Some hidden disappointment clings
To all of man--to all his schemes,
And life has little fair it brings,
Save idle dreams.
The peace that may be ours to-day,
Scarce heed we, looking for the morrow;
The slighted moments steal away,
And then comes sorrow.
The light of promise that may glow
Where life shines fair in bud or bloom,
Ere fruit hath ripen'd forth to show,
Is quench'd in gloom.
The rapture softest blush imparts,
Dies with the bloom that fades away,
And glory from the wave departs
At close of day.
Where we have garner'd up our hearts,
And fixed our earnest love and trust,
The very life-blood thence departs,
And all is dust.
Then, Nature, let us turn to thee;
For in thy countless changes thou
Still bearest immortality
Upon they brow.
Thy seasons, in their endless round
Of sunshine, tempest, calm or blight,
Yet leave thee like an empress crown'd
With jewels bright.
Thy very storms are life to thee,
'Tis but a sleep thy seeming death;
We see thee wake in flower and tree
At spring's soft breath.
We view the ruin of our youth,
Decay's wan trace on all we cherish;
But thou, in thine unfailing truth,
Canst never perish.
J.D.
ON THE OLD YEAR.
With mournful tone I hear thee say,
"Alas, another year hath sped!"
As if within that circlet lay
Life's garland dead.
Vain thought! Thy measure is not Time's;
Not thus yields life each glowing hue;
Fair fruit may fall--the tendril climbs,
And clasps anew.
Time hath mute landmarks of his own;
They are not such as man may raise;
Not his the rudely number'd stone
On life's broad ways.
The record measuring his speed
Is but a shadow softer spread--
A browner leaf--a broken reed,
Or mildew shed.
And if his footfall crush the flower,
How sweet the spicy perfume springs!
His mildew stain upon the tower
A glory brings.
Then let the murmuring voice be still,
The heart hold fast its treasure bright;
The hearth glows warm when sunbeams chill;
Life hath no night.
J.D.
CORALI.
Soft-brow'd, majestic Corali!
Thou like a memory serene
Seemest to me--or melody,
Or moonlight scene.
With thee life in soft plumage glides,
As on the ruffled lake the swan,
Whose downy breast the struggle hides
That speeds it on.
In thy fair presence wakes no care;
Harsh discords into music melt;
Thy harmony alone is there--
Alone is felt.
The heart, unsway'd by hope or dread,
Safe haven'd in a clime of balm,
Nor chain'd in ice, nor tempest-sped,
Lies rock'd in calm.
J.D.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF FRANK ABNEY HASTINGS.
"Man wrongs and time avenges, and my name
May form a monument not all obscure."
The success of the Greek insurrection against the Turks, is the event
in contemporary history concerning which it is most difficult to form
a precise and correct idea. Causes and effects seem, to the ordinary
observer, to be utterly disproportionate. Its progress set the
calculations of statesmen at defiance; and while congresses,
ambassadors, and protocols, were attempting to fetter it in one
direction, it generally advanced with increased speed in some other,
totally unexpected.
It was very natural that the Greeks should take up arms to emancipate
themselves from Turkish oppression, the moment a favourable
opportunity presented itself; but certainly, few foreigners conceived
that the time they selected afforded them much chance of success.
Kolocotroni, however, appears to have understood the internal
condition of the Ottoman empire rather better than Metternich. The
unwarlike habits of the majority of the Greek population, contrasted
with the military feelings of the Turks, and with the numbers and
valour of the Ottoman armies, rendered their cause desperate for some
years, even in the opinion of their most enthusiastic friends. The
whole progress of the Revolution was filled with anomalous
occurrences; and the wisdom of the statesman, and the skill of the
warrior, were constantly set at nought by events, the causes of which
have still been too generally overlooked by the professional
politicians of all nations who mix in the affairs of Greece.
Unquestionably, therefore, there exists much in the condition of the
Greek nation, and in the character of the people, which has been
completely misunderstood by foreigners. Nor do we entertain any hope
of seeing the affairs of Greece placed on a better footing, until the
Greeks themselves collect and publish detailed information concerning
the statistics and the administration of the kingdom.
Hitherto, not a single report of any value has been published on any
branch of the public service; so that the foreign ministers at Athens
are, from absolute want of materials, compelled to confine their
active exertions for the good of Greece to recommending King Otho to
choose particular individuals, devoted to the English, French, or
Russian party, as the case may be, to the office of cabinet ministers.
Not even an army list has yet been published in Greece, though the
Hellenic kingdom is in the twelfth year of its existence. But as the
publication of an army list would put some restraint on political
jobbing and ministerial patronage, each minister leaves it to be done
by his successor.
The fate of all the foreigners who have taken an active part in the
Greek Revolution is worthy of notice. Many persons of high, and of
deservedly high, reputation embarked in the cause, yet not one of the
number added to his previous fame by his exploits. Although the names
of Byron, Cochrane, and Capo d'Istrias appear in the annals of Greece,
it is doubtful whether their actions in the country exercised any
direct influence on the course of events. We think we may safely
assert that they did not, and that these distinguished and able men
were all carried along by the current of events. To us, it appears
that the fate of Greece would have undergone no change if these great
men had changed places;--if Capo d'Istrias had enacted the part of
lord high admiral, Lord Cochrane that of commander-in-chief at
Missolonghi, and Lord Byron, in his day, that of president of the
Greek republic, things would have been little better and no worse. The
ambassadors with their treaties and protocols at London, and the
admirals with their _untoward event_ at Navarin, were almost as
unfortunate as all other volunteers in the Greek cause. The
ambassadors were occupied for years in trying to hinder the Greek
state from attaining the form it ultimately assumed; and, in spite of
the battle of Navarin, Ibrahim Pasha carried away from the
Peloponnesus an immense number of Greek prisoners, in the very fleet
the allied admirals supposed they had destroyed.
The insignificance of individual exertions in this truly national
Revolution, has been equally remarkable among the Greeks themselves.
Indeed it has been made a capital charge against them by strangers,
that no man of distinguished talent has arisen to direct the destinies
of the country. Perhaps there is a worse feature than this prominent
in the Greek community, and this is a disposition to calumniate
whatever little merit may exist. Here again, however, we cannot
refrain from remarking, that a singular resemblance may be traced
between the conduct of the strangers in Greece, and the Greeks
themselves. A vice so predominant must doubtless be nourished by some
inherent defect in the constitution of society in Greece, rather than
in the characters of individuals.
If no Greek has succeeded in gaining a glorious pre-eminence by the
Revolution, we must recollect that the foreigners who have visited the
country have contrived to bury there all the fame they brought with
them. Singular too as it may appear, a love of quarrelling and a
passion for calumny have been found to be as decidedly characteristic
of the foreigners in Greece, as of the natives. The Philhellenes were
notoriously a most insubordinate body; the English in Greece have
never been able to live together in amity and concord; the three
European powers who signed a treaty to aid and protect Greece, have
rarely been able to agree on the means of carrying their good
intentions into execution on a systematic plan. The Regency sent to
civilize the country during King Otho's minority, though consisting of
only three members, set the Greeks an example of what the Litany calls
"blindness of heart, pride, vain-glory, and hypocrisy, envy, hatred,
and malice, and all uncharitableness." The _corps diplomatique_ has
often astounded the Greeks by its feuds and dissensions. The Bavarians
made their sojourn in the country one prolonged _querelle
d'Allemande._ Even the American missionaries at Athens have not
escaped severe attacks of the universal epidemic, and during the
paroxysms of the malady have made all Greece spectators of their
quarrels.[10]
The single exception which so often occurs to confirm the general
ruler, exists in this case as in so many others. One European officer
rendered very important services to Greece, and so conducted himself
as to acquire the respect and esteem of every party in that singularly
factious land. This officer was Frank Abney Hastings; but he always
made it his rule of life to act, amidst the license and anarchy of
society in Greece, precisely as he would have felt himself called upon
to act in similar circumstances, could they have occurred, in England.
We shall now attempt to erect a humble monument to his memory. The
pages of Maga have frequently rescued much that is good from the
shadow of oblivion; and, in this instance, we hope that a short
account of the actions of the best of the Philhellenes will not only
do honour to his memory, but will likewise throw some new light on the
history of the Greek Revolution.
Frank Abney Hastings was the younger son of the late
Lieutenant-general Sir Charles Hastings, Bart., and his elder brother
Sir Charles Abney Hastings inherited the baronetcy. The late Sir
Charles Hastings was colonel of the 12th foot, and knight grand cross
of the Guelphic order; he possessed a large fortune, and he was well
known for his singularity at Carlton House, and in the fashionable
circles of London, about the beginning of the present century. The
present baronet, Sir Charles Abney Hastings, entered the army when
young, but retired after having served some time in the Mediterranean.
Frank was born on the 14th of February 1794, and was placed in the
navy when about eleven years old. Hardly six months after he became a
midshipman, he was present at the battle of Trafalgar on board the
Neptune. An explosion of powder between the decks of the Neptune
during the action, by which several men were killed and wounded, early
directed his attention to the service of artillery on board ship; and
the science of gunnery became his favourite study. Hastings was
subsequently serving in the Seahorse when that frigate engaged two
Turkish men-of-war, and captured one of them, which proved to be a
frigate much larger than herself. During his career of service, he
visited every quarter of the globe.
After having served nearly fifteen years, he was sent to the West
Indies in command of the Kangaroo, a vessel destined for the surveying
service, carrying out his commission as commander. On arriving in the
harbour of Port-Royal, in Jamaica, he was supposed to have brought the
Kangaroo to an anchor in an improper manner. The flag-captain of the
admiral's ship, then in the harbour considered this offence so
extraordinary, that he took a still more extraordinary manner of
expressing his dissatisfaction. We cannot give our readers a better
idea of the circumstance than by transcribing the words of a letter
which Hastings, on his return to England, addressed to Lord Melville,
then first lord of the Admiralty. "He thought proper to hail me in a
voice that rang through the whole of Port-Royal, saying--'You have
overlayed our anchor--you ought to be ashamed of yourself--you damned
lubber, you--who are you?'" Of course such an insult, both personal
and professional, could never be overlooked. Hastings, however,
feeling the importance of any step he might take to his future
reputation, both as a sailor and a gentleman, waited until he had
delivered up the command of the Kangaroo to the officer appointed to
conduct the survey; and having received his commission as commander,
and being ready to return to England on half-pay, he sent a challenge
to the flag-captain who had thus insulted him.
The admiral on the station was, by some circumstance, informed of this
challenge, and on his representation of the affair to the Admiralty,
Hastings was dismissed the service. We shall conclude our mention of
this most unfortunate business by quoting a few more words from the
letter of Hastings to Lord Melville, which we have already alluded
to:--"I have served fourteen years under various captains, and on
almost all stations. I have certainly seen greater errors committed
before; yet I never was witness to such language used to the commander
of a British vessel bearing a pendant." "Your lordship may, perhaps,
find officers that will submit to such language, but I do not envy
them their dearly purchased rank; and God forbid that the British navy
should have no better supporters of its character than such spiritless
creatures." These words express the deep attachment he always felt to
the service.
"Alas! how bitter is his country's curse
To him who for that country would expire."
Hastings now found that all his hopes of advancement at home were
blasted, and, without any loss of time, he determined to qualify
himself for foreign service. He flattered himself that he might
acquire a reputation abroad, which would one day obtain for him the
restoration of his rank in the navy in a distinguished manner. He
resided in France for some time, in order to acquire a thorough
knowledge of the French language, which, by dint of close application,
he soon spoke and wrote with ease and correctness.
About three years after his dismissal from the navy, the position of
the Greeks induced him to believe that in Greece he should find an
opportunity of putting in practice several plans for the improvement
of maritime warfare which he had long meditated. He embarked at
Marseilles on the 12th of March 1822, and arrived at Hydra on the 3d
of April. Here he was kindly received by the two brothers Jakomaki and
Manoli Tombazis, and their acquaintance soon ripened into friendship.
The Greek fleet was preparing to sail from Hydra to encounter the
Turks, and Hastings was anxious to accompany it, in order to witness
the manner in which the Greeks and Turks conducted their naval
warfare. As it was necessary for a stranger to receive an
authorization from the general government before embarking in the
fleet, Hastings repaired to Corinth, which was then the seat of the
executive power. The hostility displayed to the Greek cause by Sir
Thomas Maitland, the lord high commissioner in the Ionian islands, had
rendered the British name exceedingly unpopular at this time, in
Greece, and Alexander Maurocordatos, (called at that period Prince
Maurocordatos,) who was president of the Greek Republic, partook of
the popular prejudice against Englishmen.
On arriving at Corinth Hastings met with a very cool reception, and
spies were placed to watch his conduct; for though the president had
made no progress in organizing the naval, military, or financial
administration, he had already established a numerous and active
secret police. For several days Hastings was unable to obtain an
audience of Maurocordatos; but an American, Mr Jarvis, (afterwards a
lieutenant-general in the Greek service,) to whom Hastings had given a
passage from Marseilles, was received with great attention. Jarvis, as
well as Hastings, observed "that the police was very severe and
vigilant in Corinth;" and on the 15th of April he wrote thus:--"I paid
my respects to the prince, and was invited to come in the evening. I
had a long conversation with him, and he was particularly kind to me,
and liked me the more, as he said, for being an American. He told me
many of the bad actions of the English, and plainly told me he and the
rest took my friend and companion for a spy. I then answered what was
necessary--approved his dislike of the English and his foresight, but
showed him that he was in the wrong in this case."
These suspicions being mentioned to Hastings, he immediately addressed
a letter to the president, demanding that his offer of serving on
board the fleet should be either definitely refused or accepted by the
Greek government. He, at the same time, pointed out to Maurocordatos
the absurdity of suspecting him as a spy. We translate his own letter,
which is in French. "I am suspected by your excellency of being an
English spy. Considering the conduct of the British government to
Greece, I expected to meet with some prejudice against the English
among the ignorant; but I own I was not prepared to find this
illiberality among men of rank and education. If the English
government required a spy in Greece, it would not address itself to a
person of my condition. I am the younger son of Sir Charles Hastings,
Baronet, a general in the army, and who was educated in his youth with
the Marquis of Hastings, governor-general of India; so that I could
surely find a more lucrative, less dangerous, and more respectable
employment in India than that of a spy in Greece. I quitted England
because I considered the government treated me with injustice, in
arbitrarily dismissing me from the navy, after more than fourteen
years of active service, for an affair of honour, while I was on
half-pay." This letter obtained for Hastings an audience of the
president, and his services were at length accepted.
On the 3d of May 1822, the Greek fleet began to get under weigh at
Hydra, and Hastings embarked as a volunteer on board the Themistocles,
a corvette belonging to the brothers Tombazis. The scene presented by
the Hydriote ships hauling out of harbour was calculated to depress
the hopes of the most sanguine friend of Greece. Those of the crew who
chose to come on board did so; the rest remained on shore, and came
off as it suited their convenience. When it became necessary to make
sail, the men loosed the sails, but shortly found that no sheets were
rove, and the bow-lines bent to the bunt line cringles. At last sheets
were rove. But as the ships were getting clear of the harbour, a
squall came on; then every man on board shouted to take in sail; but
there were no clue-lines bent, and the men were obliged to go out on
the jib-boom to haul down the sail by hand. The same thing occurred
with the topgallant sails. The crews, however, were gradually
collected; things assumed some slight appearance of order; and after
this singular exhibition of anarchy and confusion, the fleet bore up
for Psara.
It is needless to describe the scenes of misery Hastings witnessed
when the fleet arrived at Scio, as the particulars of the frightful
manner in which that island had been devastated by the Turks are
generally known. The war was at this period carried on with unexampled
barbarity, both by the Greeks and Turks. As an illustration of the
manner in which naval warfare had been previously conducted in the
Levant, we shall quote the account given by an English sailor of the
conduct of the Russo-Greek privateers in 1788. The modern atrocities
were not perpetrated on so large a scale, and the officers rarely
countenanced them, but still it would be too invidious to cite single
examples. We shall therefore copy a short extract from Davidson's
narrative of a cruise on board one of the vessels connected with the
expedition of the famous Greek privateer and pirate, Lambro. "The
prize had on board eighty-five hands, which we took on board us, and
confined in the hold until next day; when they were called up one by
one, and had their heads cut off in the same manner as we cut off
ducks' heads at home, and we then threw them overboard. This was the
first time we were obliged to take it by turns to put them to death.
The English, when called upon, at first refused it; but when the
captain told them they were cowards, and that he could not believe
they were Englishmen, they went and did the same as the rest; and
afterwards were even worse than the others, for they always were first
when such work was going on. Sometimes we had three or four in a day
to put to death for each man's share." Things are certainly better
than this in our times; but the statesmen who have constituted the
kingdom of Greece should recollect, that these occurrences took place
in the dominions of King Otho on the 21st of May 1789, and that
similar scenes, though not on so extensive a scale, were witnessed by
Hastings in the month of May 1822.
The Greek naval force at this period consisted entirely of merchant
ships, fitted out at the private expense of their owners. These
vessels were generally commanded either by the owners or their near
relations, whose whole fortune frequently consisted in the vessel they
were to lead into action. It is not surprising that under such
circumstances many brave men, who would willingly have exposed their
lives, felt some hesitation in risking their property. The Greek
ships, previously to the breaking out of the Revolution, had been
navigated by crews interested in certain fixed proportions in the
profits of the cargo. As the proprietor of the ship, the captain, and
the sailors formed a kind of joint-stock company, they were in the
habit of deliberating together on the measures to be adopted, and in
discussing the destination of the vessel. The disorder and want of
discipline naturally arising from such habits, were greatly increased
by the practice which was introduced at the breaking out of the
Revolution, of always paying the sailors their wages in advance. In a
fleet so composed and manned, Hastings soon perceived that there was
no hope of executing any of his projects for the improvement of naval
artillery. After fitting locks and sights to the guns in the
Themistocles, and building up a furnace for heating shot in her hold,
he found that all his arrangements were of no avail. Some order was
absolutely necessary, but he discovered by experience that there was
nothing the Albanians of Hydra held in so much honour as disorder.
The naval campaign of 1822 was signalized by the successful attack of
the Greek fire-ships on the fleet of the Capitan Pasha off Scio.
Kanaris, who conducted his vessel with admirable courage and presence
of mind, set fire to the ship bearing the pasha's flag, which was
completely destroyed. Pepinos, who commanded the Hydriot fire-ship,
was not so fortunate in his attack on the ship of the Reala Bey. His
vessel was disengaged, and though it drifted on board another
line-of-battle ship, the Turks succeeded in extinguishing the flames
in both.
Hastings, having failed to persuade the Greeks to fit out one or two
gun-boats with long guns of large calibre and furnaces for heating
shot, became disgusted with the service on board the fleet, which was
confined to sending marauding parties to the coast of Asia Minor,
where the plunder was oftener taken from the poor Greek villagers than
from their Ottoman masters. These expeditions were conducted with
unparalleled disorder, and without any plan. Before quitting the
fleet, Hastings made a last attempt to inspire the councils of the
admiral with some of his own energy. He waited on the celebrated
Admiral Miaoulis with a plan for capturing a Turkish frigate then
anchored at Tenedos. This interview between these two remarkable men
is of great importance for the appreciation of their respective
characters and views at this period. In order to convey to our readers
as vividly as possible the impression which it produced on the mind of
Hastings, we shall transcribe the account of it in his own words. "I
proposed to direct a fire-ship and three other vessels upon the
frigate, and, when near the enemy, to set fire to certain combustibles
which should throw out a great flame; the enemy would naturally
conclude they were all fire-ships. The vessels were then to attach
themselves to the frigate, fire broadsides double-shotted, throwing on
board the enemy at the same time combustible balls which give a great
smoke without flame. This would doubtless induce him to believe he was
on fire, and give a most favourable opportunity for boarding him.
However, the admiral returned my plan, saying only [Greek: chalho],
without asking a single question, or wishing me to explain its
details; and I observed a kind of insolent contempt in his manner,
which no doubt arose from the late success of Kanaris. This interview
with the admiral disgusted me. They place you in a position in which
it is impossible to render any service, and then they boast of their
own superiority, and of the uselessness of the Franks (as they call
us) in Turkish warfare." It must be recollected, in justification of
Miaoulis, that he had not then had time to avail himself of the
enlarged experience he subsequently acquired in his capacity of
admiral of the Greek fleet. He was then little more than a judicious
and courageous captain of a merchant brig, just elected by the
suffrage of his equals to lead them. As one of the owners of the ships
hired by government, his attention was naturally rather directed to
the destruction than to the capture of the large Turkish men-of-war;
and it is probable that he considered the total want of discipline
among the Hydriotes as presenting insuperable difficulties to the
execution of the plan, and as likely to render the Turkish frigate,
even if captured, utterly useless to the Greeks, who would doubtless
have allowed her to rot in port.
Shortly after this disagreeable affair, Hastings had an opportunity of
acquiring considerable personal reputation among the Hydriote sailors,
by saving the corvette of Tombazis in circumstances of great danger.
In pursuing some Turkish _sakolevas_ off the north of Mytilene, they
ran in near Cape Baba, and made for the shore under a cliff, where a
considerable number of armed men soon collected from the neighbouring
town. The captain and crew of the Themistocles, eager for prizes,
pursued them; when the ship was suddenly becalmed within gun-shot of a
battery at the town, which opened a well-directed fire on the
corvette. In getting from under the fire of the battery, a baffling
wind and strong current drove the ship within sixty yards of the high
rocky cliff where the Turkish soldiers were posted. These troops
opened a sharp but ill-directed fire of musketry on the deck of the
Themistocles; and on this occasion the total want of order, and the
disrespect habitually shown to the officers, had very nearly caused
the loss of the vessel. The whole crew sought shelter from the Turkish
fire under the bulwarks, and no one could be induced to obey the
orders which every one issued. A single man would spring forward for a
few seconds, at intervals, to execute the most necessary manoeuvre.
Hastings was the only person on deck who remained silently watching
the ship slowly drifting towards the rocks. He was fortunately the
first to perceive the change in the direction of a light breeze which
sprang up, and by immediately springing forward on the bowsprit, he
succeeded in getting the ship's head round. Her sails soon filled, and
she moved out of her awkward position. As upwards of two hundred and
fifty Turks were assembled on the rocks above, and fresh men were
arriving every moment, there can be no doubt that in a short time the
enemy would have brought a piece of artillery to bear on the
Themistocles from a position inaccessible to her fire; so that, even
if she had escaped going on shore on the rocks, her destruction seemed
inevitable, had she remained an hour within gun-shot of the cliff.
Thus, the finest vessel in the Greek fleet was in imminent danger of
being lost, through the carelessness and obstinacy of the captain,
who, though repeatedly entreated by Hastings to have a small anchor
constantly in readiness, could never be induced to take this necessary
precaution.
On this occasion, however, both the captain and the crew of the
Themistocles did Hastings ample justice. Though they had refused to
avail themselves of his skill, and neglected his advice, they now
showed no jealousy in acknowledging his gallant conduct, and he became
a permanent favourite with the crew ever after this exploit. Though he
treated all with great reserve and coldness, as a means of insuring
respect, there was not a man on board that was not always ready to do
him any service. Indeed the candid and hearty way in which they
acknowledged the courage of Hastings, and blamed their own conduct in
allowing a stranger to expose his life in so dangerous a manner to
save them, afforded unquestionable proof that so much real generosity
was inseparable from courage, and that, with proper discipline and
good officers, the sailors of the Greek fleet would have had few
superiors.
When the naval campaign was concluded, Hastings joined the troops
engaged in the siege of Nauplia. That force was exposed to the
greatest danger by the irruption of a large Turkish army into the
Morea, commanded by Dramali Pasha. While engaged in defending the
little fort of Bourdzi in the port of Nauplia, and under the guns of
that fortress, he became intimately acquainted with Mr Hane, a young
artillery officer, who subsequently served under his orders with great
distinction. At this time Hastings raised a company of fifty men, whom
he armed and equipped at his own expense. But as his actions on shore
are not immediately connected with the great results of his services
to Greece, we shall confine this sketch exclusively to the share he
took in the naval warfare. He served the campaign of 1823 in Crete, as
commander of the artillery; but a violent fever compelling him to quit
that island in autumn, he found, on his return to Hydra, that Lord
Byron had arrived at Cephalonia.
It was of great importance to the Greek cause that the services of
Lord Byron should be usefully directed, and it was equally necessary
that the funds collected by the Greek committee in London should be
expended in the way most likely to be of permanent advantage to
Greece. The moment appeared suitable for one who, like Hastings, had
acquired some experience by active service, both with the fleet and
army, to offer his advice. He accordingly drew up a project for the
construction and armament of a steam-vessel, which he recommended as
the most effectual mode of advancing the Greek cause, by giving the
fleet a decided superiority over the Turks at sea. It appeared to
Hastings that it was only by the introduction of a well-disciplined
naval force, directly dependent on the central government, that order
could be introduced into the administration, as well as a superiority
secured over the enemy. It is not necessary to enter into all the
professional details of this memoir, as we shall have occasion to
state the manner in which Hastings carried his views into execution a
few years later. Its conclusion was to recommend Lord Byron to direct
his attention to the purchase or construction of a steam-vessel, armed
with heavy guns, and fitted up for the use of hot shot and shells as
its ordinary projectiles.
Neither Lord Byron nor Colonel Stanhope, the agent of the Greek
committee, seem to have appreciated the military science of Hastings,
and the plan met with little support from either.
The Greek government shortly after this obtained its first loan in
England; and, during the summer of 1824, Hastings endeavoured to
impress its members with the necessity of rendering the national cause
not entirely dependent on the disorderly and tumultuous merchant
marine, which it was compelled to hire at an exorbitant price. It is
needless to record all the difficulties and opposition he met with
from a government consisting in part of shipowners, eager to obtain a
share of the loan as hire for their ships. These ships were in some
danger of rotting in harbour, in case a national navy should be
formed. The loan, however, appeared inexhaustible; and in the autumn
of 1824, Hastings returned to England, with a promise that the Greek
government would lose no time in instructing their deputies in London
to procure a steam-vessel to be armed under his inspection, and of
which he was promised the command. This promise was soon forgotten; a
number of favourable accidents deluded the members of the Greek
government into the belief that their deliverance from the Turkish
yoke was already achieved, and they began to neglect the dictates of
common prudence. The Greek committee in London emulated the example of
the Greek government at Nauplia; and in place of acting according to
the suggestions of common sense and common honesty, that body engaged
in a number of tortuous transactions, ending in the concoction of a
dish called "the Greek pie." Ibrahim Pasha awakened the heroes at
Nauplia from their dreams, and Cobbett disturbed the reveries of the
sages in London.
The success which attended Ibrahim Pasha on his landing in the
Peloponnesus in 1825, and the improvement displayed by the Turks in
their naval operations, seriously alarmed the Greeks. The advice of
Hastings occurred to their remembrance; but, even then, it required
the active exertions of two judicious friends of Greece in London to
induce the Greek deputies to take the necessary measures for fitting
out a steamer. Hastings, in a letter addressed to the Greeks, which he
wrote on his return to Greece, declared distinctly that the gratitude
of the Greek nation was due to the Right Honourable Edward Ellice and
to Sir John Hobhouse, and not to the Greek deputies in London, if the
steam-vessel he commanded proved of any service to the cause.
Greece was then in a desperate condition. Navarin was taken by Ibrahim
Pasha, the Romeliat army was completely defeated, and the Egyptians
encamped in the centre of the Peloponnesus, after routing every body
of troops which attempted to arrest their progress. The Turkish and
Egyptian fleets kept the sea in spite of the gallant attacks of
Miaoulis; and the partial successes of the Greeks were more honourable
to their courage than injurious to the real strength of their enemies.
In the mean time, the Greek government had lost all power of
commanding either respect or obedience at home, in consequence of the
civil wars which prevailed previously to the arrival of the Egyptians,
and the intrigues of Maurocordatos and Kolettis to obtain the sole
direction of affairs.
At this conjuncture, Lord Cochrane's name excited universal attention
in England, and he was engaged by the Greek deputies, and some friends
of the cause, to enter the Greek service. He received for his services
L37,000 sterling, in cash; and an additional sum of L20,000 was paid
into the hands of Sir Francis Burdett, to be given to Lord Cochrane
whenever the independence of Greece should be secured.
This transaction happened in the month of August 1825; but in the
month of March, a steam-vessel, called the Perseverance, of about four
hundred tons, had already been ordered; and Hastings had been named to
command her, and received authority to arm her with sixty-eight
pounders, according to the plan he had submitted to the Greek
government. When Lord Cochrane was appointed commander-in-chief of the
Greek fleet, five more steam-vessels were ordered to be built; but it
may be observed, that only two of these ever reached Greece. The
equipment of the Perseverance was then kept back, in order that the
whole squadron might sail together under the auspices of Lord
Cochrane. The news of the taking of Missolonghi by the Turks at last
threw the friends of Greece into such a state of alarm, and the outcry
against the dilatory manner in which the steam-boat expedition in the
Thames was fitting out, became so violent over all Europe, that the
Perseverance was hastily completed, and allowed to sail alone.
After a series of difficulties and disappointments, which it required
all the extraordinary perseverance and energy of Hastings to overcome,
he was hurried away from Deptford on the twenty-sixth of May 1826,
though the engine of the Perseverance was evidently in a very
defective state. The boiler burst in the Mediterranean; and the ship
was detained at Cagliari, reconstructing a boiler, until the
twenty-eighth of August. She arrived in Greece too late to be of any
use in the naval campaign of that year. The winter was spent in aiding
the operations of the army, which was endeavouring to raise the siege
of Athens.
The Karteria, which was the name of the Perseverance in the Greek
navy, was armed on the principle which Hastings had laid down as
necessary to place the Greeks with small vessels on some degree of
equality with the line-of-battle ships and large frigates of the
Turks: namely, that of using projectiles more destructive than the
shot of the enemy. These projectiles were hot shot and shells, instead
of the cold round-shot of the Turks. We have already mentioned that
the Karteria was armed with sixty-eight pounders. Of these she mounted
eight; four were carronades of the government pattern, and four were
guns of a new form, cast after a model prepared by Hastings himself.
These guns were seven feet four inches long in the bore, and weighed
fifty-eight hundred-weight. They had the form of carronades in every
thing but the addition of trunnions to mount them like long guns;
these trunnions, however, were, contrary to the usual practice, placed
so that their centre intersected a line through the centre of the bore
of the gun. They were mounted on ten-inch howitzer carriages, which
answered the purpose admirably. The shells used were generally
strapped to wooden bottoms; but they were more than once employed
without any precaution, except that of putting them in the gun with
the fusees towards the muzzle. The hot shot were heated in the engine
fires, and were brought on deck by two men in a machine resembling a
double coal-box, which was easily tilted up at the muzzle of the gun
to be loaded.
Hastings fired about eighteen thousand shells from the Karteria in the
years 1826 and 1827, with a miscellaneous crew composed of Englishmen,
Swedes, and Greeks, and never had a single accident from explosion. As
a very small number of hot shot can be heated at once, and as an iron
ball of eight inches diameter loses its spherical form if kept for any
length of time red hot, this projectile could only be used in
particular circumstances. It happened more than once on board the
Karteria, that shot which had remained for some time in the engine
fires, had so lost their form as not to enter the muzzle of the guns.
With regard to the great danger which is supposed to attend the use of
hot shot on board ships, Hastings thus states his opinion in a "Memoir
on the use of Shells, Hot Shot, and Carcass Shells, from ship
artillery:"[11] "I have continually used hot shot with perfect safety;
my people having become so familiar with them, that they employ them
with as little apprehension as if using cold shot."
We shall now give a regular account of the career of active service in
which Hastings was engaged, as captain of the Greek steam-frigate
Karteria, extracted in part from his own official reports and private
letters, and drawn in part from the testimony of eyewitnesses of all
his actions.
In February 1827, Captain Hastings was ordered by the Greek government
to co-operate with the troops under General Gordon, destined to
relieve Athens. Captain Hastings, sailing from Egina, passed round the
island of Salamis, and entering the western strait between it and
Megara, arrived, unobserved by the Turks, in the bay where the battle
of Salamis was fought--now called the port of Ambelaki. This was the
first time the passage had ever been attempted by a modern man-of-war.
During the presidency of Count Capo-d'Istrias, Sir Edmund Lyons
carried H.M.S. Blonde through the same passage.
The troops under General Gordon were landed in the night, and they
occupied and fortified the hill of Munychia without any loss of time.
It was then resolved to drive the Turks from a monastery at the
Piraeus, in which they kept a garrison to command the port. The troops
were ordered to attack the building on the land side, and Hastings
entered the Piraeus to bombard it from the sea. A practicable breach
was soon made; but the Greek troops, though supported by the fire of a
couple of field-pieces, were completely defeated in their feeble
attempts to storm this monastery. The Turks, on the other hand,
displayed the greatest activity; and the Seraskier Kutayhi Pasha, who
commanded the army besieging Athens, soon arrived with a powerful
escort of cavalry, and bringing with him two long five-inch howitzers
with shells, boasting that with these he would sink the Karteria. As
the object of the Greek attack had completely failed, and the troops
had retired, the Karteria quitted the port just as the Turks opened
their fire on her.
A few days after this, the Turks, having defeated a division of the
Greek army destined to make a diversion from the plain of Eleusis,
attempted to carry the camp of General Gordon by storm. Captain
Hastings now entered the Piraeus again, even at the risk of exposing
the Karteria to the Turkish shells; as he saw that by his powerful
fire of grape he could prevent the Turks from forming in any force to
attack the most vulnerable part of the camp. The fire of the Karteria
soon produced its effect; but it drew all the attention of the Pasha
to the vessel, as he perceived it was vain to persist in attacking the
troops until he compelled the steamer to quit the Piraeus. Five guns
directed their fire against her, and though three were either
dismounted by her fire, or rendered useless by their carriages
breaking, still two elongated five-inch howitzers being placed between
the monastery and an adjoining tower, which covered them from the fire
of the Karteria, contrived to keep up a well-supported fire. The
effect produced by the shells from the Turkish guns was soon
considerable, though several of those which struck the Karteria did
not explode. One, however, fixed in the carriage of a long sixty-eight
pounder, and exploded there, though fortunately without injuring
either Captain Hane, the artillery-officer engaged in pointing the
gun, or any of the men who were working it. Another exploded in the
Karteria's counter, and tore out the planking of two streaks for a
length of six feet, and started out the planking from the two adjacent
streaks. As this shell struck the vessel on the water's edge, a ship
built in the ordinary manner would have been sunk by this explosion of
about nine ounces of powder; but the Karteria was in no danger, as she
was built with her timbers close and caulked together. She was also
constructed with two solid bulkheads enclosing the engine-room,
caulked and lined, so as to be water-tight; consequently, any one of
her compartments might have filled with water from a shot-hole without
her sinking. The attack of the Turks on the Greek camp having been
repulsed, nothing remained for Hastings but to retreat from his
dangerous position in the Piraeus as speedily as possible. This,
however, he did not effect without loss; all his boats were shot
through, and he had to encounter a severe fire of musketry from the
Turks stationed on each side, as he moved through the pillars at the
entrance of the port.
In the month of March an expedition was planned by General Heideck,
who was afterwards one of the members of the unhappy regency which
misgoverned Greece during the minority of King Otho. The object of
this expedition was to destroy the magazines of provisions and stores
which the Turks possessed at Oropos, and, by occupying their lines of
communication with Negropont, to compel them to raise the siege of
Athens. This was the only feasible method by which the Greeks could
ever have hoped to defeat the Turks; but when the execution of it was
proposed, it always met with some opposition. When it was at last
undertaken by a foreigner, the operation was conducted in so weak and
desultory a manner, as to end in complete disgrace.
The naval force which accompanied General Heideck was unusually
powerful, as he was then the acknowledged agent of the King of
Bavaria. It consisted of the frigate Hellas of sixty-four guns, with
the flag of Admiral Miaoulis, the Karteria, and some smaller vessels
as transports. The Greek vessels arrived before Oropos in the
afternoon, and as the Hellas was compelled to anchor about a mile from
the Turkish camp, Captain Hastings immediately steamed into the port.
He captured two transports laden with grain and flour, which had just
arrived from Negropont; and having anchored within two hundred yards
of the Turkish batteries, he opened on them a fire, which in a short
time dismounted every gun which they could bring to bear on his ship.
A carcass-shell lodging in the fascines of which the principal battery
was constructed, soon enveloped the whole in flames--the
powder-magazine exploded, and the carriages of the guns were rendered
useless.
At this moment the Greek troops, of whom one hundred and fifty were on
board the Karteria, loudly demanded to be led to attack the camp; and
an officer from General Heideck, who had remained on board the Hellas,
was expected every moment to place himself at their head. No orders,
however, arrived. Hastings remained all night in the port, and it was
not until dawn next morning that the troops were landed. The Turks, in
the mean time, had been more active; they had also received
considerable reinforcements; the day was consumed without General
Heideck going on shore, and a large body of Turkish cavalry making its
appearance in the afternoon, he issued orders to re-embark the troops,
and sailed back to Egina.
The public attention was suddenly diverted from this disgraceful
exhibition of European military science by the arrival of Lord
Cochrane in Greece. He came, however, in an English yacht, which had
been purchased to expedite his departure, but unaccompanied by a
single one of the five steamers which were still unfinished in the
Thames. His lordship was soon after appointed lord high admiral of
Greece; General Church was at the same time named generalissimo of the
land forces; and both officers directed all their attention to raising
the siege of Athens, which Kutayhi continued to attack with the
greatest constancy.
Captain Hastings was now detached for the first time with an
independent naval command. The Turks drew their supplies for carrying
on the siege of Athens from a great distance in their rear, as all the
provinces of Greece were in a state of desolation. This circumstance
exposed their lines of communication, both by land and sea, to be
attacked by the Greeks in many different points. Volo was one of the
principal depots at which the supplies transmitted from Thessalonica
and Constantinople were secured; and from this station they were
forwarded by the channel of Euboea to the fortress of Negropont, and
thence to Oropos. From Oropos these supplies were transported on
horses and mules to the camp of the Pasha at Patissia, near Athens.
Captain Hastings was now charged with the duty of cutting off the
communications of the Turks between Volo and Oropos, and instructed to
use every exertion to capture their transports and destroy their
magazines. For this purpose he sailed from Poros with a small
squadron, consisting of the Karteria and four hired vessels--the
corvette Themistocles, belonging to the Tombazis; the Ares, belonging
to the Admiral Miaoulis; and two small schooners.
On the afternoon of a beautiful clear day, the little fleet entered
the bay of Volo, in which eight Turkish transports were seen at
anchor. It was some time before the enemy was persuaded that the
Greek vessels were bearing down to attack them, for they considered
the anchorage perfectly defended by two batteries which they had
erected on the cape, enclosing the harbour, opposite the castle of
Volo. The castle itself is a square fort in a dilapidated condition,
with only a few guns mounted.
At half-past four o'clock, the Themistocles and Ares received orders
to anchor before the batteries, just out of the reach of musketry, and
not to waste a single shot before they had taken up their positions.
They were then directed to open a heavy fire of grape and round shot
on the enemy. While they were executing these orders, Hastings entered
the port, and opened his fire of shells on the intrenchments of the
Turks, and of grape on the transports, which were filled with men to
prevent their capture. The heavy fire of the Karteria, which poured on
the enemy three hundred two-ounce balls from each of its guns, soon
threw the Turks into confusion; and the boats were manned, and sent to
board the transports. Five vessels being heavily laden, though they
had been run aground, were not close to the shore, and these were soon
captured; but two brigs being empty, were placed close under the fire
of the troops in the intrenchments. Though they were attacked by all
the boats of the squadron, they were not taken until after an
obstinate resistance. The English boatswain of the Karteria, who was
the first to mount the side of one, was wounded; but he succeeded in
gaining the deck, and hauling down the Turkish flag. A Turk, however,
who had no idea of surrendering to an infidel, rushed at him, and
fired a pistol at his head. The ball, fortunately, only grazed his
forehead. The Turk then leaped overboard, and endeavoured to swim on
shore; but one of the English sailors, considering his conduct so
unfair as to merit death, jumped into the sea after him, and, having
overtaken him, deliberately cut his throat with a clasp-knife, as he
had no other weapon, and then returned on board. The Greek Revolution
too often gave occasions for displaying
"The instinct of the first-born Cain,
Which ever lurks somewhere in human hearts."
It was found impossible to get the two brigs afloat; and, as their
sails had been landed, it would have been impossible to navigate them.
They were therefore burnt; and another smaller vessel, which was so
placed that Hastings would not expose his men by attempting to take
possession of her, was destroyed by shells. A shell, exploding in her
hull, blew her fore-mast into the water. For four hours the Karteria
remained in the harbour of Volo. The corvette and brig had so
completely silenced the fire of the batteries, that they appeared to
be abandoned; while the guns of the castle only kept up an irregular
and ill-directed fire on the Karteria. The magazines were all in
flames from the effect of the red-hot shot fired into them; and, as
night approached, the Karteria made the signal for all the vessels to
make sail out of the harbour with a light breeze from the land. The
spectacle offered by the bay as it grew dark was peculiarly grand. On
the sombre outline of the hills round the gulf, innumerable fires were
seen; and a continued discharge of musketry was heard proclaiming the
arrival of each little band of troops which reached the camp at Volo.
The lurid light thrown out by the flames from the burning magazines,
and the reflection of the blazing transports, which were quickly
consumed to the water's edge, enabled the steamer, in departing, to
destroy the carriages of two guns which the Turks were endeavouring to
get ready to salute the departing squadron.
Hastings had expected to find at Volo a large Turkish man-of-war,
mounting sixteen heavy guns, and two mortars which had been
constructed for the siege of Missolonghi, but which had not even got
so far as Volo until after the fall of that place. This vessel was now
waiting until the Turks should require her to bombard some seaport in
the possession of the Greeks. A Greek fishing-boat came alongside to
inform Hastings that the Pasha had ordered this vessel to Tricheri for
greater security, where she was moored, with three schooners taken
from the Greeks at Psara, in a small bay protected by a battery of
twelve guns. In this position, she was considered perfectly safe from
the attacks of the whole Greek fleet, aided by the fire-frigate
herself, as the Turks called the Karteria. Hastings proceeded
immediately to Tricheri, hoping to surprise the enemy by an attack
during the night; but he found the Turks on the alert, and their
well-directed fire of musketry rendered it impossible to continue the
attack with the smallest chance of success.
At daylight next morning, Hastings examined the position of the enemy
with care, but he saw there was no hope of capturing the bomb-ketch or
any of the schooners; he therefore determined to confine his
operations to destroying them. After getting up the steam and heating
a few shot, he stood in to about three-quarters of a mile of the
Turkish ship, and going slowly round in a large circle, he brought his
long guns to bear successively, and fired them with the greatest
deliberation. He then moved out of gun-shot of the Turkish battery to
observe the effect of his fire. In about half an hour, a quantity of
smoke was observed to issue from the large Turkish vessel, which the
enemy appeared at first to disregard; but, in a short time, they
seemed to discover that their ship was on fire, for they were seen
hurrying down and rushing on board in great numbers. The carronades
were now reloaded with shells, and the long guns with large grape, and
the Karteria stood in to prevent the enemy from continuing his
endeavours to extinguish the fire. The attention of the Turks was thus
distracted; the flames soon burst through the decks of the ship, and,
catching the rigging, rendered all approach to her impossible. In a
short time she was a mass of flame; and her guns to the land-side,
having been loaded, went off, discharging their shot into the battery
formed for her protection. As her upper works burned away, she drifted
from her station; but getting again on shore against the rocks, her
magazine exploded, and the remains of her hull, with all her guns,
sank in deep water. The three schooners also received several shells,
and were so injured, as to be rendered unable to put to sea without
undergoing great repairs.
The loss of the Greek squadron in this expedition was very small; only
three men were killed and two wounded. But one of the killed was James
Hall, an Englishman on board the Karteria--an old sailor of a most
excellent character, and possessed of considerable knowledge in every
branch of his profession. He was killed by a twelve-pound shot from
the battery at Tricheri. This shot, after breaking the claw of an
anchor, rebounded, and, in falling, struck Hall in the pit of the
stomach, and rolled on the deck, as if it had hardly touched his
clothes. He fell instantly, and was taken up quite dead--the usual
tranquil smile his features bore still lingering on his lips. Hall was
not only a most excellent sailor, but, a truly honest man, and he was
long remembered and deeply regretted by all on board the Karteria. His
remains were committed to the deep, Captain Hastings reading the
funeral service; for the English insisted that he would have preferred
a sailor's funeral to being interred on shore in a Greek churchyard.
James Hall was the only human spirit among the rude crew of the
Karteria, and after his death most of the English sailors displayed
the feelings of savages. One old man-of-war's man, who had served in
many a well-fought action, declared that he would kill every Turkish
prisoner taken in the prizes at Volo; and he attempted one night to
break into the cabin abaft the larboard paddle-box, in which some of
these Turks were confined. Armed with a large knife, he proclaimed
that he was determined to kill the prisoners, and he called on the
other sailors to assist him. He argued, that the war with the Turks
was an irregular warfare; and as the Turks killed their prisoners, on
the ground that they were either rebels or outlaws, it was the duty of
the Greeks to kill every Turk who fell into their power. When brought
before Captain Hastings, he persisted in his determination; and though
he was perfectly sober, he at last declared that he would quit the
service, unless the English were allowed in future to kill the
prisoners. Hastings tried to reason with him, but in vain. It was
necessary to put him under arrest, and when the Kateria returned to
Poros, he demanded his discharge, and quitted Greece.
The Karteria suffered very severely in her hull and rigging, from the
fire of the castle at Volo, and the battery at Tricheri. She lost her
jib-boom, main-topmast, gaff, and larboard cat-head, and received much
other damage; so that it was necessary to proceed to Poros to give her
a thorough repair. On her way, she was fortunate enough to capture
four vessels laden with stores and provisions for the Turks of
Negropont.
At Poros, Hastings found the affairs of the navy very little improved
by Lord Cochrane's presence in Greece; and we think that we cannot
convey a better idea of their state, than is contained in a letter
which he addressed to his lordship on the 30th of April 1827. "It is
with deep regret I see the extreme discontent on board the Sauveur
brig, which seems to me to be greatly increased by, if not entirely
owing to, the Greeks being paid in advance, and the English being in
arrears of wages. In this country, I must repeat, my lord, nothing can
be done without regular payments. By paying out of my own funds when
others could not be obtained, I have established the confidence both
of Greeks and English in this vessel, as far as money is concerned;
but I cannot continue to pay out of my own pocket. If funds are not
forthcoming, I beg leave to resign. Whilst I am on board, the people
will always consider me personally responsible for their wages; and I
must again remark, I have suffered already much too severely in my
private fortune in this service to admit of my making further
sacrifices. Besides wages for the crew, I have various expenses to
repair damages sustained in the late actions at Volo and Tricheri."
Captain Hastings was, however, at this time, easily induced to
continue his services on board the Karteria, as the defeat of the
Greek army before Athens on the 6th of May, and the departure of
General Gordon, Count Porro, and several other Philhellenes, who
considered the cause utterly hopeless, rendered the moment unsuitable
for his resignation.
The Karteria was again fitted for sea with the greatest expedition,
and joined Lord Cochrane, when he made an unsuccessful attempt to
surprise and capture Ibrahim Pasha at Clarenza. Hastings was separated
from the Hellas by bad weather, and in returning to the rendezvous at
Spetzia, he lost two of his masts and two men, in a hurricane off Cape
Malea. Shortly after his return to Poros, where he was again compelled
to refit, he received the following laconic communication from Lord
Cochrane, in which all mention of a rendezvous was omitted.
"_Memo._--If the Perseverance is fit for service, please join the
squadron without delay.
"COCHRANE.
"_Hellas, 7th June 1827._
"Captain Hastings, _Perseverance_."
In consequence of this order, Captain Hastings set out in search of
Lord Cochrane. A series of fruitless cruises followed, in which every
division of the Turkish fleet contrived to escape the Greeks. At last,
it was resolved that an attack should be made on Vasiladhi, the little
fort which commands the entrance into the lagoons of Missolonghi; and
the whole fleet, under the command of Lord Cochrane in person,
appeared off that place. The attempt was only persisted in for a short
time, and it failed.
The treaty of the 6th of July 1827, for the pacification of the
affairs of Greece, between Great Britain, France, and Russia, now
became known to the Greeks; and the news stimulated both them and
their friends to make increased exertions, in order that the Allies
might find as much of the country as possible already delivered from
the Turkish yoke. A small squadron of ten Turkish brigs having entered
the Gulf of Lepanto, Lord Cochrane gave Hastings an order to pursue
them, conceived in the following flattering terms:--
_Off Missolonghi, 18th Sept. 1827._
"You have been good enough to volunteer to proceed into the Gulf
of Lepanto, into which, under existing circumstances, I should
not have ordered the Perseverance (Karteria.) I therefore leave
all the proceedings to your judgment, intimating only, that the
transporting of General Church's troops to the north of the gulf,
and the destruction or capture of the enemy's vessels, will be
services of high importance to the cause of Greece."
Captain Hastings immediately entered the gulf, passing through the
formidable strait between the castles of the Morea and Roumelia,
called the Dardanelles of Lepanto, during the night. On the 29th of
September, having collected his little squadron, consisting of the
Karteria, the brig Sauveur of eighteen guns, commanded by Captain
Thomas, and two gun-boats, each mounting a long thirty-two pounder;
Hastings stood into the bay of Salona (Amphissa) to attack a Turkish
squadron, consisting of nine vessels, anchored under the protection of
batteries, and a large body of troops placed at the Scala of Salona.
Three Austrian merchantmen in the port were also filled with armed
men, in spite of the remonstrances of their masters, and assisted in
defending the squadron at anchor.
About ten o'clock A.M., the Karteria, followed by the Sauveur and the
two gun-boats, stood into the bay to attack this formidable position.
The Turks were so confident of victory, that they were eager to see
the Greek ships anchor as near them as possible. They therefore
withheld their fire until Captain Hastings made the signal for
anchoring. The Karteria proceeded much nearer the shore than the
sailing vessels, and having anchored within five hundred yards,
opposite the vessel which bore the flag of the Turkish commodore, she
opened her fire. The Turks then commenced a furious cannonade from
upwards of sixty pieces of artillery; but they had hardly time to
reload the greater part of the guns on board their ships. Captain
Hastings, before going into action, had heated several shells,
thinking that sixty-eight pound shot might pass through both sides of
the vessels he was about to engage so near, as they were principally
constructed of fir. After firing one broadside of cold shot to make
sure of the range, his second consisted of two hot shells from the
long guns, and two carcass-shells from the carronades. One of these
lodged in the hull of the Turkish commodore, and, reaching the
powder-magazine, the action commenced by blowing up his ship.[12] A
carcass-shell exploding in the bows of the brig anchored next to the
commodore, she sank forward, while a hot shell striking her stern,
which stood up in the shallow water, it was soon enveloped in flames.
In a few minutes, another vessel was perceived to be on fire; and a
fine Algerine schooner, mounting twenty long brass guns, having
received a shell which exploded between her decks, was abandoned by
her crew.
The battle of Salona afforded the most satisfactory proofs of the
efficiency of the armament of steam-boats, with heavy guns, which
Captain Hastings had so long and so warmly advocated. The terrific and
rapid manner in which a force so greatly superior to his own was
utterly annihilated by the hot shot and shells of the Karteria,
silenced the opponents of Captain Hastings' plan throughout all
Europe. From that day it became evident to all who studied the
progress of naval warfare, that every nation in Europe must adopt his
principles of marine artillery, and arm some vessels in their fleets
on the model he had given them. In Greece the question of continuing
to hire merchant ships to form a fleet was put to rest; and the
necessity of commencing the formation of a national navy was now
admitted by Hydriotes, Spetziotes, and Psariotes.
The services of the other vessels in the Greek squadron at Salona,
though eclipsed by the superior armament of the Karteria ought not to
be overlooked. Captain Thomas, who commanded the Sauveur, displayed
all the courage, activity, and skill of an experienced English
officer; he silenced the two batteries, on which the Turks had placed
great dependence, as alone sufficient to prevent the Greeks from
entering the port; and by a well-directed fire of grape, he compelled
the troops which lined the shore to get under the cover of the
irregular ground in the neighbourhood. Hastings then made the signal
for all the boats of the squadron to take possession of the Algerine
schooner and the two other brigs which were not on fire.
A severe contest took place in order to gain possession of the
schooner; for the fire of the Greek ships being suspended as the boats
approached her, the Turkish troops sprang from their hiding-places,
and rushed to the edge of the rocks, which commanded a view of her
deck. From this position they opened a heavy fire of musketry on those
who had mounted her sides. The fire of the gun-boats again cleared the
beach; but the Turks contrived to keep up a severe fire at intervals,
and Mr Scanlan, the first lieutenant of the Sauveur, was killed, and
several others wounded, in attempting to get her under weigh. Captain
Hastings steamed up to the schooner at last, and having got her
stream-cable made fast, attempted to move her; but the cable broke,
and it became evident that the falling tide in the bay had fixed her
firmly on the ground. With incredible exertions her long brass guns
were all saved, and she was then set on fire. Mr Phalangas, a Greek
officer, the first lieutenant of the Karteria, was also wounded in
setting fire to a brig anchored at some distance from the rest. The
boats then concluded the day by driving the Turks from the Austrian
merchantmen, and bringing out these vessels as prizes.
In this engagement nine Turkish vessels were destroyed, though
defended by batteries on shore and upwards of 500 veteran troops; yet
it cost the assailants only six men killed and a few wounded. In the
despatch of Captain Hastings, announcing the victory, he pays a high
tribute to the merits of Captain Hane, who had served with him at the
siege of Nauplia in 1822, and in Crete during the campaign of 1823.
"The services of Captain Hane of the artillery, serving on board this
vessel, are too well known on every former occasion to make it
necessary for me to say more than that I am equally indebted to him
now as on other occasions."
Ibrahim Pasha was at Navarin with an immense fleet, when he heard of
the destruction of his ships in the bay of Salona. Sir Edward
Codrington and Admiral de Rigny had, on the 25th of September, entered
into convention with him to suspend all hostilities against the Greeks
until he should receive answers from Constantinople and Alexandria to
the communications made on the part of the three allied powers; but
neither Hastings nor the Turkish commodore in the Gulf of Lepanto were
aware of this circumstance. The rage of Ibrahim when he heard of the
result of the affair at Salona knew no bounds, and he determined to
inflict the severest vengeance on Hastings, whose little squadron he
thought he could easily annihilate.
Sir Edward Codrington, after arranging the terms of the convention,
had repaired to Zante to wait the arrival of several vessels he
expected, and Admiral de Rigny had left Navarin to collect the French
force in the Archipelago. Ibrahim, seeing that there were no ships of
the allies at Navarin capable of stopping his fleet, ordered
twenty-six men-of-war to put to sea on the 30th of September. He
embarked himself with this division of his fleet, determined to
witness the destruction of the Greek squadron. A violent gale,
however, compelled him to put back on the 3d of October; but a part of
his fleet, under the command of the Patrona Bey, persisting in its
endeavours to enter the Gulf of Lepanto, was pursued by Admiral
Codrington, who forced it to return to Navarin, but not until he had
found himself obliged to fire into several of the Ottoman ships. As
the English admiral had at the time a very small force at Zante, many
of the Turkish ships might, in spite of all his exertions, have
escaped into the gulf, unless he had been aided in arresting their
progress by a succession of gales which blew on the 4th, 5th, and 6th
of October. These gales assisted Sir Edward Codrington in compelling
the whole of the dispersed fleet of the Patrona Bey to seek refuge in
the port of Navarin.
In the mean time the position of Captain Hastings was one of extreme
danger, and Lord Cochrane, who addressed his last official
communication to him on the 12th of October, conveys his parting words
of praise and confidence in the following terms:--"You have done so
much good, and so much is anticipated from your keeping open the
communications between the shores of the gulf, that I think you would
do well to remain for a while where you are. You occupy, however, a
position of risk, if the reports are true regarding the fleet being
off Patras; and therefore I leave you to act in all things as you
judge best for the public service." Hastings, as soon as he was
informed of Ibrahim Pasha's intention to attack him, and before he had
received the news of his deliverance by the movement of Sir Edward
Codrington's squadron, had selected the spot in which he hoped to be
able to defy the attacks of the whole fleet sent against him. He chose
a small bay at the eastern extremity of the Gulf of Corinth, formed in
the rocky precipices of Mount Geranion, and open to the Alcyonian sea.
This little bay or port is called Strava. Its entrance is protected by
two rocky islands, and it is bounded on the continent by a succession
of precipices covered by pine woods, which render the debarkation of a
large force in the neighbourhood very difficult. Hastings proposed to
defend this position by landing four of his guns on the mainland and
the islands; and he made every preparation for receiving the Egyptians
with a well-sustained fire of hot shot, while a number of Greek troops
were assembled to man the rocks around.
There can be no doubt that Ibrahim Pasha committed a blunder in
violating the convention into which he had just entered, and his
attempt at taking vengeance into his own hands, instead of appealing
to the three allied powers, created great distrust on the part of the
admirals. They naturally enough conceived that he would always hold
himself ready to take every advantage of their absence, and their only
method of effectually watching the immense fleet assembled at Navarin
was by bringing their own squadrons to an anchor in that immense
harbour. The battle of Navarin, on the 20th of October, was the
natural consequence of the distrust on the one side, and the eager
desire of revenge on the other, which rendered the proximity of the
different fleets necessary. The affair of Captain Hastings at Salona,
as one of the proximate causes of this great naval engagement,
acquires an historical importance far exceeding its mere military
results. In the eyes of the Greeks and Turks it very justly occupies a
prominent place in the history of the Greek war, as it is by them
always viewed as the link which connects their military operations
with the celebrated battle of Navarin.
The destruction of the Turkish and Egyptian fleets delivered Greece
from imminent peril; but in the exultation created by the assurance
that their independence was firmly established, the Greek government
began to forget the services which the Karteria had rendered in the
days of their despair. No supplies of any kind were forwarded to
Captain Hastings, who remained in the gulf; both Lord Cochrane and the
government allowed him to remain without provisions, and his crew
would have in great part quitted him, unless he had paid the men their
wages from his own fortune. On the 17th of November he wrote to Lord
Cochrane, urging the necessity of sending him some assistance. This
letter, which remained unanswered, contains the following
passages:--"I am now seven thousand pounds out of pocket by my
services in Greece, and I am daily expending my own money for the
public service. Our prizes are serving as transports for the army, and
we must either shortly abandon this position or be paid. Without money
I cannot any longer maintain this vessel. I will do all I can; but I
must repeat, that it is not quite fair I should end a beggar, after
all the labour, vexation, and disappointment I have experienced for so
many years."
The only body of troops available for any national purpose, which had
been kept together after the loss of Athens, with the exception of the
corps of regular troops under General Fabvier, was that assembled by
General Church on the southern shores of the Gulf of Lepanto. As soon
as the battle of Navarin had paralysed the movements of the Turks,
General Church determined to transport his troops from the Morea into
Acarnania, where the Greek captains, who had submitted to the Turks,
offered again to take up arms, if an adequate force appeared in the
province to support them. The principal object which detained the
Karteria in the gulf had been to assist the movements of General
Church, who now resolved to cross over to Acarnania from Cape Papas.
On the evening of the 17th of November, Captain Hastings received a
communication from General Church, requesting him to appear off Cape
Papas next day.
In order to arrive at the rendezvous in time, Hastings was compelled
to quit the gulf in the daytime, and consequently to expose his own
ship and the three prizes to the fire of the castles of the Morea and
Romelia--an act of rashness of which he would not willingly have been
guilty. The castle of the Morea mounted about sixty guns, and that of
Romelia twenty-seven; those commanding the straights were of large
calibre. As their fire crossed, the passage of the Dardanelles of
Lepanto was always considered a dangerous enterprise; and certainly,
if the batteries had been served by good artillerymen, no ship could
have ventured under their fire without being destroyed. Even with the
gunners of Ibrahim Pasha's army, the passage was attended with
considerable risk.
The little squadron of Captain Hastings approached the castles about
noon on a beautiful day. The Karteria, leading with a favourable wind,
and spreading an immense extent of canvass from her four low masts,
glided along with the aid of her steam at an amazing rate. Her three
prizes, followed with every sail set, and two Greek misticos availed
themselves of the opportunity of quitting the gulf in order to cruise
as privateers between Patras and Missolonghi. The moment the Karteria
came within gun-shot of the Turkish castles, they opened their fire;
and for some time the balls fell thick around her--those of both
castles passing over her hull, and falling beyond their mark. Several
shot, however, struck her sails, and the slow and regular manner in
which each gun was discharged as it came to bear, indicated that the
passage was not likely to be effected without some loss. Fortunately
very few shot struck the hull of the Karteria, yet the damage she
received was not inconsiderable. The funnel was shot through, a patent
windlass was broken to pieces, and the fragments of the iron wheels
scattered about the decks like a shower of grape. Several paddles were
wrenched off the starboard paddle-wheel, and one shot passed through
the side near the water's edge. Two of the best sailors on board were
killed by a twenty-four pound shot while working a gun on the
quarter-deck. The hand of a boy was carried away by another, and yet
all this loss was sustained ere the Karteria had reached the centre of
the passage. At the moment when every shot was taking effect, the
Turks suddenly lost the range. Every succeeding shot passed over the
steamer, and she proceeded along under the fire of more than half the
guns, without receiving any additional damage. The Turks were only
able to reload a few guns to discharge at the rest of the squadron,
which escaped uninjured.
The loss of two men killed and one wounded, distressed Captain
Hastings. He was sure the Turks at Patras would soon receive an
exaggerated account of the damage he had sustained, from their spies
at Zante; and as this would embolden those who furnished their camp
with provisions, he was extremely anxious to destroy any vessels that
might be anchored at Patras, in order to convince the enemy that the
Karteria was to be dreaded, even after receiving the greatest injury.
A favourable opportunity fortunately offered itself of displaying the
power of the steamer to Ibrahim Pasha's camp at Patras. On approaching
the roadstead, a brig heavily laden was seen at anchor, which had
evidently arrived the preceding night, little expecting that the Greek
squadron would quit the gulf in the daytime. Hastings immediately
made every preparation for cutting her out, but the Austrian consul
was seen approaching in a small boat, with a flag like the ensign of a
three-decker. The following dialogue took place between him and
Hastings alongside the Karteria, while the Austrians in the brig were
actively engaged in getting every thing ready to haul their vessel, at
a moment's warning, under a battery of Turkish field-pieces placed on
the beach.
_Hastings._--"As Austrian consul, you must be aware that the Greek
government have been blockading Patras for some time, and that there
is now a gun-boat cruising off the port."
_Austrian Consul._--"My government acknowledges no such authority as a
Greek government, and, consequently, does not admit the validity of
its acts."
_Hastings._--"My orders, however, are to enforce those acts. I must,
therefore, request you to proceed immediately to the Austrian brig at
anchor in the Harbour, and order the master to come on board with his
papers."
_Austrian Consul._--"I believe I am speaking to an Englishman; and
neither Austria nor Turkey being at war with England, you are bound to
respect the Austrian flag."
_Hastings._--"You are speaking, sir, to an officer in the Greek
service, commanding the squadron blockading Patras; and if the
Austrian brig does not place itself under my protection in five
minutes, I shall fire into the Turkish camp, and it will be
destroyed."
In saying this, Captain Hastings took out his watch and left the
consul, who vainly endeavoured to renew the conversation in order to
gain time. When he quitted the Karteria, he pulled towards the shore,
instead of proceeding to communicate Hastings' orders to the master of
the brig. This being, apparently, a concerted signal, the greatest
exertions were suddenly commence to haul the Austrian vessel under the
guns of the battery.
Hastings allowed the Austrian consul five minutes to reach the shore;
and as he was not inclined to expose his crew to any loss in taking
possession of a prize which he could easily destroy without danger, he
directed his fire against the Austrian brig. As soon as he found that
he was approaching the range of the Turkish battery, he fired a few
shells into it and the Austrian vessel. One of these exploding in her
hull near the water's edge, tore out great part of her side, and she
sank almost instantaneously, barely leaving time for the crew to
escape in the long-boat.
On the 28th of November, General Church reached Cape Papas with the
first division of his army, consisting of only six hundred men, which
was embarked and transported to Dragomestre. Two days after, the
squadron returned, and conveyed over to Romelia the remainder of the
Greek troops, not exceeding seven hundred soldiers; so that General
Church opened his winter campaign in Acarnania, which led to the
conquest of that province, with a force of only one thousand three
hundred fighting men.
While the Greek army was engaged in fortifying its position at
Dragomestre, Captain Hastings resolved to attack Vasiladhi--the small
insular fort commanding the entrance into the lagoons of Missolonghi
and Anatolikon, which Lord Cochrane had attempted in vain to capture
about three months before. On the 22d of December he anchored about
three thousand yards from the fort, finding that it was impossible to
bring the Karteria any nearer. For nearly a mile round Vasiladhi, the
depth of the water does not exceed three feet, and the fort itself
rises little more than six feet above the level of the sea. The
bombardment of such a place was a delicate operation, requiring the
most favourable weather, and the very best artillery practice. The
first day the attempt was made, two hundred shells were fired without
producing any effect. When fired _en ricochet_, they diverged to the
right and left in a manner which gave Vasiladhi the appearance of an
enchanted spot. Captain Hastings conjectured that this singular
circumstance was owing to the shallowness of the water; the mud
approaching the surface close to the fort, afforded so much more
resistance to the shells which fell in its immediate vicinity, as to
cause a more marked deviation in the line of their primary direction.
At the same time it was found that those shells which were fired with
a charge of eight pounds of powder, at twenty-three degrees of
elevation--the highest elevation that could be given to the long
guns--all varied to the right, though the day was perfectly calm. This
variation appeared to be caused by a strong current of air at some
height above the earth's surface; but it was so irregular that it was
found impossible to make any correct allowance for it; and it was
singular, that any wind perceptible on the deck of the Karteria blew
in the contrary direction.
For some days after this unsuccessful attempt, the weather was too
stormy to think of renewing the attack; but on the 29th of December
the day was perfectly calm, and the atmosphere of that transparent
clearness which characterises the climate of Greece. Hastings
determined to bombard Vasiladhi a second time. The first shell fired
indicated that the circumstances were now favourable; and the fourth,
which Captain Hastings fired with his own hand, exploded in the
powder-magazine. All the boats were instantly ordered out to storm the
place; but the Turks were thrown into such a state of confusion by the
explosion of the powder, and the fire which burst out in their huts,
that they were unable to offer any resistance; and the assailants,
commanded by Captain Hane of the artillery, entered the place, seized
the arms of the Turks, and set them to work at extinguishing the fire,
which was spreading to the magazine of provisions, as if they had only
arrived to assist their friends. There were fifty-one Turks in the
fort; twelve had been killed by the explosion.
Captain Hastings ordered all the prisoners to be transported on board
the Karteria; and as he could ill spare any of his provisions, and
could not encumber his vessel with enemies who required to be guarded,
he resolved to release them immediately. He therefore informed the
Turkish commandant that he would send him to Missolonghi in a
monoxylon, or canoe used in the lagoons, in order to procure two large
flat-bottomed boats to take away the prisoners. The Turk, who
considered this was only a polite way of letting him know that he was
to be drowned or suffocated in the mud, showed, nevertheless, no signs
of fear or anger. He thanked Captain Hastings for the soldier-like
manner in which he had been treated, and said that, as a prisoner, it
was his duty to meet death in any way his conqueror might determine.
The scene at last began to assume a comic character;--for Hastings was
the last person on board to perceive that his prisoner supposed that
he was about to be murdered by his orders; and the Turkish commandant
was the only one who did not understand that it was really Hastings'
intention to send him to Missolonghi in perfect safety. When the Turk
was conducted to the monoxylon, in which one of his own men was
seated, in order to paddle the boat through the lagoon, he was
convinced of his error, and his expressions of gratitude to Hastings
were warm, though as dignified as his previous conduct.
The flat-bottomed boats arrived next day, and took away the prisoners.
They brought a sheep and a sabre as a present to Captain Hastings from
the Turkish commandant, accompanied by a letter expressing his regret
that the commander-in-chief in Missolonghi would not allow him to come
himself to visit his benefactor.
The conquest of Vasiladhi did not diminish the difficulties with which
Hastings was surrounded, nor remove any of the disagreeable
circumstances attendant on the neglect with which he was treated by
Lord Cochrane and the Greek government. On the 7th of January 1828, he
wrote to a friend in the following desponding terms:--"I am full of
misery. I have not a dollar. I owe my people three months' pay, and
five dollars a man gratuity for Vasiladhi. I have no provisions. I
have lost an anchor and chain. If I can get out of my present
difficulties, I may perhaps go into the gulf."
On the 16th of January he wrote to the Greek government, stating all
the difficulties of his position, and complaining of the manner in
which the Karteria had been left entirely dependent on his private
resources. He wrote: "It has become an established maxim to leave
this vessel without any supplies. Dr Goss has just been at Zante, and
has left three hundred dollars for the Helvetia, now serving under my
orders--but not one farthing, no provisions, and not even a single
word, for me. Five months ago, I was eight thousand dollars in advance
for the pay of my crew; and, since that time, I have only received one
thousand dollars from the naval chest of Lord Cochrane, and six
hundred from the military of General Church. This last sum is not even
sufficient to pay the expenses incurred by the detention of our prizes
in order to serve as transports for the army. I have, in addition to
the ordinary expenses of this vessel, been obliged to purchase wood
for our steam-engine, and provisions for the gun-boat Helvetia--to
which I have also furnished two hundred dollars in money to pay the
crew. The capture of Vasiladhi has cost me two thousand dollars; yet I
have not taken the brass cannon in that fort, and replaced them with
the iron guns of our prizes, in order to assist me in meeting my
expenses."
About this time Count Capo d'Istrias arrived in Greece to assume the
presidency of the republic; and Captain Hastings, as soon as he was
informed of his arrival, transmitted him a very valuable letter, in
which he gave a luminous picture of the state of affairs in Western
Greece. This letter is particularly instructive, as it gives an
admirable summary of the line of conduct which gained Hastings his
great reputation in Greece. "From the hour of my receiving the command
of the Karteria, I determined to break down the system existing in the
navy of paying the sailors in advance, as such a practice is
destructive of all discipline. The Greek government and Lord Cochrane,
however, did not adopt this rule. They paid their own equipages in
advance, and they left mine unpaid."
Count Capo d'Istrias, though a very able diplomatist, was not a
military man; and he paid no attention to Hastings' letter. Lord
Cochrane, who had long ceased to hold any communication with Captain
Hastings, had, a short time previous to the arrival of Count Capo
d'Istrias, suddenly disappeared from Greece, in the English yacht in
which he arrived, without giving the Greek government any notice of
his intention. In this state of things, it was not wonderful that the
naval affairs of the country fell into the most deplorable anarchy;
and the disorder became so painful to Captain Hastings, that he
resigned the command of the Kateria and resolved to quit Greece.
The importance of preventing so distinguished a Philhellene from
quitting Greece so shortly after his own arrival, struck Count Capo
d'Istrias very forcibly, and he resolved to do every thing in his
power to retain Captain Hastings in his service. To effect this, he
invited him to a personal interview at Poros, in order, as he said, to
avail himself of the valuable experience of so tried a friend to the
cause of his country. When they met, it was easy for Capo d'Istrias to
persuade Hastings to resume the command of the naval division in the
Gulf of Corinth; particularly as the president promised to adopt the
principles which Hastings laid down as necessary for the formation of
a national navy, and engaged to follow his advice in organizing this
force. Nothing, indeed, could have gratified the ambition of Captain
Hastings so much as being employed in this way, since he could thus
hope to raise a durable monument of his naval skill, and a lasting
memorial of his service in Greece.
After commencing the formation of a naval arsenal at Poros, and laying
the foundation for some superstructure of order in the naval
administration, Hastings again assumed the command of the Karteria;
and on the 9th of May 1828, anchored off Vasiladhi, in order to
co-operate with the troops under General Church. The united forces had
been directed by the president to act against Anatolikon and
Missolonghi, which, it was hoped, would easily be compelled to
surrender. After reconnoitring the approaches to Anatolikon, which
General Church had resolved to attack first, Captain Hastings, with
his usual activity, prepared rocket-frames, and brought all his boats
into the lagoons. On the 15th, an attempt was made to set fire to the
town by the discharge of a number of six and twelve-pound rockets;
but, though many entered the place, no conflagration ensued, and the
attack failed. It was then determined to bombard Anatolikon; and,
under the cover of a heavy fire of shells from the batteries, and
grenades from the gun-boats, to make an attempt to carry the place by
storm.
The 25th of May was fixed for the assault; and Captain Hastings, who
felt the necessity of enforcing order, and setting an example of
courage in so important a crisis, determined to direct the attack of
the naval forces in person. Unfortunately, a division of the land
forces, which were totally destitute of all discipline, and not even
officered in a regular manner, had been embarked in the boats of some
Greek privateers, for the purpose of assisting in the attack. The real
object of these troops was to try to get first into the place in order
to pillage. Before the artillery had produced any effect, and before
Captain Hastings had made all the necessary dispositions for the
assault, these irregular troops advanced to the attack. Two officers
of the marine, who commanded the gun-boats at the greatest distance
from the boats of the Karteria, seeing the attack commencing, and
supposing that the signal had been given by Captain Hastings, pushed
forward. No alternative now remained between carrying the place, or
witnessing a total defeat of a considerable part of the force under
his command; Hastings, therefore, without a moment's hesitation,
endeavoured to repair the error already committed, by rendering the
attack as general as possible. Making the signal of attack, he led the
boats of the Karteria to the assault.
The ardour of the troops who rashly commenced the attack abated, as
soon as they found that the Turks received them with a well-directed
fire of musketry. After some feeble attempts to approach the enemy, in
which they sustained no loss, they kept their boats stationary far out
of musket-shot of Anatolikon. On the other side, the boats of the
Greek squadron advanced with great gallantry and steadiness; but the
Turks had assembled a powerful force, which was posted in a
well-protected position, and opened a severe fire on the assailants.
The shallow water, and intricate channel through the lagoon, retarded
the progress of the two gun-boats; and Captain Andrea, who commanded
that in advance, having been killed, and some of his men wounded, his
crew was thrown into disorder. Captain Hastings, pushing forward in
his gig to repair this loss, was almost immediately after struck by a
rifle-ball in the left arm, and fell down. His fall was the signal for
a general retreat.
When the boats returned to the Karteria, the wound of Captain Hastings
was examined and bandaged. By a most unfortunate accident, there was
no surgeon attached to the ship at the time; one surgeon having left a
few days before, and his successor not having arrived. A medical man
had, however, without any loss of time, been procured from the camp on
shore; and after he had dressed the wound, he declared that it was not
alarming, and that the arm was in no danger. Though he suffered great
pain, Captain Hastings soon began to turn his attention to repairing
the loss the Greek arms had sustained. On the 28th of May, he wrote a
report of the proceedings before Anatolikon, addressed to the minister
of the marine; and in it he expressed the hope, that in a few days his
wound would be so far healed as to allow him again to assume the
direction of the operations against Anatolikon in person.
But, in spite of the favourable opinion expressed by the surgeon of
the troops, it became evident that the wound was rapidly becoming
worse; and it was decided that amputation was necessary. In order to
entrust the operation to a more skilful surgeon than the one who had
hitherto attended him, it was necessary that Captain Hastings should
proceed to Zante. This decision had unfortunately been delayed too
long. Tetanus had ensued before the Karteria reached the port; and, on
the 1st of June, Frank Abney Hastings expired at Zante, on board the
Karteria, which he had so gloriously commanded.
The moment his death was known in Greece, the great value of his
services was universally felt. All hope of organizing the Greek navy
perished with him; and notwithstanding the advice and assistance of
the European powers, and the adoption of many plans prepared by the
allies of Greece, the naval force of that country is in a much worse
condition to-day than it was at the time of Captain Hastings' death in
1828. Every honour was paid to his memory. The president of Greece,
Count Capo d'Istrias, decreed that his remains should receive a public
funeral; and by an ordinance addressed to Mr Alexander Maurocordatos,
the minister of the marine, and Mr George Finlay and Mr Nicholas
Kalergy, the personal friends of the deceased, he charged these
gentlemen with this sacred duty. Mr Tricoupi pronounced the funeral
oration when the interment took place at Poros; and he concluded his
discourse with the following words, as the prayer of the assembled
clergy in the name of the whole Greek nation:--"O LORD! IN THY
HEAVENLY KINGDOM REMEMBER FRANK ABNEY HASTINGS, WHO DIED IN DEFENCE OF
HIS SUFFERING FELLOW-CREATURES."
But nations are proverbially ungrateful. Nearly seventeen years have
now elapsed since the death of Hastings, the best and ablest
Englishman who, even to the present hour, has been connected in any
way with the public affairs of Greece; yet neither the Greek
government nor the Greek people, though often revelling in millions
rashly furnished them by their injudicious friends, have ever thought
of paying their debt of gratitude to the memory of Frank Abney
Hastings. While stars and ribands have been lavishly conferred on
those whose power was supposed to influence the arrival of expected
millions, the heirs of Hastings were forgotten. We are bound, however,
to absolve a considerable portion of the nation from the charge of
ingratitude and avarice, which we only thereby concentrate against the
government, and the leading statesmen of the country.
When the numerous Greek sailors who had served under the orders of
Hastings heard of his death, many of them happened to be at Egina.
They immediately collected a sum of money among themselves, and
engaged the clergy at Egina to celebrate the funeral service in the
principal church, with all the pomp and ceremony possible in those
troubled times. Never probably was a braver man more sincerely mourned
by a veteran band of strangers, who, in a foreign land, grieved more
deeply for his untimely loss.
It may appear surprising to many of our readers that we should give to
the name of Hastings so very prominent a position in the history of
the latter days of the Greek Revolution, when that name is
comparatively unknown at home. To make this apparent, we shall
endeavour to explain the manner in which the Greeks carried on their
warfare with the Turks; and it will then appear that European officers
were not generally likely to form either a correct or a favourable
opinion of the military affairs of the country. It is not, therefore,
surprising that false ideas of the state of Greece have prevailed, or
indeed that they still continue to prevail, even among the foreigners
long resident in the new Greek kingdom. The military operations of the
Greeks, both at sea and on shore, were remarkable, not only for a
total want of all scientific knowledge, but also for the absence of
every shadow of discipline, and the first elements of order and
subordination. The troops consisted of a number of separate corps,
each under its own captain, who regulated the movements, and provided
for the supply of his men, from day to day. Every soldier joined his
standard, and left it, when he thought fit, unless when it happened
that he had received some pay in advance; in which case, he was bound
in honour to remain in the camp for the term he was engaged. With such
an army, any systematic plan of campaign, and all strategetical
combinations, were clearly impossible; and when they have been
attempted by the different European officers who have commanded the
Greeks, they have invariably ended in the most complete defeats the
Greeks have ever sustained. So entirely were the operations of the war
an affair of chance, that the mountain skirmishes, in which the Greek
troops excelled, were usually brought on by accident.
In such an army, it is evident that the services of many an able
officer would be useless. A Greek general could only acquire and
maintain a due influence over his troops by taking a rifle in his
hand, and bounding over the rocks in advance of his soldiers. The best
general, therefore, in the estimation of the soldiers, was the officer
who could run fastest, see furthest, and fire with truest aim from
behind the smallest possible projection of a rock. In cases where it
became absolutely necessary to enforce obedience to an order, the
captain required to be both able and willing to knock down the first
man who dared to show any signs of dissatisfaction with the butt of
his pistol. Many excellent European generals were not competent to
emulate the fame to be gained in such a service.
Matters were very little better in the fleet. The sailors were always
paid in advance, or they refused to embark; if on a cruise, when the
term for which they had been paid expired, they always returned home,
unless prevented by an additional payment. While at sea, they
frequently held councils to discuss the movements of their ships, and
repeatedly compelled their captains to alter the plans adopted by the
admiral; and sometimes they have been known to carry their ships home
in defiance of their officers. Even the brilliant exploits of the
fire-ships which destroyed the Turkish three-deckers, were entirely
performed by volunteers, and are rather due to the daring courage of
Kanaris, and a few other individuals, than to the naval skill of the
Greek fleet. In the latter years of the war, when the Turks and
Egyptians had, by the exertions of Sultan Mahmoud and Mohammed Ali,
made some small progress in naval affairs, the fire-ships of the
Greeks failed to produce any important results.
Captain Hastings, observing the total difference between Greek and
European warfare, avoided the error into which foreigners generally
fell, of allowing their authority to be mixed up with that of others,
over whose actions they could not exercise any efficient control.
Instead of seeking a command, the imposing title of which might
flatter his vanity, and impose on the rest of Europe, Hastings
steadily refused to accept any rank, or place himself in any command,
where he would have been unable to enforce obedience to his orders. By
this means, and by the sacrifice of very large sums of money from his
private fortune, in paying not only the men, but even all the officers
who bore commissions on board the Karteria, he was enabled to maintain
some order and discipline in that vessel. Though he was at the head of
the smallest detached force commanded by a foreigner in Greece, there
can be no doubt that, of all the foreigners who have visited Greece,
he rendered the greatest service to the cause of her independence. At
the same time, it is not wonderful that all other foreigners have felt
but little inclined to give the due meed of praise to a line of
conduct which they have never had strength of mind to imitate.
It may be observed here, that the naval operations of Captain Hastings
possess considerable interest in connexion with the modern history of
maritime warfare in Europe. The Karteria was the first steam-vessel
armed with long sixty-eight pounders; she was the first vessel from
which eight-inch shells and hot shot were used as ordinary
projectiles. And this great change in the employment of destructive
elements of warfare was introduced by Captain Hastings among a people
where he had to teach the first principles of military discipline. Yet
he overcame every difficulty; and with very little assistance, either
from the Greek government, or the officers who were his superiors in
the Greek navy, he succeeded in giving all the naval powers of Europe
a valuable practical lesson in marine artillery. Great Britain is
especially called upon to acknowledge her obligations to Captain
Hastings. She has imitated the armament of the Greek steam-frigate
Karteria in several vessels; and though the admiralty have doubtless
added many improvements in our ships, we are only the more explicitly
bound to recognise the debt of gratitude we owe. By rendering naval
warfare not only more destructive, but at the same time making it more
dependent on a combination of good gunnery and mechanical knowledge
with profound naval skill, he has increased the naval power of Great
Britain, where all these qualities are cultivated in the highest
degree. At the same time, the civilized world is indebted to him for
rendering battles so terrible as to be henceforth less frequent; and
for putting an end to naval warfare as a means of amusing kings, and
gratifying the ambition of princely admirals, or vain-glorious states.
In concluding this sketch of the biography of Hastings, we regret that
we have to record the death of Colonel Hane of the Greek army, so long
his companion during the war, and who is so often and so honourably
mentioned in his despatches as Captain Hane of the artillery. His
death is another blot on Greece, and on what is called the English
party in Greece, by whom he was treated with the greatest neglect.
Colonel Hane was removed from active employment in 1842, when King
Otho placed many Philhellenes and Greeks on a trifling pittance of
half-pay, in order to retain a number of Bavarian officers in his
service, who were richly endowed with staff-appointments. As a
Philhellene, a constitutionalist, and an Englishman, it was natural
that Colonel Hane should be treated with the utmost severity by the
court and the Bavarian administration.
The adoption of the constitution on the 15th September (3d O.S.) 1843,
caused all the Bavarians to be dismissed from the Greek service; but
there were so many Greeks more eager in their solicitations for
appointments than Colonel Hane, and ministers are always so much more
ready to listen to the claims of their party than their country, that
the title of a stranger to the gratitude of Greece was easily
forgotten. When Mr Alexander Maurocordatos, however, became
prime-minister, his subserviency to English diplomacy was supposed by
many to indicate a feeling of attachment to English views, and an
esteem for the English character. Under this impression, Mr
Bracebridge, Dr Howe, and Mr George Finlay, solicited Sir Edmund Lyons
to exert his influence to prevent an Englishman, who, for twenty-three
years, had served Greece with courage and fidelity, from dying of
absolute want. Mr Maurocordatos gave Sir Edmund Lyons some promises,
but those promises were never fulfilled; and Colonel Hane died of a
broken heart at Athens, on the 18th of September 1844, leaving a young
wife and three children in the most destitute condition.
It was well known to every body in Athens, from King Otho to the
youngest soldiers in the army, that Colonel Hane had for some time
suffered the severest privations of poverty, which he had vainly
endeavoured to conceal. That his last hours were soothed by the
possession of the necessaries of life, was owing to the delicacy with
which Dr Howe and Mr Bracebridge contrived to make the assistance they
supplied as soothing to his mind, as it was indispensable for the
comfort of his declining health.
Frank Abney Hastings, the hero who commanded the Karteria, and John
Hane, the gallant officer who fought by his side, now rest in peace.
Two volunteers, their friends and companions in many a checkered scene
of life, still survive to cherish the memory of the days spent
together on board the Karteria. One has acquired a wide-extended
reputation in America and Europe, by the intelligence, activity, and
we may truly say genius, with which he has laboured to alleviate the
sufferings of humanity. But for an account of Dr Howe's exertions to
extend the blessings of education to the blind, the deaf, and the
dumb, we must refer to Dickens' _American Notes_. The other still
watches the slow progress of the Greeks towards that free and
independent condition of which these friends of their cause once
fancied they beheld the approaching dawn. We may, therefore, allow the
names of Hastings, Hane, Howe, and Finlay, to stand united on our
page--
"As in this glorious and well foughten field
They stood together in their chivalry."
_Edinburgh: Printed by Ballantyne and Hughes, Paul's Work._
Footnotes:
[1] An offspring created without a mother.
[2] "There is no one now thinks of reading Montesquieu," said the
Marquis of Mirabeau, author of _L'Ami des Hommes_, and a distinguished
economist, to the King of Sweden, in 1772, at Paris.--See _Biog.
Univ._ xxix. 89.
[3] This is still the case in some parts of England, according to the
custom called Borough-English, Blackstone, ii. 93. Duhalde mentions
that a similar rule of descent prevails among some of the Tartar
tribes whom he visited on the frontiers of China: a curious indication
of the justice of Montesquieu's speculation as to its origin.
[4] We were once told by Mr West, the president, that the reading of
Richardson, (to use his own words,) "lighted up a fire in his breast
that had never been extinguished; and that he had in consequence, and
contrary to the wishes of his friends and relatives, who were Quakers
at Philadelphia, resolved to become a painter." By a very curious
circumstance, this identical volume is now in our possession, the
legacy of the very man, whose history is worth relating, who lent it
to Mr West when a boy.
[5] Fuseli objects that the principal figures and chief action in the
_Raising of Lazarus_, by Sebastian del Piombo, are crowded into a
corner. He would have had them "pyramid;" so does received quackery
overpower the judgment of men of sense, and acute reasoning.
[6] CHANT.
The Theatines' commandments ten
Have less to do with saints than men.
_Chorus_.--Tra lara, tra lara.
1--Of money make sure. Tra lara, &c.
2--Entrap rich and poor.
3--Always get a good dinner.
4--In all bargains be winner.
5--Cool your red wine with white.
6--Turn day into night.
7--Give the bailiff the slip.
8--Make the world fill your scrip.
9--Make your convert a slave.
10--To your king play the knave.
_Chorus._--Those ten commandments make but _two_--
All things for _me_, and none for _you_.
Tra lara, tra lara.
[7]
Breeders of all foreign wars,
Breeders of all household jars,
Snugly 'scaping all the scars.
Worshipp'd, like the saints they make;
Tyrants, forcing fools to quake;
Grasping all we brew or bake.
All our souls and bodies ruling,
All our passions hotly schooling,
All our wit and wisdom fooling.
Lords of all our goods and chattels,
Firebrands of our bigot battles.
When you see them, spring your rattles.
Shun them, as you'd shun the Pest;
Shun them, teacher, friend, and guest;
Shun them, north, south, east, and west.
France, her true disease has hit;
France has made the vagrants flit;
France has swamp'd the Jesuit.
[8] _The Discovery of the Science of Languages._ By MORGAN KAVANAGH.
London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. 1844.
[9] The poets are a little at variance, and do not all celebrate the
_same_ wine--(as some of us like Port, and some Madeira)--some,
doubtless, dealt with better wine-merchants than others. Poets have
the privilege of celebrating plain women, and wine that nobody else
can drink. Redi talks of Monte Fiascone and Monte Pulciano--both
_raisin_ wines to English or French stomachs. _Florence_ had no fame
in those days, and _now_ makes by far the best wine in Italy--give
_us_ good _Chianti_, and none of your Aleatico or Vino Santo. At Rome,
there is not a flask of any thing fit to drink; and we recollect when
bad _Spanish wine_ was brought up the Tiber to meet the deficiency.
_Orvieto_ is far from wholesome; yet, in Juvenal's time, _Albano_
furnished a wine of superlative quality.
"_Albani_ veteris pretiosa senectus;"
the same passage denouncing _Falernian_ by the epithet of _acris_--a
wine, he says, to _make faces at_. Again, _Cuma_ and _Gaurus_--the
privilege of drinking those wines was for the _rich only_--are now the
common drink of the peasants who cultivate them.
"_Te_ Trifolinus ager _fecundis vitibus_ implet,
Suspectumque jugum _Cumis_, et _Gaurus inanis_."
The _vinum Setinum_, wine fit for patriots to drink "on the birthdays
of Brutus and Cassius," was never heard of by a subject of the _Pope_,
nor would be worth above a _paul_ a flask. But the day is far off when
Italy will quaff a generous goblet on any such solemnity, or pour out
a cup
"Quale coronati Thrasca, Helvidiusque bibebant,
Brut rum et Cassi natablibus."
[10] During the dissensions of the Regency and the _corps
diplomatique_, old Kolocotroni, who was then confined in the fortress
above the town of Nauplia, once remarked--"These Franks abuse us for
quarrelling, but"--and here he threw out his right hand with the
fingers wide apart towards the town of Nauplia below him, exclaiming,
[Greek: na], with true Greek energy--"they worry one another like
dogs--to unshame us." [Greek: Trogountai san schulia dia na mas
exentropiasan.]
[11] Published by RIDGWAY. 1828.
[12] In a description of the engagement, forwarded by the Austrian
consul at Patras to the consul-general in the Ionian islands, which
was captured by the Greeks, the following is the account given by the
Austrians:--"Il commandante della flottiglia Ottomana con terzo del
Vapore ando per aria, avendogli questo gettato una granata in Santa
Barbara."
Transcriber's Note:
The original text included Greek characters. For this text version these
letters have been replaced with transliterations set off by [Greek: ]
tags.
Misprints corrected:
"Lairisse" corrected to "Lairesse" (page 429)
"sb ject" corrected to "subject" (page 464)
unnecessary leading "ac-" removed (page 466)
"head" to "heard" (page 480)
"ruler" corrected to "rule" (page 497)
Additional spacing after some of the poetry and block quotes is
intentional to indicate both the end of a quotation and the beginning
of a new paragraph as is in the original text.