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papers; 2dly, by topography, cross-questioning them about Arta, Argos, Athens, Missolonghi, Corinth, ' &c.; and 3dly, in Romaic, of which I found one of them, at least, knew more than I do. One of them (they are both of good families) is a fine handsome young fellow of three-and-twenty-a Wirtembergher, ' and has a look of Sandt about him-the other a Ba'varian, older and flat-faced, and less ideal, but a great, sturdy, soldier-like personage. The Wirtembergher was in the action at Arta, where the Phil'hellenists were cut to pieces after killing six hundred Turks, they themselves being only a hundred and fifty in number, opposed to about six or seven thou'sand; only eight escaped, and of them about three only survived; so that General Normann " posted 'his ragamuffins where they were well peppered'not three of the hundred and fifty left alive-and 'they are for the town's end for life."

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'These two left Greece by the direction of the 'Greeks. When Churschid Pacha overrun the Morea, 'the Greeks seem to have behaved well, in wishing to 'save their allies, when they thought that the game 'was up with themselves. This was in September last (1822): they wandered from island to island, 'and got from Milo to Smyrna, where the French 'consul gave them a passport, and a charitable captain 'a passage to Ancona, whence they got to Trieste, ' and were turned back by the Austrians. They complain only of the minister (who has always been an 'indifferent character); say that the Greeks fight very 'well in their own way, but were at first afraid to fire their own cannon-but mended with practice.

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Adolphe (the younger) commanded at Navarino for 'a short time; the other, a more material person,

"the bold Bavarian in a luckless hour," seems chiefly to lament a fast of three days at Argos, and the loss of twenty-five paras a day of pay in arrear, ' and some baggage at Tripolitza; but takes his 'wounds, and marches, and battles in very good part. Both are very simple, full of naïveté, and quite unpretending they say the foreigners quarrelled among themselves, particularly the French with the 'Germans, which produced duels.

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The Greeks accept muskets, but throw away bayonets, and will not be disciplined. When these lads 'saw two Piedmontese regiments yesterday, they said, ""Ah, if we had but these two, we should have cleared 'the Morea:" in that case the Piedmontese must 'have behaved better than they did against the Austrians. They seem to lay great stress upon a few ' regular troops-say that the Greeks have arms and powder in plenty, but want victuals, hospital stores, ' and lint and linen, &c. and money, very much. Altogether, it would be difficult to show more practical philosophy than this remnant of our " puir hill folk" have done; they do not seem the least cast down, ' and their way of presenting themselves was as Isimple and natural as could be. They said, a Dane here had told them that an Englishman, friendly to 'the Greek cause, was here, and that, as they were 'reduced to beg their way home, they thought they might as well begin with me. I write in haste to snatch the post.-Believe me, and truly,

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'Your obliged, &c.

'P.S. I have, since I wrote this, seen them again. 'Count P. Gamba asked them to breakfast. One of 'them means to publish his Journal of the campaign.

The Bavarian wonders a little that the Greeks are

'not quite the same with them of the time of Themis'tocles (they were not then very tractable, by the by), ' and at the difficulty of disciplining them; but he is a "bon homme" and a tactician, and a little like 'Dugald Dalgetty, who would insist upon the erection of "a sconce on the hill of Drumsnab," or whatever 'it was ;-the other seems to wonder at nothing.'

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LETTER 522.

TO LADY

May 17th, 1823.

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My voyage to Greece will depend upon the Greek 'Committee (in England) partly, and partly on the 'intructions which some persons now in Greece on a private mission may be pleased to send me. I am a member, lately elected, of the said Committee; and my object in going up would be to do any little good ' in my power;-but as there are some pros and cons ' on the subject, with regard to how far the interven'tion of strangers may be advisable, I know no more ' than I tell you; but we shall probably hear some'thing soon from England and Greece, which may be 'more decisive.

'With regard to the late person (Lord London'derry), whom you hear that I have attacked, I can 'only say that a bad minister's memory is as much an 'object of investigation as his conduct while alive,— 'for his measures do not die with him like a private 'individual's notions. He is matter of history; and, ' wherever I find a tyrant or a villain, I will mark him. 'I attacked him no more than I had been wont to do. 'As to the Liberal,-it was a publication set up for 'the advantage of a persecuted author and a very 'worthy man. But it was foolish in me to engage in 'it; and so it has turned out-for I have hurt myself

'without doing much good to those for whose benefit 'it was intended.

'Do not defend me--it will never do-you will only 'make yourself enemies.

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Mine are neither to be diminished nor softened, 'but they may be overthrown; and there are events 'which may occur, less improbable than those which have happened in our time, that may reverse the present state of things-nous verrons.

'I send you this gossip that you may laugh at it, ' which is all it is good for, if it is even good for so 'much. I shall be delighted to see you again; but 'it will be melancholy, should it be only for a mo'ment.

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It being now decided that Lord Byron should proceed forthwith to Greece, all the necessary preparations for his departure were hastened. One of his first steps was to write to Mr. Trelawney, who was then at Rome, to request that he would accompany him. You must have heard,' he says, ' that I am going to Greece-why do you not come to me? I can 'do nothing without you, and am exceedingly anxious 'to see you. Pray, come, for I am at last determined 'to go to Greece;-it is the only place I was ever 'contented in. I am serious; and did not write before, ' as I might have given you a journey for nothing. They all say I can be of use to Greece; I do not 'know how-nor do they; but, at all events, let us go.'

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A physician, acquainted with surgery, being considered a necessary part of his suite, he requested of his own medical attendant at Genoa, Doctor Alex

ander, to provide him with such a person; and, on the recommendation of this gentleman, Doctor Bruno, a young man who had just left the university with considerable reputation was engaged. Among other preparations for his expedition, he ordered three splendid helmets to be made, with his never forgotten crest engraved upon them,-for himself and the two friends who were to accompany him. In this little circumstance which, in England (where the ridiculous is so much better understood than the heroic), excited some sneers at the time, we have one of the many instances that occur amusingly through his life, to confirm the quaint but, as applied to him, true observation, that

the child is father to the man ;'-the characteristics of these two periods of life being in him so anomalously transposed, that while the passions and ripened views of the man developed themselves in his boyhood, so the easily pleased fancies and vanities of the boy were for ever breaking out among the most serious moments of his manhood. The same schoolboy whom we found, at the beginning of the first volume, boasting of his intention to raise, at some future time, a troop of horse in black armour, to be called Byron's Blacks, was now seen trying on with delight his fine crested helmet, and anticipating the deeds of glory he was to achieve under its plumes.

At the end of May a letter arrived from Mr. Blaquiere communicating to him very favourable intelligence, and requesting that he would as much as possible hasten his departure, as he was now anxiously looked for, and would be of the greatest service. However encouraging this summons, and though Lord Byron, thus called upon from all sides, had now determined to give freely the aid which all deemed so essential,

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