1826.] Letter‘on. Affairs in general. 645 
oThe evening papers say that: a gentleman,‘ annoyed: with the» eternal 
performance of Paul Pry, attempted to assassinate Liston two nights:ago 
ashe got into his:carriage,' but only succeeded in stabbing his footman 
who was opening the coach-door.. Now really this is too'much!! people 
who commit! murder ought not to be allowed to make mistakes.) © «1 957 
\o But, speaking of “murder,” there has been’a most ‘horrible rot and 
panic—+a) most» \wicked» carnage and: mortality: among the ‘* Scrip-and 
Bond”. * patriots” this last month! The, “Times” has frightened the 
whole school of cockney “ liberalism,” from Jerry Bentham down >to 
«* Honorary Secretary ”) John Bowring, into hysterics ; and Satan is‘ buf- 
feting Joseph Hume sorely for two successive Saturdays, in the’ semblance 
of *¢ William Cobbett.”; ‘The “ Greek cause,” in the mass, has grown 
too intricate for mortal comprehension. All we can discover-is, thatthe 
Greeks have got very little of the money which has been borrowed for 
them; but for this they will doubtless mdemnify themselves, by never 
paying back any. But there are one or two little circumstances atten- 
dant-upon the concoction of their « Loan,’—on the mode in which: the 
money, which dzd not go to the Greeks, was got from those fools and 
knaves: who jeb in the stocks among the English~which may bear a 
word of notice, or exposure. in 
The wags who constituted themselves, in the year 1823, into what was 
called « The Greek Committee,” claim, in the Westminster Review; No. 
xi, page 114, the credit of having «“ deserved well, by their conduct; of 
(Greece, of England, and of mankind !” Now any such amount of -de- 
sert seems, upon the face of it, very unlikely ; and, in fact, I believe it will 
be found that the claim altogether is grounded in mistake ;—that the only 
part of “ mankind” which the Committee seriously benefited was them- 
selves; that to Greece they could not do a great deal of harm, because 
she had very little (or, in truth, nothing) to lose; but that to England, 
where people with money in their pockets were such noodles:as to listen 
to them, they have done great and positive injury. 1 
The “ services ” to Greece consist, I rather think, in the having sent 
‘out to that country a great variety of curious nick-nacks; such as “ la- 
boratories,” ‘* maps,” ‘ mathematical instruments,” ‘ school-books,” 
‘< printing presses,” &c. ; the only recommendation of which properties to 
the Greeks was that, to use the language of the “ring,” they came’ by 
the way of Cheapside,” i.e. they (the Greeks) paid nothing for them. ‘Some 
small portion of money was sent also in cash ; and this did at first seen’ to 
me to havea right to be entered as a “ benefit,”—until I recollected that 
the absurd advices and interferences which accompanied it had cost the 
poor people so much blood, and set them so terribly together by the 
-ears, that the one contribution, I think, balances the other ;—and so I 
put down—as I like to deal liberally with all men—that ‘to Greece the 
Committee had done neither good nor harm. ssc 
_/ But the “ benefits” which have been conferred upon England, stand 
‘upon no-such equivocal footing; they ave of a solid, sound, substantial 
sebdrictaty buch as on the day of account will not be forgotten. For, 
‘though :they knew, from the very commencement of the struggle,’ that 
the government of Greece was of the most unstable character, owing to 
othe: intrigues ‘and: bickerings of the individuals who composed it, and 
iwasof all others ‘* the most unfit,” as Col. Stanhope observes, ‘“ tobe 
trusted with the management of money,” on account of its wanting * that 
