densely crowded, which had to put back to renew its supply of water. It
rained nearly the whole time, and the heat below being intolerable, the
greater number remained on deck night and day. At this time the
insurrection was in full activity, and the Zantiates in a state of great
excitement. Shortly afterwards a cannonading was heard at sea, and a
Turkish ship of war came in sight, chased by sixteen Greek armed
merchant ships. The Turk, having been crippled in his rigging, found
that he could not weather a certain headland, and observing the red
coats of a few soldiers, who had been sent there to maintain the
quarantine laws, he ran his ship ashore to obtain their protection. He
had fought a most gallant action. For nearly two hours those sixteen
ships had in succession been pouring in broadsides, raking in crossing
his bows, firing again on the opposite side, and again raking in
crossing his stern, and yet he never struck his colours. When the
cannonading had ceased, the peasantry commenced firing on the Turk with
their long muskets. And when the soldiers were pushing them back—forming
a cordon—they began firing on the troops. I happened to be there mounted
as a spectator, and recommended the young officer to collect his men on
a neighbouring hill, and defend himself as well as he could, while I
galloped into town, four miles distant, for reinforcements. These soon
arrived, and quickly dispersed the mob. Three soldiers, however, had
been killed and their bodies barbarously mutilated.
When the report reached Corfù, Sir Frederick Adam came down, declared
martial law, and held a Court of High Commission under the Venetian
laws, which had been guaranteed to the Islanders; and after a very
patient investigation, selected four of the principal ringleaders, who
were hung two hours after sentence was passed.
The Ionian Greeks had always been in the habit of carrying long muskets
and pistols, even when pursuing their daily labour. Sir Frederick Adam
immediately issued a proclamation for disarming the population. In every
district, town, and village the inhabitants were ordered, under severe
penalties, to bring in their arms, which were piled in heaps and burned
in the presence of English officers appointed for that purpose. A few
years previously, the French, with a garrison of three regiments, had
attempted the same thing and failed.
Some time afterwards I was seated at a window overlooking the bay, and
heard a distant heavy cannonading; presently a perfect cloud of ships
came in sight with all sail crowded, which proved to be Greek armed
merchantmen, numbering ninety sail. They were pursued by the Turkish
fleet, consisting of sixty men of war, including four sail of the line
and twelve heavy frigates. Just as the two fleets were abreast of the
bay, a violent squall of wind came on, and the Turkish fleet entered the
bay, allowing the Greeks to escape. This they should not have done, as,
in such weather, heavy ships possess very decided advantages.
About this time, Major-General Sir John Malcolm, K.C.B., arrived at
Zante from Persia, at which Court he had been British Minister. He
accepted an invitation to become an honorary member of the mess of the
8th Regiment, and remained about a fortnight. He related many
interesting particulars respecting his journey across the Syrian Desert
to Cairo in his own curricle, he being the first person who had ever
travelled this route by such a conveyance. He said he had encountered no
difficulties, and had found it a most convenient and comfortable mode of
travelling.
The Zante currant is a most valuable product, and is there extensively
cultivated. There are two parallel ranges of limestone hills in that
island, and the valley between is a rich black loam, varying from three
to four miles wide, and twenty-five miles long, or from seventy-five to
100 square miles. This valley is wholly cultivated for that plant. When
the fruit is ripe, oblong patches of ground, about twenty feet by
thirty, are carefully levelled, wetted, plastered over, and when dry,
swept clean from dust; the fruit is spread to dry on these in single
layers, and awnings are drawn over them at night to protect them from
the dews. The black surface attracts the heat; the fruit is generally
dry and fit to pack for market in about ten days, in hogsheads weighing
1,000 lbs. (a milliardo), and is usually repacked in England in small
boxes.
After passing a year at Zante, the military authorities were desirous of
removing the 8th Regiment to Cephalonia, but the necessary shipping not
being available, Captain Hamilton of the “Cambrian” Frigate, volunteered
to take them there, inviting half the officers into his own cabin, the
remainder being guests in the wardroom.
The regiment landed at Argostoli, the capital of the island, situated on
a fine harbour—Colonel Charles Napier being then Commandant. It is the
largest of the Ionian group, and produces the Zante currant, wine, and
olives. An elevated range of hills divides the island from north-east to
south-west, cutting off the two sides from intercourse with each other,
there being neither roads across the range or wheel carriages. Colonel
Napier, with his usual energy, caused a fine road of easy gradients to
be made over the range, and induced some of the inhabitants to introduce
wheel carriages, greatly to their own benefit. There is a remarkable
_Cyclopian_ wall, with twelve projecting towers, across the neck of a
peninsula, about a quarter of a mile in length, in the northern part of
the island. One stone measured nineteen feet long, four feet deep, and
four feet high. Three courses of the wall and towers, twelve feet high,
remained perfect. It was probably about 3,000 years old.
A party, including myself, proceeded to visit Ithaca, a narrow channel
of about seven miles separating it from Cephalonia. This visit was full
of interest.
Ithaca is a small island in shape like an hour-glass. The far-famed
castle of Ulysses is situated on this elevated narrow neck, and commands
a most magnificent view, second to none in the eyes of persons of
classical tastes. From that spot you behold Sappho’s Leap (Cape
Leucadia); the River Meander, on the Coast of Epirus; Cape Lepanto; the
snow-capped mountains of Albania—Mounts Parnassus, Pindas, and Olympus;
the Suitors’ Island, Ulysses’ Cave, and the spot where the Fountain of
Arethusa is situated in Ithaca. Of the ruins of Ulysses Castle there are
still considerable remains. The walls are Cyclopian, the stones of which
weigh generally eight or ten tons each, and form all sorts of angles so
admirably joined together as to present a level outer surface, with very
small openings at the joints, and without any cement, somewhat like a
tesselated pavement. This is the most antique description of Cyclopian
wall. Those of more recent periods are cut square or oblong with smooth
faces, and in the most recent the edges are levelled.
It was an ancient custom of the Greeks to bury their dead wearing their
trinkets, and coins were placed in their mouths to pay their ferry
across the Styx to Charon. These were of gold, silver, or copper,
according to the position in life of deceased. A place of interment was
discovered not far from the castle; it was a bare, smooth, sandstone
rock of considerable extent. The graves were excavated about three feet
deep, and the stone slabs covering them were so accurately fitted, the
joints also being covered with grass, that it required the most skilful
and practised eye to detect them. An English officer stationed on the
island had made a most valuable collection of these articles. He
separated from his most choice assortment the coins of the period of
Alexander the Great, as being “modernissimo”—too recent to deserve a
place in it.
Shortly after returning to Argostoli, a severe shock of an earthquake
took place. The regiment was standing in a line on parade, and the line
had a serrated appearance. The tiles on the roofs of houses were moving,
and a mounted officer had to dismount his horse which was trembling in
every limb. The damages occasioned, however, were not very serious.
About this time, Lord Byron arrived at Argostoli in his yacht from
Italy, accompanied by Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Trelawney, Count Gamba, and an
Italian medical gentleman. He retained his yacht for about three weeks,
and frequently entertained the officers of the regiment on board,
sometimes until late hours. He was very temperate on such occasions;
drinking claret and water, or soda water. His conversation was usually
full of interest. Trelawney used to relate many of his wild stories
during his residence for some years in Arabia, amongst the Wahabee
tribes. One evening some one referred to Lord Byron having swam across
the Hellespont, from Sestos to Abydos; but Trelawney made light of it,
and challenged Lord Byron to swim with him across the channel from
Cephalonia to Ithaca. The challenge was accepted, but afterwards
Trelawney drew back. At the end of three weeks, Lord Byron discharged
his yacht, and took a villa about four miles from the town. He usually
rode in in the afternoon, and took his wine at the mess, after which he
frequently joined small parties of officers in their rooms to smoke
cigars. Lord Byron received a letter from Lady Byron at his villa, when
two of the officers were with him, informing him of the illness of his
daughter Ada. He shed tears on that occasion, and appeared to be deeply
affected.
At the mess the conversation usually turned upon the Greek insurrection
then raging, and the character of their leaders. These were generally
unprincipled men, who had numerous followers while they obtained
abundance of plunder; but when that attraction failed they were deserted
for more fortunate commanders. Numerous bodies, in the field one day,
were scattered the next; and the central Government had no organized
force on which they could rely.
Lord Byron was fully satisfied as to the correctness of this
description. He said, however, that he felt so deeply interested in
their cause from admiration of the ancient glories of their race, that
he had determined to place himself and all his means at their disposal.
As to the manner, however, in which he could best accomplish his object,
he was desirous of receiving advice. The general opinion was that he
should raise a permanent force, to be regularly paid and trained, to be
always held at the disposal of the central Government.
Some time previous to this, the Suliotes, an Albanian tribe of Greeks,
obtained information that Ali Pasha of Yanina was preparing to burn
their villages as a punishment for some outrage they had committed; the
whole population, therefore, abandoned their homes, and took refuge in
Cephalonia. The small Peninsula of Asso was assigned for their temporary
residence, and there they encamped. Their number, including women and
children, was about 2,000, and they could muster above 400 fighting men.
These readily entered into Lord Byron’s service, and formed the nucleus
of the force he afterwards placed at the disposal of the Greek
Government. They were remarkably fine men, and their costume was quite
picturesque.
Dr. Kennedy, the staff surgeon at Cephalonia, was very desirous of
delivering a course of lectures on the “Evidences of Christianity” in
the presence of Lord Byron, who accepted his invitation for that
purpose; and Colonel Napier offered one of his rooms for the occasion.
There were only eight persons invited to be present—namely, Colonel
Napier, Lord Byron, Dr. Kennedy, Colonel Duffy, Lieutenant Kennedy of
the Royal Engineers, Dr. Cartan, a Commissariat Officer, and myself. The
Doctor’s lectures were most interesting and valuable, and Lord Byron
occasionally argued on various points. He did not believe, however, in
prophecy, in miracles, or in the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures; and
at the conclusion of the third lecture he excused himself from further
attendance, complimenting Dr. Kennedy by saying that _he was the most
gentleman-like Christian with whom he had ever held a discussion upon
the subject_. The other persons named continued their attendance to the
end of the course of eight lectures.
At this time I obtained leave of absence to England, and Lord Byron
entrusted me with the manuscript of the last portion of any poem he ever
wrote, namely, the three last cantos of “Don Juan,” to be delivered to
Sir John Cam. Hobhouse. I had a handsome portable brass bedstead which
Lord Byron was desirous of having, and on that bedstead he died, in the
fortress of Missalonghi, opposite the coast of Cephalonia, which
withstood a long siege by the Turks.
It may here be mentioned the very general opinion held as to the
character of the belligerents. The Greeks were considered a lawless
race, in whose veracity or integrity no reliance could be placed. The
Turks, on the contrary, although sometimes fanatical, were held to be a
people of integrity, on whose word you might rely. Neither, however,
were wanting in bravery.
The 8th Regiment was ordered home, and was stationed in the Citadel of
Plymouth in the year 1826, where I rejoined it. While there, the great
storm took place, by which twenty-seven ships were wrecked in Plymouth
harbour, and the military barrack partially unroofed. At one spot eight
ships were so jammed together that it was difficult to distinguish the
wreck of one from the other. The storm commenced towards evening with
great fury, and while I was on my way to the mess-room I met an old
brother officer hurrying to get on board his ship before dark, as it was
to sail next morning for Demerara. I persuaded him to dine with me at
the mess, and that night his ship parted in two at the water-line, the
upper works being new.
During the next year the regiment proceeded to Glasgow. At a previous
period it had been employed there in suppressing some riots, and had
fallen into bad odour. This had not then been forgotten. Great distress,
however, prevailed at this time, and the officers and men subscribed a
day’s pay towards their relief, which created a most amicable feeling
towards them.
After passing a very agreeable year in Glasgow, the regiment proceeded
to Londonderry, in the north of Ireland. While there, the great Ordnance
Survey of Ireland, under Colonel Colby, R.E., was in progress; and a
_base line_ eight miles long—said to be the longest ever previously
accomplished—was then completed. As a great scientific work it is very
remarkable. It was necessarily on a dead level, bearing east and west,
and was constructed by a combination of different metals, sliding in
grooves, so that their expansion or contraction, caused by changes of
temperature, indicated the true medium.
The great length of this line enabled the surveyors to take very distant
bearings with perfect accuracy. At the same time, Mr. Drummond, of the
Royal Engineers, discovered the celebrated light named after him, by
means of which, exhibited from the summit of a high mountain in the
County Tipperary, its accurate bearing was taken from the base line—a
distance of 150 English miles. By this means, also, a bearing in
Scotland was obtained for the first time, thus tying in the surveys of
Scotland and Ireland. The survey of Ireland was constructed on a very
large scale, and included the acreage of arable, pasture, mountain, and
bog lands, besides being a geological survey. And it is a curious fact,
that when the periodical work of twenty or thirty parties were sent in,
the chief engineer sitting in his office could detect the slightest
error in any one of them, and send it back for correction, so that the
whole should tie in with the most perfect accuracy.
Leaving Londonderry, the regiment was next quartered at Enniskillen,
situated on Loch Erne. The scenery in this neighbourhood is beautiful,
and the hospitality of its numerous gentry could not be surpassed. Sir
Henry Brooke, Bart., had a splendid mansion, including forty bedrooms.
There were fox-hounds and harriers, and the hunting parties generally
included three or four ladies. There was excellent shooting, and any
number of guns with gamekeepers; good salmon and trout fishing, with
plenty of tackle; and billiard tables. There was a succession of company
during the season, each party being invited for three or four days, with
horses and carriages for their use. The tenantry had been living on the
estate for three or four generations, many of them wealthy, and to crown
all the host and hostess were most amiable and accomplished persons.
A general order to the troops serving in Ireland was issued at this
time, directing an officer and two sergeants from each regiment to
proceed to Dublin to be instructed in the broadsword exercise, which
they were afterwards to teach to the officers and men of their
respective regiments. I volunteered to proceed on this duty, and became
an honorary member of the mess of the Rifle Brigade. A very eminent
swordsman, Mr. Michael Angelo, was the instructor at the Riding School
of the Royal Barracks. The instruction lasted for four months, and was a
very fine exercise, bringing every muscle into action. But the
regimental drills afterwards were very troublesome, and occupied much
time.
From Enniskillen the regiment proceeded to Newry, and not long
afterwards from thence to Dublin. This station was very popular with the
officers, from its very extensive circle of good society. At this time I
had turned my thoughts towards the Australian Colonies, and sought
advice from Sir Thos. Brisbane, in whose brigade I had formerly served.
He strongly recommended New South Wales, of which colony he had recently
been Governor. It may here be mentioned that when an honorary member of
the 8th mess in Lower Canada, when encamped on the frontier of the
United States, his conversation frequently turned upon the subject of
astronomy, and he expressed a wish, when his military services were not
required, to proceed to New South Wales, for the purpose of observing
the transit of the planet Venus. This wish was gratified; and he caused
the observatory at Parramatta, near Sydney, to be erected for that
purpose.
During the year 1829, I came to the decision of retiring from the army,
after a military service of upwards of twenty-two years. I was permitted
to sell a company, but was delayed for four months, during the last
illness of His Majesty George IV., as no commissions could be issued
until the following reign. It is hardly necessary to say that parting
from many old and valued friends was very painful to me, and previous to
my departure the Colonel of my regiment, the late Hon. Sir George
Cathcart, accompanied by the two Majors, waited on me and presented me
with a handsome silver breakfast service in the name of the regiment.
The colony of Western Australia was being formed at this time; and the
large concessions of land offered to the settlers by the Government on
easy terms induced me to select that colony for my future residence. Two
officers of the Rifle Brigade, Captains Molloy and Byrne, proposed to
accompany me. And it was agreed that they should join me in purchasing a
ship, to be loaded with wooden houses and boats, and to convey the three
parties and their establishments to the new settlement.
I proceeded to Gothenburgh, in Sweden, for that purpose, where a fine
ship of 500 tons was purchased, and during her repairs a cargo of wooden
houses was framed and loaded. I then proceeded with a fine Swedish crew
to Christiansand in Norway, where a large number of boats were shipped.
The character and scenery both of Sweden and Norway reminded me of Nova
Scotia, from their extensive pine forests, numerous lakes, and granite
rocks. Intemperance was prevalent from the use of ardent spirits, the
climate being cold; and the observation occurred to me that in warmer,
wine-producing countries intoxication is much less frequent.
The ship proceeded to Cowes, in the Isle of Wight, and I by Post-Office
Packet to Harwich, on the coast of England. I travelled from thence into
Derbyshire, where the family of my affianced wife resided at Holme Hall,
and was there happily married. I had been desirous of avoiding the
frequent inconvenience of moving about with a family while in the army,
and my wife was willing to share my fortunes in Australia.
From the delay referred to, arising from the King’s illness, I did not
arrive in Western Australia until June, 1830. The passage from England
was favourable, although tedious, only touching at the Cape de Verde
Islands. And on arrival at the anchorage at Fremantle, I and my wife
were hospitably received at the house of Mr. George Leake, the leading
merchant at that time.
An entirely new career now lay before me, but I had health and strength
for the undertaking. I was fortunate in finding shelter in a colony only
founded the previous year. My less fortunate predecessors at an earlier
period, finding neither houses or sheds, had to resort to tents; and
their handsome furniture, including satin and gilt chairs, harps, grand
pianos (some of them afterwards gutted to make cupboards, &c.), lay
exposed to all weathers on the beach. My first object was to find land
for a homestead within a moderate distance from Perth, the capital. But
such lands had all been already selected; and although I was entitled
according to regulations to select 27,000 acres, in virtue of property
and servants introduced, I found it necessary to purchase 5,000 acres on
the Swan River, about nine miles from Perth. The Governor, Sir James
Stirling, had a summer residence adjoining this land, the use of which
he offered to me until I could erect some temporary accommodation, and
the offer was thankfully accepted.
The purchased land was on the navigable part of the River Swan for
boats, and my luggage and stores were conveyed to it by contract.
I had brought out as servants nineteen souls, including one family; and
now hard work was to be done, in which I took my full share. In a short
time, temporary accommodation, including a small cottage, store, and
huts for the men, were erected; the luggage and stores under shelter,
and a commencement made in clearing land for tillage.
Troubles had to be surmounted at an early period. Not many months had
elapsed when an alarm of fire was given at a late hour one evening,
during my absence at Perth, and the store, containing from twenty to
thirty tons of provisions, luggage, furniture, &c., was in a blaze. As
the roof was of thatch and the building contained some gunpowder, it was
dangerous to attempt saving anything—all was destroyed. The dwelling was
within thirty feet of it, but the wind blew from it, and a providential
shower of rain then falling saved that building. The origin of the fire
was not discovered, but a discontented servant was suspected. His
passage from England had been provided, and he was under a written
engagement, at moderate wages, to serve for three years; this he
endeavoured to break without repaying his passage-money. However, he was
discharged, but was afterwards convicted, in another service, on a
felonious charge and transported.
There were some very fine alluvial flats, on the banks of the Swan, on
which no live stock had been depastured. In conjunction with another
gentleman I arranged, during the following season, to mow the land for
hay, at that time worth £14 per ton. Three stacks, of fifty tons each,
were made; but the aborigines, not having seen anything of the sort
before, were desirous of witnessing the effect of a large fire, and
stuck firebrands into them—which made short work. They were all
destroyed.