under a tree, parched with fever, 
 whom all the flour in America could neither solace nor 
 save — many a poor soldier whose long undressed wound, 
 full of little maggots, was hurrying him to an untimely 
 grave, from which a little care and cleanliness might have 
 spared him. . . . 
 
 Considerations of this nature, gentlemen, have induced 
 us to appropriate a part of your cargo to the houseless 
 sick. We feel thoroughly persuaded that more good will 
 be done, more misery relieved by this measure, than by any 
 distribution of triple the quantity of goods and provisions 
 which we have appropriated to it. We estimate the expense 
 
 at only $ per quarter, and intend that the accounts of 
 
 all expenditures shall be approved by men of known integ- 
 rity and then forwarded to America. Should the Commit- 
 tees in America be inclined to continue the support of this 
 charity, it can be much enlarged by removal to some other 
 place. We chose this because at present the safest, and 
 have possessed ourselves of the most convenient and spa- 
 cious building on the island for its accommodation. The 
 Government, desirous of promoting our design, has given 
 us an order for the large building at Napoli formerly 
 
270 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 appropriated to the purposes of a hospital, but unhappily 
 the unsettled state of that town prevents an immediate 
 removal. 
 
 We have the honour to be, gentlemen. 
 
 Very respectfully yours, 
 
 [Signed] J. P. Miller, Sam. G. Howe, John D. Russ. 
 
 PoROS, November 2d. 
 To William Sampson. 
 
 My dear William : — This day has been to me one of 
 the happiest of my existence, and to all Greece one of joy 
 and exultation. For it has brought the confirmation of 
 the news of the destruction of the Turkish fleet at Nava- 
 rino, and for ever puts at rest the question of the recon- 
 quest of Greece by Turkey. . . . 
 
 On the 13th of September the English and French 
 admirals entered Navarino, and according to the spirit of 
 the treaty between the European powers for the purpose 
 of putting an end to this war, they exacted a promise from 
 the Turkish admiral that he would make no movements 
 whatever, and they returned, leaving each one frigate be- 
 fore the port. 
 
 Five days only elapsed when a division of fifty [Turkish] 
 sail left the place and steered for Patras. Notice was re- 
 ceived by the English and French admirals, who immediately 
 started to overtake them. Sir Edward Codrington arrived 
 first, and immediately opened his fire upon the headmost 
 ships and compelled the squadron to retire to Navarino. On 
 the 3d of October the Russian fleet arrived at Zante, com- 
 posed of four ships of the line, three frigates, one corvette, 
 and one brig. The next day the combined fleets, consisting 
 of twenty-nine vessels, viz., three English, three French, and 
 four Russian ships of the line, four English, three Rus- 
 sian, and one French frigate, one English and one Russian 
 
^t. 25] Travel and Distribution I'^i 
 
 corvette, the rest [being] brigs, bore away for Navarino ; 
 and on the 8th entered the port, with the intention of 
 signifying to the Turkish commander that, having broken 
 his word, he could not be trusted and must retire from 
 Greece ; but not the least idea, probably, of a battle en- 
 tered the minds of the admirals. At the moment of their 
 entrance, a shot was fired from a Turkish battery on shore, 
 probably unintentionally. Having entered and come to 
 anchor, the Russians formed the left wing, the French the 
 right and the English the centre, the English admiral being 
 commander-in-chief. A Turkish fire-ship happening to be 
 very near the ship of the French admiral, he sent a boat, 
 desiring her to remove a little. The Turks fired upon the 
 boat with musquetry, killing some men, and the admiral 
 opened his battery upon the Turkish vessel, which the 
 Turks put fire to and cut her cable that she might drive 
 upon him. At the same moment an Egyptian corvette 
 began to fire upon the English admiral, who immediately 
 sent a boat to the Turkish Capitan Pasha, saying that he 
 had not come in with any idea of fighting him, and should 
 not, unless forced to it. The boat had hardly delivered 
 the message and pushed off when she was fired on and 
 some men killed. At the same moment a boat was sent 
 to a Turkish fire-vessel, which was too near him, desiring 
 her to remove and not put fire. The moment the officer 
 mounted her he was seized, his head and feet were cut off, 
 and the boat fired upon. Then began the battle from all 
 sides. The Turkish ships, more than triple the number of 
 their opponents, opened all their broadsides, and seconded 
 by the batteries on shore, poured such tremendous volleys 
 of shot as if well directed must have annihilated the 
 Europeans, but the latter sent back, if a smaller, yet a far 
 more destructive fire, for every gun was pointed, every 
 shot told, and the result was in a short time visible. The 
 
272 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1827 
 
 allies, sending out their boats, cut the cables of the Turk- 
 ish fire-vessels, and setting fire to them, let them drive 
 down upon their own fleet. In a few minutes several 
 ships-of-war, taking fire, added to the horror of a scene 
 already terrible ; the two long lines of ships, from which 
 roared near two thousand cannon ; the blazing fire-ships, 
 driving to and fro among the huge Turkish vessels, whose 
 falling masts and shattered hulls began to show how the 
 battle went ; the sea covered with spars and half-burnt 
 masses of wood to which clung thousands of sailors escaped 
 from their exploded vessels ; the lines of batteries upon the 
 shore, which blazed away all the time, and were covered by 
 the whole Turkish army most anxiously watching a scene 
 upon which their own fate depended ; all this must have 
 presented a scene worthy the pencil of genius. But a 
 contest could not be long where one side had only a vast 
 superiority of force, directed by blind fury alone, against 
 cool courage, discipline, and naval skill. 
 
 The battle raged till nightfall, and in this proud and 
 vast Turkish fleet there only remained uninjured a few 
 small vessels, which saved themselves by hoisting Euro- 
 pean flags. . . . 
 
 About four thousand Turks perished in this affair. 
 The combined fleets accomplished the destruction of the 
 Turkish fleet without the loss of a single vessel, but most 
 of them were injured more or less. . . . 
 
 Monday, October 2gth, ^gina. Came over to get through 
 the scrape about the rent of the magazines. 
 
 Wednesday, October Jlst, Poros. Arrived last night 
 from .(Egina, a letter of the admirals to the Bouleutikon 
 (Council of State). 
 
 Friday, November 2d. Confirmation of the glorious 
 news of the destruction of the Turkish fleet. More Turkish 
 
jEt.26i Travel and Distribution 2^]^ 
 
 vessels coming down from Constantinople. News of the 
 debarking of Fabvier at Scio. Candiotes stirring round. 
 
 Saturday, November Jd. Barrel of meal to poor man 
 from .^gina. Have reason to think Heideck will accept 
 the command of the Candia expedition, and he has probably 
 reserved means sufficient. Tombazi is endeavouring to get 
 it, and Mavrocordatos, being his friend, is backing him. . . . 
 
 The supplies were distributed, the hospital was es- 
 tablished, but my father's work in this field served only 
 to make him more and more deeply sensible of the need of 
 further help of the same kind. Acting on this conviction, 
 and at the urgent request of the Greek Government, he 
 determined to return to his own country, tell his story, and 
 try to rouse an enthusiasm which should have substantial 
 results. The resolve, once made, was carried out as 
 usual without a moment's delay ; and the last entry in this 
 volume of the Journal is made at sea. 
 
 Tuesday, November IJth, at Sea. Sailed this morning 
 on board hxig Jane, Captain Proctor, for New York. The 
 Jane came several days ago, under charge of Mr. Port, 
 who arrived at Napoli, and notwithstanding he was directed 
 to act only in conjunction with Mr. Miller, and that he 
 received there a letter from all of us, cautioning [him] of 
 the abuses which would be committed, he was weak 
 enough to let himself be flattered out of five hundred 
 barrels of flour, which the persons in authority promised 
 to deliver to the poor; he then came round to Poros. 
 Letters from Napoli assured me that only eighty barrels 
 were distributed ; the rest were given to the soldiers, and 
 the seventeen boxes of clothes sold for the benefit of the 
 parties concerned. Engaged my passage, with that of my 
 boy, for ^loo ; paid the captain 1^50 in advance. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE FIRST CRUSADE 
 
 Innjane arrived at New York on February 5th, 1828. 
 My father's first act was to present to the Greek Commit- 
 tee of New York a letter from the Greek Government, 
 accompanied by the following one from himself : 
 
 New York, February, 1828. 
 Gentlemen : — The accompanying letter addressed by 
 the Greek Government to the Philhellenic Committee of 
 America, as you will perceive by the date, should have been 
 handed you months past, had not circumstances connected 
 with the object therein named detained me some months 
 in Greece longer than was intended. It may perhaps be 
 well for me to explain to you fully the circumstances which 
 induced the Government to address to you that letter, viz., 
 the great need there is yet in Greece of everything neces- 
 sary for the safety of the sick or wounded. I have been 
 witness there to miseries of all kinds, but those which were 
 most immediately under my observation, and which it was 
 most particularly my duty to attempt to solace, naturally 
 attracted most of my attention. These were the certain 
 capture and butchery of the wounded soldier, from want 
 of means to carry him off if his party were defeated ; and 
 his suffering, perhaps death, from want of the proper 
 means for his cure, even if his party were victorious and he 
 escaped the enemy. Soldiers have often said to me, " We 
 fear a slight wound more than a mortal one : this brings 
 
 274 
 
^t. 26] The First Crusade 275 
 
 sudden death without pain ; that a lingering one, perhaps 
 with tortures." Sometimes a number of them, saved from 
 the field, are removed to some neighbouring village. In a 
 few days there is an alarm of the enemy's approach ; every 
 soul flies. The wounded rush out, pale and emaciated, and 
 attempt to fly with the crowd, but soon sink down from 
 weakness, struggle on again as they see the enemy gaining 
 on them, but are soon overtaken and their heads dangling 
 at the cavalry's saddle-bows. Or if they have been removed 
 to a place of safety, and some kind of hospital is arranged, 
 perhaps hardly a week will pass without the want of 
 some necessary, and the total failure of even bread is 
 not a rare occurrence. The situation of the surgeon 
 in these cases is painful, for he is obliged to witness 
 misery without being able to solace it, and finds the ex- 
 ercise of his art useless, for want of the common neces- 
 sities of life. 
 
 Then, it was only the very few young surgeons from 
 Europe, whom the chances of war had spared, that ever 
 would attend a wounded man without pay ; the native sur- 
 geons wrung every cent from their patients' pockets, then 
 took their clothes, then their arms, and the soldier found 
 himself restored to health, perhaps, but half-naked, without 
 money, without arms, and a beggar. . . . 
 
 Having had such frequent and painful experience of the 
 want of proper provision for the wounded, I often urged on 
 the Government the necessity of establishing one large cen- 
 tral hospital, several flying ones, or men to attend each de- 
 tachment of the army, and after dressing the wounded on 
 the field of battle, have them sent to the central hospital 
 for final cure. They saw the need of it, and made one or 
 two exertions to effect it, but the pressing want of money 
 defeated them. 
 
 Then it was proposed to me to go to America and en- 
 
276 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. iSzs 
 
 deavour to obtain from the Committees the necessary means. 
 I was on the point of starting when Mr. Miller arrived and 
 urged me strongly to remain and assist him in the distribu- 
 tion of his contribution, promising to use his best exertions 
 to give me the means of estabUshing a hospital, not military 
 indeed, but for the sick poor, of whom numerous instances 
 are to be seen lying about by the roadsides or under the 
 shadow of trees, in every part of Greece. Conceiving I 
 could be useful I consented, and was happy enough to ef- 
 fect the establishment of a hospital at Poros with fifty beds 
 and every accommodation for the sick. This establishment 
 is under the charge of Doctor Russ, and means are pro- 
 vided for its support for nine months. 
 
 Gentlemen, the noble and generous exertions which have 
 been made by my countrymen prevent me from making an 
 appeal to them for the object specified by the Greek Gov- 
 ernment. I feel they have done their part ; and they have 
 shown, too, that they do not wish to support the war by 
 any direct means. But allow me to direct your attention 
 to the establishment at Poros. It can, by having en- 
 larged means of support, become most extensively useful, 
 not only to the helpless sick, but to the hungry. An 
 arrangement could be made for the daily distribution of 
 cheap soup to the thousands of poor wretches who are 
 collected about there, who, without houses or means 
 of cooking, often subsist on sorrel and snails for weeks 
 together, and whose sufferings must be protracted until 
 peace enables them to return and cultivate their lands. 
 The state of these miserable beings, and the augmented 
 suffering they must undergo the ensumg autumn and 
 winter, will be doubtless strongly represented to you 
 ty the philanthropic Miller. I shall only add that I con- 
 sider myself still in the service of Greece, and as my com- 
 ing to America was partly in the hope of assisting her, I 
 
^t-26] The First Crusade 277 
 
 hold myself ready to return, can I by doing so contribute 
 in the least to advancing her cause. 
 
 We have no copy of the letter from the Greek Govern- 
 ment, but its tone may be inferred from that of my father's 
 second letter to the New York Committee. 
 
 New York, February 8th, 1828. 
 To the Executive Greek Committee. 
 
 Gentlemen : — I observed with some surprise that you 
 had laid before the public the communication of the Greek 
 Government handed you by me. This, as it is merely a 
 certificate of my character, could have no interest to the 
 public, but as my name has been brought forward, I wish 
 it should be perfectly understood upon what grounds I am 
 to stand. My opinion is decidedly that the funds which 
 will probably be at the disposal of the different Committees 
 cannot in any way so relieve individual suffering in Greece 
 as by the establishment of an extensive hospital. Should 
 this be decided, I will agree to take the direction of it, and 
 stand by it at all hazards for one year, provided it shall have 
 at least two hundred beds, and the means of supporting it 
 in a manner creditable to America ; and that my expenses 
 shall be paid there and my passage home. But I do not 
 wish to have the sole management of any funds, and should 
 request that some Greek of note should share the responsi- 
 bility and oversee the application of all money — say Mav- 
 rocordatos and Miaulis. I mention these two because the 
 first is universally known for his talents and acquirements ; 
 and the man who could doubt the honesty and patriotism 
 of the other could believe that Brutus, Washington and 
 Lafayette were villains. 
 
 This necessary business despatched, my father hastened 
 home to Boston, and spent a few happy days with the fam- 
 
278 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1828 
 
 ily in Pearl Street. But great as was his joy in being with 
 them once more, he could not rest ; he must be about the 
 business on which he had come. At first he met with little 
 encouragement, save from a very few, among them Edward 
 Everett, the faithful friend of Greece. On February 29th, 
 he writes to W. L. Stone : 
 
 Boston, February 29th, 1828. 
 To W. L. Stone. 
 
 My dear Sir : — I find Philhellenism here in the last 
 stages of a decline and do not see any remedy which I can 
 administer to revive it, but as I am anxious to be useful in 
 the Good Cause, I pray you to send me the names of some 
 of those men in the interior who have been warmest, that I 
 may write them. They will give some weight surely to the 
 evidence of an eye-witness. I most sincerely wish that it 
 were in my power to go round the country and see them, 
 and preach a kind of Crusade, as Mr. Everett suggested to 
 me a day or two ago, but as circumstances forbid it, I 
 must content myself with doing what I can. . . . 
 
 My father's first idea was to put the case of Greece be- 
 fore the people of the United States in the shape which 
 would circulate most readily; he therefore flung himself 
 into the preparation of a volume which he called " A His- 
 torical Sketch of the Greek Revolution." He expected to 
 devote the best part of a year to this work. But he soon 
 found that Philhellenism was not dead, but sleeping. The 
 seed dropped by Mr. Everett had been germinating in his 
 mind, and on perceiving the first signs of reawakening 
 interest in the cause of Greece, he determined instantly 
 to devote himself to active propaganda. Accordingly, he 
 threw the chapters of his book hastily together, and ac- 
 complished in five months what should by rights have taken 
 
jE.t.26] The First Crusade 2']() 
 
 twice the time. As was only natural, the work showed 
 various imperfections and inaccuracies, resulting from its 
 hasty preparation, and my father felt and regretted these 
 so deeply that, after his final return from Greece, he sup- 
 pressed it. In spite, however, of these many disadvantages, 
 the book is of real interest and value, and may be read 
 with both pleasure and profit. The portraits of statesman 
 and chieftain, if sternly drawn, are evidently drawn from 
 the life, while the descriptions of siege and battle have a 
 vividness that can come only when the eyes have seen what 
 the hand writes. 
 
 My father now entered upon what I may call his first 
 crusade : the first of how many ! He travelled through the 
 country, speaking in many cities. His power as a special 
 pleader was instantly felt. His words kindled like a torch, 
 and wherever his voice was heard, wherever the flash of his 
 presence came, people's hearts sprang up in answer. My 
 mother, in writing of this time, says : " The purse-strings of 
 wealthy citizens were unloosed. Ladies contributed their 
 spare garments and children their toys, to swell the tribute 
 of the new civilization to the old. The sum collected on 
 this occasion amounted to some ^60,000 : a sum represent- 
 ing a much greater value in those days than in these." 
 
 There were discouragements, of course, as well as vic- 
 tories : that was to be expected. The following extract 
 from a letter to a friend shows something of a spirit which 
 my father sometimes had to encounter. 
 
 Sir : — The following dialogue, as it shows upon what 
 foundations are built many opinions too generally received, 
 may not be useless. As I was trying the other day to hit 
 upon some way of getting at the truth of the accounts of 
 Greek and Turkish character, it suddenly occurred to me to 
 sound a new neighbour of mine who stood high in his own 
 
28o Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1828 
 
 opinion, as well as in that of his neighbours, as a travelled 
 man. Calling on him, I soon broached the subject by ask- 
 ing him if nothing could be done to relieve the suffering 
 Greeks. " Pooh, pooh ! " cried he. " No tricks upon trav- 
 ellers ! I know the Greeks perfectly — a nation of rogues, 
 sir; all pirates, sir, and knaves, ten times worse than the 
 Turks." 
 
 " What is the character of the Turks, sir .' " 
 " Fine fellows, honest, hospitable fellows, sir." 
 " How do you know the character of the Greeks ? " 
 " Have I not travelled, sir, in the Levant ? " 
 " Do you know the modem Greek language .' " 
 " Not a word, sir ; don't want to know it. Vile set." 
 " Have you travelled in the interior .' Do you know the 
 peasantry } " 
 
 " Not a bit, sir, but was chased by a pirate in the Archi- 
 pelago, going up the Dono ; no doubt but it was a Greek, 
 sir." 
 
 " Have you known many Greeks ? " 
 " Never knew but two, sir : one was my dragoman, the 
 other my servant ; one of them lied, the other cheated me 
 — all rogues, sir ; worse than the Turks." 
 " Have you known many Turks } " 
 " Knew one, sir, Hassan Oglou, — fine fellow, — stopped 
 at his country-house in travelling. He kept me a fort- 
 night; stuffed me with sweetmeats and pilau — nothing 
 but pipes and coffee, baths and riding all day. 'Frank,' 
 said he, ' you are master of all you see about you : if any 
 of my slaves please you, take them. If you see any pretty 
 Greek in your ride, name her ; I will have her brought in : 
 we don't stand for tears or prayers here — what are the 
 Giaours made for, but for our pleasure .' ' " 
 
 " All this was fine," said I ; " but didn't the old Turk 
 make you pay for it ? " 
 
^t. 26] The First Crusade 281 
 
 " Not a bit. When I was coming away I offered him 
 money ; he refused it with scorn. ' No,' said he, ' I am no 
 publican ; I delight to entertain the stranger. My Lord 
 
 C passed here two months ago, and stayed with me ; 
 
 on going he gave me the fine carbine you see hanging 
 
 there ; and Mr. R also passed, and gave me the gold 
 
 watch I wear. The other day Monsieur T left me, 
 
 and gave me yonder beautiful sabre.* Then stroking down 
 his beard, he drew a long draught from his pipe, and rolling 
 the smoke out from his nostrils, fixed his eye on my belt, 
 and said, ' You have a beautiful pair of pistols.' I took the 
 hint." 
 
 On April 2Sth he writes to his father thus : 
 
 Albany, Tuesday. 
 
 My dear Father : — I have this moment arrived in this 
 place, and sit down to write and inform you of my progress. 
 
 I wrote you from West Point, where I was most politely 
 received by Colonel Thayer, and all the officers ; after 
 delivering an address there, I went to Newburg, from N. to 
 Poughkeepsie, from P. to Hudson, from H. to Kinderhook, 
 at all which places I had large and respectable audiences, 
 and have reason to hope that my statements will be the 
 means of rousing the feelings of the people, and getting 
 extensive contributions for the suffering Greeks. 
 
 It will occupy more of my time than I had anticipated, 
 and it fatigues me to speak so much, but I cannot help it : 
 I am so fully convinced that my exertions will result in ex- 
 tensive good to Greece that I will go on, as long as I am 
 able, and folks may say or think what they please ; if cir- 
 cumstances would allow me, I would preach from Maine 
 to Georgia, that the foul blot may not attach to America 
 of having left a Christian people to be exterminated by 
 
282 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1828 
 
 the mfidels, and not lifting a helping hand in their be- 
 half. 
 
 I fear not much will be done in this place, and I 
 shall push west ; the time of my absence I cannot deter- 
 mine. . . . 
 
 The next letter to his father reveals a singular trait in 
 Grandfather Howe. Apparently he regarded public speak- 
 ing for men much as it was regarded for women thirty 
 years ago, as a kind of disgrace. It is a pity that his own 
 letter has not been preserved, but we may gather some- 
 thing of its tone of reprobation from my father's reply. 
 
 Albany, April loth, 1828. 
 
 My dear Father: — Yours of the 5th ult., just re- 
 ceived, has made me feel quite unpleasantly. I am sorry 
 you disapprove my mission ; but we only disagree in opin- 
 ion, — I consider it my sacred duty to go on, for I find I stir 
 up a feeling, by relating what I have seen in Greece, that 
 could not be done by any other means. I am fully satis- 
 fied that I have set extensive contributions a-going, in 
 places where, before my appearance, there was not the 
 least interest about Greece. 
 
 It is most disagreeable to me to be continually address- 
 ing meetings, — God knows I would rather serve Greece 
 in any other way, if I could do it so effectually; but 
 I cannot, and do you think it will be a small matter for 
 me to reflect that I have been the means of procuring 
 cargoes of provisions for Greece ; that I have been the in- 
 strument of saving hundreds, perhaps, from starving >. You 
 say this will not raise me in the opinion of the sensible 
 part of the community. I care not. My friends, those 
 who know my motives, will better appreciate my services ; 
 my reward will be in that. . . . 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 RETURN TO GREECE 
 
 In the next volume of the Journal the opening pages 
 have been torn out, apparently with intention; probably 
 the incidents of the return voyage did not seem worth 
 preserving. We take up the thread of the story on his 
 landing at ^Egina, November 12th, 1828, with his cargo 
 of provisions and clothing. 
 
 In the records of my father's last two years in Greece, 
 we see a striking change in tone. He is no longer the 
 ardent youth, longing for adventure, chafing at delay and 
 inaction, uncertain, often foreboding, of the future. His 
 character is settling into its mould ; he has found the 
 thing he is to do. The "Chevalier" is giving place to' 
 the philanthropist. 
 
 His work once clear before him, he set about it without 
 a moment's delay, and the first entry after his arrival 
 strikes the key-note of his future life. 
 
 jEgina, November 1 2th, 1828. After a tedious delay by 
 calms, we arrived this morning off this island, and without 
 bringing the vessel to anchor, I rowed on shore with the 
 intention of waiting on the President with my letters, and 
 requesting his advice about debarking my cargo ; with the 
 wish and intention, however, of making this island my head- 
 quarters provided there were no material objections, and 
 provided that the objects of the Committee could be as 
 well accomplished by my remaining here as elsewhere. 
 
 283 
 
284 Samuel Gvidley Howe [a. 0.1828 
 
 My reasons were various. First, it is the seat of Govern- 
 ment, and I consider it every foreigner's duty to pay all 
 due respect to the powers that be, without allowing them 
 to exercise any undue sway over his affairs. Second, 
 iEgina is more healthy than Poros, more agreeable, more 
 central, more the resort of foreigners. Third, it has not 
 been made a depot; it has many suffering inhabitants. 
 Thus, on finding that the President was absent at Poros, 
 and that his brother. Count Viarro, was also away, I re- 
 solved without delay to hire stores here, and commence 
 discharging my cargo. . . . 
 
 As for our hospital at Poros, it is probable I shall change 
 its location, and certain that some alteration must be made, 
 for I am told Capo d'Istrias has had the impudence (it is 
 not too hard a word !) to put in an assistant surgeon with- 
 out consulting Doctor Russ. Now I, by perseverance 
 and with much difficulty, established this hospital, the 
 means having been granted me by the agents for the 
 American Committee ; it has been maintained solely by 
 American contributions ; not one cent has been paid by 
 the Greeks, and no man shall say " Do this ! " or " Do 
 that !" if I am to have any concern in the business, for 
 I am determined to adhere to the spirit of my instructions. 
 
 November Ijth. Commenced discharging this morning. 
 I employed three boats at the rate of twenty piastres per 
 day, each having three men, and eighteen men I set to work 
 as labourers in transporting and stowing the barrels, at 
 the rate of three piastres per man, besides three men 
 to guard against stealing, thus giving occupation to forty- 
 one persons, all poor, at 120 piastres per day. With all 
 its vexations and petty difficulties, this task of distribution 
 is attended with many gratifying circumstances, such as 
 the joy with which my return is hailed; the tears and 
 prayers and blessings of some of the distressed beings to 
 
Mt. 27] Return to Greece 285 
 
 whom I gave help last year; and the happiness which 
 lights up the wan and emaciated countenances of many 
 poor wretches when they learn that I have another cargo 
 for the relief of the distressed. As yet I keep out of their 
 way, and in my European dress ' few know me at first, but 
 many find me out. This morning I entered the hut of an 
 old Sciote woman, whom, with her children, I had relieved 
 last year from utter misery. She instantly recognized me, 
 with a scream of joy, and would have cast herself at my 
 feet. She kissed my hands again and again, weeping with 
 joy, and calling blessings on me from every saint. I had 
 always liked the old lady, for she had seen better days, 
 was well educated, and had truly excellent moral and relig- 
 ious principles, united to sound sense. I could learn much 
 more from her than from others, so, making her sit down 
 beside me on the mat, I asked the present state of the 
 poor. 
 
 "Oh!" said she, "it is now a little better, but it has 
 been terrible. Thousands have perished. But oh, God 
 for ever bless the Christians of America ! if it had not been 
 for them, it would have been tens of thousands." Then 
 in a low whisper she said, " You know that hundreds of 
 families have been living in caves. But do you know that 
 many a wretch has died there, and his more wretched wife 
 and children have been too weak to bury the body or go 
 for assistance ? Yes, the dead have lain unburied in the 
 caverns with the famishing living." 
 
 And the old lady shuddered, but more at the thought of 
 a corpse being deprived of the rites of Christian sepulture 
 than of the suffering living. But, God be praised, these 
 examples of excess of misery are now rarer, and one may 
 go on with this melancholy task without so many heart- 
 
 ' During his campaigns Doctor Howe had often worn the picturesque 
 Albanian costume. 
 
286 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1828 
 
 rending scenes as formerly. My plan is to do with this 
 cargo some more permanent good than has yet been done, 
 and, while distributing provisions to the poor, to employ 
 them on some work, such as building a hospital, that they 
 may not only be fed but kept out of idleness. , 
 
 Friday and Saturday, November I/f-I^th. Continued 
 discharging cargo; engaged another store at ^8.50 per 
 month. Knowing well how impossible it would be, in such 
 an informal business as I shall have, to guard effectually 
 against cheating and stealing, I have engaged a young 
 Sciote whom I have known for years to be perfectly 
 honest, capable, and in every way the man for me. . . . 
 
 Moved my things on shore, and entered my lodgings, a 
 long narrow chamber with six windows, but not a single 
 pane of glass ; with a smooth enough floor, but with tiles 
 for a roof. However, it is one of the best lodgings on the 
 island. 
 
 Wednesday, November I gth. Finished unloading the brig. 
 . . . The more I think of my plan of employing the poor, 
 the more it pleases me ; for in reality, all the misery now ex- 
 isting arises from want of employment. Why, then, should 
 I give away these donations to be consumed in idleness, 
 when by a proper use of them I can give employment to 
 hundreds in some ways that keep them out of idleness and 
 result in some permanent public good, making a road, drain- 
 ing a marsh, building a hospital, school, or something of 
 the kind .' I should like best to get a grant of land from 
 the Government sufficient for the maintenance of a hospital 
 by its rent, then to build the hospital by the labour of the 
 poor, and support it by its own income. If they will give 
 me some marsh to drain and have in perpetual enjoyment 
 for the maintenance of a hospital, I will so arrange it in a 
 year as to give my accounts to the Committee and say, 
 " Lo, I have given all to the poor, and return you the same 
 
Mt.27] Return to Greece . 287 
 
 value that you committed to me. Do as you choose with 
 it ! " In fine, I can give it all to the poor, and yet have it 
 remain to be given over and over again. Signed the bills of 
 lading and released the vessel. To have an idea of the state 
 of the mechanic arts in Greece, one need only see a sort 
 of four-wheeled car which passed along just now, loaded 
 with a large bale of cotton, and drawn by eighteen men ; 
 eighteen men tugging and slowly rolling along the rough 
 streets a load that would have been whirled off in a jiffy 
 by a single horse in our country. 
 
 Thursday, November 20th. Being a great festival 
 among the Greeks, of course we can do no work. Paid 
 off the men last night, giving each labourer at the rate of 
 no paras per day. Called on sundry acquaintances, it 
 being the first leisure day I have had ; on Mavrocordatos, 
 Gropius, Vitalina, etc.; and saw various persons of various 
 nations and temperaments. This evening several have 
 been at my quarters : Kearing, a good, honest, intelligent, 
 sociable German, six feet seven inches tall ; Finlay," a Scots 
 gentleman, a young man of independent spirit, penetrating 
 mind, genteelly educated, well informed, eager to acquire 
 information, disputatious, doubting, talkative, generous in 
 important matters, close and calculating in trifling ones; 
 
 , an Italian, a man in reduced circumstances, of good 
 
 mind, well versed in the affairs of common life, an ex- 
 cellent scientific agriculturist ; and some others. Time 
 passed agreeably, each one relating anecdotes of his life. 
 
 "What beasts," says one, "are these Arabs, for having 
 so devastated the Morea ! " 
 
 " Not a bit more beasts," says another, " than the rest of 
 men. I have seen much worse with the army of Napoleon 
 when we advanced on Russia. For miles before the army 
 
 ' George Finlay, afterwards a resident and landowner in Athens and in 
 rural Attica, and the historian of Modern Greece. 
 
288 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1828 
 
 nothing but the scattered trunks of trees was to be seen. 
 We had no need of a guide, faith, to find the army ! We 
 followed its tracks by the carcasses of horses and the dev- 
 astation, — and every here and there we saw by the road- 
 side heaps of fresh-dug earth out of which were sticking in 
 all directions the legs, arms, or heads of dead men who had 
 been tumbled into pits and very imperfectly covered up." 
 
 " The Turks," says another, " are getting on wonderfully 
 well. The Sultan has taken the revenue out of the hands 
 of the Pashas, and pays them a regular salary." 
 
 " Ay, ay ! " says a third, who has been lately at Constan- 
 tinople. " He is a wonderful man for a Turk. I used to 
 see him out every morning by sunrise, attending to the 
 special drill of the troops. He would remain an hour or 
 two, and then attend the general manoeuvres, remaining all 
 day on the ground, his pipe and coffee being brought to him. 
 Some of his cuirassiers objecting to wearing the big boots, 
 he appeared the next day completely eqmpped en cuirassier 
 and booted to the knee; no more objection was made. 
 The young Turks admire him and his changes ; the old 
 men say nothing, dare not say anything. Three of them 
 cannot be seen talking together without being ordered to 
 separate. He has obliged two Ulemas (priests) to attend 
 each regiment, in the tactic dress." 
 
 Friday, November 2Ist, ^gina. Set my clerk Michael 
 at work to arrange all the articles of clothing, dry-goods, 
 etc., and to make out a list of them with an estimate of 
 their value. Made preparations for a little tour round the 
 Peloponnesus with my friend Finlay ; such preparations as 
 one can make in Greece, packing up a blanket or two and 
 some food. 
 
 Saturday, November 22d, Epidauros. This morning on 
 starting from .(Egina, we experienced some vexations from 
 the system of police established by Capo d'Istrias, appar- 
 
^t. 27] Return to Greece 289 
 
 ently imperfect, ill managed, ill administered. We engaged a 
 boat last night to carry us over to Epidauros, and the boat- 
 men had taken out their passport, but no boat can leave 
 in the night, and we were obliged to wait until an hour 
 after sunrise before the passport office was opened. On 
 repairing there the harbour-master was not at his post. 
 We went to his house; nor was he to be found there. 
 Upon which, returning to the office, Finlay began to abuse 
 the harbour-master and all the regulations of Capo d'Istrias 
 in great style, getting into a furious passion, and crying 
 out in Greek before the clerks (almost all Corfiotes) and 
 the bystanders : " Why ! this is worse than Kolokotrones 
 and the wild chiefs served us. They sponged upon us, 
 but were always at their posts ; but these vile Corfiote 
 regulations by which our money is taken, are not even 
 punctually enforced ; any and every traveller may be de- 
 tained at the will of the harbour-master — the brother of 
 Count Viarro ! " 
 
 Thus did he run on in a strain of abuse, very much to 
 the annoyance of the clerks of the office, and evidently to 
 the delight of the boatmen and others collected round the 
 door, who though they dared not express their feelings in 
 words, showed them in their countenances. . . . 
 
 Having arranged everything, we got into the caiques. 
 After rowing out of the port our men spread their great 
 red sail, and we flew rapidly over the waves, steering west 
 across the gulf, passing the pretty island of Angistri on our 
 left, and soon were under the shadow of the bold black 
 mountain of Methana, rising in steep rough masses to a 
 great height, with a fine effect. Passing Methana, we en- 
 tered the northern port of Old Epidauros and landed at the 
 modem village, which consists of about sixty houses of one 
 story, built of baked mud and roofed with a sort of hollow 
 tile. It is occupied by a few refugees from other parts of 
 
290 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1828 
 
 Greece, and although in the huts were many wretchedly 
 poor and miserable objects, still an astonishing change is 
 seen since last year. Epidauros never was ravaged by the 
 Turks, never occupied by a Greek army; yet such were 
 the tyranny and the abominable abuses of the wandering 
 Greek soldiers, that nothing was cultivated ; not a sheep, 
 an ox, an ass — not even a fowl was then to be seen in the 
 villages. Even bread could not be bought. Now, the rich 
 plain is highly cultivated ; oxen, mules, asses, and sheep are 
 plenty, and fowls cackhng around every house. This 
 shows that notwithstanding the extortions of the soldiery, 
 the peasantry had contrived to hide in the earth their fur- 
 niture and little valuables, while they had driven their 
 flocks and all their animals to the almost inaccessible moun- 
 tains. All the old, rich Epidaurian territory was before the 
 Revolution the property of Kiamil Bey of Corinth, and 
 was cultivated by Greeks, who paid him tribute. They 
 now pay the Government about the same amount, but are 
 content, and infinitely better off, being free from the nu- 
 merous and vexatious exactions of the Turks. 
 
 Having put our baggage into the little hut assigned 
 us, we walked out to view the remains of ancient Epi- 
 dauros. . . . Along the isthmus run the ruins of the old 
 aqueduct, and across the inner part we could see traces 
 of the ancient Greek wall, built of solid, regular-shaped 
 stones about two feet square. Above them in some places 
 is the lighter work of the Romans, and this is interspersed 
 with Venetian masonry ; the solid work of the Greeks still 
 as far surpassing in strength and durability that of the Ro- 
 mans as the latter surpasses the Venetian masonry, so that 
 though the first may be double the age of the second, and 
 the second double that of the third, they are equally in 
 decay. There are some remains of the ancient citadel. 
 The foundations of houses are to be seen in many places ; 
 
Mt.27] Return to Greece 2.c)\ 
 
 some streets can be traced ; and the whole, overgrown as 
 it is with lentisk and other shrubs, is interspersed in every 
 part with the remains of the ancient Greeks, Romans, and 
 Venetians. . . . 
 
 Sunday, November 2jd, Poros. . . . After three hours' 
 sail we landed on the rocks back of " TaktikopoHs." ' Our 
 boys then got out the kettle, made a fire, and soon gave 
 us a smoking bowl of tea. Sitting down on the rocks, we 
 made our breakfast with this, and some bread and sweet- 
 meats. This is luxurious fare, not only in the country ; 
 even in large towns tea is not to be found, but George 
 Finlay, being an old traveller and just from his house at 
 ^gina, has everything comfortable. 
 
 Climbing over the narrow rocky isthmus, we came to 
 the village and fortifications erected there by Colonel 
 Fabvier for the headquarters of his regular troops, hence 
 called " Taktikopolis." His troops were entirely dis- 
 banded, but are now reorganizing. The place is occu- 
 pied by about one hundred and fifty of them, who 
 look more slovenly and disorderly than in the days of 
 Colonel Fabvier. Fortifying the isthmus was a wise 
 measure, and the Colonel has done so few things to 
 entitle him to credit that really he needs all that can be 
 given him for this. The position was secure for his troops, 
 and served as a central point for all regulars ; also it pro- 
 tected the large, fertile peninsula of Methana from the wild 
 Greek soldiery. The peasants did not fear, as in other 
 parts, to be gradually stripped of every valuable, then to 
 have their houses torn to pieces for fuel, and their trees 
 cut down in pure malice. It is true they were not over- 
 politely treated by the regulars ; their provisions were 
 taken nolens volens, but paid for; their beasts of burden 
 used, and sometimes paid for. We had an example to-day 
 ' The camping-ground of the " taktikoi," or regulars. 
 
292 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1828 
 
 of the manner of treating them, and of how far each side 
 dared proceed. We had a peasant bring up our baggage 
 from the shore on his jackasses, but he would not go on 
 with us, declaring his beasts were too feeble. We coaxed 
 him in vain. He was pushing off, when the officer, a lame 
 old fellow with a crutch, called him and begged him to go 
 with us, assuring him he should be paid. 
 
 " I won't go ! " 
 
 " But you must ! " 
 
 " I can't ! " 
 
 " You shall go ! " said the old fellow. 
 
 " But I can't and won't go ! " said the peasant, driving 
 off his asses. 
 
 " Stop, you rascal ! " roared the old soldier, limping after 
 him, and foaming with rage, " Stop ! " and the fellow, un- 
 used to resist the voice of authority, stopped. "Back 
 with your asses ! " said the soldier, coming up to him. 
 The fellow hesitated a moment. " Back with you ! " cried 
 the soldier, giving a sweep with his crutch and striking 
 him over the shoulders. " Back and load your asses, or 
 I will beat your brains out ! " 
 
 Immediately he submitted, and began to load up. I 
 knew his only objection to going was the fear of not being 
 paid, and satisfied him on this point. Instantly his dirty 
 grumbling phiz was covered with smiles, and we jogged on 
 toward Poros. After walking an hour through an uneven 
 but apparently fertile country, we mounted a hill and came 
 in sight of the beautiful plain of Troezene, now called 
 Damala. At the foot of a hill was the monastery, sit- 
 uated at the head of the bay ; beyond the plain stretched 
 away to the west, bounded by a rocky ridge of mountains 
 which rose in front of us, while to the left lay the port 
 of Poros. . . . Turning a jutting point, we saw a fleet of 
 lofty ships-of-war lying at anchor before the town, whose 
 
^t.27] Return to Greece 2.c)2> 
 
 neat white houses, contrasting strongly with the dark rocky 
 islet on which they are built, presented a fine picture. . . . 
 We came to the landing-place opposite Poros, where the 
 channel which separates it from the mainland is but a few 
 rods wide. Here, as usual, we found boats continually 
 crossing, filled principally with women, who come over to 
 procure water, each having a small cask slung over her 
 shoulders. . . . Having got our things into the chamber 
 given us by an old acquaintance, we proceeded to a locanda 
 (tavern) to get supper. The best locandas in Greece have 
 a few small rooms for travellers, formed generally by put- 
 ting up rough board partitions in a larger room. Into one 
 of these you are put, and find it without table or chair or 
 glass, or any article of furniture ; nothing but the walls, 
 daubed well with tobacco spittle, the floor slippery with 
 grease and full of knot-holes, and every crevice in the 
 chamber swarming with vermin, ready to pounce upon 
 the guest the moment he lies down. There is seldom any 
 glass in the windows, which close with wooden shutters, 
 and the whole would appear too dirty and uncomfortable 
 for pigs in a civilized country. As for food, there is a 
 long table in the hall, where anybody comes who chooses. 
 There lies the list, meagre enough, of the dishes to be had, 
 on which, and some wretched wine, you must make out 
 as well as you can. The public room in this locanda was 
 filled with sailors and officers from the Russian and French 
 fleets, most of them boozy and boisterous, the booziest and 
 most boisterous of all being a Russian pijiest. I am told 
 that the priests in their fleet are treated cavalierly ; they 
 are considered as inferiors, mess with the inferior officers,, 
 and " row it " with all. . . . 
 
 Monday, November 2^th, Poros. We got up betimes 
 in order to pay our respects to the Greeks of distinction, 
 who have the excellent practice of rising and transacting 
 
294 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1828 
 
 their business early in the morning, while the newcomers, 
 the Franco-Greeks, in blind imitation of European man- 
 ners, have adopted the ridiculous hours of business in use 
 in Europe. At the newly constructed arsenal we found 
 the venerable Miaulis, with the two brothers Manoli and 
 Jakomiki Tombazi, busy overseeing the works. They re- 
 ceived us kindly, and I felt prouder of the hearty shake 
 of the hand and the warm "Welcome!" of Miaulis, 
 than I should have felt if received with honour by the 
 proudest prince in Christendom. We then went up to 
 the office of Mavrocordatos, who acts as Minister of the 
 Marine, having been appointed by Capo d'istrias with Me- 
 taxas to the general commissariat. His welcome was far 
 different, being warm, and even hot, a la franqaise, all com- 
 pliments, endearing expressions and smiles, as to an old, 
 intimate friend; but notwithstanding his flattering, obse- 
 quious manner, he is really a kind-hearted man, and in 
 talent decidedly superior to any Greek I have known. He 
 accepted this post, I believe, from a wish to serve his coun- 
 try, and conscious of his own superior ability. Nor is his 
 influence confined to [his own position] ; he has Trikoupis," 
 his brother-in-law, the Secretary of State, completely under 
 his thumb, and may be considered the mainspring in that 
 branch of government. Mavrocordatos conversed on vari- 
 ous subjects with his usual ability. Then we left him to 
 call on the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Spiridion 
 Trikoupis, a man of little original thought and no great 
 grasp of mind ; he is no friend to the President. But . . . 
 having made known my arrival, the President . . . sent for 
 me to come directly, and I repaired to his house. At the 
 gate were two falikaris, fully armed. The entry was kept 
 by a polite, obsequious lackey, who went in to annoimce me. 
 While waiting a moment, I observed several attendants in 
 
 ' Spiridion Trikoupis, father of the late premier, Charilaos. 
 
Mt.27] Return to Greece 295 
 
 Frank dress moving about on tiptoe and conversing in low 
 whispers, as if near the bedside of a dying man. Entering 
 the chamber of Capo d'Istrias, he received me politely, ask- 
 ing quickly if I spoke French. "A little," said I. "Eh 
 bien! c'est toutce qu'ilfaut, vous pouvez me comprendre!" 
 as much as to say, " I will do all the talking, you need only 
 listen." > He then began to rattle on with great self-com- 
 placency, while I took a full view of his head and phiz, to 
 get some idea of the anatomy of the animal, to help out 
 my guess as to his character. 
 
 After speaking on various subjects, he began upon the 
 distribution of former cargoes sent from the United States ; 
 related his advice to the agents, that they should not give 
 away anything gratuitously, but apply their charities so 
 as to employ the poor at the same time they relieved them, 
 and thus obtain some tangible result. He named ways 
 in which this might be done, and entirely confirmed all 
 the ideas I had preconceived, agreeing so completely with 
 all that has been said to me by Mavrocordatos, Trikoupis, 
 and every Greek of distinction, as well as by every foreigner 
 in the country, that I could not hesitate about the line of 
 conduct I ought to pursue. Many hesitate not to say that 
 the former distributions have often been productive of ill ; 
 this is going too far, but it is really lamentable that so much 
 capital should have been expended, almost without other ef- 
 fect than the temporary relief of hunger, when immense good 
 to the public might have been done at the same time. . . . 
 On my getting a chance to thrust in a word, and informing 
 Capo d'Istrias that my views were entirely in accordance with 
 his, and that I was rejoiced to find that the plan on which 
 I had predetermined met the views of all the intelligent 
 men of the country, he instantly changed the subject, and 
 began to talk about the political affairs of Greece. ... I 
 .should judge him a man perfectly satisfied in his own mind 
 
296 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1828 
 
 that he possesses great talents, yet in reality wholly want- 
 ing them ; without clear, systematic views, judging by the 
 appearance of the surface alone, and incapable of general- 
 izing and systematizing. He is undoubtedly Russian in 
 his feelings, and would be more of a despot than the 
 Constitution allows him, if he had the tact and resolution 
 necessary to lead a people shrewd and capable like the 
 Greeks. 
 
 I find that Doctor Russ closed the hospital which I es- 
 tablished with so much pains, and left this place about ten 
 days ago for a town in the Peloponnesus. He had agreed 
 to remain but a year, and closed it as soon as the year 
 expired, despairing entirely of my coming, and his means as 
 well as his patience, I suppose, being nearly exhausted. 
 All here regret the closing of the hospital; it has been 
 apparently of great utility, and Doctor Russ has discharged 
 his trust faithfully. Sorry indeed am I for it, and still 
 more sorry for the conduct of one of the Committee's 
 agents, who lived in such open immorality that he has 
 brought disgrace on the very name of American. 
 
 Went on board a Russian line-of-battle ship, and though 
 prepared to find it in every respect inferior to English, 
 American, or French men-of-war, still I was surprised at 
 her clumsy appearance in hull, rigging, and equipment, as 
 well as her evident inferiority in the minutiae of discipline, 
 and the slovenly look of everything about her. 
 
 Tuesday, November 2^th, Potamia, in Argolis. Hav- 
 ing finished my business at Poros, I set out this morning 
 on my tour for the purpose of fixing on some place to com- 
 mence the application of the charities committed to me. 
 Landing on the mainland opposite Poros, we loaded our 
 baggage on hired mules and struck across the plain to 
 Damala, on our way northwest through Argolis to Napoli 
 di Romania. . . . We gained a hill which forms the north- 
 
Mt.27] Return to Greece 297 
 
 west boundary of the plain of Troezene, . . . and travel- 
 ling over a steep, uneven road, . . . suddenly came in sight 
 of a fine valley. On a level plat nearly beneath us we saw the 
 village of Potamia, of about fifty houses, and winding down 
 the hill we arrived there just at sunset, and took up our 
 quarters for the night. Nothing better shows the immense 
 change in Greece during the past year, and the feeling of 
 security among the peasantry, than the contrast between 
 the manner of taking our quarters to-day and a year ago. 
 Then I was accompanied by soldiers, who as soon as they 
 came in sight of a village toward sunset, usually ran in, 
 selected the best-looking house, drove the inmates from the 
 fire, stowed their own capotes near it, and lorded it in the 
 most tyrannical manner, forcing the owners to produce food, 
 beating them if they hesitated, destroying the furniture if 
 they got into a rage, abusing them most shamefully, and 
 going off next morning not only without paying, but carry- 
 ing off whatever movable they could find, after having cut 
 down, perhaps, a fruit-tree to burn, or made a fire of the 
 very rafters of the house they slept in. . . . All I could do 
 then was to keep my servants from doing harm, and pay 
 our host myself instead of abusing him. To-day the sol- 
 diers entered with a humble look ; the peasants stood with 
 arms folded, and their triumphant air showed they were 
 masters of their own thresholds, and it was only by appli- 
 cation to the village authorities that we could get a house 
 assigned us. . . . 
 
 On the road I had met bodies of peasantry of the lower 
 class called Vlachoi (Wallachians), driving before them all 
 their little stock, perhaps a few dozen sheep, as many 
 goats, a donkey, and half a dozen fowls, all guarded by a 
 pair of fine-looking mountain dogs, and followed by the 
 father lugging his rough capote, with gun in hand and an 
 old pistol and knife in his belt, and the mother with her 
 
298 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d.iszs 
 
 baby lashed to her back in a bread-trough, a kettle on 
 her head, and sundry articles of furniture in her hands. 
 A troop of dirty, ragged boys and girls brought up the 
 rear, each bearing a load of baggage proportionate to their 
 strength, a little donkey carrying all the rest of their fur- 
 niture and farming tools, in fine, all their goods and chat- 
 tels. Land they have none ; they feed their flocks on the 
 high mountains in summer, and now on the approach of 
 winter, they descend to the warmer valleys where they 
 build a wigwam and pass the winter. . . . 
 
 The rest of this tour through the Peloponnesus, though 
 full of interest, is still an excursion in every sense, and I 
 must keep to the main thread of the story. I cannot, how- 
 ever, refrain from quoting briefly from my father's account 
 of his stay, during a week of rain which rendered travelling 
 impossible, with Father Peter, the priest of Agio Georgio. 
 It is in the form of a letter to George Finlay, the compan- 
 ion of his journey hitherto, from whom he had just parted. 
 
 Entered through a fine opening between the jutting 
 points of two mountains, by a level, natural road, the plain 
 above which is the modern village ' of Agio Georgio (St. 
 George), and as the sky looked lowering, and the drizzly 
 rain already began to be felt, I determined to take [up] 
 quarters here. I rode to the dwelling of the Deputy Pre- 
 fect of the Province, an old acquaintance, and after having 
 supped with, him in very decent style, I went to the quar- 
 ters provided for me in the house of a priest named Father 
 Peter. As I entered the dwelling of the good father 
 (which consisted of four stone and mud walls covered by a 
 tiled roof, with a solid floor, viz., the mother earth), a fire 
 was blazing cheerfully enough on the floor at one end of 
 
 ' Between Argos and Corinth, on a by-road. 
 
jEt. 27] Return to Greece 299 
 
 the hut, but without chimney-place or chimney, and the 
 smoke, rising to the roof, found its way out of a little hole 
 therein. Father Peter lay on the ground at one side of 
 the fire, and I found my blankets spread on the opposite 
 side, so sitting down upon them, and stretching out my 
 palms to the fire, I looked round with a feeling of the com- 
 fort and even luxury by which I was surrounded. For 
 though the mud walls, the crazy roof, and the smoky raft- 
 ers of the good father's domicile seemed hardly fit for a 
 stable or a dog-house in America, yet, hearing the rain 
 pattering on the roof, and the wind whistling through the 
 chinks, I felt myself better off than for some time past ; 
 I was in one of the best hovels of the village, and I re- 
 joiced. But how to pass the time .■• To read .' The mis- 
 erable little lamp gave but a dim light, which continually 
 flickered in the wind, and the smoke which curled about 
 among the rafters often descended in whirls and half-blinded 
 me. To think ? It was too cold to think ! So I wrapped 
 myself in my blankets and endeavoured to do what is to 
 me the most difificult thing, to pass a long night in sleep- 
 ing ; for to sleep more than five hours, or six at most, seems 
 murdering time. 
 
 Wednesday, December ^d, Agio Georgia. A drizzly, cold, 
 uncomfortable day. . . . My host the priest had long been 
 gone out when I woke this morning. Though it was at 
 least an hour before daybreak, I found that his household 
 were all stirring. It was still as at midnight, but when 
 I poked my head out from among my blankets, the mother 
 and daughter-in-law of the priest were squatting beside the 
 fire, twirling their eternal spindles and spinning cotton. 
 The Greeks are very early risers, and the women very 
 industrious. They spin, spin, from morning till night, 
 and never go out, even to a neighbour's, without their 
 distaff; it is common to see them going along spinning 
 
300 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1828 
 
 in the streets. Their manner of cleaning the cotton, of 
 spinning, reeling, and weaving, is inconvenient, tedious, 
 and unscientific, but one cannot help admiring the industry 
 with which they pursue it. 
 
 About an hour after sunrise the priest returned, having 
 employed three hours in the performance of church cere- 
 monies. Immediately the little low table was placed before 
 him, with a great platter of boiled herbs and a little oil, 
 large slices of corn bread for each person, and one of white 
 for the priest. After the blessing, which he performed 
 by muttering some words unintelligibly, stretching his 
 hand out over the table and making a sign of the cross 
 in the air, all squatted down upon their heels around the 
 table, and fell to, each dipping his fingers in the big dish, 
 or sopping his bread, except the priest, who was favoured 
 with a fork. The meal was soon over, all the five together 
 having eaten about as much as two hearty Americans would 
 have done. I fell into close argument with the priest, 
 and as usual turned the conversation upon the subject 
 of his religion, he displaying that ignorance, superstition, 
 and prejudice common with the Greek priesthood when 
 sincere. . . . 
 
 Thursday, December 4th. Still the chilly, drizzling 
 weather continues, and journeying is impossible. ... I 
 have found that most of the fevers and diseases so com- 
 mon among foreigners in Greece arise from exposure to 
 cold long continued without being severe, while they are 
 badly clad, and imperfectly sheltered when they sleep. . . . 
 
 The priest and I continued our good-natured disputes 
 and arguments, principally on the numerous and severe 
 fasts of his Church. The old fellow Hstened to me, replied 
 as well as he could, made flat assertions or flat denials 
 when he could not find arguments, and though feigning 
 a wish to know the truth, was unrelaxing in his prejudice. 
 
^t. 27] Return to Greece 301 
 
 After all my pains, and the exhaustion of all my artillery 
 of argument, he took up a shovelful of hot ashes and coals, 
 and threw them into a kettle which his wife was just put- 
 ting on the fire to boil his dinner. "There," says he, 
 "boil out the kettle with that, and scour it well, you 
 sinful woman, for you know the heretic had a pigeon 
 cooked in it last evening, and some of the juice may 
 remain to contaminate it." 
 
 They eat but twice a day, as do the Greeks generally, 
 and always very frugally. This priest, for instance, is not 
 poor, and seems not mean. He has four in his family 
 beside himself. Yet, after a very frugal breakfast at 
 eleven or twelve in the forenoon, their only dinner (or 
 supper, as they call it) was a large beet, boiled tops and 
 all, with a little oil, salt, and pepper, cut up in a large dish 
 and served with lemon juice. This dish, with a slice of 
 bread (perhaps ten ounces or a pound to each person), 
 composed their meal. No water is drunk at the table, 
 but each person drinks about a large-sized tumbler of clear 
 light wine. They make the sign of the cross, wash their 
 hands, and get up as well satisfied and more refreshed than 
 we do from an expensive and shamefully gluttonous feast. 
 
 During the day a priest in the neighbourhood, hearing 
 there was a Frank in the village, came to see me, and to 
 get his watch mended. He began in his vulgar uncere- 
 monious way by asking me where I was from, where I was 
 .going, what was my country, my object in travelling, etc., 
 €tc. ; then he pulled out his watch and asked me if I could 
 tell him what was the matter with it, and if I could mend 
 it. He seemed much surprised when I told him I knew no 
 more about watches than he did. 
 
 Soon after came in the doctor of the village, with his 
 smattering of Italian, his hat in one hand and his cane in 
 the other; the only hat, I ween, in the village, and that. 
 
302 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1828 
 
 by the looks of it, his father had worn before him. To be 
 a doctor in Greece, several things are necessary ; to smat- 
 ter some European language, to have a European hat and 
 a cane are indispensable ; then with confidence, with tact 
 in inventing stories to explain to the people the maladies 
 they may have, with a brazen face, in fine, and a limber 
 tongue, one is a doctor here at once. No knowledge of 
 medicine is needful ; that is, of what we should call the 
 science of medicine. A Greek doctor seldom knows any- 
 thing of anatomy, surgery, obstetrics, or pharmacy. He 
 has a few simples, or has learned by rote the names and 
 most striking qualities of a few powerful medicines, which 
 he gives in all diseases ; and with the assistance of his 
 friend the barber, who bleeds, pulls teeth, administers 
 glysters, etc., he gets along, and has the credit (as in all 
 countries) of curing those persons who by the assistance 
 of nature outlive both the ravages of the disease and the 
 medicines. This doctor, more self-confident than most of 
 them, who fear to betray their ignorance before " Franks," 
 began to relate to me a cure he was making of a man's leg, 
 bitten and badly lacerated by a dog. I naturally inquired 
 if the dog had shown any symptoms of hydrophobia, but 
 the fellow absolutely did not know that there was such a 
 disease, though he pretended to have studied in Italy. 
 
 During my two days' stay I have become familiar with 
 the family of the priest, and find them, like most of the 
 Greeks of the interior, kind-hearted and not inhospitable. 
 The son is a fine-looking young man of twenty-two, and 
 his wife, about twenty, is pretty, with large, sparkling black 
 eyes and fine teeth. She would be called handsome in 
 any country were she properly dressed. But the Greeks 
 of the Morea pack their clothes on in such an ungraceful 
 manner, and in such quantities, that being without corset, 
 lacing, or belts of any kind, they have absolutely an uncouth 
 
^t. 27] Return to Greece 303 
 
 appearance. Then the want of taste, or rather the perma- 
 nence of the fashion, precludes improvement. Our pretty 
 housewife, for instance, buckles round her waist a belt, 
 with a pair of huge silver clasps in front, round, and as 
 large as the largest saucer I ever saw, — the same belt which 
 her mother and grandmother wore before her, and which, 
 from its size and solidity, may be worn by her children and 
 grandchildren. It would be a rare thing to find a Greek 
 woman who could read or write ; few even of the men can 
 do so. The son of our host can read, as a matter of course, 
 being obliged to assist his father in the ceremonies of the 
 church; and taking up a volume of Strabo that I had, I 
 found he could understand most of it without having ever 
 attended particularly to the ancient language. There is 
 one servant, a young man of twenty, strong, hearty, and 
 active, but ragged as a beggar. He told me he was a 
 stranger, that is, he was from the southern part of the 
 Morea, and was serving this priest for his food and twenty 
 piastres (1^1.25) every six months, and that he was glad to 
 get such a chance. He ate always with the family, and 
 except for hard work, fared tolerably. I pitied the poor 
 fellow in the night, for he was without bed or blanket, and 
 I could hear him shiver as he drew about him the tattered 
 capote which would not cover every part of him at once. 
 
 About eight in the evening the priest summoned his 
 household to prayers. Turning his face to the east, he 
 began to repeat his prayer as fast as possible, gabbling 
 at such a rate that it was impossible for one of his auditors 
 to understand a word, except that now and then, when the 
 sign of the cross was to be made, he pronounced the word 
 distinctly, and crossing himself, bowed his head low, and 
 was imitated by all his family, the women bowing almost 
 to the ground. Then he would gabble away again, only 
 anxious to finish as quickly as possible. " Lord bless us ! 
 
304 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1828 
 
 Lord pardon our sins ! Lord lead us not into temptation ! 
 You John, blow out that candle! Lord strengthen us, 
 and thine shall be the glory for ever. Amen ! Now go to 
 bed all of you ! " 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 "THE AMERICAN MOLE " 
 
 yEgina, December 8th, 1828. Returned from my tour, 
 and having concluded to defer any distribution in the Pel- 
 oponnesus for some weeks, I turned my attention to the 
 state of the poor refugees from Athens, Roumelia, and the 
 islands of Scio, Crete, etc., who are here. It appeared to 
 me at first that there were not many in a state of absolute 
 suffering, but an examination has shown me that the exces- 
 sive misery and poverty were concealed, and in some meas- 
 ure parried, by the employment of about twelve hundred 
 persons, men and women, by the Government, in the con- 
 struction of the asylum for orphans. These poor wretches 
 labour for their bread alone ; they work from morning 
 until night, digging the earth, bringing stones, or such 
 labour, and receive their daily bread only, but rejoice at 
 such an opportunity of rescuing themselves from starvation. 
 In a few days these unfortunate beings will be discharged 
 (the school being nearly finished), and if I do not give them 
 bread from the Committee's stores they must suffer, many 
 even to death. The chief men of Athens, with all their atten- 
 tion and care for their wants, cannot possibly supply them, 
 and they assure me with tears in their eyes that many of 
 them must starve. Some have already been discharged 
 and are going about the streets crying and begging for 
 employment. 
 
 After revolving in my mind various plans of relief to 
 these suffering beings, I have resolved to commence a 
 
 30s 
 
3o6 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1828 
 
 work upon which I can employ four or five hundred per- 
 sons, give them their bread, and at the same time benefit 
 the public ; viz., the repairing of the port here, which, from 
 the destruction of the piers and the accumulation of mud 
 and filth, is reduced to a state nearly resembling a marsh 
 upon its border, preventing the boats from approaching near 
 the shore and giving out an unpleasant and unwholesome 
 odour. To remedy this and render the port at once com- 
 modious, salubrious, and beautiful, requires only that a solid 
 wall should be built around the border of the port a little 
 way within the water, and then filled up behind with stones 
 and earth ; after that is done the mud should be dredged • 
 from the port within the wall and the whole filling be cov- 
 ered with stones. In this way a fine wharf will be formed 
 along the whole border of the port ; boats can approach 
 and unload at it ; all the dirt will be removed, and the 
 port rendered excellent. To do this requires only twenty 
 masons to build the wall ; the poor can do the filling, and 
 will work for the same bread which otherwise I should be 
 obliged to give them to eat in idleness. I have resolved, 
 therefore, with the advice and at the earnest request of all 
 the men of information and of the Government, thus to 
 employ them, instead of distributing to them, as all the 
 agents have done heretofore, without reaping any advan- 
 tage to the public. . . . 
 
 Almost all the sufferers are Athenians, for as the rest of 
 Greece is now freed from the Turks, the inhabitants have 
 generally returned to their homes, those at least who had 
 the means given them of having bread for the road ; but 
 Athens still being in the hands of the Turks, all the inhab- 
 itants are here or at Salamis. Of those here, there are 
 perhaps five hundred families who are distressed for the 
 means of living, and three hundred at least who have no 
 earthly means of getting their bread save the employ given 
 
^t. 27] ''The American Mole" 307 
 
 them by Government, which must finish in a few days. 
 It is easy to imagine how a family which had saved its 
 valuables from home has been able to pass four years by 
 selling one thing after another and living upon the money, 
 living, too, as they do, upon almost nothing ; but it is difl&- 
 cult to conceive how a poor family which saved nothing 
 has contrived to keep soul and body together so long, in a 
 strange place and without having any business. Many of 
 them live merely on roots, and inhabit caves, or the ancient 
 tombs ; though, by the way, the latter residence is not bad, 
 for yesterday I . descended into one of these tombs and 
 found two spacious chambers, plastered and completely dry 
 and warm ; a better dwelling, in fine, than I know of in 
 iEgina. 
 
 ^gina, December lOth, 1828. Continuing my prepara- 
 tions for the work of the port, upon which I shall employ 
 the poor as fast as they are discharged from [work at] the 
 Orphan Asylum. Some of them, already discharged, came 
 to me begging with tears in their eyes that I would give them 
 employ, so I am obliged to support the most destitute by 
 rations for a day, or two. It is enough to melt the stoutest 
 heart to see the misery of some of the women. I promise 
 them work to-morrow. "But to-day," cry they, "to-day 
 where shall we find bread, since the Government has no 
 more work for us .' " One came to-day to the house of a 
 neighbour, a good old Greek lady, and said, " There ! for the 
 love of God, take my child and nurse it, and I will go and 
 work and get my bread from the Government ; but with 
 the child I cannot work, and with my miserable pittance I 
 cannot give it milk enough to support its life." 
 
 Such scenes make me wish at once to give all the provi- 
 sions I have to the poor without delay, but a consideration 
 of the difficulties, almost amounting to impossibilities, in 
 the way, and an experience of the comparative inefficacy of 
 
3o8 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1828 
 
 such a mode of distribution and the numerous abuses and 
 disturbances necessarily attendant on it, make me shut my 
 eyes to individual cases and try to relieve the general 
 misery. To those who seem in absolute want for the mo- 
 ment, I give either a few shillings in money, or some flour. 
 We found to-day, in opening and assorting a box of cloth- 
 ing, three dollars in cash, and I am sure that with these 
 three dollars I have done more real good than I can do 
 with three times the value in such goods as I have to dis- 
 tribute. I gave relief also to about a hundred persons 
 from Roumelia, who have been living as exiles here for six 
 years, and who now are going off to their country, having 
 received news of its abandonment by the Turks. They 
 had no means of getting away, and the Government offering 
 to give them passage, I gave them five barrels of flour for 
 the road ; and having ordered them all to come to my 
 house that I might give to those who have the greatest 
 need of clothes, I found all so ragged, dirty, and miserably 
 clad, that I gave each a shirt and a pair of drawers. I ob- 
 served at the same time a boy among them wrapped in a 
 tattered greatcoat, with a ragged cloth tied round his head, 
 and his feet and legs entirely bare. Calling him, I opened 
 his greatcoat in front and found that he had on only an old 
 jacket round his waist ; below he was entirely naked, with- 
 out shirt or drawers ; and when one recollects that this 
 poor wretch has no bed, but lies down at night upon the 
 ground floor of some hovel, one may conceive what his suf- 
 ferings have been. . . . 
 
 December l^th, 1828. Packed for Napoli some shirts, 
 drawers, and blankets for the hospital at Itsh Kaleh, where 
 the sick are lying without any other clothing than their 
 greatcoats. Also some clothing to Colonel Pisa, who will 
 distribute to the half-naked Turkish prisoners at Napoli, or 
 to such Greeks as he may find in need ; feeling certain that 
 
jEt. 27] " Tke American Mole " 309 
 
 a kinder-hearted man, a more sincere Philhellene and 
 philanthropist, or a more faithful almoner than Pisa could 
 not be found in Greece. (See letter book.) 
 
 jSgina, December igtk, 1828. Commenced work by 
 employing one hundred men and two hundred women in 
 excavating at the site of the temple of Venus, for stones for 
 the wall. When the poor heard I was to begin this work 
 and wanted people to labour and be paid their bread, they 
 collected in such numbers and were so eager to have their 
 names put down that I had much difficulty in making my 
 selection. I picked out, however, one hundred of the 
 poorest men who had families, and two hundred women 
 who were married, and set them to work, the men with 
 their pickaxes digging out the blocks of stone, and the 
 women carrying off the dirt in baskets. Their pay is three 
 pounds of Indian meal per man, and two and one-half 
 pounds per woman, and for this did they set to work with a 
 hearty shout of joy at finding the means of living. I was 
 pleased with their manner of beginning ; after dividing 
 them into companies of twenty and selecting one in each 
 company for leader or captain, I told them to begin, when 
 they began to make the sign of the cross, repeating it sev- 
 eral times, bowing and saying, " Here's to a good beginning, 
 and may the evening be happy ; success to the Americans." 
 Then they struck their pickaxes into the ground and went 
 on with great glee. The women manifested the same 
 eagerness ; they had collected to the number of eight hun- 
 dred, and were much disappointed that I could not employ 
 all of them. It may seem a little discordant with American 
 ideas of Greek women that they should be employed in 
 carrying earth, but when it is considered that the women 
 are the peasantry of Attica, who have been accustomed 
 from their youth to labour in the fields with the men, the 
 apparent impropriety vanishes. I had suggested to Count 
 
31 o Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1828 
 
 Viarro (the brother of Capo d'Istrias) that I should try to 
 find some employment for them within doors, but he was 
 very positive in confirming the opinion given me by men of 
 intelligence, that I should not only do no harm, but produce 
 a moral good by employing them as I now do. I took care, 
 however, to avoid abuses which crept in formerly ; for among 
 the twelve hundred women employed by Government in the 
 building of the Orphan Asylum were many young and hand- 
 some girls, who being thus in public, were exposed to be 
 seen by vicious foreigners and others, who set pimps to work 
 and seduced many of them. To avoid this I would not 
 allow any young unmarried female to be employed, but took 
 only the stout married women of the peasantry, who offer 
 no temptation, and who have been accustomed to labour in 
 the fields. For the unmarried women who have no father 
 or brother, I shall endeavour to find some occupation in- 
 doors. 
 
 ^gina, December 20th, 1828. Added this morning a 
 hundred women, thus making four hundred persons who 
 receive their daily rations of four hundred and fifty okes of 
 meal, and are employed in loosening and disengaging the 
 huge blocks of stone from the mass of rubbish with 
 which the centre of the ancient temple is filled, then in 
 carrying the stones down to the shore and leaving them 
 for the masons to begin work with on Monday. They are 
 getting on cheerfully; the only discontent seems to be 
 that all are not employed. 
 
 Some of the most wretched Greeks that I have ever yet 
 seen came to me to-day, seven in number, just rescued 
 from Egypt and sent here ; the men dirty, barefooted and 
 bareheaded ; the women and children almost entirely naked, 
 their arms and legs quite bare and blackened by the sun ; 
 they could hardly cover their bodies decently with the 
 rags that hung about them. One boy, a fine-looking fel- 
 
Mt.27] " Tke American Mole" 311 
 
 low of five years, had nothing on but a little shirt which 
 was ragged and torn open in front. All had suffered, and 
 some were still suffering, from ophthalmia, and they pre- 
 sented a dreadful picture of misery. They had been held 
 as slaves in Egypt for four years, and must have suffered 
 considerably — many, say they, turned Turks and were 
 well treated, but they themselves preferred to die. All the 
 little boys and girls who were without parents were brought 
 up as Turks ; these, with those adults who voluntarily em- 
 braced Mahometanism, must form a considerable number. 
 ... I clothed all and set them to work, except one, who, I 
 guessed, had purposely left off his clothes and come to nie 
 with only a shirt and greatcoat, for he was fat and hearty, 
 and his skin was white and therefore had not been exposed 
 to the sun and air as had his face and hands, which were 
 dark and tanned. I did not tell him how I discovered his 
 trick, but sent him off, telling him to get his clothes, with 
 an air that made him think me a wizard. 
 
 There arrived also this day about two hundred Greeks, 
 almost all women who have been redeemed from slavery in 
 Egypt by the French Government. Being still in quaran- 
 tine, and almost^ all suffering from ophthalmia, they were 
 landed at the lazaretto, and I stood by as a list of them was 
 taken, writing down the name, place of birth, and parents' 
 names of each one. There were old, middle-aged, and 
 young women, girls, and children, and it was affecting to 
 hear the accounts which they gave of their capture and 
 their suffering. One had been carried off in an assault by 
 the Arabs with father and mother, who had since perished 
 from sheer misery ; another had seen father and mother 
 murdered ; a third was the sole survivor of a family ; a 
 fourth recollected the murder of brother and sisters; 
 while some little children could say only that they were 
 from such or such a town and that they recollected their 
 
312 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1828 
 
 father to have had such or such a name, but nothing more. 
 Some had nearly lost the use of their native language, 
 others were mutilated, others had their ankles worn sore by 
 chains ; all had suffered, all were wan-looking and dis- 
 coloured, some were blind, many were still suffering from 
 ophthalmia, and all appeared to have weak eyes. . . . 
 
 Monday, December 22d, 1828. Recommenced our work 
 at the temple, and made considerable progress at getting 
 out large blocks of stone and transporting them to the sea- 
 side to have them ready for the workmen to begin the 
 wall. I divided the people into nineteen companies of 
 twenty-five each, appointing a captain to each company; 
 over each four companies I put a centurion, and over the 
 whole a commander, myself acting as general. In this 
 way we get on finely. For instance, I place one company 
 of men at digging out the huge blocks of which the founda- 
 tions of the temple were composed, one company of women 
 transporting the loose dirt in baskets, the third company, 
 of women, carrying small stones to the port, and the fourth 
 company (men) dragging the huge blocks on a car to the 
 shore. In this manner one centurion, or chief of hundred, 
 has his four companies under his eye, and the captains of 
 each answer to him ; then the commander overlooks the 
 five centurions, and I overlook the whole, as well as the 
 work at the port, and no one can escape doing his duty. I 
 pay the centurions twelve and one-half cents per day be- 
 sides their one and a half okes of bread, their whole pay 
 amounting to the value of twenty cents per day, and to the 
 commander I pay twenty-five cents a day. He is young, 
 well enough educated, speaks French, Italian, and English ; 
 was rich at one time and has served as captain in the regu- 
 lars, but is reduced to a distressing state of poverty, and 
 has a mother and three sisters to support. We found the 
 steps of the great cistern — the northern line of the foun- 
 
Mt.27] "The American Mole" 313 
 
 dation of the temple — and began to open so much of it as 
 to gradually get an idea of the outlines and foundation. 
 The single column which is standing I shall respect, and, 
 shall use every possible precaution to prevent injuring any 
 part of the temple which may be useful or agreeable to 
 have left, being too great an admirer of antiquities to com- 
 mit any sacrilege upon them. 
 
 Doctor Russ and Stuyvesant arrived and we met with 
 mutual shouts of joy ; passed the evening very agreeably 
 and talked away more than half the night over lang syne 
 and duke domum. Doctor Russ most heartily approved my 
 plan. . . . 
 
 Hundreds of men and women crowd round, begging 
 to have their names enrolled, and be allowed to work ; 
 and it wrings my heart often to be obliged stoutly to deny 
 their prayers — for I cannot consistently, for the moment, 
 employ more, advantageously to the rest, but in a few days 
 I hope to do so. 
 
 Tuesday, December 23d. Getting on finely. The poor 
 who labour are now five hundred, and it is cheering to my 
 heart to go among them and see the change that has taken 
 place. Instead of, as formerly, humbly and tremblingly 
 addressing me and begging for assistance, they look up 
 brightly and confidently and cry out, " Welcome among us, 
 sir ! " and they often add as I go away, " God bless your 
 father and mother ; God save the souls of your relations ; 
 long life to the Americans ! " or some such endearing 
 expression, which gives me a thrill of satisfaction, and 
 repays me for all the toils and vexations attendant upon 
 the task of an almoner. 
 
 yEgina, December 24th, 1828. The number of poor 
 that flock round to have their names enrolled exceeds all 
 my expectations. . . . 
 
 As soon as they heard of the work I have commenced 
 
314 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1828 
 
 they came down from their retreats and are surrounding 
 and teasing me to employ them. " Let us live, too, and 
 give us bread, as well as the rest." 
 
 " But," say I, " I have no need of more people." 
 
 "Oh," cry they, "only us, only my family, do take us, 
 for we shall die of hunger." 
 
 " That cannot be," say I, " for you can still live as you 
 have hitherto lived." 
 
 Then they all cry, " We are sick and tired of herbs and 
 grass ; we have eaten herbs and roots, herbs and roots, so 
 long that the sweetest of them seem bitter to us." 
 
 Thus pressed, and being positive of the extent of suffer- 
 ing and that there is no deception about those who are so 
 eager to work for bread alone, I yielded to solicitations and 
 enrolled two hundred more, so that I have now six himdred 
 persons getting out and transporting stones to the port, 
 the men doing the heavy work and the women removing 
 the light earth in baskets. . 
 
 My father was sorely hampered in his work at ^Egina by 
 the greed and cunning of some of its citizens. The Geron- 
 tia, or Commission of Old Men, after waiting till he was 
 fairly embarked on the work, came forward with a prayer 
 that since he was going to expend a large sum in improving 
 their harbour he would, while he was about it, spend twice 
 as much more, and by deepening and enlarging the port 
 still more make it one of the finest in Greece. He replied 
 that as his object was to relieve the poor in the first place, 
 and at the same time to do a public good, he must be per- 
 mitted to go on in his own way ; adding that he would 
 cheerfully undertake the proposed improvements if they, 
 the Commission, would furnish the additional sum necessary. 
 This they were by no means prepared to do, but still con- 
 tinued their importunities, until at length my father became 
 
^t. 27] '^ The American Mole" 315 
 
 so much annoyed that he threatened to stop the work 
 unless the Commission should not only signify its approval, 
 but send him a written request to continue the repairs 
 in his own way, and without further molestation. 
 
 The conclusion of the episode is briefly noted in the 
 Journal. 
 
 ^gina, December 26tk, 1828. I was obliged to-day, in 
 order to show the Commission that I was not to be tam- 
 pered with, to order the people not to go to work, or rather 
 I had given such order last night, so that they might 
 not assemble ; but they had, with their usual inquisitive- 
 ness, learned that some difificulties were being thrown 
 in their way by the .^Eginotes, and the whole six hun- 
 dred assembled in the square at daylight and began to 
 take measures, as they said, to make them desist. There 
 was no noise or confusion, but they appointed a committee 
 to go and state to the Commission that they were without 
 bread for the day even, and that if the American was 
 prevented from employing them, they would come upon 
 the Government for food. They wished to go to the house 
 of the local Governor and make an outcry, but they were 
 dissuaded from this, and the Governor made every attempt 
 to disperse them. They would not go, and he then sent to 
 me to try to make them do so. I sent my young man 
 to say to the people that I should be offended if they did 
 not immediately disperse ; they did so and all was quiet. 
 During the day the local Government made out their peti- 
 tion, in which they pray me to go on in the way I may 
 think best and disclaim all intention of interfering or dicta- 
 ting. . . . 
 
 Saturday, December 2yth, 1828. Rainy and tempestuous 
 day, so that we cannot work. The inhabitants of Megara, 
 who have suffered exceedingly, not only from the Turkish 
 
3i6 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1828 
 
 invasions, but from the frequent passing of Greek troops 
 through their villages, are now in an unhappy state, having 
 just returned to their homes, but so destitute that they 
 have no seed to sow, and suffer otherwise from want. The 
 representatives whom they have sent here urged their case 
 so strongly, and gave me such positive proofs that if the 
 people could have seed to sow, and food enough to pass a 
 couple of months, they would be very well off after that 
 (since the succulent plants will spring up and last them till 
 their seed shall bring forth its fruit), that I deemed it my 
 duty to appropriate a part of my means to their assistance, 
 and proposed to them to make a distribution of flour to 
 their people in the same way as has been done by the other 
 American agents in other parts. They replied thus : " If 
 you come and distribute flour to every person, it will feed 
 them for a few days, it will save them from going to gather 
 greens, and they will be grateful and happy while it lasts, 
 but this will be only four or five days, and they will [then] 
 have finished their flour, and no good will remain ; but if 
 you could give them seed to sow, they will contrive to live 
 till the harvest, they will be happy in the expectation of it, 
 they will be occupied and kept from idle and bad habits in 
 the meantime, and when the harvest comes they will have 
 enough to live upon the whole year, and seed to sow again." 
 This was exactly the answer I could have wished. It 
 confirmed me in my plans, and I resolved, instead of giving 
 them flour, to give them some seed. Now the crops which 
 Megara produces most abundantly are rye and beans. 
 Beans I have in plenty, and as the two kinds are equally 
 high-priced here, but the native variety not so good for 
 seed, I resolved to sell mine and buy an equal quantity of 
 Egyptian beans. This resolution filled the representatives 
 of Megara with joy, and they were profuse in their expres- 
 sions of gratitude and praise. I told them, however, that 
 
«t. 27] ''The American Mole'' 317 
 
 I did not mean to give them the seed outright, but that 
 every man who received a portion should give his note 
 promising at the harvest to pay one-third of the crop for 
 the support of a Lancastrian school in their village. The 
 simple fellows were astonished, and crossed themselves 
 several times, expressing the greatest joy at so "holy a 
 thing," and wondered, they said, that it had never entered 
 their heads before. I shall go myself, if possible, to Meg- 
 ara, and either give out the seed in this way, or upon a 
 yearly interest to be paid to the schoolmaster and secured 
 by the Government. Thus I shall be husbanding the talent 
 confided to me to the most advantage, and doing a far more 
 permanent and real good than by merely giving it away. 
 In fact, I hear on every side, from Greeks, from foreigners, 
 and even from Americans, such expressions of disapproba- 
 tion of the plan pursued by former agents, and such con- 
 clusive evidence of its comparative inutility, that I am 
 more and more content with my own. It is true that 
 formerly there was more immediate and pressing need, 
 more hunger to be allayed ; but then those hungry were 
 unemployed, they were idle, and consequently contracting 
 vicious habits, and in my mind it would have been better 
 to have employed them, like the honest Quaker, in piling 
 up wood one day, pulling it down the next and piling it up 
 again the third day, than to give them food without em- 
 ployment. . . . 
 
 This plan pursued with the people of Megara proved 
 most successful, and a few months later my father records 
 with great satisfaction the information he has received from 
 that place. I interpolate the following passage : 
 
 Everything succeeded according to my wishes. The 
 seed was divided among four hundred families, the poorest 
 
3i8 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1828 
 
 in that region ; they immediately sowed it, and ... in a few 
 days it began to shoot. . . . 
 
 I have thus, at an expense of less than $ioo, restored 
 to cultivation much land lying waste from want of seed. 
 I have given occupation and hope to four hundred families, 
 before sitting with clasped hands in listless and despairing 
 idleness. I have every prospect that this money will 
 produce seventy-five thousand okes of beans, which at a 
 moderate price should bring ^4,000, and give over ^1,300 
 for the support of a school ; or which I can give to the same 
 poor if they should be then in distress. The letter of 
 thanks which they sent me is very affectionate, and my 
 agent informs me that when the Demogerontes, or Commis- 
 sion of old men, were about to write it, they sent out a crier 
 to notify the people, who all assembled and shouted that 
 it should be written in the strongest terms of gratitude 
 and praise. 
 
 My father comments thus on the changes wrought in 
 Greece during the past three years 
 
 We are apt, perhaps, to be more struck with the exte- 
 riors of civilization than by the real advance made in moral 
 and intellectual acquirements by the people. The march 
 of mind has been extraordinarily rapid for the last eight 
 years in Greece : the earthquake shock of the Revolution 
 roused the latent faculties of the coimtry into instant and 
 agonizing exertion ; they have been rudely racked by the 
 rapid and often dreadful changes which have succeeded 
 each other for seven years ; they have been put intensely 
 upon the stretch by that most powerful of stimulants, self- 
 preservation, and the people, deprived of all regular employ- 
 ment, have occupied most of their time in political or other 
 speculations. From all this it has resulted that instead of 
 
^t.27] " The American Mole" 319 
 
 the degraded and apparently desperate race which existed 
 here before the Revolution, one sees a busy, bustling, 
 inquiring, and knowing people ; and instead of here and 
 there a solitary individual whom a residence in Europe 
 had inspired with free and liberal sentiments which he 
 dared not express, we now find thousands eagerly discuss- 
 ing their political rights with a considerable share of 
 acquired knowledge. But as I was saying, one is much 
 more struck with the exterior of civilization than with its 
 moral effect : three years ago I was on this island, and 
 it had only a dreary, dirty, solitary hole of a town, where 
 one could hardly procure the comforts of life ; now one 
 begins to see even its luxuries. I dined yesterday with 
 Mr. Dawkins, who set a rich table ; and to-day with Kon- 
 dostaulos in remarkable comfort, and found in his family 
 rational and well-behaved, nay, genteel women, in the 
 European dress and with something of European manners, 
 as they have lived in Italy. This is what I most wish to 
 see in Greece, the cultivation and refinement of females ; 
 for without their society life is a dreary task, its duties 
 mere drudgery, its pleasures insipid, its pains doubly 
 galling. . . . 
 
 Monday, December 30th, 1828. All hands hard at work, 
 and I hard at work with head, hands, and feet ; for I find that 
 I have not only to run here and there, to keep the people 
 employed, to give orders and plan schemes, but I have to 
 devise and execute everything. The five masons know 
 almost nothing else than to lay a rude wall, and this they 
 could not do under water, so I put about fifty of the Athe- 
 nians to build a coffer-dam, a stone wall ten feet out in 
 the sea where the water is shallow, in a semicircular form, 
 including the space where the masons were to build the 
 quay ; this wall I heaped with mud, and then taking some 
 empty flour-barrels, I cut them in two, making tubs of 
 
320 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1829 
 
 them, and set the men to baling and throwing the water 
 out into the sea, the mud wall keeping it from returning. 
 In this way it took only two hours to clear a long line of 
 shore, in which we dug a trench and laid the foundation 
 of the wall. 
 
 January 1st, iSzg. Rainy ; impossible to continue public 
 work, so I occupied myself in going round to some dis- 
 tressed families of the higher order, who are reduced to 
 extreme misery, yet still preserve enough pride to keep 
 them from going out and exposing themselves, and never 
 was I more struck with the force of this passage of Scrip- 
 ture, "I cannot dig, to beg I am ashamed." They had 
 been expecting me, and I could see that instead of any 
 attempt to display the wretchedness of their habitations 
 and furniture, there was a lingering pride in the endeavour 
 to make them look well. ... In one [house] was a mother — 
 a widow — and four daughters, all very young ; and when 
 I asked her how she lived, she began to shake her head, 
 to sob, and then burst into tears. Her husband had 
 been killed, her house burned, and she driven off by the 
 Turks. She had been living here for four years, selling 
 one trinket or valuable after another, till all were gone : 
 she took in work as long as she could get it ; she lived 
 upon vegetables and now and then a piece of black bread, 
 and endeavoured to support her beautiful children, two now 
 growing into womanhood, and whose countenances showed 
 the effect of youthful elasticity struggling against the de- 
 pression of poverty. The poor woman wept long; my 
 question of how she lived had been too hard, and perhaps 
 made her ask herself how she should live in future. I 
 tried to console her and resolved on sending her an ample 
 gift. I afterwards learned that she had been beset by 
 many unfeeling wretches, who had proffered her support 
 if she would prostitute one of her daughters; she had 
 
^t. 27] " The American Mole " 32 1 
 
 repelled them, but shuddered when she thought that the 
 gradually increasing misery of her family would force her 
 to some such resort. 
 
 To many such families did I go to-day, conducted by 
 Logothetes, an old and respected inhabitant of Salona, to 
 whom these families had revealed their situation, and be- 
 sought him to intercede with me, for they could not come 
 to me and beg with the crowd. . . . 
 
 It was always a subject of dispute among former agents 
 and myself, — the propriety of relieving such families ; 
 they insisting, as I thought in unfeeling ignorance, that 
 their distress could not be so great as that of the lower 
 class of people, since they did not crowd around the door 
 to beg with them. But now I can do as I choose, and I 
 am determined to relieve them ; I am convinced this would 
 meet the wishes of the donors in America, and particularly 
 of my fair countrywomen, who would pity rather than blame 
 the feelings of that once rich mistress of a once high fam- 
 ily, now a destitute widow, who hides herself and daughters 
 in a miserable cottage and passes sometimes whole days in 
 fasting rather than go with the crowd and get charity which 
 she is sure she can have by asking. Then I think that I 
 am much less liable to be deceived and imposed upon in 
 this way than in the common distribution. For instance, 
 last week I was moved with pity at the sight of a dozen 
 women, most of them with children in their arms, who stood 
 at my door begging for God's sake for clothes, as they had 
 just been freed from slavery and had not enough to cover 
 them decently. This was true, and I gave to each warm 
 and decent clothes, but yesterday I saw three of them in 
 the same situation ; they had probably sold the clothes, 
 and put on their rags again to excite pity and get charity. 
 I fear I am too often imposed upon in the same way. . . . 
 
 January 5th, Monday, Going on with my work ; have 
 
322 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1829 
 
 got the foundation of the wall laid for a considerable length, 
 and the utility and beauty of the plan begin to be apparent 
 to all. To-day being the last of the Greek fast and the 
 day preceding their Christmas, the people are all "up in 
 arms," as a Yankee would say, with preparations for the 
 feast to-morrow, so that my workmen broke off before sun- 
 set two hours and went each his way in spite of me. . . . 
 
 The work on the port was somewhat disturbed by the 
 numerous fasts and feasts of the Christmas season, and my 
 father, though impatient of delay, and exasperated to see 
 his people suffering from hunger and yet debarred from 
 earning their daily bread, was still interested in the ancient 
 and curious ceremonies of the Greek Church. After de- 
 scribing them with some minuteness, he goes on to tell 
 of a singular practice then in vogue among the country 
 people. 
 
 The priests have a way of getting money from the peas- 
 antry by pretending to disenchant cattle. A man whose 
 horse, ass, or beast of any kind is sick or unmanageable, 
 calls a priest, who reads the [New] Testament aloud before 
 it, from beginning to end. . . . 
 
 January 8th. Though this day is also a festival, it is not 
 so important, and those who have serious business or urgent 
 want go to work, so I recommenced with all hands and got 
 along pretty well. As the men in the water are apt to get 
 chilled, I considered it prudent to give them a little wine, 
 and allow for this one hundred drachms per day, the por- 
 tion of each man costing about one and one-fifth cents, the 
 wine used by the common people being about twenty-four 
 paras per oke, that is, four cents and eight mills for about 
 a quart. I shall also boil some of the salt provisions and 
 give them to-morrow, so that they may be content to work 
 
jEt. 27] " Tke American Mole" 323 
 
 in the mud and water by getting better pay than their com- 
 panions on land. ... 
 
 January gtk. Received report from Megara that every- 
 thing succeeded according to my wishes. . . . 
 
 A catalogue was kept of all who received seed, their 
 land was marked off, and every one signed a paper by which 
 he bound himself to pay to me or my agent one-third of the 
 crop, be it more or less ; which third, it is specified, shall 
 be applied by me to the establishment of a Lancastrian 
 school in Megara, and for no other purpose. This arrange- 
 ment gave great satisfaction to the men of information, 
 and great joy to the common people, who cared nothing 
 about the condition provided they have seed to sow. . . . 
 
 X determined to send me one of the valuable 
 
 marbles found in their village, of which the counterpart has 
 been sent to England, but I have not seen it as yet ; if it 
 comes I must get the consent of the Government to send 
 it to the Committee in America. I am getting on well at 
 the port, but with an entire sacrifice of time and com- 
 fort. ... I am puzzling my brains at inventing a machine 
 for dredging the port, and have partly succeeded. 
 
 Sunday, January Ilth, iSzg. Calls for assistance and 
 charity come thick upon me, and besides the cases of indi- 
 vidual distress which present themselves every day, I am 
 called upon to help those bodies of poor which are found in 
 many, if not every town in Greece. Hydra, it is said, has 
 many sufferers, and according to the examination I have 
 made and the information received from them, about six- 
 teen hundred persons are in deep distress ; these are princi- 
 pally widows and orphans, persons who are unused to any 
 labour : I must endeavour to make a distribution there. It 
 is my rule by conversation and by letter to try to inform 
 myself of the number and state of the poor in every place 
 and seek for means of knowing the truth or falsehood of 
 
334 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1829 
 
 the catalogues of poor which are presented me from every 
 quarter. The general result of my inquiry is that these 
 catalogues are made out by some of the head men, who 
 seek to swell it to as great an amount as possible, putting 
 in the names of their friends and relations down to the 
 thirty-ninth degree, and then adding as many hundred 
 common people as they think will be received without 
 suspicion. The general rule is to allow about one-fifth 
 part to be in distress ; for though all are poor in Greece, 
 I call those alone objects of my charity who have not 
 the means of subsistence. 
 
 January IJth, iSzg. This being the first day of the new 
 year in the old style, the Greeks are full of mirth and fes- 
 tivity : no work can be done, no shops opened ; all appear 
 in their finest dresses, and those who are in pressing want 
 of the necessaries of life will not perform the least labour, 
 though one should solicit them and pay them double. 
 
 January I£tk, l82g. Getting on well with my work at 
 the port and am pleased at the cheerfulness and even glee 
 with which the people labour in the promise of their slender 
 pay at night. In order to keep up a spirit of emulation and 
 industry among them I make it a habit to mark down dur- 
 ing the day about half a dozen names of those who distin- 
 guish themselves, so that they may receive a bonus of a 
 pound of meal at night, extra. 
 
 January lyth. An outrageous tempest last night des- 
 troyed all the outworks which I had built up to keep out 
 the sea from my quay, and we are inundated. Such acci- 
 dents, and the frequent recurrence of festivals on which 
 the people will not work, cause me vexatious delays. 
 These holidays are a serious injury to Greece. The peo- 
 ple are obliged to remain idle one-third of the year at 
 least, and if the stupid and vicious priesthood had full 
 power they would have to remain idle half the time, for on 
 
Mt. 27] " The American Mole " 325 
 
 festivals all that is done is for the people to put on their 
 finest clothes, to go to church at two hours before day, to 
 witness and perform ridiculous ceremonies, and afterward 
 to spend the day in lounging about the coffee-houses in 
 worse than idleness. 
 
 January l8th. Went to church at two hours before 
 dawn to witness the ceremonies at the festival of the Epiph- 
 any. They may be imposing to ignorant men, and it 
 would seem they are also imposing to men of acute minds, 
 for one sees many such attendant upon church ceremonies ; 
 and also an exemplification of the profound respect that the 
 Greeks have for their religion and its ceremonies, a respect 
 more strange when one thinks of the just contempt in 
 which they hold its ministers. They know their priests to 
 be vile and dissolute, yet kiss most reverently the hand of 
 a bishop when he is clad in his robes, though they know 
 the bishop to be a beastly man. 
 
 The President attended church very early with his broth- 
 ers. Counts Agustino and Viarro, and went through all the 
 ridiculous ceremonies of kissing the pictures of saints which 
 have been slobbered over by thousands of dirty whiskered 
 lips for years past. The ceremony of consecrating the 
 water was also performed, and afterwards there was a 
 mighty rush and scrabble, pulling, hauling, and fight- 
 ing to get a few drops of it ; some had brought pitchers, 
 bottles, and tumblers to put it in, but the crowd would snatch 
 them out of their hands and eagerly drink it or rub it on 
 their faces and heads. Those who got very nigh would,, 
 after drinking and washing themselves, dip in their hands 
 and reach them back over the heads of the crowd to their 
 friends, who would eagerly grasp the wet hand and rub a. 
 few drops into their own. Then all go in procession after 
 the priests, who march in pomp to the seashore, go through 
 the ceremony of blessing the sea, and throw in a cross ; 
 
326 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1829 
 
 a dozen men instantly plunge in, and struggle and fight 
 for it, till one more dexterous or stronger than the rest car- 
 ries it off. His reward is from the bishop and great men, 
 who each give him something. 
 
 Yet there is something imposing in this, after all, when 
 administered by men of talent and fine personal appearance. 
 They affect, and perhaps from habit feel, a superiority to 
 those about them. The Bishop of Atalanta came to call 
 on me to-day, and one could not but be struck with the 
 dignified appearance and high bearing of this apparently 
 humble but really haughty prelate. I would not kiss his 
 hand, and he tried not to show his displeasure. The con- 
 versation soon turned upon that subject so all-absorbing to 
 the Roumeliotes at present, the limits of Greece, and he 
 expressed himself in a noble and determined strain when 
 the suggestion was made that Roumelia might be excluded 
 [from free Greece]. The fire sparkled in his eye and the 
 blood mounted to his cheeks as he said : " I am a high and 
 distinguished minister of God ; my boast is that I maintain 
 the dignity of my station. I will not wander about the 
 earth a beggar ; I will not sell or leave my country, the 
 land of my father, of my ancestors' bones, the land whence 
 the light of science issued upon the world. I will return 
 to it, fight for it, die for it, but will make no compromise 
 for my birthright." 
 
 This is the common feeling among the well-informed 
 Roumeliotes. They are sensible that without Roumelia 
 Greece will be nothing ; they feel, too, and most justly, that 
 it would be an unrighteous and cruel deed to cut off Rou- 
 melia from free Greece, Roumelia, which [has] fought more 
 and bled more and suffered more than all the rest of Greece. 
 I cannot think the Europeans will dare ; they do not wish 
 to go so directly in opposition to justice and humanity. 
 Little do they know, perhaps, the excess of feeling here on 
 
^t. 27] " The American Mole " 327 
 
 the subject ; little do they know the consequences which 
 would follow. The Roumeliote peasantry and country-folk 
 may possibly remain quiet, but the mass of men who have 
 been bred to arms will not ; nor will they see the Pelopon- 
 nesians enjoying liberty and their own country enslaved, 
 without committing outrages. They will fall upon the 
 Peloponnesus, and a dreadful civil war will be the conse- 
 quence. 
 
 January igth. Rainy, wintry weather, a dreary contrast 
 to the fine sunshiny days which make this island one of the 
 most delightful winter residences. Continual applications 
 are made to me from every part of the country for assist- 
 ance. The return of the Turks upon Livadia struck a 
 panic through Roumelia, and many of the inhabitants are 
 flying to Salamis, which makes the situation of that island 
 still more distressing, as it is already full of miserable refu- 
 gees. Count Viarro appears exceedingly attentive to the 
 wants of the poor, not only here and in his [own] province, 
 but generally in Greece ; he is, I think, a humane man, and 
 although not strong of intellect, is useful to the coun- 
 try 
 
 January 22d. . . . Admiral Count Heyden, the Russian 
 commander, called on me to-day, to testify his approbation 
 of the work I am carrying on, and compliment me on my 
 manner of conducting it. He is a fine, frank old man, per- 
 fectly free and easy in his manners, and social and agree- 
 able in conversation, without any ostentation or affectation. 
 He is Dutch by birth, and speaks English exceedingly well. 
 Talking about Navarino, he said, " Ha ! I wished with all 
 my soul to have injured the Turks more, but our orders 
 were positive." 
 
 ^gina, January 24th. Again beautiful weather, after a 
 stormy yesterday. My house is continually surrounded by 
 the poor, who seek employment. Numerous other objects 
 
328 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1829 
 
 of charity also present themselves, and my hands are full of 
 business, for I am obliged to examine every case. Lent 
 to Rev. Jonas King ;^3i and seven piastres. 
 
 January 2£th. Visited the Russian frigate, Helen, also 
 the line-of-battle ship of Admiral Heyden. The old gentle- 
 man was at breakfast with several of his officers, but he 
 received me kindly and with genuine politeness. It being 
 Sunday, he was in state [uniform], with all his orders and 
 decorations displayed, and two huge epaulets on his shoul- 
 ders. As in the French, so in the Russian service, the 
 admiral has the title of "General. 
 
 The vessels were of course on this day made to look nice 
 and trim, and the men were clean and orderly. The whole 
 appearance was infinitely better than that of the Russian 
 men-of-war I saw at Poros ; yet there was a vnde differ- 
 ence between the condition of these ships and those of the 
 United States and England. It being a day of state, I did 
 not like to ask to see the interior of the ships, especially as 
 the church service was performing. The forms of worship 
 are similar to those of the Greek Church, and the audience 
 seemed as stupidly, unthinkingly, and zealously attentive 
 to the ceremonies, and as little inspired by the spirit of 
 religion as the Greeks. One would naturally suppose that 
 the similarity of religion, with a people so blindly attached 
 to the externals of worship as the Greeks are, would pre- 
 possess them strongly in favour of Russia above any other 
 nation, and in Europe doubtless it has been feared that 
 this would give Russia a predominating influence and create 
 a strong party in her favour, but it is no such thing. We 
 have had a French party in Greece, an English party also, 
 but who ever heard of a Russian party, during the Revolu- 
 tion at least } So far from this being the case, the Rus- 
 sians are less esteemed even than the other nations. When 
 an English or French sailor is seen wandering about on 
 
^t. 27] " The American Mole" 329 
 
 shore, the people always show a respect for him, mingled 
 with the rude and jocose familiarity which his free and 
 jovial air always invites. But on a Russian sailor they 
 look with contempt unmingled with the least respect. He 
 is merely a drunken brute, whom the boys hoot at and 
 pelt with mud, and whose only occupation is swilling rum 
 till he is, not roaring, but beastly and dead drunk. It is 
 not because the Russian sailor is more brutish and de- 
 graded than the French or British ; it is not because he is 
 invariably more sottish, that the Russian character is [held] 
 in such low esteem. Even among well-informed Greeks 
 the same feeling of comparative contempt prevails. Whether 
 it is from the former ungenerous, if not treacherous con- 
 duct of Russia toward Greece, or from other causes, I 
 know not ; but this I know, not only no Russian party ex- 
 ists in Greece, but there is rather a feeling of contempt in 
 the minds of the people, than of love or respect for Russia. 
 January 26th. Among the individual cases of suffering 
 which daily present themselves to me, that of Captain 
 Dimitri, which I inquired into to-day, struck me most 
 forcibly, probably from having known him in better days. 
 I remember the last time I saw him. He had a small 
 body of troops under his command, which he had raised 
 and supported ; he was splendidly dressed, — forward, 
 active, and respected ; and on the night of a sudden and 
 disorderly flight he was of essential service to me. He 
 came to me to-day, pale, dejected, dirty, and ragged. 
 He had been taken prisoner by the Turks, enslaved for 
 some months, and finally ransomed by some friends (to 
 whom, however, he was obliged to give up everything in 
 repayment), and is now worse than penniless. I gave him 
 one of the musquets sent out, a dress, a pair of shoes, and 
 some meal. I find also many individual cases of misery, 
 principally widows and orphans. 
 
330 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1829 
 
 Wednesday, January 28th, iSsg. Fine weather gives 
 such an opportunity of continuing the work at the port, 
 that I am incessantly occupied from morning till night. 
 Not a stone do I allow to be laid without being present or 
 giving directions, and as we put [in] nothing but immense 
 blocks, the raising and placing them is attended with diffi- 
 culty. I am obliged to invent everything, to inspect the 
 execution of everything, to instruct the workmen. If a 
 dike is to be built, I must direct the place for every pile, 
 must see that it is driven straight, and attend to every par- 
 ticular that is out of the common line. This, together 
 with my being obliged to attend to many details, to the as- 
 sembling and distributing of labourers (now amounting to 
 seven hundred), giving them their rations, attending to those 
 who fall ill, and daily examining the cases of many applicants 
 for charity, occupies my time so incessantly that I have 
 hardly a moment to attend to those studies which I had de- 
 termined to pursue. I rise between three and four ; then 
 until dayHght I have nearly three hours of quiet, but am 
 writing letters or examining vouchers for the poor, for with- 
 out close inspection one is liable continually to be imposed 
 upon. At daybreak I attend to the assembling of the 
 workmen ; breakfast at nine ; pass the day in business at 
 the port ; dinner at six ; and to bed at ten. 
 
 Work was no hardship to my father, but there were 
 some things that he found hard to bear. In a few brief 
 and bitter words he tells how his efforts (happily success- 
 ful) tp protect the honour and virtue of some beautiful 
 young girls in his employ, by giving them work at their 
 homes instead of allowing them to expose themselves to 
 the public view in outdoor labour, were misconstrued, and 
 how he was suspected and accused of the vilest crimes. 
 
 "No man," he exclaims, " can be raised to a public or 
 
^t. 27] ''The American Mole" 331 
 
 responsible station, no man can become the object of atten- 
 tion to the crowd, and escape the tongue of slander. Were 
 an angel from heaven, nay, were the Saviour himself to 
 descend upon earth and become conspicuous here, he would 
 without fail be accused of some misconduct. . . . But I have 
 lived too long to be bugbeared out of a good action from 
 fear of misconception by this slandering race." 
 
 My father was constantly beset with entreaties for help 
 from distant provinces, and longed to bestow it ; but the 
 common sense which was perhaps his strongest, if not his 
 most heroic characteristic, kept him where he was. After 
 receiving one such urgent request, he writes : 
 
 It is impossible that I should leave ^Egina at present. 
 I must content myself with doing all the good in my power, 
 and doing it well. And it is no small thing to support 
 seven hundred poor persons continually, many of them, 
 too, with families. They are now happy and comfortable, 
 but I do not know what they will do when I stop work. 
 When for any fault. I exclude a man or woman [from the 
 daily work], they come running to me, imploring to be re- 
 stored to the lists again, since they have no other means of 
 getting bread. Nor are these all : numbers of widows and 
 orphans daily come for assistance, and I must examine 
 their several situations to guard against deceit. To-day 
 about twenty orphan girls arrived from Konduri, Megara, 
 and those villages around which have suffered most severely. 
 They were all under twelve years of age, most of them 
 very pretty, all destitute, and their interesting looks, their 
 artless tales of woe and misery, their desolate situation, 
 excited feelings which it was pain to bear. Something 
 must be done for them, and that permanently. Much is 
 done by Government for the orphan boys, and six hundred 
 of them will be placed in the asylum here in a few days ; 
 
332 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1829 
 
 but nothing has yet been done, or is likely to be done soon, 
 for the great number of orphan girls who are wandering as 
 it were from house to house, without one permanent pro- 
 tector. If only fifty of these poor children could be saved 
 from the corruption and prostitution which will be the in- 
 evitable lot of those who continue to live as they are now 
 living, it would be a most humane and important act of 
 charity. When I think of the miserable lot of those who, 
 deprived of father, mother, brother, or protector, have 
 grown up corrupted, to follow the horrid trade of prostitu- 
 tion, and compare it with what might be the life of these 
 still innocent and suffering little girls if they were placed 
 in an asylum, under the charge of some respectable matron, 
 and brought up to an industrious, studious, and virtuous 
 life, I feel resolved to strain every nerve, to overcome 
 every obstacle, to make every sacrifice, to effect it. 
 
 Friday, February 6th. Russ arrived from S)rra, and 
 brought me the disagreeable news that he could find neither 
 lavofango nor cement on that island. I find on conversing 
 with Russ that he is entirely of my opinion in regard to 
 building and supporting a hospital with what funds we 
 have and what remains of the former cargoes, and I have 
 resolved to put the plan into execution. I can employ the 
 poor Athenian exiles upon the building, and pay them in 
 meal enough to support their families. Russ has some 
 money on hand which he will appropriate to it, and Stuy- 
 vesant has many articles, such as blankets, bedding, etc., 
 which he will devote to it. 
 
 Saturday, February yth, iSsg. The President sent for 
 me, and after some conversation about getting oxen for 
 several destitute villages in the Morea, I laid before him 
 my plans for a hospital and a female orphan asylum. 
 About the hospital, I only asked him to name the place 
 he would prefer for it; about the other I requested his 
 
^t. 27] " The American Mole" ■t>1)Z 
 
 advice. He highly approved the plan, and desired to think 
 of the subject for a day or two. 
 
 My mole and quay are getting on finely, and I hope in 
 two weeks to finish the work. The poor Athenians dread 
 this much, but I hope by that time to find some other 
 means of employing them. . . . 
 
 February gth, l82g. " I wish to God," says Finlay, 
 " that the fate of Greece were decided, that I might know 
 whether to sell my horse or not ! " " Oh ! Philhellenism," 
 cried I, "to what hast thou come ! " These words of my 
 most esteemed friend I would not, however, set down as 
 aught against him, for he is a tried friend of the cause, 
 but they struck me, as coming from one of the best Phil- 
 hellenes, and turned the train of my thoughts upon the 
 Philhellenes in general. What a queer set ! What an as- 
 semblage of romantic, adventurous, restless, crack-brained 
 young men from the four corners of the world ! How 
 much courage and talent is to be found among them ; but 
 how much more of pompous vanity, of weak intellect, of 
 mean selfishness, of utter depravity ! Quixotism and ego- 
 tism undoubtedly abound in the mass of queer material, but 
 egotism swallows up all the others, and the Philhellene 
 becomes a crack-brained and unprincipled being, puffed up 
 by vanity while his coat is out at the elbows ; cursing the 
 Greeks as depraved while he himself is carrying on open and 
 shameless debauchery ; and crying out against their trick- 
 ery and baseness, while he himself, by every possible means, 
 honest or dishonest, is trying to gorge down the fat of the 
 land, and fill a purse which he brought empty from home. 
 I must say, however, that as a body English Philhel- 
 lenes are more respectable and disinterested than the 
 French, who are too often thoughtless, vain, or unprin- 
 cipled adventurers who think of nothing but glory and 
 enjoyment, and who curse the Greeks for not more appre- 
 
334 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1829 
 
 dating a character which their own conduct sets forth as 
 selfish and unprincipled. Little have Philhellenes done 
 toward raising the reputation of Europeans here ! 
 
 This outburst was very likely the result of some special 
 exasperation. Having freed his mind, my father goes on 
 without a break. 
 
 As my work at the port is more than half finished, and 
 the Athenians begin to fear being left without occupation, 
 I am looking round for some means of relieving them. I 
 have been talking with Anaguros about taking off a colony 
 of them to some part of the Morea, putting them upon 
 some national land, and furnishing them with seed and the 
 means of cultivation, for it seems impossible to get them 
 along for any length of time in the way they have hereto- 
 fore lived. Present relief is not all they need ; they are 
 exiles, and there is little prospect at present of their being 
 restored [to their homes]. 
 
 February lOth. Auction sale of the effects of poor Cap- 
 tain Hastings. I bought Gibbon's " Roman Empire," twelve 
 volumes, at one hundred piastres ; a Scott series in fifty-two 
 volumes, 215 piastres; Shakespeare, two v&lumes, and 
 Lempri^re. Nothing has yet been done about the inter- 
 ment of the remains of this devoted and gallant Philhellene, 
 but his memory is deeply engraved in the minds of the 
 Greeks ; he will have a high rank in their history, and per- 
 haps no foreigner deserves a higher. From his cold and 
 ungainly manner, his want of address and of the common 
 hypocrisy of society, he repelled acquaintance, he made few 
 personal friends, and gave excellent opportunities to his 
 enemies of injuring him, but his long-tried and entire devo- 
 tion to the cause of Greece, his sacrifice of time, comfort 
 and money, his perfect sincerity, his courage, his enter- 
 
Mt.27] " The American Mole" 335 
 
 prise, his knowledge of his profession, and more than all, 
 his daring and successful battles and his honourable death, 
 have forced upon the minds of all Greeks [the conviction] 
 that he was among their greatest and best friends. His 
 name is never mentioned without an eulogium, and a regret 
 that his merits had been so long concealed from them by 
 his modesty. The name of Cochrane, however, is [now] 
 never mentioned without a deserved sneer; his conduct 
 has thrown light upon his true character. He is an in- 
 genious, restless, daring spirit ; he is fertile in schemes, 
 acutely observant of men and things, a perfect sailor, a 
 cool and hearty fighter ; but he is only a fighter, a fine 
 partisan leader, without the capacious and far-seeing mind 
 which takes in a wide horizon and can make everything 
 subservient to a great end. He could plan the details of a 
 campaign, he would abound in happy thoughts, in daring, 
 ingenious and brilliant schemes, and effect many fine coups 
 de main, but he could never plan or manage that campaign 
 en grand. He would make a fine admiral under an able 
 Minister of Marine. In Greece he did little but pocket 
 ;£3 7,000. Not, however, that he would not try ; he did try 
 most heartily. He wished for nothing so much as to fight ; 
 but he was all fight and no reckon. He supposed he had 
 no means of doing Greece any service because he had no 
 bits of wood fastened together with nails and ropes and 
 mounted with cannon. He overlooked the great and glo- 
 rious opportunity which was presented him on his arrival, 
 of wielding the whole energies of the country by means of 
 the unbounded respect and confidence of the people, who 
 had been looking for him as for their saviour. 
 
 February I^th. As my work approaches its termination, 
 I feel more and more anxiety about the future lot of the 
 Athenians engaged in it. Government does not seem in- 
 clined, or rather does not seem able, to provide for them at 
 
336 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1829 
 
 present. I have sold one hundred pairs of men's shoes, 
 which were not fit for the use of the poor, and have 
 ordered a quantity of Greek shoes made. I employ also 
 a considerable number of women in making up those parts 
 of the Greek dress which are not among the ready-made 
 clothes of the cargo, in order to be able, on the day when 
 I dismiss the people, to give each one a comfortable dress. 
 But do what one may, they must suffer until they can have 
 some fixed residence and land of their own. Here this is 
 impossible, for even were the land good, the mean and jeal- 
 ous selfishness of the ^Eginotes would stand in the way. . . . 
 The Athenians are not the best-informed people in the 
 world, yet they are far from stupid, and they have now 
 come to the resolution of no longer bearing the dreadful 
 weight of misery which as exiles they now endure. It is 
 not long since they sent a deputation to the President, 
 saying : " Tell us candidly, is there any hope of Athens be- 
 ing included within the limits of free Greece .'' If not, [let 
 us know it], that we may not waste our time here, but go 
 to the Morea or elsewhere and make exertions to save our 
 famiUes from starvation." 
 
 Now I know that, though they speak not plainly their 
 intentions, yet very many of the lower class are determined 
 to return to Attica and submit to the Turks, let the conse- 
 quences be what they may. They say, with much appar- 
 ent reason : " Since there is no hope of my country's being 
 bettered by my suffering, why should I suffer any longer ? 
 If I stay here, I must see my wife and daughters starve, or 
 eat the bread of prostitution ; if I return to my home, the 
 Turks may kill us, possibly, but cannot make us more 
 miserable than we are now." 
 
 They know that the Turks are acting with much pol- 
 icy toward those Athenians who have returned. About 
 a hundred Greek families are now in Athens, and not only 
 
^t. 27] " The American Mole" 2>Z1 
 
 enjoy security, but have everything more plentiful and 
 cheaper than here or at Salamis. Now, the people will 
 not look at the future and reflect that this is merely a 
 trick ; they cannot, if they would, avoid trusting them [the 
 Turks], for hunger is an unanswerable argument. The 
 grand impetus is from what people suppose to be self- 
 interest ; there never was and never will be an instance of 
 a people acting long from any other motive than selfish- 
 ness. . . . 
 
 February 20th. I had to-day a deputation from Megara, 
 which states that the seed which I sent was coming on finely. 
 Nothing else had been sown; all the hopes of the poor 
 hung upon it. But now, to my great disappointment and 
 the heartrending regret of the poor, the soldiers of the 
 Government there begin to play the same kind of tricks 
 as formerly with the crops. They pluck up the young 
 beans for salad, and turn their horses into the peasants' 
 gardens. I complained bitterly to Capo d'Istrias of this 
 to-day. He merely replied, " Que voulez-vous que je fasse ? " 
 He is weak, decidedly weak. Poor Greece ! There is as 
 little order now, in reality, as ever ; there can be no order 
 without the strong arm of a regular force. The other day, 
 while the soldiers stationed at Vilia, four hours above 
 Megara, had abandoned their post and were eating and 
 drinking at Megara, a small body of Turks came down 
 from Thebes and carried off several families of peasants, 
 who could not escape. Now, the President's telling about 
 sending this man or that man there to rectify matters, is 
 all humbug; the evil is in the root, in the very system, 
 and till this is changed no good fruit can come of it. 
 
 Ffiday, February 26th. . . . Went yesterday up to the 
 temple of Jupiter Panhellenius, that most interesting and 
 romantically situated ruin, where the solitude, the imposing 
 aspect of the scattered marbles, the lonely columns, and 
 
338 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1829 
 
 above all the view of Attica, Athens, and the Acropolis, 
 inspire one with feelings melancholy yet pleasing. My 
 visit was made with George Finlay, and at the temple we 
 were joined by that bore Mr. Black, who has just married 
 the girl celebrated by Byron as the " Maid of Athens." ' 
 However, she must have been a vast deal prettier than she 
 is now, to have drawn such an exclamation from me. 
 
 My father was through life an ardent admirer of beauty 
 in women, and objected strongly to having ugly ones about 
 him, no matter in what capacity. 
 
 There is a break of over two weeks before the next 
 entry. Apparently this finds him on a riding tour with 
 Mr. Finlay, to determine the place for a colony. 
 
 March Ijth. All the houses in Corinth have been des- 
 troyed by the soldiers, and there being only a few tem- 
 porary huts here, we have taken up our lodging in a store* 
 where are sold all kinds of country produce ; it being at 
 once coffee-house, gin-shop, shoe-store, dry-goods ware- 
 house, cobbler's stall, tailor's stand and hotel, all in one 
 large room ; so that all last evening and part of the night 
 our noses were regaled with the fumes of tobacco, wine, 
 and raki, our ears assailed by the vociferations of card- 
 players and wine-drinkers, and our eyes amused with the 
 sight of soldiers in different kinds of dirty dresses, lying 
 sleeping in their capotes, or sitting up hunting fleas. 
 
 Early this morning, after viewing again the ruins of the 
 town and of the palace of Kiamil Bey, we rode off with 
 
 ' This celebrated woman is often mentioned by travellers of the period 
 since Byron. She had been a beauty, but in Greece the youthful beauty of 
 women soon fades and is not replaced, as often with old men, by an aspect 
 of gravity and distinction. 
 
 • Called in modem Greek, " magati." 
 
^t. 27] " The American Mole " 339 
 
 Monsieur Petier, the engineer, to the ancient port of Le- 
 chseon, which is about north from Corinth, and on the north- 
 west corner of the Isthmus we found the traces of its walls 
 very distinct. Though the entrance is entirely choked 
 up, there is still a depth of two and a half or three 
 feet of water in it. The water, however, is fresh, which 
 shows how completely it has been separated from the 
 sea. 
 
 From Lechaeon we rode to Hexamilia, a ruined village 
 about three miles from Aero Corinth, nearly in the middle 
 of the Isthmus, which is there six miles across. The land 
 about it is good, the 'advantages of the situation consider- 
 able. A living stream runs through it ; it will probably be 
 in the course of a canal when one is cut, it will almost cer- 
 tainly be the point for a railroad ; or, if this last should be 
 established between Kallamaki and Loutraki, Hexamilia 
 will be an important village, being on the route from Cor- 
 inth ; its produce must have a market. I decided at once 
 in my own mind to ask five thousand stremmata, about two 
 thousand acres, of land (all about here being national), 
 from the Government, and plant a colony of poor families 
 upon it. 
 
 Rode to Kenchrese, the ancient port opposite Lechaeon ; 
 its ruins are still recognizable and interesting. On the two 
 points which formed its extremities we found broken col- 
 umns, which probably indicate the site of the temples of 
 Neptune and Venus mentioned by ancient authors as placed 
 here. But all was now solitary, and we were interrupted 
 only by the plaints of a poor shepherd boy, who came to- 
 ward us with a kid in his arms ; the kid was bleating pite- 
 ously, and the boy weeping at its sufferings. Its leg had 
 been broken by some French sailors who had landed from 
 a corvette anchored in the gulf. He begged our assistance, 
 and finding that we could not save his poor kid, which was 
 
340 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1829 
 
 evidently dying, he begged us to procure him justice. He 
 had but ten goats, he said ; they were his all ; one-tenth of 
 all his earthly goods was gone. I would fain have written 
 him a note to the captain of the ship, but how to find pen 
 and ink ? A scrap of paper I had in my pocket, and after 
 racking our brains for some time, Russ hit on the expedient 
 of pounding up some shot from my pouch, with which he 
 made me a pencil. I wrote a note, which the boy took to 
 the shore. He waved and shouted — in vain ! They looked 
 at him through their glasses ; they saw only a ragged shep- 
 herd ; he was beneath their notice, and though their boats 
 were going about leisurely, they paid no attention. " Oh ! " 
 cried I, " the value of broadcloth, shoes, and hat ! How 
 much more important is the covering of a man than the 
 man himself ! " 
 
 We bought some yaourt or sour milk from the boy, and 
 sitting down upon the shore, ate it with clam-shells (and 
 with bread), with better rehsh than many who sit before 
 venison and fowl and sigh for an appetite. 
 
 March l^ih, Corinth. Rode to Sikyon, the ancient, the 
 venerable Sikyon. Its beautiful situation, its interesting 
 ruins, its commanding prospects, its numerous recollections, 
 made the visit delightful. 
 
 March l£th, ^gina. Leaving Corinth at daylight, we 
 walked down to Kallamaki in three hours. On the way 
 we stopped to examine a curious subterranean passage cut 
 in the rock, which we had discovered the other day. Hav- 
 ing brought candles, we lighted them, and entered a narrow 
 gallery hewn in the rock, about six and a half feet high and 
 two feet wide, just big enough for a man to squeeze along 
 in. It soon became perfectly dark, though the passage ran 
 straight and we could see the light behind us, so, putting 
 my candle on the end of a stick and holding it far before 
 me, I cocked my gun, in case some wolf should be within, 
 
^t. 27] " The American Mole " 341 
 
 and pushed along farther and farther, finding the passage 
 exactly even and of the same size. We went, I should 
 think, five hundred feet, when a sudden turning showed light 
 ahead ; pushing on, I came to a pair of steps cut in the 
 rock, which I mounted, and came out upon even ground 
 among a thicket of bushes. This was probably the private 
 entry to some temple, and used in the mysteries by the 
 priests, who led mankind as much by the nose as they do 
 now. 
 
 Embarking at Kallamaki, we arrived at JEgina. in four 
 hours. I found the work at the harbour nearly smoothed 
 off, and the poor impatiently expecting my return, as they 
 knew not what they should do next. 
 
 March i6th. Demanded of the Symboulion in a petition 
 five thousand stremmata of land at Hexamilia. 
 
 March l8th. Find that the Symboulion, unable to de- 
 cide upon my petition, have sent it to the President at 
 Napoli for his decision. This will cause much delay, I fear, 
 and may put us beyond the time for seed. We have at last 
 the proclamation for the National Assembly, which is fixed 
 for May i5th-27th. 
 
 March 20th. Went to that old foolish ass. Count Viarro 
 to know the reason why no notice has been taken of my 
 note to the Symboulion. He looked as wise as usual, 
 spoke as foolishly as usual, and tried as usual to make me 
 think well of him. But he is most decidedly a beast, a 
 stubborn, tyrannical beast. . . . 
 
 March 2 1st. Wrote to Capo d'Istrias at Napoli, urging 
 an immediate decision about the colony. I employ the full 
 number of poor, seven hundred, for really I cannot leave 
 them for a few days yet, until some provision is made for 
 their wants. 
 
 Finlay gave us a fine picnic at some ruins about six 
 miles from the town. We were repaid for a fatiguing walk 
 
342 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1829 
 
 over a mountainous rocky road, when we arrived at the 
 ruins, by their venerable and solitary appearance. They 
 seemed like the walls of a temple built in a solitary nook 
 in the mountains, hemmed in on all sides by precipitous 
 rocks. Through an opening on one side we got a fine 
 view of the Isthmus of Corinth, and through a cleft 
 in the other, of the plain of Athens and Mount Hy- 
 mettus. 
 
 But we thought less, I must own, about all these fine 
 things, than about a lamb which a soldier was roasting 
 whole. It was spitted on a long wooden stake, and slowly 
 turned by a dirty boy, before a fire built on the ground. 
 Our walk had made us hungry as hounds, and we im- 
 patiently placed ourselves round a large flat stone belong- 
 ing to the ancient building, which we made our table. 
 The lamb was placed before us on the bare stone, soon 
 slashed to pieces, and devoured as fast as eight pairs of 
 hungry jaws could devour it. Then they gave us pilau 
 and yaourt, which in the vernacular means rice boiled and 
 buttered, and milk curds. These despatched, we began 
 more leisurely to talk and joke and laugh, wetting our 
 throats now and then with wine, . . . our appetites satis- 
 fied, our minds just elevated above the cares of the world ; 
 and the flow of soul went on right pleasantly. There was 
 Dawkins, the British Resident with the Greek Government, a 
 
 gentlemanly, hawk-eyed, polite, high-spirited fellow ; G , 
 
 the French chargi d affaires, a good-natured, silly, pleasant 
 
 nincompoop ; Colonel {soi-disant ! ) D , an old Philhel- 
 
 lene, an aide-de-camp of Ypsilanti, a fawning, vain, harmless 
 body ; L , the quondam secretary of the Greek Deputa- 
 tion, a smart, loquacious, dirty-mouthed chap ; Mr. L , 
 
 an Irish traveller, a restless, sensitive, hypochondriac, hon- 
 ourable man ; L , a Greek deputy to London, a toler- 
 ably dishonest, foolish fellow enough ; our host, Finlay, a 
 
iEt.27] " The American Mole" 343 
 
 shrewd, well-informed, gentlemanly, proud, selfish, yet gen- 
 erous-spirited Scot ; and I, a Yankee and your humble 
 servant. 
 
 March 22d. Finishing off all my work, much to the 
 alarm of the poor, who know not what to do. No answer 
 from Capo d'Istrias, which is most shabby, since he is hin- 
 dering the poor from getting a good establishment. But 
 never mind ! I can only do my duty, and leave the rest to 
 them. Occupied part of the day in visiting the sick poor, and 
 investigating the statements of different families who say 
 they are starving. Many I find to be true, and give them 
 assistance in money, flour, or clothes, as I find best agrees 
 with their condition. But it is often a vexation, instead of 
 a pleasant task, and often do I lose my patience and wish 
 myself out of the business. 
 
 March 2jd. I fear the maxim that a suspicious temper 
 masks a corrupted mind holds too true with respect to the 
 Greeks, and I find it impossible that any man in a conspic- 
 uous situation should escape slander. I am by far too 
 mindful of the opinion of the world. I have not philosophy 
 or sense enough to despise it, even when supported by con- 
 scious rectitude. I take pains to find out what they say of 
 me. In a coffee-house some one said : " The American is 
 going to establish a colony of poor families." 
 
 "Ay," says another, "he must be wishing to make them 
 work for him and be his slaves." 
 
 " No," says a third, " I know he does not like slavery, 
 for he has but two servants when he might have ten, and 
 he treats them pretty well. It seems to me his object must 
 be to make money." 
 
 " No," cries a fourth, " they say he is generous in money 
 matters, and never saves his own [money], so I think it 
 must be that he means to choose those poor families in 
 which are pretty wives and daughters, that he may have 
 
344 Samuel^ Qridhy Howe l^ d. 1829 
 
 a chance to seduce them and have a glorious time this 
 summer." . . . 
 
 March 24th, ^girm. To-day I discharged my people, 
 five hundred women and one hundred and seventy-five men, 
 leaving only seventy-five to finish repairing the old mole. 
 I have enriched the island of ./Egina by a beautiful, com- 
 modious, and permanent quay, and given support to seven 
 hundred poor during nearly four months of the most rigor- 
 ous weather of the year. I have kept them from idleness, 
 yet not fed them like beggars ; they have gained in an easy 
 way their own support and something for their families. 
 The great [aim] has always been to content them ; contin- 
 ually to show them that they were employed from charitable 
 motives, and not from any necessity for the work they were 
 performing. Whenever it rained, the women were dis- 
 charged in the morning, yet took their accustomed rations 
 as if they had worked. To-day I distributed to each of 
 them a chemise, a pair of drawers, and a gown, which never 
 having been promised them, filled them with joy, even as 
 they filled the air with shouts of " Long Uve the Ameri- 
 cans ! " The men also got shirts, drawers, and shoes. 
 Most heartily do I regret being obliged to quit them, but 
 my duty bids me think of the poor in other places as well 
 as here, and as the Government have not yet sent me any 
 answer to my proposition, I must give over my hopes of a 
 colony. The fault be on the head of Capo d'lstrias, not on 
 mine! He has rejected the cause of the starving poor, 
 probably from too much occupation in intriguing for the 
 election of Deputies to the National Assembly. I shall be 
 off for a tour of observation. 
 
 March 2^th, ^gina. This morning I got everything 
 prepared for my journey, and was just on the point of start- 
 ing off with Finlay, Russ, and Stuyvesant for the Isthmus, 
 thence to Salona, from Salona to Delphi, to Gravia, and if 
 
^t. 27] " The American Mole " 345 
 
 possible up the Pass of Thermopylae, now occupied by the 
 Greek troops. We were to have gone to Parnassus, to 
 have drunk of the Castalian fount, cUmbed Helicon, and 
 after wandering there a day or two, to have returned by 
 land to Eleusina/ I was just exulting at the beginning of 
 this delightful jaunt, when in came a secretary of the Gov- 
 ernment, bringing a letter. I opened it ; it was from Capo 
 d'Istrias, approving my plan of a colony and begging me 
 not to delay a single moment. 
 
 " I cannot go ! " said I to my companions. 
 
 " The devil you can't ! " says Russ. " What is in the 
 wind now ? " 
 
 "I must occupy myself immediately about my colony, 
 for the President not only approves the plan, but promises 
 to give it support in every possible way." 
 
 So ray jaunt ended. They set out, however, and I have 
 been all day getting information about land, seed, utensils, 
 etc. Many poor families are longing to go, but I must 
 choose those who are not only poor, but who have no land 
 in their own country, and who are industrious and honest. 
 
 March 2yth. About five hundred women, those whom I 
 have been employing, gathered around my door this morn- 
 ing and begged most earnestly that I would continue their 
 daily allowance, since they knew not how to get bread. It 
 was vain to argue with them, or to tell them that I must 
 attend to other poor. I was obliged to say that I had 
 nothing for them. They understood perfectly well that 
 their employment had been from charitable motives. I 
 made a speech to the crowd, and when I referred to this, 
 they all cried : " We know it, and God bless you for it ! 
 You have fed us for many months, and clothed us too ; we 
 are ashamed to ask more, but necessity compels us." 
 
 " Poor creatures," said I, " I know your sufferings, and 
 
 ' Now Eleusis, but then pronounced " Lefse'na." 
 
346 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1829 
 
 woul^ to God I could alleviate them permanently ! But I 
 must think of others." 
 
 When they found that I could not employ them, they 
 seemed sorry that they had come, fearing to have offended 
 me, and went off blessing me. They are almost all peasant 
 women of Athens. 
 
 I employed the day in making arrangements for taking 
 care of my sick during my absence, in giving means of live- 
 lihood to several wretched families who cannot work, and 
 preparing for my departure. . . . 
 
 . Here follows a break of two days, and the next entry 
 tells of the new undertaking begim at Corinth. My 
 mother, in her brief mention of the work at ^gina, says, 
 " The quay, a beautiful one, is still standing, and is called 
 the American Mole." 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 CORINTH 
 
 The Journal kept by my father at Corinth is not only 
 incomplete, but scanty, compared with the full record of 
 his days at yEgina. ^ This is partly due, no doubt, to exces- 
 sive business (for, as we shall see later, he had to be 
 "governor, legislator, clerk, constable, and everything but 
 patriarch"). But during the latter part of his stay on the 
 Isthmus (probably in April, 1830), he incurred a new and 
 terrible danger. While on a journey from Corinth to 
 Napoli di Romania (Nauplia), he was delayed overnight 
 on the low-lying plains of the Argolis, and was soon after 
 attacked by swamp-fever in a virulent form. He barely 
 escaped with life, and was never again quite the same man 
 physically, the poison lingering in his system even to his 
 latest days, and manifesting itself in the form of agonizing 
 headaches and an impaired digestion. 
 
 The record, which is in the same ragged volume with 
 the iEgina Journal, begins as follows : 
 
 yEgina, March, l82g. There are very few Greeks whose 
 word would be taken by other Greeks, especially in regard 
 to pecuniary matters, for they will cheat and embezzle tre- 
 mendously. Every man almost is imbued with this spirit, 
 and hence every man, conscious that he himself would 
 embezzle if he had an opportunity, supposes as a matter 
 of course that everybody else would do the same. In 
 ./Egina one would suppose that justice would be strictly 
 
 347 
 
348 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1829 
 
 administered, but no such thing ! Only three days ago a 
 man stole a pair of shoes from my store. I made a row, 
 found him out, and sent him to the police. To-day, won- 
 dering that justice had not been done upon the vagabond, 
 as I saw him walking about, I sent to the police, and found 
 that the head constable had the shoes on his own feet ! I 
 instantly demanded that the chief of police should pay for 
 them ; he refused. I sent word that I would inform the 
 President, and this brought the money. Meeting the thief 
 just then in the street, and finding that the police would 
 not punish him, I in a passion (unjustifiably, perhaps) 
 determined to punish him myself, so ordered one of the 
 captains of twenty-five labourers who were just passing by 
 with one of my empty carts, to seize the thief, put him on 
 the cart, and give him a run up to the temple where all my 
 women were at work. This the men did, shouting and hoot- 
 ing, and having got him among the women, they pelted 
 him with mud and let him go. This has enraged the po- 
 lice against me. 
 
 I have been spending the evening with some young 
 Englishmen, and returned to my solitary quarters full of 
 discontent and melancholy; in a mood in which one can 
 well conceive the motives of the suicide. Oh, poor human 
 nature has need of every ornament, of every veil, to make 
 it tolerable, but when we strip off those ornaments and 
 tear away that veil, it presents so disgusting an image that 
 a man hides his face and blushes to think he is human ; 
 at least so it is with me. The conversation turned upon 
 the subjects so common with most young men, during 
 which sentiments so disgusting were expressed, in language 
 so sickening, that it made me quite melancholy the moment 
 I could get clear of the whole of it ; for one must join, or 
 at least suffer without wincing, if one would escape ridicule. 
 The total want of every feeling of delicacy, with the appar- 
 
Mt. 27] Corinth 349 
 
 ent relish with which the most revolting circumstances are 
 related, makes one ready to cry out, " Oh, blessed igno- 
 rance ! Oh, that I had remained in possession of those fond 
 but foolish fancies which threw a polish over every scene 
 of human life." 
 
 My friend Finlay seemed the only one whose sentiments 
 accorded fully with mine, and I could see from his uneasi- 
 ness and subsequent melancholy that he was as disgusted 
 as myself. He is a fine fellow, and conceals under the air 
 of a man of the world, and partly of a misanthrope, a kind 
 heart and delicate feelings. Most people think him cold- 
 blooded, sarcastic, and selfish, and I once thought so, but 
 he is not. He despises affectation or parade of feeling, 
 but possesses it in reality. He had been teasing me to 
 [let him] buy an elegant gold chain I wore. I let him have 
 it. Yesterday he sent me the $30 and the chain, saying 
 that as he had teased me out of it, I might take which I 
 chose. I sent them both back, saying, " Keep the chain ; 
 let it remind you of our chain of friendship. Keep your 
 end of it bright, and I will take care of mine." He at 
 night sent me in return an elegant Turkish scimetar and 
 dagger, with a note which I value more than forty scime- 
 tars, saying that our friendship was to him a source of 
 pride and pleasure, and that though he hated words on 
 such subjects, it would not be his fault if it were not 
 kept up. 
 
 The friendship was kept up through life, and ended, if 
 such things do end, only with my father's death in 1876. 
 
 Hexamilia, Isthmus of Corinth, March 2gth, i82g. Left 
 .iEgina at noon in a caique, having settled as much of my 
 business as I could, and found that the rest could only be 
 done here on the spot. 
 
350 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1829 
 
 I came away in low spirits, even in grief, for several 
 things had occurred to vex me, but none more so than the 
 necessity of punishing my boy Nikoli. He is a Cretan, about 
 fourteen, whom I found poor and ragged in the streets, and 
 took, not only from compassion, but from a strong prepos- 
 session in his favour, derived from his looks, for he certainly 
 is one of the most beautiful youths I ever saw : a face full 
 of expression, sincerity, mildness, and intelligence. He 
 also showed a talent for painting, and I had conceived 
 hopes of his making a valuable man, besides becoming at- 
 tached to him for his assiduity and attention in serving me. 
 But in looking over his accounts to-day, I detected several 
 errors (probably from negligence on his part), which he 
 attempted to conceal by falsehoods, and I instantly decided 
 to punish him severely, if not turn him away, so ordered 
 him to take his things out of the boat and to find another 
 master. Poor fellow, he cried, and begged so hard and so 
 ingenuously that I could scarcely keep from tears myself ; 
 but I persisted, and left him, knowing that nothing but 
 severe suffering would make him change when once he had 
 come to lying. I arrived at Kallamaki about five o'clock, 
 and putting my tent and baggage on mules, I started off on 
 foot over the lower part of the Isthmus, and arrived at this 
 spot just at dark. But here are only the ruins of some 
 wretched huts, and as there was not a living soul [to be 
 seen], I began to be uneasy about my baggage and attend- 
 ants, who did not appear. It was soon pitch-dark, and 
 my only resource was to climb the ruins of the Bey's house 
 and fire my gun several times, until at last, to my joy, I 
 saw the flash of a pistol in answer to mine, and soon heard 
 my servants shouting to find me. We immediately pitched 
 the tent, made a comfortable supper, and went to sleep as 
 comfortably as the chill night air would let us — for the 
 tent was badly pitched. 
 
^t- 27] Corinth 35 1 
 
 March 30th, Tent at Hexamilia. Went to Corinth (one 
 hour distant) and made arrangements with the Governor 
 about our land. I find that within the limits of Upper 
 Hexamilia there is very little arable land, and must take 
 some in Lower Hexamilia. ... I have engaged Signor 
 Magno, an old Italian agriculturist, to be at the head of 
 that business. The Isthmus of Corinth has a dry and 
 stony soil, which, however, is good for grain of all kinds 
 that do not require irrigation. 
 
 March 31st, Tent at Hexamilia. Engaged fifteen men 
 to clear out the ruins of the Bey's house, where I mean to 
 form a sort of casa di padrone for the colony. I find there 
 are very many poor about here who wish only bread [in 
 return] for work ; and it was a lucky hit for these men to- 
 day to find me, for they had come from Megara to Corinth 
 to search for employment, and finding that the Government 
 work was finished, were going away in despair. They 
 began with joy, and this evening have gone to sleep in 
 some neighbouring caverns. 
 
 Rode to Kenchreae, and found there about ten acres of 
 irrigable land of the first quality, which may be made to 
 produce cotton, corn, rice, etc. The magazines of Kiamil 
 Bey can be put in repair at a very small expense. Return- 
 ing along the foot of the Oneian ridge of mountains, I found 
 a large quantity of land most excellent for grain, and easily 
 to be cultivated. This ridge, being impassable except at the 
 lower part, is there fortified by a Venetian wall, and the 
 upper part being connected with the Aero Corinth, and field- 
 works extending thence to the Gulf of Lepanto, an artificial 
 defence of the Peloponnesus was thus formed. But the line 
 must have required an immense army to defend it, and even 
 then must have been feeble compared with that at the lower 
 part of the Isthmus, which again is nothing in comparison 
 with the natural fortifications in the passes of Geraneia. 
 
352 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1829 
 
 April 1st, Tent at Hexamilia. Rode in the morning to 
 Corinth, and saw Praitdes, the Governor, who is inclined 
 to help along my plan as much as possible. He gave or- 
 ders that the peasantry of the neighbouring villages should 
 not begin cultivating land about Hexamilia, as none would 
 be left for the colony. I sent to Sophiko for wood to roof 
 the houses. The peasantry from Sophiko came to my 
 tent, asking if they might cultivate the land about this 
 place. They think, evidently, that I am some great lord 
 who has bought all the country round about, or rather 
 hired it of the Government, and that they must apply to me 
 on all occasions, for all the land is national. I directed 
 them, however, to begin at a little distance from us, as we 
 need the land immediately around. Others continue to 
 come, and at last the [former] inhabitants of this place 
 showed themselves, and asked if they might come and 
 build here again. From thirty-three families they are re- 
 duced to fifteen, who are living in the caves about here, 
 not having dared to abide in the village for six years for 
 fear of the Greek soldiery, who took from them their sub- 
 stance and at last pulled the houses to pieces. The inhab- 
 itants have contrived to save among them five pair of oxen 
 with which they wish to go to work under my protection, 
 as they express it. The best-informed man among them, 
 and the best off, had a long confab with me this morning, 
 and amused me much. " Effendi " (my lord), said he, "we 
 rejoiced much when we heard that you had taken this place 
 under your protection. We wished for an effendi; we 
 have been accustomed to obey one, as our fathers did 
 before us ; we know that nothing goes well without a head, 
 and we pray that you will grant us the same privileges that 
 you are going to give others." 
 
 The old fellow then began to descant on the advantages 
 of their situation under the Turks, and said it was better 
 
JEt. 27] 
 
 Corinth 
 
 353 
 
 [than] their present one in theory. This led me to examine 
 the affair, and after much cross-questioning and difficulty, 
 I made out the relative situation then and now. 
 
 The Bey gave them their house, land to cultivate, seed 
 to sow it with, and loans without interest ; they cultivated 
 the earth in their own way, and at harvest time made the 
 following division : 
 
 Suppose a peasant reaped one hundred bushels : he 
 had first to subtract — 
 
 The seed he had received, say . 
 
 20 per cent 
 
 He paid to priest 
 
 1-2 " 
 
 Blacksmith per annum 
 
 1-2 " " 
 
 Tax for Sultan . . 
 
 10 " " 
 
 To labourers for the liarvest 
 
 r (( <( 
 
 To the Kehaya, or agent 
 
 10 " " 
 
 Horse for beating out (threshing) 
 
 r (1 ft 
 
 
 51 per cent 
 
 But the Bey made a present apparently in this way : 
 when the harvest was stocking, the peasant took one 
 sheaf or bundle in every ten for his family, which taken 
 from 51 leaves 41. Then from 41 to 100 we have 59 per 
 cent., which was divided between the Bey and the peasant, 
 leaving [the latter] 29 1-2 per cent. But then the Kehaya, 
 or agent of the Bey, made every peasant sow, cultivate, 
 and reap for him 3 kilo of grain, making 1 1 1 okes ; so that 
 the peasant [actually] received about 25 per cent. Now, 
 under the Government, he has land, and pays — 
 
 One-third of the crop, making, say 
 He pays the priest 
 Blacksmith .... 
 
 Expenses of harvesting, say 
 Expenses of his house 
 
 33 per cent. 
 
 1-2 " 
 
 1-2 " 
 
 10 " 
 
 3 " 
 
 47 per cent. 
 
354 Samuel Gvidley Howe [a. d. 1829 
 
 Taking 47 from 100 leaves the peasant 53 per cent., while 
 before he had only 25. 
 
 They could always borrow money from the agent of the 
 Bey, the first time without interest, afterward by paying 
 eight per cent. 
 
 April 2d, Tent at Hexamilia. Waiting impatiently for 
 flour from ^gina, for the poor here are begging to be 
 employed. The moment I have set twenty-five to work 
 at a piastre (or seven cents) per day, their pay will buy 
 them bread enough to support them. It will take Corinth 
 many years to regain its former consideration. . . . 
 
 Here follows a break in the Journal, from April 3d to 
 June 19th ; some leaves were probably lost or torn out, 
 the volume being unbound and in a very fragmentary con- 
 dition. A letter to the Greek Committee in America, 
 however, partly fills this gap and gives interesting details 
 of the work at Corinth. It is dated " Washingtonia, Isth- 
 mus of Corinth, June i6th, 1829." The first part merely 
 recapitulates what we have read in the Journal of the plan- 
 ning and founding of the colony. My father continues : 
 
 I selected twenty-six families from Scio, Aifvali, and 
 Athens, brought the men here with me, in a few days put 
 up some huts, and then transported their families here. 
 They were all then employed in cultivating the earth. I 
 procured about two hundred of the poor who were wander- 
 ing about Corinth in idleness, and began building huts for 
 the colonists. I determined to give each family a house, 
 or hut as you would call it, and as the foundations and the 
 fallen walls [of a former village] remained, and since the 
 earth mixed with water makes mortar, there was little that 
 could not be done by the poor. They make the mortar, 
 bring the stones, cut and bring the wood, and are paid 
 
^t. 27] Corinth 355 
 
 merely as much bread as they can live upon. Thus little 
 is expended except on the poor, and the carpenters are 
 merely employed in putting together the materials, making 
 windows, doors, etc. When I say "doors," however, you 
 must not imagine panels, hinges, latches, locks, etc. There 
 is not a particle of iron about them except nails, and per- 
 haps I cannot give you a more correct idea of the economy 
 and even saving we use than by describing one of them. 
 It is composed of three boards, six feet in length, nailed 
 together, and having an upright stanchion attached. Each 
 end of this stanchion is pointed, and it is set into a hole 
 mortised in the door-frame above and below. This serves 
 for hinge. This door stands open in summer, and when 
 closed is fastened by a wooden bar which shoves into a 
 hole in the wall by its side. 
 
 While I am thus employing about two hundred poor, as- 
 sisting the masons in building, the families composing the 
 colony are employed in agriculture, and though we arrived 
 late in the season, they have already planted about two 
 hundred siremmata with Indian com and cotton. I have 
 been obliged to buy oxen, to make tools, and to furnish 
 everything to the colonists, for they had sold everything, 
 even to their tools, to buy bread. The agreement I have 
 made with them is to furnish them with seed, cattle, instru- 
 ments, and rations for their families, at the rate of one half- 
 oke (or a pound and a third) of corn-meal a day for each 
 person, until the harvest, which is to be divided equally be- 
 tween them and the manager of the colony. Their half is 
 for their own support, the other to liquidate the expenses 
 of cultivation. Thus they live not only contentedly but 
 happily, for they have prospect of a harvest which will put 
 them on their feet again in the world. They labour, men 
 and women, in the fields, and as every family has its land 
 separate, and cultivates as much as it can, emulation is ex- 
 
356 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1829 
 
 cited among them, since he who cultivates most will receive 
 most. I have tried many ways of distributing American 
 charities among this suffering people ; I have been moved 
 to tears by the expressions of joy and gratitude of the 
 hungry wretches to whom I gave food ; I have been de- 
 lighted at the sight of others cheerfully labouring for their 
 daily bread and benefiting the public; but those sensa- 
 tions equalled not that perfect satisfaction which I now feel 
 in witnessing the labour of these colonists. Their homes 
 are in possession of the Turks ; they have no hope of re- 
 turning to them. But yesterday destitute, ragged and 
 hungry, they are now busily and happily at work for them- 
 selves and for the benefit of other poor. They are earning 
 their daily bread, and enjoying a rational prospect of soon 
 becoming forehanded in the world. They know that ; they 
 are grateful for it: 
 
 One of my first cares was the establishment of a school, 
 and I was lucky enough to find a young Greek who had 
 obtained a good knowledge of the Lancastrian system 
 at the Borough Road School in England. His name 
 
 is ( ), and being in distressed circumstances, be 
 
 gladly engaged here, and has now a snug little school with 
 thirty-five pupils. Only two of them knew their letters 
 when they began, but now we hear them repeating, "Al- 
 pha, beta, gamma, delta," as they run about, and when 
 out of school they play at making letters in the sand. 
 This little school is my favourite resort, and when any 
 petty Greek trick, or any attempt to impose upon me has 
 ruffled my temper, I retire there, and immediately all my dis- 
 gust is gone, and all my hopes and anticipations are revived, 
 when I see in the bright countenances, the eager attention, 
 and the astonishing sagacity and ingenuity of the little 
 urchins, the certain indications of the future character of 
 the race. 
 
jEt. 27] Corinth 357 
 
 I am occupied also in repairing the country house of the 
 [former] Pasha of Corinth, and intend converting the upper 
 part of it into a schoolhouse, large enough for two hundred 
 scholars at least ; and I do not doubt they will come from 
 the surrounding villages. 
 
 Having thus begun on a small scale, and found that the 
 experiment would succeed, I began to think of increasing 
 the number of the colonists, and of seeking such improve- 
 ments as would secure a future revenue. I had often been 
 applied to by the former inhabitants of the village to allow 
 them to be included among the colonists, and having found 
 by examination that they were worthy objects of charity, I 
 resolved to assist them. There were formerly thirty fami- 
 lies here. This number has been reduced by the war to 
 fourteen, whom I found living in some caverns near here. 
 Four only of these had saved some of their effects ; the 
 others, though nearly destitute, required only assistance to 
 build their houses and to buy seed. Certain that by cultivat- 
 ing their lands they could soon make themselves comfortable 
 and even thriving, I concluded to lend them money, and as 
 I am only a steward for the poor, I thought it only just 
 that they should pay interest as soon as their crops came 
 in. I therefore lent them a sum sufficient to enable them 
 to build their houses and buy seed, which is to be repaid in 
 five annual payments at the rate of eight per cent., the law- 
 ful interest of the country. And what sum do you think 
 they required 1 Three hundred piastres, or %zo per family, 
 to set them going again in the world. This will give you 
 an idea of how much good can be done in Greece at this 
 moment with a little cash. (I may observe en passant that 
 one may get the very best security for money lent at thirty 
 and up to fifty per cent, per annum, and very good security 
 at from five to eight per cent, per month.) 
 
 Thus the families in the colony amount to thirty-six, mak- 
 
358 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1829 
 
 ing about two hundred souls, which, with two hundred other 
 poor employed in day labour, makes a very busy community, 
 on a spot where ten weeks ago I was obliged to have a 
 guard in the night to keep the wolves away from my mules. 
 I propose the name of Washingtonia for this colony. 
 Within its boundaries is the old port of Kenchreae (now 
 called by the Greeks Kechrees), which is nearly useless 
 from the destruction of the old mole, and is unfrequented 
 on account of its insecurity. I propose, during the hot 
 months when nothing is to be done in agriculture, to em- 
 ploy the colonists and other poor in dragging down rocks 
 from the hills which overhang the port, and throwing them 
 in upon the foundations of the old mole, and then easily 
 making it what it once was, the most important harbour in 
 the Province of Corinth; it being the one so often men- 
 tioned in the Ancient History of Greece, and the port 
 whence St. Paul sailed for Ephesus. The mole will give 
 security for anchorage, and that is all that is wanted, for the 
 port being five miles nearer to the town of Corinth than 
 any other on this side, all commerce with the East must 
 pass through it. I have asked the Government to grant all 
 the revenues of this port for the support of a hospital, and 
 am in hourly expectation of [receiving] the act, for Capo 
 d'Istrias has promised to obtain it, and as he is the Alpha 
 and Omega, he can do it. Doctor Russ has in his hands 
 about the value of |l2,ooo, the remnants of former cargoes, 
 and he will apply this sum to building the hospital. The 
 situation is well adapted for it, being central, healthy, acces- 
 sible by sea on each side, and with running water at hand. 
 It is advantageous on all accoimts. The commercial cap- 
 ital of Greece will in all probability be on the Isthmus of 
 Corinth ; perhaps it may be on the very spot where we are 
 now building the young Washingtonia. If the Isthmus 
 should be traversed by a canal (and there is every facility 
 
^t. 27] Corinth 359 
 
 for such an undertaking), it will very probably pass through 
 the village ; for though the Isthmus is narrower at the other 
 end, there are many objections to a canal there. The an- 
 cients found it impossible, and we see, at the spot where 
 they left off work as though but yesterday, the nature of 
 the difi&culties they met. 
 
 But this is not the place for a discussion of this interest- 
 ing question. I have given you a short sketch of my pro- 
 ceedings here, and hope you will approve of my novel way 
 of employing your charities. Should you do so, you can 
 continue me in my interesting task ; and I hope you will 
 send out some assistance to the colony and hospital, which 
 are considered entirely your work. We are in the greatest 
 need of the commonest agricultural implements, and you 
 will conceive the low state of mechanical arts and everything 
 else when I say that yesterday was quite an epoch here, 
 because after infinite pains I had finished a rude wheel- 
 barrow, to the great amusement and astonishment of the 
 people, who had never seen such a complicated machine. 
 There are no wheel-carriages in Greece ; the ploughs are 
 the rudest things you can imagine; shovels and tpades, 
 hoes, rakes, etc., are entirely unknown. Think, then, what 
 an opportunity a man of common information has of doing 
 good, and how seductive the prospect of introducing among 
 such a people improvements equal to those which Cecrops 
 taught their fathers ! 
 
 But I should tire you did I dwell longer on the subject. I 
 beg you only to let me hear from you. I repeat what I said 
 to you before, that I shall continue here until I get some 
 advice from you. Any things you choose to send will come 
 safely to me if addressed to the care of our consul at Malta. 
 
 I have the honour to be 
 
 Respectfully yours, 
 
 Sam'l G. Howe. 
 
360 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1829 
 
 Doctor Howe to Rev. Rufus Anderson, then in Greece. 
 
 Washingtonia, July 14th, 1829. 
 I have now thirty-six families subsisting here, twenty- 
 six of whom are from parts of Greece now subject to 
 Turkey. They were poor, hungry, and naked when they 
 arrived ; they are now thriving. In about ten days I shall 
 discontinue their rations, and they will subsist for the 
 future upon what they have raised. In the autumn I hope 
 to put fifty families to work sowing wheat. If Providence 
 smile upon them, and they get in but a moderate crop, the 
 surplus, after enough has been taken for their own subsist- 
 ence, will serve for establishing several other families, and 
 paying the yearly expenses of a hospital for fifty beds. In 
 ten years these poor will probably be augmented to two 
 hundred families, or one thousand souls ; a large hospital 
 will be supported, and a useful example given to the rest of 
 Greece of improved agriculture. I may add that the people 
 of the surrounding villages begin to appreciate the estab- 
 lishment. Every day sick persons are sent to us, some- 
 times from considerable distances; continual applications 
 are made by peasants to become members of the colony ; 
 and our little school is rapidly filling up with children 
 from the neighbouring hamlets, where a school was per- 
 haps hardly ever thought of. 
 
 On the 27th of April preceding this letter, Mr. Anderson 
 and his travelling companion, Rev. Eli Smith, an American 
 missionary, visited the colony at Hexamilia, and of the 
 region where Doctor Howe had planted his poor they had 
 this to say : 
 
 " Though not sufficiently level to be called a continuous 
 plain, it is very high, and nowhere is it broken by a hill, ex- 
 cept on the Gulf of Corinth near Kenchreae. It contains 
 
iEt. 27] Corinth 361 
 
 two villages, Upper and Lower Hexamilia. The situation 
 of the former is open and pretty, on a plain of the same 
 elevation as that of Corinth, with a fertile soil, irrigated by 
 a perennial streamlet of excellent water. The war demol- 
 ished its houses and scattered or killed its inhabitants. 
 Upon this territory Doctor Howe was to establish a colony 
 of Greek families, and furnish them, by means derived from 
 America, with habitations, seed-corn, working cattle, and 
 implements. The tract selected by him embraces the port 
 of Kenchreae, and extends far over towards the Gulf of 
 Corinth. The colony has grown out of the experience of 
 those who have had most to do in distributing the charities 
 of our American people among the Greeks. They think 
 the mode of dispensing charity which is the basis of this 
 colony is less liable to abuse than former methods. None 
 will be likely to apply except such as are really in want, 
 and willing to work ; and there are few who cannot perform 
 some kind of labour. The habit of industry is cherished ; 
 the beneficiaries are more contented with what they receive 
 than such as are assisted by a mere gratuity, and quite as 
 thankful to their good friends in America. 
 
 " We were kindly received in the colony by Doctor Russ, 
 the superintendent, in the absence of Doctor Howe, and 
 lodged for the night among barrels of meal sent from our 
 country for the famishing Greeks. Early the next morning 
 (April 28th) we were awakened by numerous female voices 
 before the door, and looking out we saw a great number of 
 poor, ragged women, who had come from the neighbour- 
 hood to apply for work, for which, at the close of the day, 
 they receive in payment a small portion of meal. They 
 labour upon the rubbish of the ruined village, or in the 
 fields ; and it was affecting to observe how anxious they 
 were to obtain this privilege, and to behold with what a 
 glow of satisfaction and cheerfulness they received their 
 
362 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1830 
 
 reward. About one hundred poor men, women, and chil 
 dren were employed daily in this manner, besides the families 
 belonging to the colony, which at the end of April were 
 twenty in number, mostly refugees from Bceotia and other 
 places in possession of the Turks. Several houses had 
 been erected, and a quantity of ground on the site of the 
 ancient Kenchrese had been converted into a plantation of 
 cotton. . . . Afterwards, on May 2ist, as we were travel- 
 ling from Patras to Corinth, and were near Xylokastro, 
 looking for a shelter beneath which to spend the night, we 
 passed a tent pitched in the field, and soon heard a gentle- 
 man calling after us. I immediately recognized my towns- 
 man, Doctor Howe, for whom I had brought letters from 
 parents and friends. He and his English friend, Mr. Ur- 
 quhart, were on their way to Patras, and at their united 
 solicitations we took up our lodgings with them." 
 
 The following letter to William Sampson throws fur- 
 ther light upon this period of my father's work. 
 
 Washingtonia, Isthmus of Corinth, 
 January 30th, 1830. 
 What can be the reason, my dear William, that you have 
 not written me for so long a time .' Sure, your business 
 and pleasures have not so multiplied upon you that they 
 have banished from your mind the recollection of your old 
 friend. I know you better ; but can hardly forgive your 
 not writing me now and then a line, just to say that you 
 are well and think of me. I have received not one solitary 
 epistle from you since I left Boston, though I have written 
 you at least a dozen. I hear you have removed to Cincin- 
 nati, and though it removes you far from those in Boston, 
 it does not seem to add a whit to the distance between us. 
 I approve your taste, however ; I should myself much pre- 
 
jEt. 28] Corinth 363 
 
 fer living in the West or South to the North. Virginia, 
 however, would be my choice. I like the high, fiery, 
 though generous spirit of its inhabitants, and though I do 
 not know them from personal observation, should think 
 them not inferior to New Englanders in sterling honesty. 
 Cincinnati, however, from all accounts, must be an inter- 
 esting place ; to me it will be, now that you are there, and 
 if you do not come down East when I return to America, 
 I certainly shall come up and pay you a visit. 
 
 I shall leave Greece in a short time, and pursue the 
 homeward track which I detailed to you in one of my 
 former letters. My companion will be Doctor Russ ; that 
 is if he recovers his health sufficiently, for he has been 
 down with that fever from which hardly a foreigner in 
 Greece has escaped this season. It has made sad havoc, 
 and when I look around and see how our little band is less- 
 ened, it makes me reflect on the uncertainty of everything 
 we calculate most on. For the loss has been greater than 
 in those campaigns when so many, by one mishap or an- 
 other, got popped off by the Turks, and when it was no 
 uncommon thing to hear of a companion's head being on its 
 way to the headquarters of the Turks and his body left near 
 us. Thank God, I have gone safely through all dangers 
 and sickness, and now enjoy a degree of health equal to that 
 in my younger days, when, as you know, nothing hurt me. 
 
 I had a difficult task before me, in carrying out the plan 
 I detailed to you, but I have succeeded, though not on so 
 large a scale as I had intended. I have, however, built a 
 village, and established in it fifty families of poor refugee 
 Greeks, who are busily employed in agriculture. One-half 
 of their gains will be their own ; the other half is to con- 
 stitute a charitable fund for the increase of the number of 
 families, for the support of a hospital, etc. This must act, 
 you see, on the principle of compound interest, and be an 
 
364 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1830 
 
 ever-increasing fund of charity, and I confidently believe 
 will one day be an important one. This I have done with 
 those funds sent out to me, which, if I had given at once 
 to the poor, would have now been expended and dead with- 
 out having done any considerable good further than the 
 momentary relief of want. 
 
 My plan has met the hearty approval of all enlightened 
 men here, and what is more, reflection and my own con- 
 science approve it, so that I need not fear any censure for 
 having acted differently from my predecessors. 
 
 Have you not got married yet. Will, or have you not 
 made preparations for it ? If I recollect aright, you are 
 about my age, twenty-eight, and I assure you I begin to 
 think I am late. I should have been married long ago, I 
 
 think, had it not been for the recollections of S . My 
 
 mind has never been able to master my bitter regret for 
 her loss ; though to others and in society I showed it not, 
 it has not been the less severe. But romance and feeling 
 have nought to do with the matter-of-fact business of this 
 sordid world, where so few look out for anything but their 
 own interests. But thank God, there are a few whose gen- 
 erous spirits reflect no more upon their own selfish plans 
 of life than absolute necessity demands, and who share 
 their hearts, as their goods, with others. The world may 
 censure this, and call it thoughtless wastefulness — or give 
 it harder names. Out upon the world ! It censures that 
 which it sees excellent in others because it feels this to be 
 a cutting reproof to its own selfishness and meanness. I 
 had rather see that generous spirit which wastes its pos- 
 sessions upon others, though to its own ruin, than the one 
 which prompts man to act and live as though he alone 
 were pursuing happiness in the world. 
 
 God bless you, William ! May you find many who know 
 your silent virtues and esteem them as much as I do ; and 
 
Mt. 28] Corinth 365 
 
 that you may live long to enjoy their esteem is the prayer 
 of your sincere friend, Sam'l G. Howe. 
 
 Mr. Sanborn quotes from the letter to Horace Mann 
 a passage which speaks of my father's life at Corinth : 
 
 " In one of my journeyings I found a sick straggler, a 
 deserter probably from the present army, who was by 
 trade a wheelwright. After curing him up, I got him to 
 build a cart, and it was such a marvel that the peasantry 
 flocked from all the neighbouring district to see it, having 
 never seen a wheeled vehicle before. . . . The Government 
 granted ten thousand stremmata of land, to be free from 
 taxes for five years, but they could not give much practical 
 help. I was obliged to do everything, and had only the 
 supplies sent out by the American Committees to aid me. 
 The colonists, however, cooperated, and everything went 
 on finely. We got cattle and tools, ploughed and prepared 
 the earth, got up a schoolhouse and a church. Everything 
 went on finely, and we extended our domain over to the 
 neighbouring port of Kenchreae, where we had cultivated 
 ground and a harbour. This was perhaps the happiest 
 part of my life. I was alone among my colonists, who 
 were all Greeks. They knew I wanted to help them, and 
 they let me have my own way. I had one civilized com- 
 panion for awhile, David Urquhart, the eccentric English- 
 man, afterward M. P. and pamphleteer. I had to journey 
 much to and from Corinth, Napoli, etc., always on horse- 
 back or by boat, and often by night. It was a time and 
 place where law was not, and sometimes we had to defend 
 ourselves against armed and desperate stragglers from the 
 bands of soldiers now breaking up. We had many ' scrim- 
 mages,' and I had several narrow escapes with life. In 
 one affair Urquhart showed extraordinary pluck and cour- 
 
366 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1830 
 
 age, actually disarming and taking prisoner two robbers, 
 and marching them before him into the village." 
 
 It is highly characteristic of my father that he recounts 
 with pleasure his companion's exploit, while passing lightly 
 over his own adventures with no more than a general 
 nuention. 
 
 " I laboured here day and night, in season and out, and 
 was governor, legislator, clerk, constable, and everything 
 but patriarch; for, though I was young, I took to no 
 maiden, nor ever thought about womankind but once. 
 The Government (or rather. Capo d'Istrias, the President) 
 treated the matter liberally, — and did what he could to 
 help me." 
 
 Mr. Sanborn says that he found at Athens, in 1 890, the 
 correspondence between Capo d'Istrias and my father on 
 this subject. The colony, he tells us, was near the present 
 railway station of Hexamilia, on the way from the new 
 town of Corinth to Argos. " It extended southeast from 
 Hexamilia toward Kenchreae, and was nearer to the Isth- 
 mian sanctuary than to New Corinth, which was founded 
 only in 1858. Old Corinth lay on the northwest side of 
 Aero Corinth, from Doctor Howe's village." 
 
 My father's hopes for the future of his colony were not 
 destined to be fully realized ; yet the village flourished and 
 prospered for at least a number of years, and may, I hope, 
 still be in existence. I cannot close this chapter more fitly 
 than by quoting a passage from my mother's Memoir, de- 
 scribing my father's second visit to Corinth, in 1 844. 
 
 " To this spot his travels brought him, after an interval 
 of many years. As he rode through the principal street 
 
^t. 28] Corinth 367 
 
 of the village, the elder people began to take note of him, 
 and to say to one another, ' This man looks like Howe ! ' 
 At length they cried, ' It must be Howe himself ! ' His 
 horse was surrounded, and his progress stayed. A feast 
 was immediately prepared for him in the principal house 
 of the place, and a throng of friends, old and new, gathered 
 round him, eager to express their joy in seeing him. This 
 is only one of the many scenes which fully attested the 
 grateful recollection in which his services were held by the 
 people of Greece." 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 TRANSITION 
 
 The last volume of the Journal in my possession (from 
 which the preceding chapter is taken) ends, like the others, 
 abruptly ; the final entries give details concerning the be- 
 loved colony, and there is one characteristic passage 
 which I cannot forbear to quote, even though I have in a 
 manner taken leave of Washingtonia. My father found, 
 on a visit to Napoli, that a certain mechanic, a valued and 
 valuable person, had, through the influence of a dissolute 
 woman, been led into extravagance, and had finally in des- 
 peration appropriated certain funds which had been en- 
 trusted to him. Every one was sorry for the man, who 
 seems to have been beloved and trusted by all. Some 
 friends tried to help him to escape, but this proved impos- 
 sible, even though the Governor connived at it, and he was 
 arrested. My father, after telling the story, writes as 
 follows : 
 
 " Now I propose that he shall come to the colony, where 
 we have need of a workman, and I will advance upon his 
 wages enough to pay his defalcation (about twelve hundred 
 piastres). He can work it out in a year, and thus be saved 
 from desperation and ruin, which would ensue if he were 
 tried and condemned as a defaulter ; and on the other hand 
 the colony will have a most valuable workman for carts, 
 tools, etc. All the officers of the regular troops are anxious 
 that this should be done ; they will be guaranty for his ful- 
 
 368 
 
Mt. 28] Transition 369 
 
 filling his contract, thus covering us from any risk, and I 
 hope I shall be able to arrange the business." 
 
 From January 30th to July ist, 1830, we have neither 
 journals nor letters ; no record of any kind. Probably one 
 volume of the Journal was lost or accidentally destroyed. 
 But we know that it was during this silent time that my 
 father went through the long and desperate illness of 
 which I have already spoken. I cannot remember his ever 
 speaking of this illness. We know, however, that in June, 
 1830, he left Greece, now a free country. His immediate 
 work was done, and the condition of his health made a 
 change of climate and scene imperative ; moreover, he was 
 anxious to be about some other business, and looked for- 
 ward eagerly to resuming his professional studies. 
 
 The first word that we find in this year is a letter to 
 William Sampson, which I give in part. 
 
 Geneva. July ist, 1830. 
 If I have not written you for a long time, my dear 
 William, it is not that inclination or matter is wanting, 
 but opportunity of sending ; the post being so difficult in 
 passing letters from one country to another, that unless 
 you have friends in different cities to pay for them and 
 push them along, they get lost. I am sorry I have left 
 Italy, lovely Italy, for though it is almost July, I find it un- 
 comfortably cool in Switzerland ; the thermometer is low, 
 the barometer is low, and the blood flows slower in the 
 veins of people here than on the other side of the Alps, 
 where I left everything in bloom and glowing under the 
 first heats of summer a fortnight ago. I mean not nature 
 alone, but man, who there feels keener, lives faster, and 
 gives and receives more enjoyment than here. But I must 
 not let rainy weather prejudice me. These republicans are 
 
37© Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1830 
 
 better men; their land is more picturesque and beautiful 
 than that of their liveher neighbours. 
 
 I found an old fellow sufferer in Greece established here, 
 and he has made Geneva delightful to me. We have been 
 out this afternoon on the lake, " clear placid Leman." We 
 rowed steadily up the lake, 'gazing with delight on the rare 
 beauty of its scenery. . . . There were other boats out, 
 some with fishermen or craftsmen, others pleasure-boats, 
 often rowed by ladies ; and to complete our pleasure, there 
 burst from one of them the peals of a bugle, which, admira- 
 bly played, produced a fine effect on the water, particularly 
 when we passed points which sent back the echo, often 
 double and always softer and more delicious than the orig- 
 inal. At sunset we enjoyed that indescribably superb scene, 
 the effect of the last rays of light on the snows of Mt. Blanc, 
 which glow in richer, more gorgeous hues than any the 
 kaleidoscope or pencil can produce. It is humbug attempt- 
 ing to describe fine scenery, at least for common mortals. 
 Let Byron do it, and such as he alone, if such there be. 
 
 I hope. Will, you have not fallen off from our champions ; 
 for I see many are picking at dead lions in our country. 
 I am sorry that this spirit should be abroad among us. 
 Napoleon, too, was no warrior, no statesman, no genius at 
 all.' Ye gods! that a man of the mind of Channing 
 should be so warped ! Let them who decry Napoleon look 
 at Europe. Let them look at Italy, and answer which of 
 the tyrants is the better. For Nap was a tyrant, but I 
 wish with all my soul he had conquered [all] Europe except 
 England, and am convinced that the march of education 
 and liberal principles, and the arts and sciences, would have 
 been more rapid. You will find few in Italy who do not 
 sigh for the days of Nap, and if you ask who began this or 
 that noble public work, you hear his name alone in answer. 
 
 ' Alluding to Doctor Channing's celebrated essay on Napoleon. 
 
^t. 28] Transition 37 1 
 
 Naples, Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice, and a hundred 
 [other] cities are full of works of his planning and finish- 
 ing. But nowhere have I been more struck with that bold, 
 original, and vast spirit of enterprise which distinguished 
 him, than in the astonishing work uniting France and Italy 
 by a military road, one of the finest in existence, crossing 
 the Alps by Mt. Simplon. Ay ! the mountains melted be- 
 fore him, and the passage of the Alps, which before his day 
 could only be effected by infinite labour and fatigue, on 
 foot or in drags, is now done at your ease in your carriage, 
 which may trot you up one side and down the other be- 
 tween breakfast and dinner, without your knowing anything 
 about where you are except from the confounded cold when 
 you get to the top ; unless you should look out, and see 
 precipices rising on one side of you, abysses yawning on 
 the other, here your carriage gliding by an elegant bridge 
 over a torrent which thunders far below, and there driving 
 full butt, as you would suppose, against a wall of granite, 
 through which you find a spacious and lengthy passage 
 hewn out of the solid rock. Nature in her wildest mood 
 here presents every obstacle to the passage of man ; moun- 
 tain piles of jagged rocks, precipices, chasms, the thunder- 
 ing torrent, eternal ice and snow, and the overwhelming 
 avalanche ; and yet in spite of all, in four years Napoleon 
 there finished a road one of the most splendid in the world, 
 deserving for the boldness of its conception, the expense 
 and labour of its execution, and the beauty and utility of 
 its finish, a place with the mightiest works of the Romans. 
 But stop ! you may be comparing it to some of our fine 
 roads. Not a bit; not a bit! Notwithstanding its im- 
 mense length, it is everywhere raised high, sustained by 
 massive walls of hammered granite, with gutters, parapets, 
 aqueducts and bridges, all in prfifusion, and executed with 
 equal boldness, strength, and beauty. Then on the moun- 
 
372 Samuel Gridley Howe [A.D.1830 
 
 tains you have " Houses of Refuge," where he kept men 
 always [ready] to succour travellers who might be in danger 
 of perishing from cold, avalanches, or what not. He kept, 
 too, cordons of men for repairing, or rather for clearing 
 away snow and preventing it (the road) from ever suffering. 
 
 " Damn these mountains ! " said our driver, as he tried 
 to get by a rock which had fallen into the road ; " they are 
 always bothering me nowadays." 
 
 "What," says I, "did they not do so formerly 1 " 
 
 " Bah ! " said he, " what did I care for them then, if half 
 a thousand ton fell into the road ? Crack ! it was away in 
 ten minutes. Nap was the boy for business ! These lousy 
 beggars are not fit to clean the streets of hell." 
 
 Meaning, you know, the Holy Allies ! And this is all 
 the talk among those who dare speak. 
 
 But I have travelled over much paper in travelling over 
 the Alps, so I will quit the subject for the present. I 
 mean some day to give you a full [letter] on no other sub- 
 ject but the Simplon Road. 
 
 I am going through Switzerland, and then to Paris, 
 where you will hear more from me. I do not know how 
 long I shall travel ; it depends on my money. It costs me 
 about two dollars a day, all included, though I pinch my 
 belly to feed my eyes, and often dine on bread and cheese 
 for fourpence rather than at the table for half a dollar. In 
 Italy, however, I can travel for a dollar a day, stage-fare 
 included ; that is, I make money, as I call it, spending only 
 half a dollar a day, everything included, while remaining in 
 cities, and overrunning when going from city to city in the 
 stage. I did live in some cities, room-rent and everything, 
 at fifty cents a day, but I defy most people to live for less 
 than three times that sum, and keep on a footing with the 
 most genteel in appearance. A man may have a mean 
 dinner in his belly, nobody bows less to him ; but he must 
 
^t. 28] Transition 373 
 
 have a good piece of cloth on his back and round his loins, 
 or he is scouted. 
 
 Good-bye, Will. I look for letters from you in Paris. 
 If I do not find them, then look out, [or you] will not find 
 
 Ever yours, 
 
 Sam. G. Howe. 
 
 P. S. I have looked over my letter, or tried to, for a 
 wonder, and really am quite ashamed. It is shabby to 
 write in such a manner that one cannot read it oneself, 
 and I promise to write better next time. 
 
 P. P. S. July 23d. I have overtaken this letter in 
 Paris, and I salute you. 
 
 The next letter is dated some two weeks later, and is, 
 according to promise, far more legible than the last. 
 
 Paris, August 8th, 1830. 
 My dear William : — If a multitude of letters [written], 
 and those, too, mostly unanswered, constitute a good cor- 
 respondent, then am I the very paragon of faithfulness ; 
 for although you do not let me hear from you once in a 
 twelvemonth, yet I cease not from time to time to let you 
 know my outgoings and incomings. I cannot conceive 
 what you are about that keeps you so busy, unless you are 
 getting married ; if so, then it is a "gone case " with me, for 
 you will be such a doting duck of a husband, devoting 
 yourself to Wifey, or trotting the young Sampsons on your 
 knee, that I shall give up all hopes of hearing from you. 
 But I have thoughtlessly, my dear fellow, drawn a picture 
 which I would fain realize. Yes, William, highly as I 
 prize your friendship, I would relinquish [my claims upon] 
 your time to see you as you ought to be, with objects 
 
374 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1830 
 
 about you on whom you can lavish the stock of affection 
 with which your heart is filled. And yet you try to bury 
 it, and many think you cold and unsocial, when in reality 
 no one so much needs, no one more desires that kindly in- 
 tercourse of soul which' sweetens the bitter of life, than 
 you do. And yet I will bet a biscuit you will not wed a 
 kindred spirit, or, what is worse, you will not wed at all. I 
 say it is worse not to wed at all than to wed [only] toler- 
 ably well — though fortune keep me away from a blue or a 
 brimstone ! But really I do not know how I ran into this 
 subject; perhaps from seeing a beautiful creature in the 
 opposite window, perusing a book. I see her as I sit and 
 write, and she knows it, and I think does not profit much 
 from her lesson, for the leaves turn over too rapidly. It is 
 only when she is obliged to turn over a leaf that her eyes 
 leave the book and come over to my window, — accidentally, 
 you know, — but fast enough, for I look up naturally at 
 the end of every line I write, and every time I catch her 
 eye ; over goes the leaf, and down go the eyes until I finish 
 the next line, when the same thing happens again. Con- 
 found the coquette! If she does not keep her eyes at 
 home, or draw her curtain, — for you know I cannot draw 
 mine ! — you will not have much of a letter, or one filled 
 with — eyes, and sighs. I never shall be a philosopher, I 
 fear. I thought I had grown sober, and could always hold 
 in my feelings ; but while I bridle them up into the staid 
 parson-like gait becoming a man almost thirty, I see a 
 glorious sunset, a rich landscape, a splendid show, or above 
 all a beautiful woman — away go my feelings helter-skelter, 
 and leave Mr. Philosopher standing like a fool, scratching 
 his head and feeling for his brains. 'Tis queer, the effect 
 of beauty on the mind, and man is a queer animal from 
 every point of view. But you will say, " When will you 
 come to the object of your letter } " Why, Will, it is only 
 
^t. 28] Transition 375 
 
 to talk to you ten minutes that I write, not tell you, " I 
 am well and hope you enjoy the same blessing." 
 
 Hang it ! I wish you were here to see that girl op- 
 posite ! There ! She is getting up and leaning over the 
 balcony — standing tiptoe just to toWent me and show off 
 her slender and really beautiful figure. No matter ; she 
 is not such as I have seen and known, though her blue 
 eyes remind me of — you know who ! God bless her ! 
 though she is another's I can never forget her, or cease to 
 think her the sweetest female I ever knew or shall know. 
 Heigh ho ! No matter ; let's change the scene ! 
 
 Did I write you from Switzerland ? I forget. I ought 
 to have done so, though I was not long there. It is a 
 wonderful country. It is like the workshop of Nature: 
 you see her works of every kind in every state of progress, 
 ' from the beautiful, finished, polished landscape, to the 
 roughest draft, where mountains, rocks, glens, precipices, 
 cataracts, ice and snow, confusedly mingled, seem like the 
 materials in chaos, from which the hand of the Almighty 
 is to form regular and beautiful scenes. But it would be 
 humbug to attempt description. Go look at Niagara, and 
 tell me what it is like if you can. 
 
 Switzerland is dear. It cost me double what it did to 
 travel in Italy or France ; partly because I had no compan- 
 ion ; for you pay just as much for your chaise, if you 
 ride, for your guide, your room, etc., if alone, as if with 
 another ; and besides this, the immense influx of travellers, 
 particularly English, destroys everything like simplicity 
 and honesty. You pay, say thirty cents, for bread and 
 milk, which a peasant would gladly give you for five; 
 though it is not always that one can get bread. Butter, 
 and that too the most delicious possible, is never want- 
 ing, but in many districts they do not taste bread — say 
 once in three months, living on milk, cheese, curds, herbs. 
 
376 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1830 
 
 etc., and as fat and rugged as their own cattle they are, 
 too. 
 
 But after all, Will, do not sigh too much to travel in 
 Europe. There is much of trouble and ennui attending it ; 
 many disagreeable scenes, many dull hours, much time 
 lost, particularly if one is alone. Never travel without a 
 companion. A poor one is better than none ; for you can- 
 not carry many books, and much time will hang heavy in 
 spite of oneself. Travelling in the United States is per- 
 haps as useful. Could I do but one of the two, I should 
 choose to see and know well every part of my own country, 
 and I hope to do so — though it is doubtful. I do not 
 know when I shall return ; probably in November, or (pos- 
 sibly) not until May. I may conclude to pass the winter 
 in Europe. I will let you know. From here I go to Hol- 
 land and England ; if my health continues, I shall do them, 
 as I did part of Switzerland, on foot. 
 
 I have been witness to a most interesting and important 
 event here, the late splendid revolution ; that wonderful 
 event, the pride of France, the admiration of Europe and 
 the world, a stern lesson to tyrants, be they ever so strong, 
 that the people in their might are stronger. You will have 
 read all the scenes ; I saw most of them. I witnessed the 
 enthusiastic, devoted, and truly patriotic courage of the 
 people ; I saw them attack with clubs and stones veteran 
 and well-armed soldiers. I saw them while the cannon 
 roared, musquetry rattled, and the bayonet, sabre, and 
 lance made their blood run down like water, rush upon the 
 ranks of the enemy, carrying post after post ; and finally, 
 after a bloody struggle, on the third day witnessed the 
 complete triumph of citizens without order, without any 
 preconcerted plan, and almost without chiefs, over a highly 
 disciplined, well supplied and officered army of veterans. 
 And what is more, I saw that people quietly lay down 
 
^t. 28] Transition 377 
 
 their arms, return to their occupations, and leave to a 
 provisional Government, at the head of whom was Lafay- 
 ette, the power which they had gained by their own 
 exertions. 
 
 But I must finish. Good-bye, William. 
 
 Truly yours, 
 
 Sam'l G. Howe. 
 
 The revolution here spoken of is known as "The Three 
 Days," which resulted in placing Louis Philippe on the 
 throne of France. It may well be imagined that my father 
 longed to take part in it ; indeed, though he does not men- 
 tion his desire in his letters home, in after years he wrote 
 thus in regard to the episode : 
 
 " I had before seen something of Lafayette, and when 
 he finally resolved to put himself at the head of the revolt, 
 I made one of the small band who escorted him from his 
 home to the H6tel de Ville. I knew it was none of my 
 business, but I could not help joining in, and cheering on 
 the revolution." 
 
 That my father did not take a more active part in this 
 uprising seems to have been in direct obedience to the 
 wishes of General Lafayette ; and if proof were wanted 
 of the General's influence over other men, we might find 
 it in the power of his advice upon so ardent and warlike a 
 spirit as my father's. My mother tells us that " Lafayette, 
 seeing the young American about to expose himself to 
 danger, is said to have admonished him gravely, saying, 
 ' Young man, reserve yourself for the needs of your own 
 country, — this is our battle.* " 
 
 As we shall see a little later, the time was to come 
 when Lafayette asked for my father's services in another 
 
378 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1830 
 
 and an equally noble cause, and obtained them in full 
 measure. 
 
 The next letter that I have is addressed to his father, 
 and shows his heart to be for the time pretty equally 
 divided between France and Greece. 
 
 Paris, Aug. 28th, 1830. 
 
 You will have ere this got my letter by Russ, and he 
 will have informed you of the possibility of my delaying 
 my return. Since then I have written you on the ist of 
 this month, though I had not then decided exactly. My 
 letters to Joseph will explain more fully my motives, 
 though, as I say to him, the slightest thing may alter my 
 resolution and bring me back. As far as pleasure goes, 
 I am disappointed in Paris ; I had imagined a different 
 place ; but for education, study, and facilities for acquiring 
 information of all kinds, it is the first city in the world, as 
 its inhabitants are the first for enthusiasm in patriotism 
 and courage. I say enthusiasm, for I know them too well 
 to grant what they assert and would fain persuade the 
 world is true, that they are the most patriotic and the 
 bravest citizens in the world. Nay, to hear them talk, 
 you would think there was no courage, no patriotism, 
 among any people but the French. 
 
 As yet I have been rather negligent of what I ought to 
 be about here, attention to study, but on my return from 
 the voyage I now propose, I mean to go at it with that 
 industry and perseverance of which you know I am capa- 
 ble. I know that the public cannot tell the difference 
 between a well-accomplished physician or surgeon and a 
 merely showy one, but I would not that my brethren 
 should see it. Nay, I would not that I should feel a con- 
 scious defect myself, though the world were ignorant of it. 
 And what is three months .' 
 
^t. 28] Transition ■ 379 
 
 My health is good ; very good, thank God ! Don't judge 
 me by Russ ; poor fellow, the fever racked his constitution 
 most terribly, and I doubt whether he gets over it in a 
 hurry. I, more fortunate or more hardy, have I think out- 
 weathered the gale, without carrying away or materially 
 injuring any part of my equipment. 
 
 I fear I shall be some time without news from you, as 
 you seem to have got the idea that I was not to stop any 
 time in Europe, but I hope you will immediately resume 
 [writing], and continue until I give you notice of my start- 
 ing, which will be early, I think I can put the month of 
 March as the period which I shall not exceed in getting 
 home. 
 
 I have had bad news from Greece, as regards me per- 
 sonally. My baggage, which I had left to be sent from 
 Malta, with my books, arms, dress, etc., has been pillaged, 
 and I fear everything valuable is gone. It is hard, very 
 hard, just on getting through, to meet with such an acci- 
 dent ; but no matter ! 
 
 Public news, on the contrary, are cheering. Things go 
 on finely. People see the part Capo d'Istrias played in dis- 
 suading Leopold by false reports from coming, and are 
 indignant. Luckily, [it is] well they escaped. Leopold is 
 a goose, and Greece may yet escape without having a king 
 forced upon her. If she does escape, and liberty is left to 
 take root for a few years, we shall see the glorious effects 
 of the Revolution. We shall see the tree rise majestically, 
 and throw abroad its mighty branches, a happy and en- 
 lightened people rejoicing in its shadow. Yes, there is 
 yet hope left to cheer those who have struggled hard 
 and risked all, and who, though but yesterday almost des- 
 ponding, are now cheered by a new ray of hope. 
 
 My love to all, my dear sir, and believe me 
 
 Truly yours, Sam'l G. Howe. 
 
380 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1830 
 
 The next letter is again to his father, and is dated Paris, 
 October 26th. 
 
 My dear Father : — You will excuse my having 
 missed the opportunity of sending you a line by the 
 last packet. I do not know how it slipped my mind; 
 surely not from want of often thinking of you and home. 
 However, my last, of the 29th September, No. 11, will 
 have nearly reached you now." 
 
 I am surprised at not getting a word from home since 
 the arrival of Doctor Russ. I expected letters by this last 
 packet, but received only one, [and] that from Mr. Everett, 
 September 15th. You surely know that I am here, and 
 that I intend staying some time, though I am growing ex- 
 ceedingly stingy of time, and probably shall be home sooner 
 than [the date] I had fixed. I am busy here, going over 
 the minuter parts of anatomy, and shall soon commence at 
 the College of France and the School, attending the courses 
 of some of the professors, who are the most celebrated and 
 the best in the world, who lecture on every subject, and 
 whose lectures are gratis. Nor this alone, but at the be- 
 ginning of the term, the magnificent libraries, the rich cab- 
 inets and museums, the collections, the dissertations, the 
 experiments, in all branches of all sciences, are thrown 
 open to the crowd of students, or rather of physicians, law- 
 yers, and other learned men, who flock from every part of 
 the world to Paris, to enjoy what they can find nowhere 
 else. All these I must see [during] at least a few months, 
 and then be off ; and for these alone do I remain, for I as- 
 sure you that all the boasted pleasures of the place have 
 few charms for me now that I begin to feel that my time 
 is too precious to be spent in enjoyment merely. I am fast 
 approaching thirty years of age, a period which a long time 
 ' This letter is missing. 
 
Mt. 28] Transition 38 1 
 
 ago I fixed upon as [that at which it would be] necessary 
 for me to be settled in life, and no longer a wanderer. 
 I shall be twenty-nine next month, I think ; is it not ? 
 Pray look in the great red Bible. I should consider a 
 year a great reprieve if in my favour, though my feelings 
 and my glass tell me I am no longer a boy. As for health, 
 though, I am quite thankful it is firm. Not a touch of 
 the fever since I was in Geneva in June. I have travelled 
 so hard I have given it a sweat, and quite run away from 
 it. Good riddance to the worst acquaintance I have 
 ever had. So now I am quite hearty, and seldom have an 
 indigestion, except I eat macaroni fried in cheese, a 
 dish I love as an Indian does his enemies' rum and 
 cider. 
 
 I am in a boarding-house, where I have a noble apartment 
 and two meals a day, for five francs a day, lights and fire- 
 wood excepted. The latter, however, is confounded dear : 
 they deal it out to you by the pound, just as one sells you 
 bar soap ; sticks just about as big, and as dear, too. So 
 they sell you water by the bucketful. I think I shall 
 change, however, and go into lodgings at the end of this 
 month. One may have good rooms for forty francs ; he 
 may breakfast at the coffee-house for fifteen sous ; dine 
 for forty sous ; in fine, live for 140 francs per month, 
 and have the advantage of eating when and where he will. 
 It is an unsociable way of life, but better for a student or 
 one who runs about much, for Paris is large, and one finds 
 himself sometimes two or three miles from his house at 
 breakfast or dinner time. Then he can pop into a coffee- 
 house or restaurant, take up the bill of fare, and call for 
 anything he likes, the price of each dish being marked. 
 The French live in this way almost as much as the Italians. 
 Heads of families even go out to the coffee-house to break- 
 fast or dinner, and leave Madame to mope about the house. 
 
382 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1831 
 
 Hence the reason that Madame so often consoles herself 
 with a sweetheart. 
 
 You are, I suppose, all eyes and ears in the United 
 States to know how politics go here. There are divers 
 opinions about the stability of the present government. I 
 consider it one of the firmest in Europe, except Russia, 
 though that is not saying much just now, when kings are 
 shaking in their shoes, and Revolution knocks them so 
 hard across the knuckles that they can hardly hold their 
 sceptres. 
 
 I hope to hear from you by the packet of the ist. Give 
 my love to Mother and Sisters, and believe me ever 
 yours. 
 
 Samwell. 
 
 My father carried out his intention of returning to 
 America in the spring of 183 1, for April 19th finds him 
 writing to William Sampson from Boston. 
 
 ... I think my last to you was from Paris, on my 
 return from Belgium and Holland. I remained some time 
 in Paris, the paradise of places, then went to England, 
 where I remained ten weeks ; but I carmot relate anything 
 of my travels there. I do not know how it is. Will, but 
 the news of your illness has unhinged me from my usual 
 swing, and my mind will not turn on anything else but you 
 and your situation. ... I do not know what will be my 
 future course. Prospects which all my friends call brilliant 
 are held out to me for settling in my profession, and per- 
 haps they (the friends) are right so far as gilding is bril- 
 liant ; but the glare of gold has no charms for me, and if I 
 find that I cannot in this country fill a more useful sphere 
 than getting a large practice and making a large fortune, 
 why, futurity is to me a blank without a charm. In an- 
 
^t. 29] Transition 383 
 
 other land I can reap a harvest of gratitude and affection, 
 and reputation, and render services to others which will 
 more than compensate [for] the want of riches — which, 
 by the way, I am sure I never could get, for I am such a 
 stupid, careless wight that money runs out at the bottom 
 of my purse faster than I can put it in, and it is only when 
 [the purse] is empty that I can find the hole, which with 
 all my exertions I fear I shall never be able to darn. 
 I shall probably be here some months at least. . . . 
 
 The next letter is dated some three months later. 
 
 Boston, July 24th, 1831. 
 My dear William : — On my arrival from Europe 
 some two and a half months ago, I learned with the great- 
 est sorrow that you were unwell, and had gone down to 
 New Orleans for the recovery of your health. I immedi- 
 ately followed the impulse of my feelings, and wrote you a 
 long letter directed to that place, and have most anxiously 
 been waiting to hear from you ever since, but in vain ; not 
 a single line has announced to me that you are in the land 
 of the living, or that I live in your memory. Once, indeed, 
 I thought I had you. When in New York, as I was glan- 
 cing over the papers at breakfast, I saw among the arrivals 
 from Charleston, William S. Sampson, and away I flew to 
 the packet to try and find where you had put up. But no 
 such man was known, and it appeared the name was put 
 by mistake for Lampson, or some other like it. I need not 
 tell you how I was disappointed. I now learn that you 
 have been heading up-stream. Of course you are better, 
 and God grant you may be perfectly recovered. I cannot 
 get the particulars of your situation or your movements 
 from any one here, and I pray you write me fully, for no 
 one can feel a greater interest in whatever concerns you 
 
384 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1831 
 
 than I do, and I will not for a moment indulge in the 
 thought that you have forgotten your old friend, or ceased 
 to feel an interest in him. With respect to my move- 
 ments since I saw you, they have been communicated to 
 you by my various letters from Europe. I visited pretty 
 thoroughly Sicily, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, 
 Holland, and England, besides having a slight peep at 
 Spain. This, with my previous travels in Turkey and 
 Greece, makes me somewhat of a travelled man, though 
 not inclined to believe that he is most benefited who 
 goes over the most ground. I was, however, delighted, 
 instructed, and I hope improved, inasmuch as I have laid 
 up a fund upon which I can draw in future life, either of 
 important or trifling, or serious reflections. Since I have 
 been home, I have had several tempting plans presented 
 to me, one of which I embraced with too much eagerness, 
 perhaps; viz., that of managing a new daily paper, to 
 be established in Philadelphia, to advocate the "Ameri- 
 can system," United States Bank, Tariff, and so forth, 
 with H. Clay for the Presidential candidate. The place 
 was desirable on many accounts, and I even signed my 
 name to the prospectus, which was published ; but on 
 nearer examination, though the pecuniary emolument would 
 have been considerable, I concluded to abandon the busi- 
 ness, from several motives, the leading one of which was 
 delicacy and consideration for a dear friend of mine, who 
 was to have been largely concerned, and who in fact got it 
 up on my account, but who found himself, by unexpected 
 and extraordinary losses, suddenly embarrassed. On the 
 whole, I am not sorry to have retracted, for it is not a life 
 to suit me. I am too sensitive, have not enough of moral 
 courage, or brass perhaps, for an editor. The business, 
 however, occupied me two months, and caused me to take 
 two journeys to Philadelphia and the interior of Pennsyl- 
 
■«t. 29] Transition 385 
 
 vania. All I regret is having my name published as con- 
 nected with it. I am now lying on my oars, though by no 
 means idle. I am engaged in writing for periodicals, and 
 must make my pen support me ; in a poor way enough, 
 God knows, but my wants are few, and easily supplied ; 
 and I fear from my incapacity for money-making, I must 
 for ever forego the pleasing hope of that social and domestic 
 enjoyment without which no man, constituted as I am at 
 least, can be happy in this world. I cannot marry a poor 
 girl, and will not marry to be supported by a wife. I 
 would rather starve an old bachelor than have my bread 
 buttered by one whom I ought to feed. But let these 
 things go ; I am in a day or two going to dive into studies, 
 the result of which, I flatter myself, will be of some utility 
 to the public, and give me some reputation. Gain I look 
 not for so much, but I am determined to follow a path as 
 yet untrodden in this country by the multitude, and flat- 
 ter myself to do something in it. I shall probably be in 
 Boston for some months, perhaps a year or two, after 
 which I shall pitch my tent for life. My ideas are vague 
 on the subject, but I think I shall alight in Athens, or 
 Cincinnati, or Louisville, or in the Oregon country ; but it 
 depends altogether upon circumstances which may inter- 
 vene between this and the time when my necessary prep- 
 arations shall be made. 
 
 I have no news to give you about any of your old friends 
 here, for I am quite a stranger myself. Seven years of a 
 young man's life make an immense change, and I find 
 none of my old mates as I left them. Boys with whom I 
 played marbles or drove hoop are now preachers of the 
 gospel or gig-riding doctors, and the girls with whom I 
 romped are grave matrons, with romping girls of their own 
 about them. I alone am, or feel, unchanged. Yet how .' 
 Unchanged .' No ! I am more changed than any of them. 
 
386 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1831 
 
 I have not yet numbered thirty years, and I feel like a 
 man of fifty. I feel as though my youth was long since 
 gone, the greater part of my active life spent, and I hurry- 
 ing off the stage to give place to those who are bustling at 
 its entrance. Not that I am old physically, but I feel old 
 and time-worn within ; though at times the sunshine of 
 gladness breaks through the clouds, and his beams, strik- 
 ing on my soul, make it leap up with the freshness of 
 youth and look out upon the green glad earth as a paradise 
 which will yet yield it much enjoyment. Then I feel all 
 my boyishness and gaiety return, and I act and seem a boy 
 again. But do let me hear from you, Will ! You see I 
 have been running on in this long strain about myself, on 
 purpose to set you an example of egotism, which I really 
 hope you will imitate, and that soon. MeanwhOe, adieu, 
 and God bless you. 
 
 Ever truly yours, 
 
 Sam'l G. Howe. 
 
 It is comforting to know that this period of depression 
 and indecision (the latter a quality so foreign to my 
 father's nature) was a short one. Even now his work 
 was ready and waiting for him, and we can only rejoice 
 that the plan for newspaper work, and another for taking 
 charge of the negro colony in Liberia, failed. 
 
 Before the work begins, however, I cannot resist trying 
 to give a slight sketch of my father as he appeared at this 
 time to his contemporaries. .Some descriptions given me 
 in my childhood are still so fresh in my mind that I almost 
 feel as if I myself had seen the " Chevalier " in his youth. 
 
 This title was my father's by right, as he was in the 
 thirties made a Chevalier of the Greek Legion of Honour. 
 The star, a beautiful one, is now in the possession of my 
 brother. Prof. Henry Marion Howe of Columbia Uni- 
 
^t. 29] Transition 387 
 
 versity. I never saw my father wear it ; it was kept in 
 what we children called his "picknickle and bucknickle" 
 drawer, in company with some beautiful Turkish pipes and 
 other enchanting things, and we were allowed to look at 
 it and play with it. But it was rather by right of true 
 knighthood that he bore the title always among those who 
 loved him. They called him " Chevalier " because he 
 seemed to them to embody the beautiful word. I trust I 
 may be pardoned for adding that within a few years, thirty 
 years after my father's death, I have heard my dear 
 mother, under stress of sudden emotion, cry " Chev ! " in 
 unconscious appeal to the strength and support that never 
 failed her while he lived. 
 
 My father was now twenty-nine years of age, in the very 
 flower of his life. His personal beauty, as I have already 
 said, was remarkable. Slender and erect, with a soldierly 
 bearing which marked him through life, he may be said to 
 have foreshadowed Kipling's fine description of a youth : 
 
 "He trod the ling like a buck in spring, 
 And he looked like a lance in rest." 
 
 His complexion, naturally very fair, was now browned by 
 long exposure to sun and wind, but he still had a colour like 
 a girl's, and this, with his regular features and jet-black hair, 
 and the wonderful blue of his eyes, a blue at once soft and 
 brilliant, would have been enough to draw attention to 
 him. But this beauty of form and colour was perhaps the 
 least part of my father's charm. His presence was like 
 the flash of a sword. There was a power in his look, an 
 aspect of unresting, untiring energy, which impressed all 
 who looked upon him ; they turned to look again. Said a 
 lady of his own age to me, " Your father was the handsom- 
 est man I ever saw. When he rode down Beacon Street 
 
388 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1831 
 
 on his black horse, with the crimson embroidered saddle- 
 cloth, all the girls ran to their windows to look after him." 
 
 The crimson saddle-cloth (he never used it within my 
 memory, but I remember it well, folded up in the great 
 camphor chest ; I believe it is there to this day) was the 
 only mark of anything approaching dandyism my father 
 ever showed. His personal modesty was as great as his 
 personal charm, of which, be it said, he never seemed in 
 the least aware. Absence of self-consciousness was one 
 of his strong characteristics, and I doubt if he ever knew 
 or thought why the pretty girls looked after him, even if 
 he noticed that they did, which seems improbable. He 
 notes soberly in a letter to a friend that he is "some- 
 what of a lion," and if his tastes had led him in that direc- 
 tion, I fancy he might have become a very gay and 
 fashionable lion, but these were not the things he cared 
 about. Indeed, he cared so little about them that he some- 
 times, though never intentionally, overstepped the bounds 
 of decorum ; as when he forgot a state dinner which was 
 given in his honour by two maiden ladies of high social 
 standing, and only remembered it the day after. " I went 
 to see them at once," he would say, in telling the story, 
 "and told them the truth, making every apology in my 
 power, but I don't think they ever forgave me." 
 
 Apropos of the black horse, there is another story that 
 my father used to tell with great enjoyment. He some- 
 times drove, instead of riding the good steed. One day, 
 while driving through a crowded street (possibly somewhat 
 faster than the law approved, for he loved fast driving, and 
 had never a moment to spare), an old woman ran across 
 directly under the horse's nose. My father turned to one 
 side, to avoid runnmg her down, and in doing so knocked 
 down and ran over a young girl who was crossing from the 
 other side. Instantly, before he could check his horse, 
 
^t. 29] Transition 389 
 
 a man on the sidewalk cried, " Better have taken the old 
 woman ! " 
 
 Happily the young girl was not seriously injured ; it is 
 perhaps unnecessary to say that my father took her to her 
 home, and gave her every attention until she was com- 
 pletely recovered. 
 
 In 1829, an act had been passed by the Legislature of 
 Massachusetts incorporating the Trustees of the New 
 England Asylum for the Blind. In 1830-31 this institu- 
 tion had still no existence save on paper. It was at this 
 time that one of the trustees, Dr. John D. Fisher, visited 
 the schools for the blind founded by the Abb6 Hauy in 
 Paris. He returned fired by a noble enthusiasm, and 
 immediately began a search for the right man to establish 
 and direct the much-needed Institution for the Blind. 
 Walking along Boylston Street one day in company with 
 two other members of the committee, they met my father, 
 and Doctor Fisher's search was over. " Here is Howe ! " 
 he said to his companions ; " the very man we have been 
 looking for all this time." 
 
 It was the meeting of flint and steel; the spark was 
 struck instantly. Doubt, hesitation, depression vanished 
 from my father's mind like mist before the rising sun. 
 " In a few days," he says, " I made an arrangement to take 
 charge of the enterprise, then in embryo, and started at 
 once for Europe, to get the necessary information, engage 
 teachers, etc., and I visited the schools in France and 
 England." 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 POLAND AND PRUSSIA 
 
 My father's first report to the Trustees shows the en- 
 thusiasm which the new undertaking roused in him. 
 
 " There can be no more delightful spectacle than is pre- 
 sented by these establishments, where you may see a hun- 
 dred young blind persons, changed from listless, inactive, 
 helpless beings into intelligent, active, and happy ones : 
 they run about, and pursue their different kinds of work 
 with eager industry and surprising success ; when engaged 
 in intellectual pursuits, the awakened mind is painted in 
 their intelligent countenances ; and when the whole unite 
 in sacred music, there is a display of deep-felt interest, of 
 fervid zeal, and animating enthusiasm, which I have never 
 seen equalled. . . . Instead of the solitary, helpless beings 
 whom we so often see, the blind here present us the spec- 
 tacle of an active, industrious, and happy youth, who, find- 
 ing constant occupation in the exercise of his physical 
 power, and being buoyed up by the hope of rendering him- 
 self independent of charity, has no time and no inclination 
 for repining at his lot, or drawing unpleasant comparisons 
 between himself and those about him." 
 
 The only personal letter of this time that has been pre- 
 served is one to the faithful Sampson ; for he appears to 
 have proved faithful, in spite of his long and obstinate 
 silence. 
 
 390 
 
^t. 30] Poland and Prussia 391 
 
 Paris, Nov. 14th, 1831. 
 
 My Dear William : — My dear William, hang me if I 
 can think of anything so pleasing or interesting to myself 
 as to keep on saying " My dear William " so I might e'en 
 fill up a sheet with dearing you, it is so pleasant to know 
 you are in the land of the living, and that I too am living 
 in your memory j for your last letter convinced me that the 
 current of your affections still ran warm and kind under the 
 frozen surface of your exterior. Yes, my dear fellow, I 
 judge you by myself, and flatter myself, too, by this judg- 
 ing ; for to be content, I can but demand of you the meas- 
 ure of affection which I mete out to you. I have not 
 your letter by me now, nor anything by me but a table and 
 chair and these writing-materials with which I talk to you, 
 but how triumphant is the mind of man over circumstances ! 
 Here, alone in the almost naked room of an inn at mid- 
 night, I can call up images which cheer and delight me ; I 
 can summon you from across the Atlantic, put you down 
 in a chair, — or rather on my bedside, for [second] chair 
 there is none, — and say, " Will, my dear fellow, and my 
 dear fellow Will, how are you, and how have you been .' " 
 
 I know I write on with little rhyme and less reason per- 
 haps, and shall amuse myself more, and perhaps interest 
 you full as much as though I gave you a chapter of dry 
 politics ; for which, by the way, I refer you to the Boston 
 Courier, as I write for it from time to time about the state 
 of things in this vile old Babylon of Europe, a state of 
 things disgusting enough to any man who is not content to 
 take a thing for good merely because his father called it 
 good before him. Alas ! the day of political regeneration 
 is yet far off. There are throes of convulsive pain, as of a 
 woman in travail, but the hour of deliverance hath not yet 
 come ; but as surely as the child must be bom, so surely 
 must Europe succeed in delivering herself from the mon- 
 
392 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1831 
 
 strous and ridiculous institutions which sit nightmare-like 
 upon her, and retard the growth of whatever is good or 
 liberal or calculated to raise man in the scale of intellect. 
 But it is to be hoped that God will darken their eyes that 
 they see not, and harden their hearts that they feel not, 
 and that they (the oppressors) go on blindly in their pres- 
 ent course headlong to that destruction which must inevi- 
 tably come upon them. 
 
 But I have fallen inadvertently into politics, when I 
 meant to be personal. Well — what shall I say of myself ? 
 Alas, dear Will, not much. Do you know, I fear all my 
 sinister forebodings are to be fulfilled. I always said that 
 unless I were married or engaged before I was thirty, I 
 should live a miserable, musty bachelor ; and lo ! I have 
 just crossed the equinox of life. I have just turned the 
 comer and left youth ; I have commenced holding back in 
 the downward course; and — I now know what I would 
 not say to any one but you — I am an old man. I feel as 
 though I had lived fifty years ; as though I would not give 
 a pin to choose between fifty and five to come. 
 
 I am hard at work here, both for others and for myself. 
 I hope some good will come of it ; nay, I more than hope, 
 I am strong in the confidence that it will. I shall be home, 
 God willing, in April probably, though it may be three 
 months later. 
 
 But adieu ! I can't look over my letter, so say good 
 night, Will, and God bless you ! 
 
 Yours, 
 
 Sam'l G. Howe. 
 
 Near Paris, Nov. I4tk, 183 1. 
 
 My father was so hard at work that I fancy he wrote 
 few personal letters in this winter of 183 1-32 ; at all events 
 none have been preserved. He was studying the methods 
 
•«t. 30] Poland and Prussia 393 
 
 of teaching the blind, visiting schools and consulting those 
 high in authority on the subject of his future work; but 
 he was doing other things besides, and the note in which I 
 find the first mention of those other things is in a different 
 hand from his. I have here beside me a little packet of 
 notes and letters, seven of them, each folded lengthwise, 
 bearing a great red seal, and addressed to Monsieur le 
 Docteur Howe. The paper is yellow with age, the ink 
 faded, but the signature, "Lafayette," brings no associa- 
 tion of age ; to us the good General is always young, as he 
 was in truth always gallant. In point of fact, he was at 
 this time seventy-four years old. This is the first note : 
 
 Paris, November 9th, 1831. 
 My dear Sir : — Some Gentlemen of the National and 
 of the french Pole Committee will meet to-morrow, 11 
 o'clock, at my house, to consider of the fitness to do some- 
 thing on the anniversary day of the Polish Revolution. 
 Could you and the gentlemen of the Subcommittee attend 
 precisely at 11.' 
 
 Most truly and affectionately Yours, 
 
 Lafayette. 
 
 The arrangement of capitals is the General's own. 
 
 This meeting had serious consequences for my father, 
 for it was at this time or soon after that General Lafayette, 
 knowing that he was about to visit the school for the blind 
 in Berlin, asked him to extend his journey as far as the 
 Vistula, and to carry money for clothing and feeding the 
 Polish refugees along the banks of that river. The mission 
 was naturally a most congenial one to my father, and the 
 fact that it was both delicate and dangerous certainly did 
 not detract from, and may rather have added to its charm. 
 He undertook the task with alacrity, and performed it 
 
394 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1831 
 
 successfully, as his letters will show, although it was a 
 disappointment to him not to be allowed to distribute with 
 his own hands the garments whose making he had directed. 
 Before they were finished he received peremptory orders 
 to leave the Polish frontier, and after making an indignant 
 protest was obliged to do so. Conscious of his entire in- 
 nocence, he returned to Berlin without a thought of danger ; 
 though he thought it probable that he might receive a visit 
 from the poUce, since he had noticed, while riding over the 
 dreary wastes of Prussian Poland, that he was followed 
 by one or two horsemen who kept him steadily in view, 
 though without attempting to molest him. 
 
 Arrived in Berlin, he went quietly to his hotel. At 
 midnight he was roused by a knock at the door, and open- 
 ing it, he saw three men in citizen's clothes, who without 
 wasting words bade him come with them. On my father's 
 demanding their authority, they opened their coats and 
 showed him the badge of the police. After some discus- 
 sion he persuaded them to leave him in peace till morning, 
 promising to go quietly with them after he had had a few 
 hours' sleep. They departed, fortunately without search- 
 ing him, for he carried papers which might have been 
 highly compromising not only to himself but to many 
 others. Left alone, he hastened to dispose of these 
 papers. Glancing round the bare little room, he spied 
 a plaster bust of the King of Prussia, standing on the 
 porcelain stove. He thrust the dangerous papers (letters 
 to and from Lafayette and others of the Polish Com- 
 mittee) up into the hollow of the head — the first time 
 that head had ever received any ideas of liberty, equality, 
 fraternity ! Then, taking some other papers of no impor- 
 tance, he carefully tore them into infinitesimal fragments, 
 threw them into a basin of water, and went peacefully to 
 bed. 
 
^t. 30] Poland and Prussia 395 
 
 Early in the morning the police returned, pounced 
 upon the floating scraps in the basin (which they showed 
 him afterward, pasted together with pathetic nicety), and 
 marched him off to prison. This was on the last day of 
 February, 1832. At first, my father seems to have been 
 unable to procure even writing-materials, for the first of the 
 three letters that have been preserved is dated March 20th. 
 I give the three entire, without further comment. 
 
 To Dr. John M. Fisher 
 
 Berlin Prison, March 20th, 1832. 
 
 I have oft dated my letters to you from queer, out-of- 
 the-way places, from city and from camp, from mountain, 
 from cottage, and, I believe, from caverns, but never did it 
 enter into my imagination that I should write you from the 
 cell of a prison ; and that, too, by stealth, on a bit of brown 
 paper (in which my candle had been wrapped), with a stub 
 of a pencil coaxed from a turnkey, and by the glimmer of 
 light that comes from a close-grated wmdow. Yet so it is ; 
 here I am, as sure and fast as bars and bolts and stone 
 walls can keep me. Here I have been for the last twenty 
 days, and here may I be for the next twenty months, for 
 aught I know. But that I am in prison is not all ; that 
 my cell is eight feet wide is not the worst of it ; my 
 imprisonment is of a kind which to us poor ignorant mor- 
 tals in America is unknown. It is called the {au secret) 
 secret; that is, no one can write to me, or send me a word 
 of consolation, nor can I communicate my situation to a 
 single friend; even a newspaper is prohibited, lest per- 
 chance I should see that some one had got notice of my 
 being in prison. 
 
 "Good heaven !" you will say, "has the fellow plotted 
 high treason, or shot one of the king's deer, or refused to 
 
396 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1832 
 
 give the wall to a prince of the blood ? " Neither, my dear 
 sir, nor any other human law have I broken, that I know 
 of ; but though I have again and again vainly called for a 
 copy of the accusations against me, though I have demanded 
 to know my offence, and to be confronted with my ac- 
 cusers, though I have appealed to the laws of the land, and 
 to judgment, and though to all these my demands I have 
 not been able to get the least answer, still I cannot pretend 
 ignorance of my offence. It is rank ! It smells to heaven ! 
 I have administered some succour and consolation to that 
 gallant remnant of the Polish army which took refuge in 
 Prussia. I have endeavoured to distribute to the poor, 
 half-naked soldiers the generous contributions of the 
 American people. And the tangible proof which they 
 received of its sympathy at a moment when they thought 
 themselves abandoned by all the world so encouraged them 
 and enraged the Prussian authorities, that the latter have 
 rewarded me with this lodging gratis. I am, aux frais de 
 r^tat, the nation's guest ; that is the only explanation I 
 can give of it. 
 
 But I forget that you are probably unacquainted with 
 that which has been continually in my mind for the two 
 months past, viz., the singularly interesting, I may say 
 heroic, situation of this last relic of the gallant army of 
 Poland. At the end of their bloody struggle, being deter- 
 mined never to yield to, or live under, the Russians, they 
 entered the Prussian territories, and laid down their arms, 
 on the condition of being left at full liberty to direct their 
 steps whither they would. For the last two months, how- 
 ever, every possible measure has been taken to induce 
 them to reenter Poland. But it being found that argu- 
 ment, entreaties, and threats were alike useless, as long as 
 the officers remained with their men, these were separated 
 from them, — those officers being dragged away by force 
 
^t. 30] Poland and Prussia 397 
 
 who hesitated to obey, — and a few only succeeded in re- 
 maining, by disguising themselves as common soldiers. It 
 was a sad day — that of parting ; it seemed like separating 
 a band of brothers ; and many an officer, feigning, or really 
 making himself sick, remained weeks afterwards near his 
 men, receiving news from them only by night. The offi- 
 cers were sent off to France, whither they all demanded to 
 go ; and you might have seen these gallant fellows, with- 
 out their swords, their once splendid uniforms soiled and 
 torn, seated by dozens, on bundles of straw in the carts of 
 the peasantry, and transported along the highroads in 
 midwinter, leaving behind them country and home, and all 
 they held dear, going they hardly knew whither. I shall 
 never forget the day when at Dirrone, a little village near 
 the Vistula, I met with three cart-loads of these heroes, all 
 young, splendid-looking fellows. Our stage-coach had 
 stopped at a tavern, and a dozen people were standing at 
 the door ; as the carts passed, the Germans gazed with 
 their round unmeaning eyes, but not a voice was heard, 
 not a hand was raised, not a hat was waved in the air. 
 There was no sympathy in their souls, or if there was, they 
 dared not express it, for the Argus eyes of the police were 
 there. I forgot the police and everything else but the 
 feelings natural to man, and imprudently yielding to that 
 impulse, I waved my hat in the air, and shouted, " Hon- 
 neur! Honneuravx bravest " The Poles looked up, sur- 
 prised at the sound, and pointed me out to each other ; as 
 they raised caps to return my salute, they cried, " Vive la 
 France I " Poor fellows, they took me for a Frenchman. 
 They had, as yet, found so little sympathy, that they 
 seemed astonished at this instance of it, and, as they waved 
 their caps, long after passing me, and endeavoured to 
 express their thanks in their looks, it so affected me that I 
 turned away to hide a womanish weakness, and left the 
 
398 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1832 
 
 Germans to stare and wonder what the de'il could have 
 moved me. 
 
 You know (or you do not know) that while in Paris I 
 had taken much interest in the fate of the refugees, and 
 when I was about to leave for Germany, it was proposed to 
 me by General Lafayette, and the American Committee, 
 that I should take charge of part of the contributions, and 
 aid with them such of the Poles as I should fall in with 
 and who should be suffering, and this I most gladly under- 
 took. On my route hither I met many who seemed badly 
 in need, but most of them would not own it ; they wanted, 
 they said, to get to France; and some to whom I sent 
 assistance returned me the half, as being more than they 
 needed ; but all begged me to go to their soldiers, from 
 whom they had been separated as by force. " There," said 
 they, " you may do good — you may save them from en- 
 tering Poland, from worse than death ; they are abandoned 
 by all whom they can call friends, and your presence will 
 cheer and encourage them, for you have with you the tan- 
 gible proof of the sympathy of your generous countrymen. 
 Go and see with your own eyes the most devoted and gen- 
 erous soldiery in the world." "Alas!" said several, "our 
 poor ignorant soldiers are better than we — better than 
 our leaders. They felt only love for Poland, and hatred 
 to Russia ; we had other passions. But go — go and see 
 the poor fellows ; many will be in want of clothing before 
 now." 
 
 Could I hesitate .' When I had finished my affairs in 
 Berlin, I started off to see with my own eyes the situation 
 of the soldiers, hoping there at once to find proper objects 
 on whom to bestow all the charities of which I was the 
 bearer. I found them indeed suffering, morally and physi- 
 cally; that is, depressed in spirits, and anxious about the 
 future, and but miserably clad, very many being entirely 
 
iEt. 30] Poland and Prussia 399 
 
 shirtless. To my surprise, too, I found I could not give 
 them anything without demanding permission of the Prus- 
 sian commander ; this I did, nor could he refuse me, though 
 he granted a growling, unwilling assent. I immediately 
 set about making a contract for shirts, etc. ; but before they 
 were finished, I received an order to quit the neighbour- 
 hood of the army instantly, an order accompanied by a 
 force to put it in execution. It was in vain that I pleaded 
 the protection which my passport gave me — that I urged 
 the permission given me by the commander, Schmidt ; he 
 himself had given the counter-order, and forbade me dis- 
 tributing anything to the Poles, or seeing them, even in 
 the presence of a Prussian officer. " You have had time," 
 said he, " to make your contract ; let your distribution be 
 made by Prussian agents." I wished to give the things 
 myself — to tell the poor fellows whence they came, and 
 comfort them with the assurance of the sympathy felt for 
 them in America. But the aide-de-camp hurried me off 
 nolens volens. 
 
 I came then to Berlin to attend to my affairs, little 
 thinking I was running my head into a trap ; for, though 
 in the order which I received from Schmidt to quit the 
 army he told me that I was suspected of being an emis- 
 sary, I was so confident of my own innocence that I de- 
 spised the thought of skulking out of Prussia as I might 
 have done, and slipping into Saxony. What was my aston- 
 ishment, then, on arriving here, to find myself arrested, 
 stripped of everything, lugged to prison, and locked up in 
 a cell, without being able to get one word of explanation. 
 The next day came the long-faced, solemn scribe, to ques- 
 tion me on the events of my life, beginning with my very 
 birth, writing down my answers without ever lifting his 
 little eyes from his paper, and going off with my whole 
 biography under his arm, without ever thanking me for the 
 
400 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1832 
 
 information. Then came cross-questionings, and pumpings 
 of various kinds, but no communications to me from with- 
 out ; no assurance that my friends knew what had be- 
 come of me. All this, you may imagine, did put up my 
 Yankee blood, and perhaps my answers were not always 
 obsequious enough for the atmosphere ; nevertheless, they 
 were true ones. For the last ten days, however, I have 
 been left alone, and, though I cannot find out of what I am 
 accused, I am not tormented by questions. 
 
 Do what you choose with the general information I 
 have given you, but do not publish this letter with my 
 name, which has been thrust too much on the public. But 
 if, however, by the next packet you should not hear of my 
 release, then, for God's sake, do what you can for me. I 
 appear to make light of it, and show a bold front, but I 
 assure you it is no trifle. We have no ambassador here; 
 I am in the hands of arbitrary men ; I have served a cause 
 which they detest ; and my heart sinks at the thought of 
 my strength wasting away in this miserable cell, and my 
 health gradually giving way under the influence of the foul, 
 unwholesome air I breathe. Others have suffered years 
 for but light words spoken, and it may be that I have 
 given mortal offence by cheering and encouraging those 
 whom it seems to have been their object to reduce to 
 utter despair. 
 
 To W. C. Rives, Esq. 
 
 March, 1832. 
 Mr. Rives. 
 
 My dear Sir : — I appeal to you as the representative 
 of my country for that protection and redress which she 
 promises to every citizen, and I trust my appeal will receive 
 the more prompt and serious attention that it comes from 
 the cell of a prison, and from a captive who looks to it 
 as the only hope of his deliverance. 
 
^t.3o] Poland and Prussia 401 
 
 It is now nearly twenty days that I was seized by order 
 of the Minister of Police of Prussia, and thrust into prison, 
 where I have since been kept in the strictest seclusion. I 
 can see no one, I can hear from no one ; even a newspaper 
 is forbidden to enter my cell ; and it is only to-day I have 
 received permission to address you and my relatives. 
 
 I have in vain sought to know my offence, I have in 
 vain prayed to be brought to judgment ; it is now ten days 
 that they have ceased to examine and cross-question me, 
 and it is a fortnight that all my papers have been in the 
 hands of the Minister of Police. 
 
 You, I trust, Sir, know me well enough to believe my 
 word of honour that I have done nought to merit such 
 treatment, and at Paris you will have the means of know- 
 ing that my mission to Germany was one of humanity, 
 unconnected with politics. I was the bearer of the charita- 
 ble contributions of thousands of the citizens of the United 
 States for the relief of the imfortunate Poles. I endeav- 
 oured to administer those charities conformably to the 
 intentions of the donors. I sought and obtained the per- 
 mission of the Prussian general, commanding on the spot, 
 to do what I did ; and yet on my return to Berlin, to my 
 utter astonishment, I am seized and thrust into a common 
 prison. 
 
 Had my imprisonment lasted but the time necessary for 
 the examination of my papers, I should have supposed that 
 some strange mistakes had given rise to suspicion about 
 my motives ; I should patiently have endured it as a neces- 
 sary evil ; as it is, I am obUged to come to another conclu- 
 sion, which I shall not mention now, but which I hope to 
 prove when I have an opportunity of claiming redress for 
 the grievance I am now suffering. 
 
 There are laws and judges in this land; I have vainly 
 demanded to be tried by them ; my prayers are unheard, 
 
402 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1832 
 
 or if heard, are mocked, and there only remains for me to 
 claim the interference of the government of my country, 
 and I request you would speedily transmit my case to it, 
 should you feel unauthorized to take the necessary meas- 
 ures for my deliverance. I know that my claim will have 
 an hundredfold the weight that my little individual impor- 
 tance would give it ; the thousands of respectable citizens 
 who contributed the charities, for the distribution of which 
 I am arrested (for I know ho other cause), will back it with 
 their interest. And it may be that the matter will have to 
 go thus far, for the hand which has held me eighteen days 
 may continue its grasp eighteen months. 
 
 I remain. Sir, most respectfully. 
 
 Your friend, 
 
 Sam'l G. Howe. 
 
 From the Prison of Berlin, March 21st, l8j2. 
 
 P. S. I am in as good health and spirits as could be 
 expected, somewhat bored, but nothing daunted by the 
 granite walls and iron grating which hold me in " durance 
 vile ; " and though — 
 
 " 'Tis a weary life this, . . . 
 Vaults overhead, and grates and bars around me," 
 
 Still, I can endure it for awhile, and I beg no reports may 
 go home which would alarm my friends for my safety. I 
 have gone unscathed through the hands of Turk and Tar- 
 tar, and trust in time to be delivered from this people, who, 
 though a bit suspicious, are nevertheless Christian and 
 civilized. 
 
 Mr. Cooper can prove to you that there was nothing 
 political in the charge I received. 
 
 I beg you to present my respects to your lady, and to 
 believe me, most truly. Yours, s. G. h. 
 
^t.3o] Poland and Prussia 403 
 
 To Dr. John M. Fisher 
 
 My dear Fisher : — I should be perfectly miserable 
 could I suppose that you should not have received the 
 letter which I wrote you from Berlin previous to my 
 leaving it, on the business it was my duty to be about, 
 for what I supposed would be a six or ten days' affair, but 
 which has, to my surprise, as well as my grief and indigna- 
 tion, led to my imprisonment. I say, I should be miser- 
 able, for in that case it might be supposed that I had 
 engaged in some political intrigue; that I had neglected 
 the duties of my mission, and got into prison through my 
 own fault. I trust, however, that you did get that letter, 
 which will explain how, acting upon the spirit of my en- 
 gagement, I considered myself at liberty to make " some 
 little digression from my route, at my own expense." 
 And in leaving Berlin for Elbing, I thought of doing a 
 deed only of charity and of humanity; which might, in- 
 deed, get me the ill-will of a government like that of 
 Russia or Austria, but not of one so civilized and Christian 
 as Prussia. I was free from all political connection, or 
 design ; and yet (do you believe it .' ) I cannot persuade 
 them here that even my voyage to Europe had not a 
 political object in view. They think that my examining the 
 institutions for the blind in Germany was but a pretext to 
 cover another intention ; and acting up to this, and in the ab- 
 sence of any representative of our government here, they have 
 dared imprison me, put me aw secret, and have kept me here 
 three weeks without even telling me of what I am suspected. 
 
 This will sound strange in your ears, — that in a coun- 
 try like Prussia, where laws and judges exist, a stranger 
 should thus be shut up in a cell of a common prison ; that 
 he should not be permitted to see a soul, nor receive a line 
 from a friend, nor an assurance that his friends know what 
 has become of him. It is only within a day or two that I 
 
404 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. 0.1832 
 
 have been permitted to write, and as my letters must pass 
 under the eyes of those who have thus cruelly trampled on 
 my rights, and the laws of justice, I must speak of my 
 treatment in such qualified terms as my indignation will 
 permit me, lest they should not permit my letters to pass. 
 I'll be cool, then, and let you know where and how I am — 
 snug enough, between four granite walls, in a wee bit cell, 
 fast barred and bolted, and writing by the light which 
 comes in from a little grated window, or air-hole, eight 
 feet from the floor. I am kept in perfect seclusion ; not 
 a newspaper is allowed, to tell me how the world wags 
 without, and not a sound disturbs my meditations, save 
 the clang of the sentinel's heel, as he paces up and down 
 the corridor. 
 
 But I keep a good heart, and recollect when I was shut 
 up in a little castle in Candia,'with no food but biscuit, 
 and the Moslem dogs whetting their sabres to dissect us 
 when we should have eaten all our bread and been forced 
 to come out. Even as I escaped then, shall I be again 
 delivered from the Philistines who persecute me. As for 
 food, I do not complain in that respect ; plain food is no 
 hardship for me ; but though I had Very's or Beauvillier's 
 bill of fare to choose from, still would I say : 
 
 " Give me a morsel on the green sward rather, 
 Coarse as you will the cooking ; let the fresh spring 
 Bubble beside my napkin, and the free birds, 
 Twittering and chirping, hop from bough to bough 
 To claim the crumbs I leave for perquisites ; 
 Your prison feasts I like not." 
 
 It is not this which torments me — it is the delay, it is 
 the loss of time, it is the distracting thought that it may 
 be supposed at home that I have neglected my duty. Let 
 no conclusion be drawn till I am heard in my defence. 
 ' In the attempt on Crete under Kallerges. 
 
^t.3o] Poland and Prussia 405 
 
 Were I free from any engagement, I would hold this im- 
 prisonment as a mere trifle. I would laugh at men who 
 can thus punish me for doing what they must approve if 
 they have a spark of humanity. 
 
 I went to carry comfort and consolation to the gallant 
 relic of that army of heroes who fought so long and so 
 gloriously in the purest cause man can draw sword for. 
 They were abandoned by all the world, as they thought ; 
 they were suffering physically and morally ; they were 
 standing on the frontiers of Prussia, near to their own lost 
 land, yet resisting every effort to induce them to enter it. 
 I went in the name of thousands of my fellow citizens 
 to clothe those who were naked, and to say to all that 
 they had the sympathies and the hearty good wishes of 
 America. I did this openly at midday, and for a reward I 
 have the solitary cell of a common prison. I am put into 
 the abode of murderous thieves and outlaws ; yet, from the 
 bottom of my cell, I can put my hand on my heart and say 
 sincerely, I would not change situations with those who 
 have thought it their duty to put me here. How long my 
 imprisonment will last I know not, nor should the thought 
 of that annoy me, were it not for my engagement in 
 America — that is the thorn in my side. However, let 
 me make the best of it ; I could not have got home before 
 the rising of Congress, we could not have done much 
 without assistance from the different Legislatures, and the 
 Trustees will be relieved from all expenses during the time 
 I am not employed about their business. Besides, it may 
 be that the Trustees granted the request which I ad- 
 dressed them from Paris, to have permission to quit their 
 business long enough to visit the colony which I estab- 
 lished in Greece. The colony, God bless it ! Am 
 I not a happy fellow (dear Fisher), hardly thirty, and a 
 bachelor, to have two hundred children .' — for all the 
 
4o6 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1832 
 
 colonists call me patera, which in the vernacular means 
 "father." 
 
 I say, in case the Trustees granted the request (though 
 I always acted on the supposition that they would not), I 
 shall be a happy fellow. I would cheerily support my 
 misfortune, since they imagine the poor services I have 
 rendered the unfortimate Poles are important enough to 
 merit a long imprisonment. I will try to civilize the 
 spiders in my cell, or find out whether there are any blind 
 among the bedbugs ; or perchance I can tame the mouse 
 that nibbles my slipper. Poor fellow ! he must fare hard 
 here to come to that. I have, in my day, eaten jackass 
 meat, but never tried the hide ; nevertheless, with the aid 
 of Papin's Digester — But a truce with joking. I am 
 rambling from home to Greece, from Greece to Poland, 
 and even into a Digester; you'll think me mad and not 
 sad. But I have need to keep my spirits rattling about 
 everything but the dark side of the prospect before me, 
 which (I fear not to contemplate it, however) is that of 
 long confinement, of hope deferred, of strength gradually 
 wasting away from inaction, of health yielding to the 
 attacks of anxiety and the influence of the foul, unwhole- 
 some air I breathe. But no ! before that my country will 
 make her voice heard ; I trust she will not let the hum- 
 blest of her citizens long suffer as unjustly and unde- 
 servedly as I do. 
 
 I say I can look on the very worst side of the picture 
 without flinching, or feeling inclined to crouch or cringe, 
 and beg forgiveness. No ; I am proud of what I have 
 done, I shall ever be so. Let not then my friends have 
 any anxiety about my personal safety. I trust ere long to 
 assure them and you of that in person, as also how truly I 
 remain your friend, 
 
 Samuel G. Howe. 
 
■^t. 30] Poland and Prussia 407 
 
 P. S. I have got hold of some German works on the 
 education of the blind. I did not know of their existence 
 in France. I hope, if pen and paper are granted me here, 
 to translate some good things. If by the next packet you 
 hear not of my liberation, then do all that can be done for 
 me. I trust our government will know how to redress the 
 wrongs done its citizens. 
 
 My father's imprisonment actually lasted five weeks, but 
 there is no knowing how much longer it might have been, 
 had it not been for a most fortunate occurrence. Gn the 
 evening of his return to Berlin, he met, on the way to his 
 hotel, a countryman and acquaintance, Mr. Albert Brisbane ; 
 the two young Americans stopped to greet each other, and 
 exchanged cards. The next day Mr. Brisbane went to the 
 hotel the name of which was written on my father's card, and 
 asked for Doctor Howe. To his amazement, he was told 
 that no such person was there ; that no American had been 
 there at all. Whether this gentleman had any knowledge 
 of my father's mission or not, does not appear, but he in- 
 stantly suspected treachery, and his suspicions were con- 
 firmed by learning that the police had visited the hotel the 
 night before. He wrote at once to Mr. Rives,' the Amer- 
 ican minister at Paris, who promptly investigated the case, 
 and made requisition upon the Prussian government for 
 "the person of an American citizen, unjustly detained." 
 The Prussian Government stoutly denied any knowledge 
 of such person or such detention. Mr. Rives as stoutly 
 persisted, being strengthened in his conviction, I suppose, 
 by the receipt of my father's letter to himself, though I 
 am not sure of the date of its receipt. Finally the Prus- 
 sian Government, hearing perhaps an ominous rustle of 
 the Eagle's wmgs, decided that it did after all know some- 
 thing about the matter, and that it might be as well to let 
 
 ' Waiiam Cabell Rives, a distinguished Virginian, afterwards Senator 
 in Congress and editor of President Madison's papers. 
 
4o8 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1832 
 
 the American go. The manner of his release is told in his 
 second letter to Mr. Rives. 
 
 To W. C. Rives, Esq. 
 
 Metz, April 6th, 1832. 
 Mr. Rives. 
 
 Dear Sir : — I am happy to be able to announce to you 
 that I am safe upon the soil of France, and delivered from 
 the hands of the Prussians. I attribute my liberation to 
 your efforts, for I know of nothing else that could have 
 effected a change in the disposition of those who so unjustly 
 deprived me of my liberty. But though I have to thank 
 you for the efforts you have made in my favour, I must 
 request the continuance of them. The wrongs I suffered 
 ceased not at the expiration of my imprisonment. On that 
 day and for the first time the Minister of Police communi- 
 cated to me the knowledge of my accusation ; it was that 
 I had persuaded the Polish soldiers to disobey the direc- 
 tions of the Prussian Government, and to refuse to reenter 
 Poland ; that for this I could be brought to trial, but that 
 his Majesty in his indulgence had merely ordered me to be 
 sent to France ; that several of my papers — my memo- 
 randums and my passport — would be kept from me. 
 
 I protested strongly against this decision ; I repelled the 
 indulgence as an insult added to injustice. I requested to 
 be brought to judgment, and not to be sent out of the 
 country. I defied the minister or any one else to prove 
 that I had in aught violated the laws of Prussia; I de- 
 manded my passport and my papers ; and finally protested 
 against the fresh outrage of sending me six hundred miles 
 out of my route. If I must be sent out of Prussia, said I, 
 let it be by the nearest frontier, and into Saxony, where my 
 business calls me. This protestation was added to the 
 proch verbal communicated by the minister, and sent back 
 to him ; he gave no other answer than that his first orders 
 
■St. 30] Poland and Prussia 409 
 
 were to be executed to the letter. I was then conducted 
 to a post-wagon and, accompanied by two police officers, 
 driven out of Berlin and toward France. My imprisonment 
 had somewhat enfeebled me, and toward the evening of the 
 second day the violent and unceasing motion began to 
 render me quite ill ; at Homburg, where they stopped for 
 a few minutes, I became so sick as not to be able to hold 
 up my head, and begged for God's sake that a physician 
 might be called to give me an emetic. They called one 
 indeed, an old fool or knave who instead of examining me 
 gave to the officers a certificate of my being able to travel 
 without endangering my life. And they hurried me into 
 the miserable cart, where jolting over a rough by-road, I 
 suffered the torments of the damned for two hours until a 
 copious vomiting relieved my pains. They were followed 
 however by a tormenting thirst ; and will you believe me ? 
 I could not persuade them to get me a glass of water. My 
 strength of constitution however enabled me to undergo 
 the fatigue of the rest of the journey, which lasted six days, 
 and during which I was subjected to a thousand vexations. 
 I mention my sickness as a proof of the severity of the 
 orders of the minister, for I do believe the officer in com- 
 mand to have been a man of some humanity, who was 
 grieved at the conduct he felt obliged to observe. He was 
 to hurry me day and night ; to avoid the large cities ; to 
 prevent my speaking to any one ; to refuse me rest on any 
 pretext; and to imprison me in the nearest fortress and put 
 me on bread and water if I attempted to escape. (Once, on 
 the Hanoverian territories, I succeeded in shaking them off ; 
 they would have used violence, but finding me determined 
 not to enter the wagon without a desperate struggle, they 
 consented that I should appeal to the magistrates for the 
 protection of England.. These answered that they could 
 not give it, even were I an Englishman ; that though the 
 
410 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1832 
 
 officers were acting under the orders of another state, they 
 should second them with force if I refused to go on. Of 
 course I yielded.) 
 
 Had he executed these orders to the letter, and had he 
 not allowed me to rest, such was my state of health that he 
 would have delivered me on the seventh day rather dead 
 than alive, at the frontiers of France. This he saw. I say 
 seven days ; for observe, they did not come the direct road. 
 On the frontier, my effects and a Prussian passport were 
 delivered me, but the papers I have mentioned, and $40 
 of my money, were retained. 
 
 I claim, then, redress for such wrongs. I have been 
 arrested and kept in close confinement a month, upon 
 vague suspicion ; I have been kicked out of the country as 
 it were like a criminal, in spite of my reiterated demand to 
 be judged by its laws ; cruelty has been added to injustice, 
 and insult to cruelty. I declare the Minister of Police of 
 Prussia to have been wilfully the author of these injuries. 
 I offered to make good my cause in the courts of Prussia, 
 but it was refused me, and it only remains for me to 
 seek redress of my country, and of my country I de- 
 mand it. 
 
 I request, sir, that you will demand my papers ; that you 
 will endeavour to procure copies of all the documents in 
 relation to my affairs — particularly the prods verbal, and 
 the orders given by the minister to the head of the prison, 
 — the decision of the king, etc., with dates. 
 
 As I have none but a Prussian passport, and that only to 
 go to Paris, I beg you will cause one to be sent to me to 
 Dijon as soon as possible, to enable me to go to Zurich in 
 Switzerland, which it may be necessary for me to do unless 
 I can engage the instructor of the blind at Dijon to go to 
 the United States ; at all events I shall need a passport. 
 I shall endeavour to come to Paris for a few days, but as I 
 
-^t. 30] Poland and Prussia 411 
 
 have lost so much time, I am by no means certain I shall 
 succeed. 
 
 Sam'l G. Howe. 
 
 On Doctor Howe's return to Paris, his fellow country- 
 men then felt bound to explain his actions and their conse- 
 quences to the world. The following paper was therefore 
 drawn up by Mr. Cooper and Professor Morse, and signed 
 by all the members of the American PoHsh Committee : 
 
 STATEMENT OF THE AMERICAN COMMITTEE IN PARTS 
 
 The moment of terminating its trust having arrived, the 
 American Polish Committee believes itself bound to render 
 an account of its organization and proceedings to that por- 
 tion of their fellow citizens whose liberality was the cause 
 of its existence. 
 
 The manner in which the contributions for the succour of 
 the Poles was made is generally known. The money was 
 remitted to General Lafayette, with the request that he 
 would see it handed over to the Polish treasury, in the 
 event of its being received in time to be of aid in the strug- 
 gle ; with an understanding that it was to be appUed to the 
 relief of the sufferers, should it be too late for the princi- 
 pal object. The first remittance having arrived in France 
 after the fall of Warsaw, the money was necessarily de- 
 voted to its second destination. Had it reached him 
 earlier the task of General Lafayette would have been 
 limited to paying it over and receiving in return vouchers 
 which he would have been able to show to all interested. 
 But, under the circumstances, he found himself possessed 
 of considerable sums, without any direct responsibility, and, 
 we may add, charged with duties of a laborious and delicate 
 character, which his other employments would scarcely 
 
412 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1832 
 
 permit him to perform with sufficient fidelity. With his 
 usual tact and judgment, he decided to appeal to the 
 Americans at Paris for assistance. 
 
 The American Polish Committee was formed in obedi- 
 ence to the written requisition of General Lafayette. The 
 Committee assumed the office of keeping the accounts, of 
 investigating the merits of applicants for relief, of deciding 
 on their reception, and of doing all things properly con- 
 nected with the faithful discharge of a trust so sacred. As 
 the members of the Committee felt, however, that they 
 were unauthorized to act by those who had furnished the 
 contributions, the resolutions of organization were so 
 framed as to contain a clause which rendered it necessary 
 to the validity of their acts to refer all their decisions to- 
 General Lafayette. Although the accounts were kept 
 by the Committee through their Secretary, the money was 
 deposited to the credit of General Lafayette, and was only 
 drawn for use by his drafts. The Committee deems these 
 explanations necessary to its own vindication in assuming^ 
 powers with which it was not more regularly invested. 
 
 Dr. Samuel G. Howe, of Massachusetts, having been 
 especially named in communications from America as com- 
 missioner to act in behalf of some of the contributors, and 
 having been particularly designated in the requisitions of 
 General Lafayette as one whom he would wish to see on 
 the Committee, was appointed its Chairman. This choice 
 was made, in addition to the considerations connected with 
 the personal claims of the candidate, in deference to the 
 wish of General Lafayette, and as furnishing the nearest 
 approach that the case allowed, to what might be esteemed 
 the selection of a respectable portion of the contributors at 
 home. Several weeks elapsed after the regular organiza- 
 tion of the Committee without an application for relief. 
 This unexpected forbearance on the part of the emigrants 
 
iEt. 30] Poland and Prussia 413 
 
 is to be ascribed to several causes. Few reached Paris, 
 with the exception of those who were in possession of more 
 or less means. The sympathies of the French were power- 
 fully awakened, and the disposal of their succour, which 
 was of magnificent amount, admitted of a more regular 
 and continued system than it was believed would comport 
 with the delicacy that strangers in the country were bound 
 to observe ; and we should do great injustice to the noble- 
 minded men who are the victims of the unsuccessful effort 
 to gain the independence of Poland, did we not add, that 
 in several instances our offers were declined, gratefully it is 
 true, but with a proud reliance on their personal efforts for 
 support. At this moment, when we were periodically as- 
 sembling without being able to effect much in behalf of 
 those for whom the succour had been intended, it became 
 apparent that it was the policy of the states adjoining 
 Poland to force the refugees back into the power of their 
 enemies. In addition to this, which of itself made a strong 
 appeal to the sympathies of every just mind, we had reason 
 to think that while our money was useless at Paris, it 
 might relieve many brave men at a distance, who were 
 actually suffering for the necessaries of life. In this view 
 of the case it was decided to remit a portion of our funds 
 to Germany. 
 
 It was an important consideration to find a suitable 
 agent. Luckily, our Chairman was about to visit the 
 North, in furtherance of the views which had brought him 
 to Europe. He accepted the trust with a condition, that 
 he was not bound to proceed further than was consistent 
 with his other duties. With this understanding, a large 
 portion of our funds were placed in his hands, and he left 
 Paris clothed with this charitable mission in the month of 
 January. A part of the money confided to Doctor Howe 
 was distributed by that gentleman himself to different 
 
414 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1832 
 
 Poles, and the remainder was left with confidential persons 
 to be applied as he had directed. We are grieved to be 
 compelled to say that while he was thus employed, Doctor 
 Howe, who, it was understood, acted with the entire approba- 
 tion of the Prussian local authorities, was peremptorily com- 
 manded to leave the part of Prussia where the Poles were 
 quartered. He instantly obeyed, taking the road to BerUn. 
 Here, it would appear, he was arrested, shut up in prison, 
 and cut off from all communication with his countrymen. 
 At the end of more than a month, he was sent through the 
 intermediate states of Germany to France, being escorted 
 the whole distance by Prussian gendarmes. We are told, 
 it was pretended that Doctor Howe was engaged in a mis- 
 sion that produced an indisposition in the PoHsh soldiers to 
 return to Poland, which was declared to be an offence 
 against the laws of Prussia. It is unfortunate that the 
 Prussian authorities did not find it convenient to vindicate 
 themselves in the open and loyal manner in which all just 
 acts may be vindicated, but that recourse was had to se- 
 crecy ; and violent measures are calculated to throw dis- 
 trust on the intentions of all who practise them. Doctor 
 Howe says he remonstrated against the manner in which 
 he was banished from Prussia, that he denied having 
 violated any law, and that he repeatedly demanded a 
 trial. 
 
 [Signed] J. Fenimore Cooper, 
 
 S. F. B. Morse, 
 July, 1832. and other Americans. 
 
 This statement was submitted to General Lafayette for 
 approval and was returned by him with the following let- 
 ter. Both papers were published together in the United 
 States soon after my father's return thither in the autumn 
 of 1832. 
 
^t. 30] Poland and Prussia 415 
 
 Lafayette's commendation of doctor howe 
 
 La Grange, July 28th, 1832. 
 My dear Sir : — The address from our American-Polish 
 Committee to the people of the United States, and the 
 special communication to the fellow citizens who have be- 
 stowed their confidence upon us, could not but meet my 
 cordial approbation and sympathy. Conscious as we are 
 to have done for the best in the execution of their philan- 
 thropic intentions, it must be also an object of patriotic 
 gratification to think that their donations, at the same time 
 they have relieved misfortune, highly interesting, have 
 done great and extensive credit to the American character. 
 For this happy result, I shall take every opportunity to say 
 that we are chiefly owing to the manner in which Doctor 
 Howe has acquitted himself of the mission entrusted to 
 his care. While we are to thank him for the correctness 
 of his conduct, and the enlightened zeal of his exertions, 
 we find in those circumstances, and the other proceedings 
 of the Committee, in concert with me, new motives to be 
 proud of the part acted by American donators, and to cher- 
 ish the hope of a continued interest of the people of the 
 United States in behalf of heroic Poland, and her exiled 
 sons, whenever occasion offers for its emancipation. I am 
 happy in this opportunity to offer my personal acknowledg- 
 ments to the Chairman, Secretary, and members of the 
 Committee, who will ever find in me a grateful, affectionate 
 fellow citizen and friend. 
 
 Lafayette. 
 
 Another letter of Lafayette's, written to my father in 
 April of this year, 1832, is too interesting and character- 
 istic to be omitted. 
 
41 6 Samuel Gridley Howe [a.d. 1832 
 
 Paris, April i6th, 1832. 
 My dear Sir : — I have had the pleasure to receive at 
 the same time your letter dated Metz, April 8th, and 
 Dijon, the 12th. Mr. Cooper has also communicated his 
 correspondence with you ; so has Mr. Rives. I hasten to 
 send an answer in the hope that it may still reach you at 
 Dijon. One of your letters to me has been lost ; so it 
 would have fared with your first communication to the 
 Minister had not a duplicate been sent through more safe 
 Hands. Those were not the only opportunities we have 
 had to hear of you. The grateful acknowledgments of 
 the poles, their admiration of your conduct in their Behalf, 
 the well-deserved reports of the Credit you have done by 
 yourself to the Committee, and to the American name had 
 already cheered our Hearts and gratified our patriotism 
 when we were alarmed at the intelligence of your having 
 become a state prisoner of the Russo-prussian Govern- 
 ment. While the alarm was transmitted by your zealous 
 countryman to Mr. Rives, I had a letter from Mr. Brellon (?) 
 announcing the fact, and promising his best exertions to 
 obtain your release. He commissioned his Colleague 
 Young Perier (.'), then in paris, to let me again hear of 
 you and repeat his assurances, and by him we had the first 
 information of your having Been set at comparative liberty, 
 which he said was preferable to a delay, since his en- 
 deavours to rid you of the escort had been fruitless. So 
 far for Mr. Brellon's Correspondence. The moment we 
 heard of your captivity Mr. Rives called on the prussian 
 minister at paris, and I had an interview with Baron de 
 Humboldt, who appeared greatly mortified at what had 
 happened. Yes, we have to complain that a citizen of the 
 United States has been without any pretext imprisoned 
 and secreted during four [five] weeks, sent under an escort 
 not only to the frontiers of prussia, but through all the 
 
■ffit. 30] Poland and Prussia 417 
 
 States of Germany ; nor is it the least shocking part of 
 the outrage, that an Hanoverian Government dared not, on 
 its own ground, put an end to the act of prussian piracy, 
 exercised against you under the influence of Russia. It is 
 the intention, and I warmly feel it is the duty of the 
 American Committee in paris to offer you a vote of thanks 
 for the manner in which our instructions have been under- 
 stood and executed to the great Comfort of the Polish 
 soldiers, to the Credit of the American Name, and to the 
 gratification of every good Heart and sound Mind who 
 cannot but admire the very important and salutary effect 
 you have produced with limited means so happily trusted 
 in your Hands. 
 
 The Gentlemen of the Committee who have not left 
 paris shall meet at my house the day after to-morrow, 
 when an official answer shall be sent to your communica- 
 tions ; in the meanwhile there is no doubt but that your 
 expenses are to be paid by the Committee. 
 
 M. Joly's inquiries have not reached me; I send at all 
 events a letter to him. Enclosed you will also find what I 
 have said lately in the House against the Alien Bill ; 
 perhaps will you think it advisable to translate it for the 
 English and American papers. 
 
 Tell my young friends of Boston what has become of 
 their two standards; how well they have shone in our 
 polish public meetings, and with what care I keep them 
 for better times. Tell them above all how eminently the 
 choice of the Bearer has been justified by the Services he 
 has rendered to the Cause and to the men of poland, so as 
 to have obtained their first-rate Blessings on the American 
 Name. I most heartily congratulate you on the pleasing 
 remembrance that part of your youthful hfe cannot fail to 
 leave through your carrier in the world, as it has been your 
 well-deserved lot to produce a great and most gratifying 
 
41 8 Samuel Gridley Howe [a. d. 1832 
 
 effect on the so very interesting situation of that heroic 
 people. 
 
 Most affectionately and gratefully, 
 
 Your forever friend, 
 
 Lafayette. 
 
 During all the time of my father's imprisonment he was 
 obliged to pay the jailer for his board. Mr. Sanborn tells 
 us that it was only through the favour of the jailer's 
 daughter that he obtained writing-materials ; and he adds, 
 " Years afterward, when the King of Prussia gave him a 
 gold medal for his philanthropic achievements in teaching 
 the blind, Doctor Howe had the curiosity to weigh it, and 
 found that its value, in money, was equal to the sum which 
 he had paid the Prussian government for his prison board 
 and lodging in 1832." 
 
 Eleven years after, in 1843, my father was in Europe 
 again, and desired to visit Berlin with Horace Mann. The 
 government, however, refused him permission, probably 
 with feelings similar to those of his old college president, 
 recorded on an earlier page. Mr. Mann went alone to 
 Berlin and wrote thus to my father in London : 
 
 " It was not until our arrival here that we became fully 
 aware of your situation. This we learned from Mr. Wheaton 
 (the American minister), and it has been with the deepest 
 regret that we have learned from him, day after day, that 
 no answer has been received from the government in re- 
 ply to his application for your admission. In the mean- 
 time I consider it a compliment, though an inconvenient 
 one, to you. I understand the King of Prussia has about 
 two hundred thousand men constantly under arms, and, if 
 necessary, he can increase his force to two million. This 
 shows the estimation in which he holds your single self ; 
 which, so far as the monarch of Prussia can confer honour 
 
^t.3o] Poland and Prussia 419 
 
 upon you, is highly honourable to you and creditable to 
 your country. If he is so afraid of one American citizen, 
 how much must he respect the whole country ? But you 
 are no common citizen, and probably you have occupied his 
 thoughts more than General Jackson or John Tyler."' 
 
 ' Mr. Tyler was then President of the United States, and ex-President 
 Jackson was still living. 
 
 END OF VOLUME I,