THE LIFE OF
THOMAS, LORD COCHRANE,
TENTH EARL OF DUNDONALD, G.C.B., ADMIRAL OF THE RED,
REAR-ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET, ETC., ETC.,
COMPLETING "THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A SEAMAN."
BY
THOMAS, ELEVENTH EARL OF DUNDONALD,
AND
H. R. FOX BOURNE,
AUTHOR OF "ENGLISH SEAMEN UNDER THE TUDORS," ETC. ETC.
_IN TWO VOLUMES._
VOL. II.
LONDON:
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET,
Publisher in Ordinary to Her Majesty.
1869.
CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME.
PAGE
CHAPTER XVII.
[1827.]
Lord Cochrane's Arrival in Greece.--His Account of Hydra and
Poros.--The Congratulations offered to him.--Visits from Tombazes,
Mavrocordatos, and Miaoulis.--Letters from the National Assembly and
other Public Bodies and Leading Men.--The Divisions in Greece.--The
French or Moreot, and English or Phanariot Factions.--Lord Cochrane's
Relations with them.--The Visit of Kolokotrones and other Deputies
from the National Assembly.--Lord Cochrane's Efforts to procure
Unanimity.--Sir Richard Church.--Lord Cochrane's Commission as First
Admiral.--The National Assembly at Troezene.--The Election of
Capodistrias as President--Lord Cochrane's Oath-taking.--His Advice to
the National Assembly and Proclamation to the Greeks 1
CHAPTER XVIII.
[1827.]
The Siege of Athens--The Defenders of the Acropolis.--The Efforts of
Gordon and KaraÔskakes.--Lord Cochrane's Plan for Cutting off the
Turkish Supplies.--The Arguments by which he was induced to proceed
instead to the Phalerum.--His Arrival there.--His other Arrangements
for Serving Greece.--His First Meeting with KaraÔskakes.--The
Condition of the Greek Camp.--Lord Cochrane's Position.--His Efforts
to give Immediate Relief to the Acropolis, and the Obstacles raised by
the Greeks.--KaraÔskakes's Delays, and General Church's
Difficulties.--The Convent of Saint Spiridion.--The Battle of
Phalerum.--The Capture of Saint Spiridion.--The Massacre of the Turks,
and its Consequences.--Lord Cochrane's renewed Efforts to Save the
Acropolis.--The Death of KaraÔskakes.--The March to the
Acropolis.--Its Failure through the Perversity of the Greeks.--The
Battle of Athens.--The Fall of the Acropolis 31
CHAPTER XIX.
[1827.]
Lord Cochrane's Return to Poros.--His Attempts to Organise an
Efficient Greek Navy.--The Want of Funds and the Apathy of the
Greeks.--His Letter to the Psarians, and his Visits to Hydra and
Spetzas.--His Cruise Round the Morea.--His First Engagement with the
Turks.--The Disorganization of his Greek Sailors.--His Capture of a
Vessel bearing the British Flag, laden with Greek Prisoners.--Seizure
of Part of Reshid Pasha's Harem.--Ibrahim Pasha's Narrow Escape.--Lord
Cochrane's Further Difficulties.--His Expedition to Alexandria.--Its
Failure through the Cowardice of his Seamen.--His two Letters to the
Pasha of Egypt.--His Return to Poros.--Further Efforts to Improve the
Navy.--His Visit to Syra.--The Troubles of the Greek Government.--Lord
Cochrane's Visit to Navarino.--His Defeat of a Turkish Squadron 77
CHAPTER XX.
[1827.]
The Action of Great Britain and Russia on Behalf of Hellenic
Independence.--The Degradation of Greece.--Lord Cochrane's Renewed
Efforts to Organise a Fleet.--Prince Paul Buonaparte, and his
Death.--An Attempt to Assassinate Lord Cochrane.--His Intended
Expedition to Western Greece.--Its Prevention by Sir Edward
Codrington.--Lord Cochrane's Return to the Archipelago.--The
Interference of Great Britain, France, and Russia.--The Causes of the
Battle of Navarino.--The Battle 114
CHAPTER XXI.
[1827-1828.]
The First Consequences of the Interference of the Allied Powers and
the Battle of Navarino.--Lord Cochrane's intended Share in Fabvier's
Expedition to Chios.--Its Abandonment.--His Cruise among the Islands
and about Navarino.--His Efforts to Repress Piracy.--His Return to the
Archipelago.--The Misconduct of the Government.--Lord Cochrane's
Complaints.--His Letters to the Representatives of the Allied Powers,
acquitting Himself of Complicity in Greek Piracy.--His Further
Complaints to the Government.--His Resolution to Visit England.--His
Letter to Count Capodistrias Explaining and Justifying that
Resolution.--His Departure from Greece, and Arrival at
Portsmouth.--His Letter to M. Eynard 134
CHAPTER XXII.
[1828-1829.]
Lord Cochrane's Occupations on Behalf of Greece in London and
Paris.--His Second Letter to Capodistrias.--His Defence of Himself
with Reference to his Visit to Western Europe.--His Return to
Greece.--Capodistrias's Presidency and the Progress of Greece.--Lord
Cochrane's Reception by the Government.--The Settlement of his
Accounts.--His Letter of Resignation.--The Final Indignities to which
he was Subjected.--The Correspondence thereupon between Admiral Heyden
and Dr. Gosse.--Lord Cochrane's Departure from Greece.--His Opinions
Regarding her.--The Character and Issues of His Services to the Greeks
162
CHAPTER XXIII.
[1828-1832.]
A Recapitulation of Lord Cochrane's Naval Services.--His Efforts to
obtain Restitution of the Rank taken from him after the Stock Exchange
Trial.--His Petition to the Duke of Clarence.--Its Rejection by the
Duke of Wellington's Cabinet.--Lord Cochrane's Occupations after the
close of his Greek Service.--His Return to England.--His Memorial to
William IV.--Its Tardy Consideration by Earl Grey's Cabinet.--Its
Promoters and Opponents.--Lord Cochrane's Accession to the Peerage as
Tenth Earl of Dundonald.--His Interview with the King.--The Countess
of Dundonald's Efforts in Aid of her Husband's Memorial.--Their
Ultimate Success.--The Earl of Dundonald's "Free Pardon," and
Restoration to Naval Rank 197
CHAPTER XXIV.
[1833-1847.]
The Inventions and Discoveries of Lord Dundonald's Father.--His own
Mechanical Contrivances.--His Lamps.--His Rotary Steam-Engine, his
Screw-Propeller, his Condensing-Boiler, and his Lines of
Ship-building.--Their Tardy Development.--His Correspondence upon
Steam-Shipping with Sir James Graham, the Earl of Minto, the Earl of
Haddington, and the Earl of Auckland.--The Progress of his
Inventions.--The _Janus_.--The Beneficial Results of his Experiments
221
CHAPTER XXV.
[1833-1848.]
Lord Dundonald's Secret War-Plans.--His Correspondence concerning them
with Lord Lansdowne, Lord Minto, Lord Haddington, and Lord
Auckland.--His Letter to the "Times."--The Report of a Committee,
consisting of Sir Thomas Hastings, Sir John Burgoyne, and Lieut.-Col.
Colquhoun, upon the Secret War-Plans.--A French Project for Naval
Warfare with England.--Lord Dundonald's Opinions Thereupon.--His Views
on the Defence of England 246
CHAPTER XXVI.
[1839-1848.]
The Earl of Dundonald's Request for the Restoration of the Order of
the Bath.--His Good Service Pension.--The Investigation of his Secret
War-Plans.--His Pamphlet on Naval Affairs,--His Installation as a
G.C.B.--His Candidature for Election as a Scotch Representative
Peer.--The Queen's Permission to his Wearing the Brazilian Order of
the "Cruziero."--His Appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the North
American and West Indian Station 273
CHAPTER XXVII.
[1848.]
Lord Dundonald's Departure for North America.--Extracts from the
Correspondence of Lord Auckland and others Respecting West Indian
Affairs and European Politics.--Bermuda.--The French Revolution of
1848 and its Issues.--Ireland and the Chartists.--The Death of Lord
Auckland 294
CHAPTER XXVIII.
[1848-1850.]
Lord Dundonald's Visit to the North American and West Indian Colonies,
and his Opinions thereon.--Newfoundland and its
Fisheries.--Labrador.--Bermuda; its Defences and its Geological
Formation.--Barbadoes.--The Negroes.--Trinidad.--Its Pitch Lake.--The
Depressed Condition of the West Indian Colonies.--Lord Dundonald's
Suggestions for their Improvement 307
CHAPTER XXIX.
[1851-1853.]
Lord Dundonald's Return from America.--His Arguments for the Relief of
the Newfoundland Fisheries and the West India Trade.--The Trinidad
Bitumen.--Lord Dundonald's other Scientific Pursuits and Views
328
CHAPTER XXX.
[1851-1860.]
The Russian War.--Lord Dundonald's Proposals to Employ his Secret
Plans against Cronstadt, Sebastopol, and other Strongholds.--His
Correspondence thereupon with Sir James Graham and Lord
Palmerston.--Their Rejection.--Lord Dundonald's Appointment as
Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom.--Prince Albert's Invitation to him
to become an Elder Brother of the Trinity House.--His Correspondence
with Lord Palmerston respecting the Restitution of his Half-Pay.--His
Last Work.--His Death and Burial.--Conclusion 337
* * * * *
APPENDIX.
(Page 161.)--Captain Frank Abney Hastings's Letters to Lord Cochrane
(1827) 370
THE LIFE
OF
THOMAS, TENTH EARL OF DUNDONALD.
CHAPTER XVII.
LORD COCHRANE'S ARRIVAL IN GREECE.--HIS ACCOUNT OF HYDRA AND
POROS.--THE CONGRATULATIONS OFFERED TO HIM.--VISITS FROM TOMBAZES,
MAVROCORDATOS, AND MIAOULIS.--LETTERS FROM THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND
OTHER PUBLIC BODIES AND LEADING MEN.--THE DIVISIONS IN GREECE.--THE
FRENCH OR MOREOT, AND ENGLISH OR PHANARIOT FACTIONS.--LORD COCHRANE'S
RELATIONS WITH THEM.--THE VISIT OF KOLOKOTRONES AND OTHER DEPUTIES
FROM THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.--LORD COCHRANE'S EFFORTS TO PROCURE
UNANIMITY.--SIR RICHARD CHURCH.--LORD COCHRANE'S COMMISSION AS FIRST
ADMIRAL.--THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AT TROEZENE.--THE EJECTION OF
CAPODISTRIAS AS PRESIDENT.--LORD COCHRANE'S OATH-TAKING.--HIS ADVICE
TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND PROCLAMATION TO THE GREEKS.
[1827.]
Lord Cochrane entered the Egean Sea with his little schooner _Unicorn_
and the French brig _Sauveur_ on the 17th of March, 1827. In the
afternoon he halted off the island of Hydra, there to leave the Greek
deputy Orlando, who had accompanied him from Marseilles. "I was
surprised," he said, "to observe that, except the open batteries near
the town of Hydra, the whole coast of the island remained unprotected,
although, in a smooth sea, a landing might be effected in almost every
part of its circumference. The town of Hydra is built in an irregular
manner on the fall of the mountain about the port, and presents a
clean appearance, the houses being all whitewashed. There is not a
tree on the island, though there are a few straggling bushes. There is
scarcely any land capable of cultivation; but there are some vineyards
on the south side and a few small gardens near the town. The port is
small, the water deep, and the vessels made fast by hawsers to the
shore. It is evident, that, if Greece obtains independence, this
island, to which the inhabitants fled to enjoy that species of
precarious liberty that depends on eluding the view of tyranny, must
be abandoned. Even water is only to be had from tanks which are filled
by the winter's rain."
From Hydra Lord Cochrane proceeded to Egina, making a circuit in order
that he might have a view of Athens. "The Acropolis," he wrote, "with
the whole scenery at sunset, was beautiful. Alas, what a change! what
melancholy recollections crowd on the mind! There was the seat of
science, of literature, and the arts. At this instant the barbarian
Turk is actually demolishing, by the shells that now are flying
through the air, the scanty remains of the once magnificent temples in
the Acropolis."
He called at Egina on the 18th, in order to despatch letters,
announcing his arrival, to the Governing Commission, as it was called,
then located in the island, before proceeding to Poros, where he
anchored on the morning of the 19th. "The main entrance," we further
read in his journal, "is scarcely wide enough to work a ship in, if
the wind is from the land. The water, however, is sufficiently deep
close to the shore; and the port, when you have entered through this
narrow channel, is one of the finest in the world. There is another
entrance towards the south, but it is shallow and crooked, and
consequently used only by small vessels. The town of Poros consists of
a number of irregularly-built houses on the side of a hill, and merits
the appellation of picturesque. There are remains of temples on the
island, and the stone is yet to be seen on which Demosthenes is said
to have been sitting when he was recalled by Antipater to Athens, and
in consequence of which recall he took poison and died."
No sooner was the joyful intelligence conveyed to the inhabitants that
Lord Cochrane, the long-expected deliverer of Greece, had actually
arrived, than all the leading men who happened to be in Poros at the
time hurried on board the _Unicorn_ to welcome their champion and to
give personal assurance of their devotion to him. The first to arrive
was Jakomaki Tombazes, who was now acting with Dr. Gosse as
superintendent of marine affairs, having surrendered the chief command
of the fleet into the hands of Andreas Miaoulis. Miaoulis himself soon
followed, and with him Alexander Mavrocordatos and many others.
"Prince Mavrocordatos," wrote Lord Cochrane's secretary, Mr. George
Cochrane, "was a short, stout, well-built man, of very dark
complexion, with black eyes, an oval face expressing great
intelligence, and his hair very long, hanging upon his shoulders. He
was dressed in the European style, and wore on his head a little cloth
cap. He also habitually wore spectacles. His manners indicated a man
perfectly accustomed to the society of persons of rank. He immediately
entered into familiar conversation with Lord Cochrane in the French
language. He carried his pipe with him, which he continually smoked.
Miaoulis was dressed in the Hydriot fashion; but, of course, as became
a primate of the island, his attire was of a description much superior
to that of his poorer fellow-countrymen.[1] His countenance was open
and dignified, and so calm that it appeared like a rock which nothing
could move. Not that it had any character of sternness in it; on the
contrary, it possessed a placidity, blended with firmness, which was
anything but forbidding. The moment Miaoulis came on deck, he
cordially shook hands with Lord Cochrane, and a broken conversation
commenced between them in Spanish, Miaoulis speaking that language but
imperfectly. At the period in question he commanded the _Hellas_
frigate. He knew perfectly well that Lord Cochrane's arrival would
take the command out of his hands. Nevertheless, he evinced not the
least jealousy, but was one of the first to offer his services under
Lord Cochrane. 'I know my countrymen,' he said, 'and that I can be of
service to your lordship on board the frigate. I will therefore sail
under your command.' Such an offer was not to be refused, and he was
requested to remain on board. Miaoulis informed Lord Cochrane that the
hope of Greece rested in the _Hellas_, and in the quondam merchant
brigs belonging to private individuals in the islands of Hydra,
Spetzas, Poros, and Egina, amounting to about two hundred and fifty.
These vessels had been armed as men-of-war; some had been turned into
fireships, and it was the latter that struck so much terror into the
Turks, several Turkish vessels of the line and frigates having been
destroyed under the guidance of the brave Kanaris, a native of the
ill-fated island of Psara."
[1] "These men," says the same authority, "generally speaking, from
their complexions, evinced that they had been mariners all their
lives, the sun having well tanned them. They wore small red caps, from
which their hair flowed wildly down their shoulders. On the upper lip
they wore very long mustachios, which the older ones were continually
curling, and bringing out the point. They wore trousers of blue
cotton, and a jacket; and by the immense capacity of the former, I
should suppose they must have contained at least twelve yards. This
was gathered into plaits round the waist, and only descended to the
knees, which were left open. The hinder part presented a most singular
appearance. It hung down almost trailing upon the ground in a huge
bag, which kept moving backwards and forwards in a ludicrous manner at
every motion of the body. They wore shoes, but no stockings; and their
legs were as dark as their countenances, and covered with hair. Round
their waist they wore a large red sash in several folds. Their jacket
was similar to a waistcoat, with sleeves, and ornamented with small
buttons from the wrist to the elbow, and the same on the
bosom."--"Wanderings in Greece."
The compliments and congratulations offered in person to Lord Cochrane
immediately after his anchoring off Poros were followed by compliments
and congratulations yet more profuse conveyed to him in writing by all
classes and from all quarters. One of the first and most important
communications was addressed to him on the 18th of March, in the name
of the National Assembly, as it styled itself, met at Kastri, by its
president, Georgios Sissinis. "Greece," he said, "rejoices at your
appearance in her seas. The aspirations of the Greeks are realised.
Their hopes in the success of their sacred struggle revive. The Greek
nation, assembled here in a third National Assembly, desires to see
you and invites you here, sending to you, with that object, the
General-in-Chief of the armies of the Peloponnesus, Theodore
Kolokotrones, Messrs. Kanaris, Botazes, and Bulgaris, General Zavella
and Count Metaxas, who will tender to you the thanks of all for your
zeal on behalf of their cause." "The Government is seized with
unutterable joy at your auspicious arrival," wrote the members of the
rival assembly at Egina, on the same day: "the Government wishes you
happy success in all your enterprises, and hopes soon to find in you a
triumphant conqueror." "For a long while past," wrote the governors of
Hydra, "our brave mariners have centred all their hopes on your
arrival. You can understand then the joy that we felt when we saw your
brig and schooner, and when we knew that you had actually arrived. We
hasten to tender to you the homage of our island, and to express to
you our impatience to see our little navy placed under your orders,
and guided by you to new victories, by which the safety and
independence of Greece may be secured." "Your arrival in our beloved
country," wrote the primates of Spetzas, "has filled the soul of every
inhabitant of our island with joy, and every one presents his thanks
to Heaven for having at last sent such an one to fight with us and to
protect our fatherland." "You have come to Greece," wrote
Konduriottes, "at a moment when this unfortunate country most needs
all that it can hope from the wisdom and courage of so great a
defender. The announcement of your arrival will form an epoch in the
history of our Revolution, and, I dare to hope, in that of our moral
regeneration."
That moral regeneration was needed Lord Cochrane already well knew,
and he had not been a day in Greece before the knowledge was forced
upon him afresh. The unworthy disposition of most of the men in power
had never been more plainly shown, nor threatened more imminent danger
to the independence of Greece, than at the time of Lord Cochrane's
arrival. With a few notable exceptions, of whom Miaoulis was perhaps
the chief, the Greek leaders had forgotten all their national duty in
personal ambition and jealousy. If they united in parties, it was only
because each one hoped that, as soon as his own party was triumphant,
he himself would be able to obtain the mastery over all his
associates.
Two factions, especially, prevailed in Greece at this time, which,
partly from the circumstance that they were supported by unwise
Philhellenes of the two nations, partly because their native members
looked for their chief support to those nations, were known as the
French and English parties.
Among Philhellenes the leading promoter of the French party was
Colonel Fabvier, who was now, with some of the troops whom he
commanded, defending the Acropolis from the siege of the Turks. He was
an officer of considerable merit, with the interests of the Greeks at
heart, but of surpassing vanity and ambition. His hope was to become
the Napoleon of the East, to convert the whole male population of
Greece into a huge army, with himself at its head. With him
sympathized most of the military leaders, who, originally little
better than brigands, found everything to gratify their present tastes
and their future hopes in a scheme which would give them endless
employment in lawless warfare and martial dominion. These, coming
chiefly from the Morea, caused the faction also to be known as the
Moreot party.
More formidable was the English party, with little that was English
about it but the name. Its ambition was not military, but diplomatic,
the possession of place and power in such ways as were then possible.
Its real, if not avowed, leader was Prince Mavrocordatos, with an able
abettor in his brother-in-law, Mr. Spiridion Trikoupes. All through
the previous year Mavrocordatos and his friends had sought zealously
to win for Greece the protection of England. They had corresponded to
that end with Mr. Stratford Canning, the British ambassador at
Constantinople, with Captain Hamilton, who was then stationed in Greek
waters to watch the interests of English shipping, and with others.
They had sent an irregular deputation to treat with the British
Government, and had used all the means in their power, so far as
foreign intervention was concerned, for the establishment of a smaller
but more organized Greek nation than that which their rivals desired.
Had that end been worthily sought, they would have deserved universal
sympathy. But they showed by their conduct that they cared little for
good government, or for the real interests of the community. They
exercised their abilities and squandered their resources in schemes
for selfish aggrandisement, and the possession of authority which was
to benefit none but themselves. Many of their prominent members having
studied statecraft, before the time of the Revolution, as Christian
officials in the employment of Turkey, to whom the name Phanariot was
given from the Christian quarter of Constantinople, the whole party
acquired the name of Phanariot.
This latter party had all along hoped to make Lord Cochrane its tool.
It was Mavrocordatos who first invited him to enter the service of the
Greeks; and when that service was agreed upon no effort was spared to
attach him to the group of partizans among whom Mavrocordatos was
chief. Lord Cochrane, steadily refusing this, soon incurred their
opposition, and to this opposition is to be attributed some of the
unreasonable blame which was afterwards brought upon him. Much further
opposition to him, moreover, was soon aroused by his, in like manner,
refusing to become the creature of the other leading faction. He
wisely resolved, from the first--and he maintained his resolution
throughout--to belong to no party, but having devoted himself to the
cause of the Greek nation as a whole, to seek only those objects which
were for the good of all.
That resolution was soon put to the test. Immediately after his
arrival on the 19th of March, great efforts were made to implicate him
in the schemes of the Governing Commission, as it was called, which,
having outrun the time appointed for its duration, was continuing to
assert its authority in Egina, and to use that authority in the
interests of the Phanariot party. Two days after that his partizanship
was sought for the Moreot faction, which had set up a rival
government, styled the National Assembly, at Hermione, under the joint
leadership of Kolokotrones, Konduriottes, and Kolettes. On the 20th he
was waited upon by the deputation named in the congratulatory letter
which has already been quoted from.
"With his whole party," said Lord Cochrane's secretary, reporting this
interview, "Kolokotrones rode down to the beach opposite the ship, and
sent off to say he would there wait until a boat should be sent for
him and his followers, the whole being about a hundred men, armed,
according to the custom of the country, with pistols or daggers stuck
in the left side of a sash or belt. The two boats sent being
insufficient, not more than twenty came on board with the general.
Kolokotrones was the spokesman, and there appeared to be great energy
in his gesticulations, which did not correspond with the translation
by Count Metaxas, who, from the smile on his countenance, seemed to
hold in no great respect the mental acquirements of Kolokotrones.
'Greece,' said the latter, 'required a government to bring order out
of chaos. The functions of the commission appointed by the last
Legislative Assembly ought to have ceased. Its continuance in power
was not legal, and consequently the members of the National Assembly
had met at Hermione to name their successors; to which place it was
requested that Lord Cochrane would proceed, in order to be present at
their deliberations.' A letter to this effect, signed by the President
of the Assembly, was then put into Lord Cochrane's hands.
"Lord Cochrane made answer verbally through Count Metaxas to the
deputies, that he held in due estimation the honour they had done him
by personally delivering the communication as well as by the very
flattering terms used towards him by the members assembled at
Hermione. He regretted the decision that had taken place, and,
recommending reconciliation, urged the necessity of prompt exertion
and the little good that the wisest legislative enactments could
effect, whilst the Turks overran their country, whilst they possessed
three-fourths of its strongholds, and whilst the enemy besieged the
capital of the state, which was in danger of falling into their power.
His lordship expressed his regret that so many able and brave military
officers as those he saw before him should occupy themselves with
civil discussions in the present state of their country.
"Upon this being interpreted to Kolokotrones, he became exceedingly
warm, and urged that the duty he was now occupied with was more
essential than any other. He, however, cooled on seeing, as we
presume, that no one seconded his opinion, which he evidently expected
by his glances towards his companions. Kolokotrones remained some time
without saying a word, and then rising, took Lord Cochrane by the hand
and assured him that he would do his utmost to produce a
reconciliation of parties. Lord Cochrane urged that the termination of
differences between the parties should be within the space of three
days. Kolokotrones requested five; but afterwards caused his
interpreter, Count Metaxas, to say that possibly an answer might be
received from Hermione even before the shortest period fixed. Count
Metaxas was the last who left the cabin, and as soon as the others
were gone, he turned to Lord Cochrane and assured him that his utmost
endeavours should not be wanting to accomplish so desirable an object.
The Count has evidently the management of Kolokotrones, to whom he
probably adheres in order to arrive at real power, under the sanction
of an individual on whose shoulders may be heaped all the evil
measures to be anticipated in acquiring or upholding any authority
over a multitude of rival chiefs and their rude followers.
"Kolokotrones and his party then left the schooner, having first
directed one of their soldiers to await Lord Cochrane's reply to the
communication of the Assembly. A deputation from Hydra, and a crowd of
other visitors, however, precluded Lord Cochrane's despatching the
courier until the following morning."
The reply, dated the 21st of March, was wise and bold. "I have had the
honour," wrote Lord Cochrane, "to receive the despatches which you
have addressed to me, and I cannot but be flattered by the sentiments
that they convey. This satisfaction is the more lively because I have
had the opportunity of becoming personally acquainted with his
excellency General Kolokotrones, and the officers who accompanied him.
But I freely acknowledge that it is blended with a feeling of regret,
in that it appears to me that the bravest and most renowned officers
of Greece are devoting all their energies to the formation of a civil
government and wasting their time in discussions as to the place in
which they shall effect a reunion while the enemy is overrunning the
country without resistance. Already he possesses three-fourths of the
fortresses of Greece, and is besieging the capital of the republic.
Athens is on the point of falling into the power of the Ottoman
forces; the brave Fabvier and a few heroes, full of enthusiasm, are
engaged in aiding the valiant defenders of that city; and meanwhile
the officers of Greece betake themselves again and again to frivolous
discussions on civil affairs. If the shade of Demosthenes could again
animate the ashes of this great man which are here entombed, he would,
changing only the names of persons and places, address to you his
first Philippic, and you would hear from the lips of a compatriot
profoundly versed in history and in the knowledge of mankind, what
ought to be your manner of acting. I recommend you to read his
discourse in full assembly, and I especially recommend the citizens
charged with presiding over the destinies of Greece to follow his
counsels point by point. With an authority so applicable to the
existing circumstances, it would be unpardonable presumption in me to
address to you other than his own words. 'If, Athenians, you will now,
though you did not before, adopt the principle of every man being
ready, where he can and ought to give his service to the state, to
give it without excuse, the wealthy to contribute, the able-bodied to
enlist; in a word, plainly, if you will become your own masters, and
cease each expecting to do nothing himself, while his neighbour does
everything for him, you will then, with God's permission, get back
your own, and recover what has been lost, and punish your enemy.'"
To the same effect were Lord Cochrane's answers to the congratulatory
letters sent to him by the other leading persons and parties in
Greece. "It may be well to notice," he wrote on the same day to the
Government at Egina, "that in the conversation which I had with the
deputation from Hermione, I respectfully suggested that, as laws
cannot be promulgated with advantage whilst the mass of the country is
under the iron yoke of Turkish despotism, nor executed whilst the
lives and properties of all continue insecure, the National Assembly
might be adjourned with advantage until the capital is free, and thus
we should avoid debating whilst we should be acting, and check those
animosities and divisions which naturally arise from difference of
sentiment under the peculiar conditions of modern Greece." "The time
now draws near," he wrote to the Government of Hydra, "when the
approach of a large force may reasonably be anticipated, and when
consequently the means that the Greeks possess of contending with
their enemies will be comparatively diminished. I have, therefore, in
the name of all Europe--by whose people I may in truth say that I have
been sent here--called upon the Executive Government, and upon all
those connected with public affairs, to act with union and
promptitude, and I have informed them that without harmony and
exertion amongst the chiefs, the slender means placed at my disposal,
and any services which I personally could render, would prove of no
avail. The people are split into factions, and operations are
paralyzed by the conflicting personal interests of chiefs who perceive
not that the prize about which they are contending will fall to the
share of others. I have as yet taken no authority upon me in naval
affairs, because if union do not prevail I shall deceive Greece and
deceive the world by inducing a belief that I could assist you."
While waiting, however, for the rivalries of the Greek leaders to be
removed, or at any rate set aside for a time, Lord Cochrane was not
idle. He had frequent interviews, not only with Admiral Miaoulis and
the other native seamen of ability, but also with Dr. Gosse, and with
Captain Abney Hastings, who joined him on the 22nd, and provided him
with much precise information as to the naval strength of Greece, the
character of the officers and crews, and the best methods of attacking
the Turks with advantage. Information as precise about the land forces
was derived from other Philhellenes, among whom Colonel Heideck and
Colonel Gordon were perhaps the best informed. Lord Cochrane also made
the acquaintance of a new comer in Greece, with whom he was soon to
have very intimate relations--Sir Richard Church.
General Church had begun life as an officer in the British army. He
had seen various service between 1801 and 1809, and in the latter year
had organised a battalion of Greeks at Zante, with which, and
afterwards with another which he also formed, he had played an
important part in the war for the liberation of the Ionian Islands. On
the establishment of peace, he had passed into the Neapolitan service.
Many of his old Greek soldiers were now leaders in the Revolution,
and, while Lord Cochrane was on his way to become the First Admiral of
the Greeks, General Church had been invited to become Generalissimo on
land. He arrived at Porto Kheli, near Kastri or Hermione, on the 9th
of March, eight days before the appearance of Lord Cochrane. The
generals assembled at Hermione came out to meet him and tender their
submission. "Our father is at last come," said one; "we have only to
obey him and our liberty is secured." Sir Richard Church was at once
sought as a leader by the Moreot faction, just as Lord Cochrane was
claimed by the Phanariots as their champion. He, however, like his new
comrade, wisely resolved to avoid partisanship and to study the
interests of Greece as a whole, and to him must be assigned a share of
the good work of pacification in which Lord Cochrane was the prime
mover. "This unhappy country," he wrote to his new friend on the 19th
of March, "is now divided by absurd and criminal dissensions. I hope,
however, that your lordship's arrival will have a happy effect, and
that they will do everything in their power to be worthy of such a
leader."
They did something, if not everything. It was firmly believed that
party strife had reached such a point that, had Lord Cochrane's
arrival been delayed only a few days longer, the leaders of the
National Assembly at Hermione, turning aside from their useless
discussions, would have acted upon a plot that had been in preparation
for several weeks, and, landing a hostile force at Egina, would have
violently seized the whole Governing Commission there established.
Lord Cochrane's honest reproofs averted this, and so saved Greece from
the horrors of another civil war.
"I am happy to be able to inform you," wrote General Church on the
25th of March, "that things are brought to that state that the union
of the parties is, I think, now effected. The deputies from Kastri
came over to me yesterday morning to Damala, and there they met those
of Egina. After some discussion, they have come to a conclusion,
which, if ratified by the Assembly at Egina, will finally terminate
the affair."
The affair was not terminated immediately. Lord Cochrane had to
despatch many more letters and messages of earnest entreaty and
indignant reproach to the leaders of the rival factions at Egina and
Hermione, and to other prominent men, before the good end that he and
all true Philhellenes and patriots sought could be gained. "I have
received the letter which your excellency has addressed to me," wrote
the worthy Miaoulis, on the 3rd of April, in answer to a letter
declining to take command of the fleet until the differences were
settled; "and I appreciate the objections which it contains. I wish
with all my heart that the reasons which prevent you may not exist
beyond this evening, and that a general union will induce you to place
yourself at the head of the Greek navy."
Before that, on the 28th of March, Lord Cochrane had received a formal
commission from the Government at Egina. "Knowing well," ran the
document, "the valour, wisdom, ability, and energy, and all the
warlike virtues which are joined in the estimable person of Lord
Cochrane, and by which he has been distinguished in all the various
services with which he has elsewhere been charged, the Governing
Commission ordains, first, that Lord Cochrane be appointed First
Admiral of the Fleet and of all the naval forces of Greece; secondly,
that he rank above all other naval officers, and enjoy all the
honours, privileges, and rights that appertain to his office; thirdly,
that all the admirals, officers, and seamen of Greece recognize him as
their superior, and obey his orders in all that concerns the service
of the nation, and that all servants of the State, whether civil or
military, render him the honour and respect that are his due;
fourthly, that the General Secretary of the Government execute this
order in all respects so soon as his Excellency Lord Cochrane shall
have taken oath to perform the duties, in regard of which he pledges
himself to serve and to act." The document was signed by Andreas
Zaimes, as president, by Trikoupes, Demetrakopoulos, Blakos, Zamados,
Mavromichales, Anargiros, Monarchides, and Zotos, and by Glarakes, the
Secretary of State.
Lord Cochrane refused to accept the trust thus imposed upon him,
however, until the authorities at Egina had united with those at
Hermione and with the primates of the islands in forming one true
National Assembly. They still hesitated and objected, and he still had
to warn and to expostulate. At length, on the 3rd of April, being
convinced that milder language was useless, he wrote to the rival
leaders, informing them that, as his counsels appeared to be of no
avail, seeing that they were addressed to persons, who, professing to
have the interests of the nation at heart, were determined to ruin
those interests by their obstinate selfishness, he should quit Greece
at once, unless, before the close of the day, they agreed to lay aside
their differences.
That wise threat was successful. The factions coalesced, and decided
to meet in joint assembly at Damala, also known by its ancient name of
Troezene. On the 4th of April Lord Cochrane was able to write to them
in a different tone. "Having come to Greece," he said, "with a firm
determination to have nothing to do with party rivalries, except so
far as to seek to conciliate them for the public good, and not to
trouble myself about civil affairs, beyond assuring myself of the
legality of my functions as Admiral of Greece, and having resolved to
do all in my power to obtain its deliverance from the Mahometan yoke,
as well as from all foreign domination, I am well pleased at the
reunion of all your members in a single National Assembly, and
congratulate you on the restoration of harmony. Allow me, at the same
time, to offer my prayers for the unanimity of the members of the
Government, and for the prompt completion of the business of the
National Assembly, in order that its members may depart to their
respective provinces, and use their great influence to impress upon
their compatriots the imminent danger of the State, and induce them to
rush to arms, and by one simultaneous effort expel the oppressors of
Greece. After that the Legislative Assembly will have leisure, and the
requisite security, to deliberate upon the constitution, the laws, and
the arrangements necessary to establish upon a permanent footing the
happiness and the prosperity of their fellow-citizens."
Having thus done so much for Greece, Lord Cochrane was asked to do
more. "The deputies whom you did me the honour to send," he wrote, on
the following day, "having informed me of the difficulties which you
find in forming a Government with the necessary promptitude because of
the jealousies shown in choosing citizens to fill situations of
authority, permit me to advise that each member should write down the
name of the person of his choice, and place it in an urn, and that he
who thus obtains the highest number of votes should be president, the
second, vice-president, and the others ranged in order until the
number of functionaries is complete. In this way you will avoid
discussions, animosities, and the loss of time, which is so precious
in the present circumstances of Greece. At present naval and military
operations alike are all suspended, while the enemy is preparing to
put an end at once to the question which engrosses your attention, and
to the independence and liberty of Greece!" That sensible advice was
not taken, but the first difficulties in the way of administrative
reform were overcome.
On the 7th of April, the National Assembly met at Damala, on the coast
opposite to Poros, and half way between Hermione and Egina--the
meeting-place, for want of a building large enough, to hold the two
hundred members, being a lemon-grove, watered by the classic fountain
of Hippocrene. Its first business, attended by turmoil which
threatened to bring the whole proceeding to a violent close, was the
election of Count Capodistrias as President, for seven years, of the
Greek nation. Capodistrias was the favourite of the Moreot party, but
disliked by the Phanariots, and hated by the island primates. The two
latter would have prevented the election, but for the support given to
it by Lord Cochrane, who on this account has been frequently and
seriously blamed.[2] There can be no doubt, however, that, whatever
may have been the subsequent shortcomings of Capodistrias, he was
greatly superior to any of the other and native candidates for the
office. None of these candidates had given any proof of statesmanlike
powers or disinterested regard for the welfare of Greece. Lord
Cochrane judged, with good reason, that that welfare could only be
promoted by placing at the head of affairs a man who had hitherto had
no share in party strife, who had proved himself to be possessed of
great abilities and of generous love for the nation of which, as a
native of Corfu, he was in some sort a citizen. Unfortunately, though
for this Lord Cochrane was in no way responsible, the management of
affairs during the time that must elapse before Capodistrias, if he
accepted the office tendered to him, could enter upon it, was
entrusted to a Vice-governing Commission composed of three inefficient
men, Georgios Mavromichales, Milaites of Psara, and Nakos of Livadia.
[2] See especially Trikoupes, vol. iv., p. 126, and Gordon, vol. ii.,
p. 364. Mr. Finlay approves of the choice, but, not caring to say
anything in favour of Lord Cochrane, makes no mention of his share in
the work. Vol. ii., p. 139.
The most important business done by the Troezene Assembly was the
installation of Lord Cochrane as First Admiral of Greece. This was
done on the 18th of April. Landing for the first time on the
continent, Lord Cochrane proceeded in state on horseback for the
distance of a mile and a-half that was between the shore and the
lemon-grove. At the entrance he was met by Kolokotrones, who embraced
him, saying, "You are welcome;" words that were repeated by many other
leading Greeks, who attended and conducted him into the centre of the
grove. There he was formally introduced to the delegates as the First
Admiral. Through an interpreter he addressed to them a few sentences,
urging the necessity of continued harmony, and of a prompt expedition
against the Turks, to be conducted both by sea and by land. After
that, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, he took the necessary
oath: "I swear to shed my blood for the safety of the Greeks and for
the liberation of their country; I swear that I will not abandon their
cause so long as they do not themselves abandon it, but sustain my
efforts."
The election of Sir Richard Church as Generalissimo of the Land Forces
was, in like manner, completed on the 15th of April.
The essential business for which Lord Cochrane had desired that the
united National Assembly should meet at Troezene being now
accomplished, he hoped that it would speedily adjourn, in order that
the military leaders should be enabled to proceed at once to the work
pressing urgently upon them. "The critical moment," said Lord
Cochrane, in a letter addressed to them on the 16th of April, "has
arrived in which you are called upon to decide whether the population
of Greece shall be annihilated or enslaved, your country peopled with
barbarous hordes, and the name of Greece blotted out from the list of
independent nations." The National Assembly, however, spent more than
another month in idle discussions, and in disputing upon matters the
settlement of which ought to have been postponed to a less perilous
time. Again and again Lord Cochrane had to impress upon them the
necessity, in war as in council, of prompt and united action; but with
very poor result.
"Once more I address you by letter," he wrote a few days later, "in
the hope that you may be persuaded instantly to take measures to save
your country from the ruin which protracted deliberations must at the
present moment entail--ay, with as much certainty as a continuance of
those dissensions which have hitherto so unhappily prevailed; and I
follow this course the more readily in order that, as I have ever
advocated liberal forms of government, my advice, that your Assembly
shall bring its labours to a close, shall not be misrepresented to
Greece and to the world. First, then, the agitated state of the
country, by reason of the presence of the enemy, precludes the hope of
obedience in ordinary course of law, which is as essential to the
existence even of a shadow of republican forms as the practice of
virtue and forbearance are to their reality--which, in states that
would be free, ever must be accompanied by universal conviction in the
public mind that power and wealth are not essential to the enjoyment
of personal security, and are desirable or useful only as they promote
the common welfare or administer to the wants or comforts of
individuals themselves. The Grecian people, however good, naturally
cannot be expected instantly to practise virtues which are the
offspring of long-established freedom. Greece requires not, at the
present moment, sage deliberations regarding permanent forms of
government, nor permanent rulers; but she requires energetic
authority, that she may be free at least from her foreign oppressors.
If, without delay, the military officers take the field, if your
labours be brought to a close and every citizen in his respective
capacity exert himself to the utmost for the defence of his country,
Athens perhaps may yet be saved, although that object assuredly is
rendered far more doubtful by the unfortunate delay that has already
occurred."
In entering upon his own share of the work no time was wasted by Lord
Cochrane. He had already made himself acquainted with the naval
resources of Greece, and done much in devising measures for augmenting
them. He had resolved upon the first enterprise to be entered upon;
and, while rapidly completing his arrangements for it, he did
everything in his power to quicken in the hearts of the Greeks a
patriotism as pure and zealous as was his own philanthropy. "To arms!
to arms!" he wrote in a proclamation issued at this time. "One
simultaneous effort, and Greece is free. Discord, the deadly foe you
have had most to fear, is conquered. The task that now remains is
easy. The youth everywhere fly to arms. The fate of the Acropolis is
no longer doubtful. The Turks surrounded, their supplies cut off, the
passes occupied, and retreat impossible, you can ensure the freedom of
the classic plains of Athens, again destined to become the seat of
liberty, the sciences, and the arts. Rest not content with such
limited success. Sheathe not the sword whilst the brutal Turk, the
enemy of the progress of civilization and improvement of the human
mind, shall occupy one foot of that classic ground which once was
yours. Let the young seamen of the islands emulate the glory that
awaits the military force. Let them hasten to join the national ships,
and, if denied your independence and rights, blockade the Hellespont,
thus carrying the war into the enemy's country. Then the fate of the
cruel Sultan, the destroyer of his subjects, the tyrant taskmaster of
a Christian people, shall be sealed by the hands of the executioners
who yet obey his bloody commands. Then shall prophecy be fulfilled,
and Moslem sway be overthrown by the corruptions itself has
engendered. Then shall the sacred banner of the Cross once more wave
on the dome of Saint Sophia. Then shall the Grecian people live secure
under the protection of just laws. Then shall noble cities rise from
their ruins, and the splendour of future times rival the days that are
past."