and another of Arcadians, the followers of rival leaders. The military chiefs, at the head of whom was the able but avaricious Colocotronis, at that time Vice-president of the Executive Government, were jealous of the party which may be termed the civil faction. Over this party presided Mavrocordatos, who, as a Constantinopolitan, was considered as a foreigner, and who, on account of his being a dexterous diplomatist, a good letter-writer, and a lover of intrigue, was regarded with feelings of jealousy and hatred by the rude and iron-handed generals of the Morea. Mavrocordatos was Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and was accused of holding correspondence with foreign Courts without the knowledge of the Government, and of aiming at getting himself elected the President of the Legislative Body. It turned out that the actual President fled from the seat of government, and that Mavrocordatos was elected into the office. He too was soon obliged to retreat, and had just resigned the office and retired to the island of Hydra, where the civil and commercial party was strong, and where he was held in considerable estimation, when Lord Byron arrived at Cephalonia.

At this moment, too, Western Greece was in a very critical situation-Mustapha, Pasha of Scutari, was advancing into Acarnania in large force, and was on the point of being resisted by the chivalrous devotion of the brave Marco Botzaris. This chief, worthy of the best days of Greece, succeeded on the 9th of August (O.S.) by his famous night-attack, in cutting off a considerable part of the Turkish army, and fell a sacrifice to his generous efforts. In spite of this check, however, the Pasha advanced and proceeded towards Anatolicon and Messolonghi; the latter place was invested by Mustapha, and the Albanian chief, Omer-Vriones, by the early part of October. The Turkish fleet had arrived in the waters of Patras about the middle of June, and continued to blockade (at least nominally) Messolonghi, and all the other ports of Western Greece, up to the arrival of Lord Byron.

Previous to Marco Botzaris' arrival at Carpenissi, the little village where he discomfited the Turks, he had heard of Lord Byron's arrival in Greece; and it is not a little remarkable that the last act he did before proceeding to the attack, was to write a warm invitation for his Lordship to come to Messolonghi, offering to leave the army, and to give him a public reception in a manner suitable to the occasion and serviceable to the cause.

To all who know the circumstances of that memorable battle and the cha

racter of this heroic man, this letter cannot fail to be interesting. We will translate the part which relates to Lord Byron. It is dated at the "piccolo villagio" of Carpenissi on the of August.

"I am delighted," he says to a friend in Cephalonia, " with your account of Lord Byron's disposition with respect to our country. The advice you have given his Lordship to direct his attention to Western Greece, has caused us the greatest satisfaction; and I feel obliged by your continued exertions in the service of our country. I am not a little pleased at his Lordship's peculiar attention to my fellow-countrymen the Suliotes, on whom he has conferred the honour of selecting them for his guards. Avail yourself of this kindness of his Lordship, and persuade him to come as speedily as possible to Messolonghi, where we will not fail to receive him with every mark of honour due to his person; and as soon as I hear of his arrival, I will leave the army here and proceed to join him with a few companions. All will soon be right; the disturbances in Roumelia are only temporary and will be easily settled. I trust you are informed of all that has occurred here-that the Pacha of Scutari has advanced to Aspropotamos and Agrapha, and has penetrated to Carpenissi. We are going to meet him; we have possession of all the strong posts, and trust that the enemy will be properly resisted."

Botzaris alludes to almost the first act of Lord Byron in Greece, which was the arming and provisioning of forty Suliotes whom he sent to join in the defence of Messolonghi. After the battle he transmitted bandages and medicines, of which he had brought a large store from Italy, and pecuniary succour to those who had been wounded in the battle.

He had already made a very generous offer to the Government, to which he himself alludes, as well as to the dissensions in Greece, in a letter of which this is an extract:

"I offered to advance a thousand dollars a month for the succour of Messolonghi, and the Suliotes under Botzaris (since kill'd); but the Government have answered me through of this island, that they wish to confer with me previously, which is in fact saying they wish me to expend my money in some other direction. I will take care that it is for the public cause, otherwise I will not advance a para. The opposition say they want to cajole me, and the party in power say the others wish to seduce me; so between the two I have a difficult part to play: however, I will have nothing to do with the factions, unless to reconcile them, if possible"

Though strongly solicited in the most flattering manner by Count Metaxa, the Exarch of Messolonghi, and others to repair to that place, Lord Byron had

too reasonable a fear of falling into the hands of a party to take a decided step in his present state of information.-He determined to communicate alone. with the established Government: for this purpose he despatched two of the friends who had accompanied him to Greece, Mr. Trelawney and Mr. Hamilton Browne, in order to deliver a letter from him to the Government, and to collect intelligence respecting the real state of things. The extreme want of money which was at that time felt in Greece, and the knowledge that Lord Byron had brought large funds with the intention of devoting them to the cause, made all parties extremely eager for his presence. He, however, yielded to none of the pressing entreaties that were made to him; but after waiting undecided six weeks in his vessel he took up his residence on shore. Avoiding the capital of Cephalonia he retired to the small village of Metaxata, within five or six miles of Argostoli, where he remained all the time he was on the island. It is difficult for one unacquainted with the European reputation of Lord Byron's writings, and with the peculiar wants, and the peculiar character of the Greeks, to conceive a just idea of the sensation which his arrival created in Greece. It is impossible to read the letters which were addressed to him at this time from every quarter, and not be struck with the glorious sphere of action which presented itself, and at the same time not proportionately lament the stroke which deprived the country of his assistance before he had comparatively effected any thing of importance.

Established at Metaxata as a convenient place of observation, he resumed his usual occupations, while he kept a watchful eye on all the transactions of Greece, and carried on a very active intercourse with every part of it. Those who know Lord Byron's character, know that he rarely resisted the impulse of his feelings, and that fortunately these impulses were generally of the most benevolent kind. As usual, the neighbourhood of his residence never ceased to experience some kind and munificent exertion of his unfailing, but by no means indiscriminate or ill applied, generosity. His physician says, that the day seemed sad and gloomy to him when he had not employed himself in some generous exertion. He provided even in Greece for many Italian families in distress, and indulged the people of the country even in paying for the religious ceremonies which they deemed essential to their success. Our informant mentions one circumstance in particular which affords some idea of the way in which he loved to be of service. While at Metaxata, the fall of a large mass of

earth had buried some persons alive. He heard of the accident while at dinner, and starting up from the table, ran to the spot accompanied by his physician, who took with him a supply of medicines. The labourers, who were engaged in digging out their companions, soon became alarmed for themselves, and refused to go on, saying, they believed they had dug out all the bodies which had been covered by the ruins. Lord Byron endeavoured to induce them to continue their exertions; but finding menaces in vain, he seized a spade and began to dig most zealously: at length the peasantry joined him, and they succeeded in saving two more persons from certain death.

It was to Metaxata that Dr. Kennedy, a methodistical physician then residing in Cephalonia, used to resort for the purpose of instilling the importance of religious meditation and certain scriptural truths into the mind of Lord Byron, who had the reputation of not holding them in sufficient reverence. These conferences we are informed by an auditor of them, if not of the most instructive, were yet of a very amusing kind. The Doctor, though he is said to be an able man in this his lay profession, seldom brought his arguments to bear upon his Lordship; who having the advantage in quickness of intellect, and often in the clearness of his logic, would frequently put Dr. Kennedy's ideas in disorder by a single vigorous onset. Lord Byron shewed a most remarkable acquaintance with the Bible, and by his quotations, aptly applied to the question in dispute, very often brought his antagonist to a stand; when, turning down the page, for he generally brought a little library of theology to the contest, he would promise to return to the next meeting with a full and satisfactory answer to the argument. The disputes chiefly turned upon the questions which are agitated between the different sects of Christians in England; and the audience do not seem to think, that the Doctor had the advantage; he, however, flattered himself that he had made the desired impression; for we are informed that he afterwards made particular inquiries of his Lordship's suite, into any change that might have taken place in his antagonist's manner of thinking and acting after he had left Cephalonia. It has been said, maliciously, we think, that Lord Byron merely entered into these discussions, in order to master the cant of this religious sect, as it was his intention in some future Canto to make Don Juan a Methodist. This is a very gratuitous supposition. Lord Byron had, when not irritated, the most courteous and affable manners; he carried himself towards all who had access to him with

the most scrupulous delicacy, and it was quite sufficient for Dr. Kennedy to desire these interviews, to procure them.

Although some ludicrous scenes occurred, the admonitory party was treated with the utmost kindness, and full credit given to him for the purity of his intentions.

The two friends whom Lord Byron had despatched to the Government proceeded to the Morea, and crossed the country to Tripolitza, from which place it appeared that the two assemblies had removed to Salamis. At Tripolitza, however, they had an opportunity of seeing Colocotronis, some of the other distinguished chiefs, as well as the confidential officers of Mavrocordatos' suite, whom he had left behind him in his precipitate retreat from the chair of the legislative assembly. Here, consequently, they were able to collect a considerable quantity of information, and procure answers to the questions with which Lord Byron had charged them; after doing which, they proceeded onwards to the place where the assembly was collecting. The queries are of a very searching and judicious nature, and like the other extracts which we shall have to make from his correspondence, prove the aptitude of his intellect and the benevolence of his designs; the answers to them, collected with considerable care and discrimination, were complete enough to afford a very accurate idea of the state, resources, and intentions of the country. From the letters also he would be able to form a good idea of the contending factions, and the men who headed them: Colocotronis was found to be in great power; his palace was filled with armed men, like the castle of some ancient feudal chief, and a good idea of his character may be formed from the language he held. He declared, that he had told Mavrocordatos, that unless he desisted from his intrigues, he would put him on an ass and whip him out of the Morea; and that he had only been withheld from doing it by the representations of his friends, who had said that it would injure the cause. He declared his readiness to submit to a democratic government if regularly constituted; but swore that he and the other chiefs and their followers would shed the last drop of their blood, rather than submit to the intrigues of a foreigner. He himself at that time intended to proceed to the Congress at Salamis to settle the affairs of the country, and he invited Lord Byron and all the other British Phillhellenes to communicate with the general Government, and to send their succours to them alone. His sentiments were shared by the other chiefs, and the name of Mavrocordatos was never mentioned with respect in the Peloponnesus, where it seemed he had