ALBANIAN PIRATES. 49 



to fire upon us, and that we should at once give 

 them all they wanted. When, however, they saw 

 that we were English and far better armed than 

 themselves, and equally if not more ready, if ne- 

 cessity should require it, to shew fight, they very 

 wisely altered their tone, and turned their insolent 

 threats into humble supplications. 



I have known several most cold-blooded and 

 atrocious acts of murder, robbery, and piracy,^ 



* An atrocious act of murder and piracy was committed in broad 

 day-light, in the month of June, 1840, in the channel of Corfu, on 

 a vessel at anchor in an Ionian port, and almost in sight of two 

 of her Majesty's ships, which were at anchor not more than six or 

 seven miles from the spot. 



I was cruizing with the Lord High Commissioner in his yacht, 

 and we were making towards San Salvatore, to meet her Majesty's 

 ships Talbot and Weasel, which were in that direction, and 

 from which vessels parties had that day ascended the moun- 

 tain itself, when the Weasel, which was some way astern, was ob- 

 served to be in communication with a Greek boat. There was 

 scarcely time to wonder and to surmise what might be going on, 

 before an officer came from the Talbot to acquaint the Lord High 

 Commissioner, that the Weasel had reported that a horrible act 

 of piracy had been committed on an Italian trabacolo, and that 

 a boat, then in communication with her, had on board the survi- 

 vors, one of whom was severely wounded, and two men who had 

 been killed. It appeared that the trabacolo in question had left 

 the port of Corfu the morning previous, and had anchored in 

 the evening at Cassopo, situated on the north part of the island 

 of Corfu, and distant about five miles from the coast of Albania, for 



