189 
T U R 
desultory actions with small bodies of the Greeks, Ibrahim, 
on the 19th of April, attacked, and completely defeated in 
their position, all the troops which the president had been 
able to collect. To take Sphacteria, an island which com¬ 
mands the castle of Old Navarino, was the next object of 
the Pacha; but it was not until the return of his ships from 
Suda in Candia, whither they had gone in order to transport 
a third division of land forces, that he could attempt to put 
this part of his design into execution. 
On the 1st of May, the Egyptian fleet, amounting, trans¬ 
ports included, to 65 or 70 sail, came out of the port of 
Suda, where it had been for some days closely watched by 
a Greek squadron of 29 sail, under Miaoulis. The latter 
immediately endeavoured to oppose their progress, but the 
light breezes were unpropitious to his purpose. He attacked, 
however, a large frigate, which was seriously injured, and a 
large portion of her crew, who leaped overboard in their 
terror, were either taken prisoners or perished in the waters. 
But the Egyptian fleet succeeded in reaching Modon, whence 
46 ships, followed by Miaoulis, proceeded to cruise off Na¬ 
varino. In the harbour of Navarino there was then only 
one Greek vessel, the brig Mars, commanded by the Hydriote 
captain Tsarnmados. It was engaged in provisioning the 
fortress, and in covering the landing of the water, which 
was brought in boats from the coast of the modern province 
of Arcadia. Miaoulis, shortly after his arrival, sent in seven 
vessels, of which Tsarnmados was to take the command, and 
to proceed with them to reinforce the squadron of five ships 
which remained off Patras. On Sunday the 8th of May, 
the squadron of Miaoulis, reduced by the detachment above- 
mentioned to twenty-two vessels, was at a considerable dis¬ 
tance towards Zante: the Egyptian fleet, in numbers forty- 
six, were off the island of Sphacteria ; Tsammados's eight 
vessels were inside the harbour. The neck of land, formed 
by a swamp and the sea, which connects Old Navarino with 
the main land, as also the plain at its extremity, were occu¬ 
pied by Ibrahim Pacha in person, with all his cavalry. The 
island was occupied by about 300 irregular Greek soldiers, 
and 200 sailors, who had been sent on shore from the ships. 
A battery of two small guns, wrought by a party of sailors, 
defended the landing-place towards the sea; three others, also 
of small size, were placed higher up among the rocks; and 
a battery of three pieces of heavy artillery at the southern 
end of the island, defended the only practicable entrance 
into the harbour. At 10 o’clock in the morning (of Sunday 
the 8lh), the Turkish fleet was observed standing in towards 
the shore. At noon, they were ranged along the whole length 
of the island, keeping up a tremendous fire to cover the land¬ 
ing of the boats; and at the same time, the besiegers on the 
main land feigned to commence a general attack on the 
fort. 
In a very short time a number of troops, estimated at from 
two to three thousand, disciplined in the European fashion, 
dressed in red uniforms, and armed with muskets and 
bayonets, succeeded in forcing their way into the island. The 
sailors at the lower battery were surrounded and destroyed 
to a man; and in the space of about an hour, the enemy 
had traversed the whole island victoriously from end to end. 
Of the 500 men who defended it, not quite 150 escaped. 
Among the slain were captain Tsarnmados ; and count Santa 
Rosa, who acted a conspicuous part in the revolution of 
Piedmont. The slaughter would not have been so great, 
had the vessels in the harbour exerted themselves to save the 
fugitives, or even left their boats on shore so as to facilitate 
their escape. But as soon as the Turks had made good their 
landing on the island, the Turkish fleet also began to extend 
itself for the purpose of blockading the mouth of the bay. 
Upon this, captain Badouri, a Hydriote, gave the signal of 
flight; six others followed his example. 
The only, vessel which remained was the Mars, belonging 
to captain Tsarnmados. After waiting for her captain, till 
the crew were informed of his death, and having taken on 
board Prince Mavrocordato and the governor of Old Nava¬ 
rino, this small vessel, a brig of only 18 guns, prepared to 
force her way through the fleet of the enemy. For three 
Vol. XXIV. No. 1636. 
KEY. 
successive hours, the brig remained almost in the middle of 
the Turkish fleet, during which time she exchanged broad¬ 
sides with several frigates, besides many corvettes and brigs, 
none of which was under her own force. Considerably da¬ 
maged in her hull and rigging, but with a loss of only two 
men killed, and eight or ten wounded, she at last escaped. 
On the evening of the 8th, Old Navarino remained without 
commander, without water and provisions, and with only 
twenty barrels of powder. On the morning of the 10th, the 
garrison capitulated, on terms which the Pacha faithfully 
observed. The garrison of Navarino capitulated and marched 
out on the 23d, leaving water in the place for four days’ 
supply only, and bread for ten. The conditions of the sur¬ 
render were, that the Greeks should march out without arms, 
and be embarked in neutral vessels. 
After the capture of Sphacteria, six ships of war and about 
thirty transports, part of the Egyptian fleet, were followed by 
Miaoulis into the harbour of Modon, where more than half 
of them were destroyed by the Greek fire ships. When 
Navarino capitulated, the Morea had already been aban¬ 
doned by the troops of northern Greece; for as soon as they 
heard of the arrival of Redschid Pacha as Seraskier in 
Epirus, and of his approach with a largeforce to Messolunghi, 
it became impossible for the CEtcean and iEtolian chiefs, 
even had they been so inclined, to keep their followers from 
proceeding to the defence of their own mountains. 
During all this time Colocotroni, with several of the 
chiefs of the Morea, remained state prisoners in the convent 
of Hydra; some of the provinces of the Morea had de¬ 
manded his release; and he himself had twice besought the 
government to allow him to engage the enemy, offering his 
two sons as hostages. After much caballing, an amnesty 
was published, and Colocotroni, affecting complete oblivion 
of the past, proceeded to collect the forces of the peninsula, 
in order to oppose the advance of the Egyptians. 
In the beginning of June a detachment of Ibrahim’s army 
. defeated a body of Greeks at Aghia, on the mountain which 
overhangs the town of Arkadhia (the ancient Cyparessus); 
and about the same time the Pacha himself occupied Kala- 
mata. From Kalamata he soon began his march into the 
interior. After having sustained some loss from the troops 
of Colocotroni in crossing the mountain, now called Makri- 
plaghi, which separates the plain of Messene from the valley 
of Megalopolis or the upper Alpheius, he occupied, on the 
20th of June, the half demolished town of Tripolizza, and 
appeared before Napoli di Romania, within one month after 
the capture of Navarino. A division of his army attacked 
the great outposts at the mills of Napoli on the 25th of June, 
but without success; although the Greeks under Demetrius 
Ypsilanti (who for some time before had been living retired 
from affairs at Tripolizza) had, in no part of the action, 
more than a few hundred men, supported by the fire of some 
small armed vessels anchored near the shore. Having failed 
in his principal design, that of surprising Nauplia, or of in¬ 
timidating it into terms of capitulation, Ibrahim retreated, 
and endeavoured next to open a passage to Patras; but the 
mountainous districts of Arcadia and Achaia, which are in¬ 
terposed between that city and the plains of Mantineia and 
Argos, were favourable to such irregular troops as the militia 
of Greece. Ibrahim was only able to overrun the plains, to 
destroy the cultivation, which, during three years of freedom 
from Turkish plunder, had begun to grow up, and to reduce 
all the most fertile parts of the country to their former deso¬ 
lation. 
About the same time that the Egyptian army occupied 
Messenia, the Turks moved from Epirus and Thessaly upon 
the shores of the Corinthian gulf: a Turkish division, 
making a rapid movement from Zituni, seized upon Salona, 
and in the end of April Redschid Pacha appeared before 
Messolunghi. But he came quite unprovided with heavy 
artillery; he directed therefore all his means to the blockade 
of Messolunghi, and to the protection of his position before 
that place, until the arrival of the fleet of the Capitan Pacha 
should enable him to commence more active operations. 
The Turkish admiral sailed from the Dardanelles in the 
3 C end 
