of Chio and Mytilene, by Miaouli, the Capitan Pasha judged it expedient (on the 2d of October) to return to Constantinople, with fifteen ships; leaving the rest at Ibrahim's discretion. In the mean time the Greeks' brulotiers succeeded in burning a corvette, and brig, and in half destroying a frigate belonging to the Egyptian division.

It was not before the 9th of November, that Ibrahim departed from the port; but, before his arrival at Souda in Candia, several of the transports, having soldiers, horses, ammunitions of war, &c. fell into the power of the Greeks; who closely followed him during his voyage. They more than once attempted making use of their fire-ships; but were not, at this time, so fortunate as on other occasions. When in sight of Candia, a violent tempest arose, which so much dispersed his fleet that several ships were thrown on the coast of Egypt and obliged to return to Alexandria in order to repair the damage they had suffered. Others were wrecked; and the greater part were tossed, during several weeks, at sea, before they could reach Souda.

CHAPTER XXIX.

Apathy and presumption of the Greeks-Ibrahim lands at Modon -Commits a great military error-Conduct of the Greeks.

ON the 23d of November, Miaouli returned to Hydra with the greater part of the fleet, escorting the numerous transports he had succeeded in capturing, during his glorious campaign. The victories of the navy elated the Greek soldiers with a confidence in their own strength, and utter contempt for this new enemy; which seemed fully justified by the pitiful sight which the Egyptian prisoners exhibited. Worn out by sickness, the fatigues of so arduous a campaign on an element, they were utterly unacquainted with, naked, covered with vermin and foul cutaneous diseases, and terrified, they were seen in the streets of the different towns of Greece, shivering under the inclemency of a climate, which of itself might be considered a sufficient means of destruction to men, born on the burning banks of the Nile.

At the sight of such a complete picture of misery, the handsome and robust palichari could not but exclaim exultingly; "Are these those terrible warriors, which were to bind us in new fetters? Those, at whose very names we were to tremble? Let them but land! without boasting, even our women could destroy them with distaffs alone!"

So general was the security in which the Greeks lived, that although aware of the intention of Ibrahim to disembark his troops, at Modon and Coron,

they did not even think it worth their while, to send a corps of observation to Messenia. Their private quarrels had, moreover, so completely absorbed their attention, as to render them callous to a sense of their own danger. While their brethren, the Islanders, were so bravely and so nobly exposing their lives and property in the defence of Greece, they had been tearing her bosom by intestine dissensions, and wasting her strength by civil wars. Now that the hour of peril drew nigh, they displayed the most singular apathy, or spoke with a braggart assurance, which revolted the more, when it was seen, that want of patriotic feelings was its principal cause. The government itself took every measure to justify the hallucination of the Greeks; for as soon as the defeat of the rebel capitani was achieved, as if Ibrahim's designs were not worth notice, the different Roumeliot capitani were directed to march to the very opposite extremity of Peloponnesus; there to prepare themselves for the siege of Patras; Conduriotti, president of the executive body, having desired the honour of commanding this undertaking himself *.

* In corroboration of this statement, I deem it expedient to give the following extracts from the government newspaper, No.

99 and No. 103.

66

Anapli, March 4th.-The enemy, encamped at Modon, does not possess the forces, which common report supposes. Their numbers do not exceed four thousand. As soon as they perceived the troops of government, they ran to seek shelter within the fortress, without even firing a musket. The inhabitants of that district are alone amply competent to oppose them; and, on this account, many of the corps of troops, who happened to be there, have received orders to march towards Patras; as well as that of General Colliopoulo, and those of other capitani. The late events in the Messenian Gulf have been occasioned by the disorderly conduct of some Mainots; yet the enemy has taken only two of our men; and these are old men, who could not escape, when after landing he came to forage in the neighbouring villages.”

In the mean time, profiting by the moment, when the Greek fleet had by various motives been compelled to return home, Ibrahim sailed from Candia early in February; and about the 10th, O. S., (seven months after his departure from Alexandria) arrived without meeting with the slightest opposition before Modon; where he landed the regiments of Courshid and Hussein Bey, and about 1200 cavalry. He then sent the fleet back to Candia; in order to bring over the remaining part of his army; and the numerous transports he had left in the port of Souda.

Towards the middle of March, he had the satisfaction of seeing it return as safely as it had gone. His loss in men during his protracted and disastrous voyage, may be estimated at 5000*. His cavalry had been almost entirely ruined: besides those vessels, which were burnt by the Greeks, and of which mention has already been made, two others were wrecked

Anapli, February 19th.—Official news from the eparch at Nisi, dated the 16th instant, informs us, that Capitan Panagioti Cassonaco has entered the fortress of Neocastro. The Hellens hourly take Arab prisoners and horses; so that we trust, that ere long, they will, with God's assistance, destroy them like so many earthen vessels. From the answers given by the prisoners, (one of whom is the chief groom of Ibrahim Pasha) it appears, that the Egyptians are much disappointed and disheartened. Their chiefs especially perceiving how fallacious Ibrahim's assurances had hitherto been, complain that he made them, in order to delude them and bring them over to Peloponnesus. They repeat to one another, that they will all leave their bones in Morea in the same manner as their brethren, who accompanied the expedition of Dramali. The whole of Sparta, and the inhabitants of the neighbourhood of Modon and Coron (full of enthusiasm and regardless of pay) rushed in the encounter of the enemy. Men and women daily came down in the Greek camps, in order to make booty of the Egyptians, whom they look upon as objects of derision and sport."

* The most conspicuous among the dead was Ismael Gibelattar, who died of retrocedent gout.

on the islands of Tino and Naxos; and about twenty transports were lost or fell into the hands of the enemy.

Happily for the Greeks, Ibrahim was not apprized, when he arrived in Peloponnesus, of the state, in which Navarino happened then to be; viz. as completely destitute of provisions and ammunitions of war, as when the Turks, constrained by famine, surrendered it in 1821. It had, notwithstanding the reiterated and urgent solicitations of its eparch, a feeble garrison of only one hundred and fifty men to defend it. Had the pasha entered the port with his fleet, there can be no doubt but the whole population would have fled precipitately; and he might, without firing a gun, have possessed himself of the fortress, and the fine harbour it commands. But even supposing, that resistance had been made, a few broadsides would soon have taught the Greeks the fruitlessness of their attempt.

After remaining two days at Modon, Ibrahim went in person to reconnoitre the neighbourhood of Neocastro and then proceeded to Coron. Led by its beys and inhabitants, who breathed vengeance against the Greeks, for the torments they had caused them during four years to endure, he ravaged all the country as far as Castelia, without meeting the slightest opposition.

On this occasion Ibrahim committed another military error, which caused general surprise. Instead of continuing his incursion into the immense plain of Calamata, at the entrance of which he had arrived; he suddenly ordered his troops to return to Modon. He might, without difficulty, have made himself master of Nisi, Androussa, Calamata, and the numerous large villages, at the foot of the small ridge of the Taygetus, extending between Scala and Cala