542 



GREECE. (REVOLUTION.) 



also at Solamis, from whence they returned to Argns 

 in November, 1823. Mavroconlato conducted a 

 division of the Hydriot fleet to the gulf of Lepanto, 

 in November, and compelled the Barbary fleet, which 

 was blockading Missolonghi, to withdraw. The 

 Acrocorinthus was taken, in November of the same 

 year, by the Greeks, and the last attack of Jussuf 

 I'acha, supported by Mustapha Pacha, on Anatolico 

 and Missolonghi, where Andreas Metaxa commanded, 

 entirely failed, in consequence of the defeat of Mus- 

 taphu in November, 1823. Mustapha Pacha re- 

 treated to Yanina. The campaign was finished ; but 

 the partisan war continued in Thessaly and Epirus, 

 and Greek vessels advanced as far as the gulf of 

 Smyrna. The Porte, though much exhausted, still 

 had greater resources for the next campaign (1824) 

 than the Greeks. The peace with Persia (concluded 

 July 28, 1823), and the voluntary submission of the 

 rebellious pacha of St Jean d'Acre, enabled the 

 Porte to send into Greece the troops from Asia, and 

 those previously stationed in Moldavia and Walachia, 

 which were now evacuated. In Constantinople, the 

 influence of the janizaries on the decrees of the divan 

 had ceased. By the appointment of Galib Pacha as 

 grand-vizier (the fifth since 1821), and of Sadik as 

 reis effendi, in December, 1823, the more moderate 

 party obtained the ascendency. On the other hand, 

 the dissensions among the Greeks daily increased. 



A Russian charge d'affaires in Constantinople, Mr 

 de Minziaky, tried to restore, in January, 1824, the 

 connexions between the cabinet of St Petersburg and 

 the Porte, which had been broken off since 1821. 

 The principal subject of negotiation was the complete 

 evacuation of the two principalities of Walachia and 

 Moldavia by the Turkish troops, in conformity with 

 the treaties of Kainnrdgi, Jassy, and Bucharest. The 

 British ambassador, lord Strangford, and the Austrian 

 internuncio, the baron von Ottenfels, supported the 

 demands of Russia. Lord Strangford was treated 

 with great regard by the Porte ; for it was owing to 

 British influence that the Porte had been able to con- 

 clude its last treaty of peace with the court of Persia 

 (Jan. 28, 1824). But the support which certain so- 

 cieties in England, and individuals, like lord Byron, 

 had given the Greeks, by means of loans, by sending 

 arms, and by assistance in person, made the Porte 

 indignant ; and it required (April 9), that the British 

 government should forbid their subjects to take any 

 part in the affairs of the Greeks. In the mean while, 

 the British officers who had fought under the Greek 

 standard, had been recalled to England. The good 

 understanding with Russia appeared still more com- 

 plete, when a great number of neutral transport 

 ships, Russian, Austrian, and others, were hired by 

 the capudan pacha, who sailed, April 28, out of the 

 Dardanelles to destroy Ipsara and Samos. At the 

 same time, Dervish, pacha of Widden, as commander- 

 in-chief of the Ottoman troops, received an order to 

 enter the Morea, whilst the pacha of Negropont, on 

 the coast of Attica, and Omer Vrione (who was after- 

 wards pacha of Saloniki), were to open the campaign 

 on the west coast of Greece. The Porte had suc- 

 ceeded, too, in inducing Mohammed Ali, the viceroy 

 of Egypt, to send from his troops, which had been 

 trained in the European discipline by French officers, 

 20,000 men, under the command of Ibrahim Pacha, 

 his son, besides a fleet with transport ships, consisting 

 of hired Russian, Austrian, Spanish, and Italian ves- 

 sels,to assist the grand-seignior in reducing the G reeks 

 to submission. A fire in Cairo delayed, for some 

 months, the departure of this expedition. In the 

 mean time, after the glorious issue of the campaigns 

 of 1823, dissensions had broken out anew in Greece. 

 The party of Mavroconlato, which had taken the 

 place of the heads of the fletaireia, was composed oi 



tlydriot merchants, and the most enlightened mm 

 of the nation. It endeavoured to establish an orderly 

 and legal administration, and to regulate the finances. 

 Mavrocordato was president of the legislative body ; 

 but, retiring from the military party, which had the 

 preponderance in the Morea, he went towards West- 

 ern Greece. The heads of that military party, the 

 capitani, appeared to wish to take the places of the 

 former Turkish pachas, and oppressors of the country. 

 One of the most eminent of this party was Coloco- 

 troni, who, through the fame of his victories (in 1822), 

 was the most powerful in the executive council. 

 From Tripolizza, in the midst of the peninsula, his 

 faction extended itself on all sides. Panos, his son, 

 commanded at Nauplia (Napoli di Romania), the 

 seat of government. The garrison of the Acroco- 

 rinthus consisted of the adherents of that bold, proud, 

 and rich general. After Colocotroni, came Mavro- 

 michalis, formerly bey of the Mainots, and now the 

 nominal president of the executive council. Negris 

 the former minister of foreign affairs, had joined 

 Ulysses, who maintained himself in Athens and East- 

 ern Greece, almost independently of the central go- 

 vernment. These capitani raised, without regard to 

 rules and orders, all that they wanted for themselves 

 and their soldiers; so that only in the marine at 

 Hydra, and in Western Greece, where Mavrocordato 

 commanded, a well ordered government was main- 

 tained. In Missolonghi, lord Byron was taking an 

 active part. He and colonel Stanhope organized the 

 artillery. Byron himself established schools and 

 printing-offices. In the mean time, the legislative 

 senate at Kranidi (on the eastern shore of the gulf of 

 Argolis) endeavoured to check the arbitrary proceed- 

 ings of the executive council. The report of the 

 causes of complaint against the president, Mavro- 

 michalis, and other councillors (Dec. 31, 1823), dis- 

 closed such striking instances of arbitrary and selfish 

 conduct, that the senate dissolved the existing exe- 

 cutive council, and named, as the members of the 

 new, the Hydriot George Conduriotti as president, 

 and the Spezziot Panajotis Botassis as vice-president. 

 Both were good patriots, and the most influential 

 men of their islands, but without distinguished talents. 

 John Coletti was the third, and Nicholas Londos the 

 fourth member. The fifth place, which Anagnostis 

 Spiliotakis received afterwards, had been destined 

 for Colocotroni, who, notwithstanding lord Byron's 

 mediation, persisted in refusing to recognise the 

 senate and the executive council. The latter now 

 declared Napoli di Romania (March 14, 1824) the 

 capital of Greece, and the seat of the central govern- 

 ment. But Panos (4osed the gates. He was there- 

 fore treated as a rebel, and Napoli invested by sea 

 and land. The garrison of the Acrocorinthus and 

 several capitani (Niketas and others) surrendered to 

 the government. Colocotroni himself evacuated 

 Tripolizza (April 15). Hereupon the senate and (May 

 22) the executive government took Argos for their 

 place of session. At length, the accession of the 

 garrison of the chief fort of Napoli to the cause of 

 the government, occasioned the conclusion of a 

 treaty with Colocotroni, who submitted, with all his 

 followers, under the security of a general amnesty. 

 Panos now gave up Napoli and the citadel Pala- 

 medes (19th of June), to which the senate and the 

 government immediately transferred themselves. A 

 general amnesty terminated the civil war. During 

 this time, the Greeks in Western Greece were 

 labouring to improve the fortifications of Anatolico, 

 and of Missolonghi, the bulwark of Peloponnesus. A 

 conspiracy was discovered in this town to deliver up 

 the place to the pacha Jussuf. The Suliots began 

 to commit great excesses, being excessively discon- 

 tented with lord Byron's new regulations, and with 



