CANDIA. 



then nttfirked the heights of Kernza, which 

 command Canea, but were repulsed. S 

 quently tho Turks were reinforced by the ar- 

 rival of 8,000 Egyptians, seven Turkish bat- 

 talions, iunl considerable artillery. On a re- 

 newal of the Imttle, the Creeks were obliged to 

 1'jil I liai'k upon tho mountains of Sphakia. At 

 this ]>cri(id the insurrection was reported to be 

 spreading in the eastern part of the island, and 

 to liavo broken out in four districts, which had 

 >iisly taken no part in it. On the 24th of 

 September the Cretans addressed another ap- 

 peal to tho great powers through the resident 

 consuls. It alludes to tho robberies and mur- 

 ders which the Turks were constantly commit- 

 ting, and asks the Christian powers to afford 

 protection to the defenceless old men, women, 

 and children, or else to furnish vessels on which 

 they could bo transported to Greece. The 

 barbarities, according to the testimony of the 

 most trustworthy witnesses, were enacted to a 

 :i frightful extent, especially in the provinces 

 ehietiy inhabited by the Turks. It was esti- 

 mated that, by the end of September, over a 

 thousand defenceless people had been mnrdered, 

 and that in Heracleion alone more than three 

 hundred had been massacred ! 



On October 5th the Turkish commissioner is- 

 sued another proclamation extending the period 

 for submission to October 10th. The Cretans, 

 however, remained firm, and from October 9th 

 to 12th had fought another four days' bat- 

 tle in the neighborhood of Canea, the result of 

 which, according to Greek accounts, was the 

 retreat of Mustapha Pacha. About the end of 

 October the Turks claimed to have won a victory 

 near Oresta, the Cretans losing 700, besides 

 3,000 drowned in a cave. In the beginning of 

 November the Turks repeatedly circulated the 

 report that all the chiefs of the insurgents had 

 offered their submission and that the insurrec- 

 tion was at an end. All these reports proved, 

 however, to be inventions, and the Cretan gen- 

 erals, especially Coroneos and Zimbrakakis, 

 were vigorous in prosecuting the war, while 

 the mountainous district of Spahkia was held out 

 to all the defenceless people of the island as a 

 refuge. At the same time, however, the Cretan 

 Assembly made another appeal to the Christian 

 powers, through their ambassadors at Constan- 

 tinople, to provide protection or means of trans- 

 port for the helpless population of the island. 

 They were represented as suffering from famine, 

 as well as exposed to outrage ; for the Turks 

 destroyed not only houses and provisions, but 

 even agricultural implements and other means 

 of obtaining a subsistence. 



None of the incidents of the war made so 

 profound and painful a sensation throughout the 

 civilized world as the capture of the monastery 

 of Arkadi. This monastery is situated in tho 

 midst of a large and fertile plain, in the eastern 

 part of the province of Retimo, about two 

 hours' journey from the southern coast of tho 

 island. It was built in tho reign of tho Em- 

 peror Heraclius, and has always been famous 



for its wealth and beneficence. Its IiogpHalltj 



jind charity have been cxtcndi-d to nil i. 

 and creeds alike. Every conqueror liith<rtn 

 has spared it tho Spanish, the Amlm, the Ve- 

 netian*, and even the Janizaries. Juring the 

 pr.-seiit insurrection it had frequently 

 shelter to refugees from tho Turks, and was 

 U-. (I |,y tin- dieeks as a storehouse for j 

 sions and ammunition. On the 18th of Novem- 

 ber Mustapha Pacha arrived at the town of 

 Retimo, and made preparations for marching 

 upon the convent. Collecting all the troops he 

 found there, to those brought by him from 

 Canea, he mustered a force of sixteen thousand 

 men, according to the Greek rtateraent. Ho 

 then sent forward Suleiman Bey to cut off com- 

 munications with the Greek forces and prevent 

 their reinforcing the convent, which they at- 

 tempted to do as soon as they heard of the at- 

 tack, but were held in check by these detach- 

 ments of the Turkish force. After these had 

 taken position, the Generals Ali Pacha and 

 Ismail Pacha marched to attack the convent, 

 and on the 21st Mustapha Pacha himself ar- 

 rived and took chief command. The Turkish 

 account says that the forces immediately en- 

 gaged in tho siege consisted of only 4,000 Otto- 

 man infantry and artillery, Egyptian infantry, 

 Cretan mounted volunteers, and Albanian light 

 infantry. Within the monastery were about 

 TOO persons, of whom from 250 to 300 were 

 combatants, the remainder women and children. 

 A surrender having been demanded and refused, 

 on the morning of the 20th the bombardment 

 began. In the afternoon more artillery and 

 men were sent for, and on the 21st twenty-six 

 heavy guns and two mortars were playing upon 

 the doomed monastery, and the tower which 

 defended the approach to the main building was 

 reduced to ruins. For two days and nights an 

 incessant cannonade was continued, at the end 

 of which time a breach was effected, and the 

 Turks rushed to the assault. By their own ac- 

 count three mines were sprung upon them as 

 the storming party mounted the breach. One 

 of these, they say, exploded upward with no 

 effect. Another inward, with damage to tho 

 garrison only. The other was effective, and 

 staggered the head of the attacking column. 

 They admit that the attack lasted all day, and 

 claim that five to six hundred rebels were killed, 

 among whom were the members of the Cretan 

 Assembly from the province, and the abbot of 

 the monastery. They captured forty-two in- 

 surgents ; and ninety women and children were 

 found In the magazines and sent to Retimo, 

 where they were put under the care of the 

 Greek bishop. The Turkish loss is stated by 

 them at fifty-eight killed and one hundred :u:d 

 fifty-three wounded. By the Greek account it 

 appears that after the assaulting party entered 

 the breach resistance was kept up by the Cre- 

 tans firing from the cells which surrounded the 

 court, until their fire-arms were disabled by in- 

 cessant use, and many of the garrison were 

 killed and wounded. The remainder then as- 



