The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-09-30 00:00:00

GREECE.

The following letter from Hydra, although not of recent
date, possesses considerable interest, particularly as we can
rely upon its corrertness, a quality which is very rarely
found in Greek news, whether it proceeds from the friends
or enemies of the cause. The writer is an Englishman of
sound judgment and undoubted veracity :
My last communication ended with the intelligence of the
disaen-
stone which had broken oat at Navarino between the Romehotels
anti the Dloreotes, and a the arrival at Argos of the Chieftains
°novella, Constantine Boned, Karaskake, &r. They had with
these' about 3,000 men, who, according to existing regulations, were
not allowed to enter the town of Napoli. The Chieftains, however,
with a small retinue, made their public entry on the 2d lust, and
after remaining a few days, set out for Rumelia. These unfortu-
nate dissensions have been of great disservice to the cause, as we
shall see immediately. Meantime, let me mention that the Legis-
leave Body on Sunday. the ash of May. decreed a levy of 15.000
men in the different provinces, who are to be regularly disciplined
and formed into regiments.
The execution of this decree in its full extent, will, I fear, be
very difficult, if not impracticable.
At Navarino, the Greeks have received a severe lesson on the
importance of discipline in war. On Sunday, the Ist of May, the
Egyptian fleet, amounting, transports included, to 95 or 70 sail,
came out of the port of Sonde, in Candle, where it had been for
some days closely watched by &Greek squadron of 29 sail, under
Miaulis. The latter immediately endeavoured to oppose their
progress, but the light airs were unpropitious to his purpose. There
was a distant cannonade kept up for sonic time with little or no
effect, and two fire ships were sent off by the Greeks with equal
bad success. A third was more fortunate. The rigging of a large
frigate was seriously injured, and a large proportion of her crew,
who leaped overboard in their terror, were either taken prisoners.
or psrished in the waters. The Greeks failed in their principal
object, and the Egyptian fleet succeeded in reaching Modem,
whcnce 46 ships proceeded to cruise off Neo-Castro, whither they
were followed uy Aliaulis. In the harbour of Neo-Castro, at this
moment, was only only one Greek vessel, the brig Mars, com-
manded by the brave i!vdriote, CaptairiTsammados. It was en-
gage:) in provisioning the fortress, and covering the landing of the
water, which was brought to boats from the coast of the modern
province of Arcadia. Mantis, shortly after his wriest, sent in
seven vessels, of which Tsamms.tios was to take the command, and
to proceed with them to reinforce the squadron of five ships off
Pairs. Thus, on Sunday, the Bth of Nay, the state of affairs
was as follows :—The squadron of Miaulis, now reduced by the
detachment above mentioned to twenty-two resets was at a con-
siderable distance towards %ante. The Egyptian ti.'et, in numbers
forty-six, were off the islands of Sphacteria, which ptoticts, or
rather forms, the harbour of Navarino. The eiolit v 4 sets already
mentioned, were inside the harbour. The neck of land, formed by
a swamp and the sea, which connects the Palais Castro o. Nava-
rino with the main land, as also the plain at its extremity, were oc-
cupied by Ibrahim Pacha in person with all his cavalry. A
battery or five heavy guns had been erected by the besiegers
against the town itself, but the breach which it had produced
was in some degree repaired. The island was occupied by
about 300 irregular soldiers, and 200 sailors, who had been sent
on shore by the ships inside. A battery of two small guns, wrought
by a party of sailors, defended the landing place towards the sea ;
three others, also of small size, were placed higher up among the'
rocks ; and a battery of three pieces of heavy artillery at the
southern end of the island, defended the only practicable entrance
into the harbour. These last guns were manned by twenty-eight
men of the artillery company of Calcrdgi. At 10 o'clock in the
morning (of Sunday, the Bth), the Turkish fleet was observed
standing in towards the shore. At noon they were ranged along
the whole length of the Wand, keeping up a tremendous fire to
cover the landing of the boats, and at the same time commenced a
general attack by the besiegers on the main land.
In a very short time a number of troops, variously estimated at
from two to three thousand in number, had succeeded in forcing
their way into the island. They were disciplined ala Eurorccone,
dressed in red uniforms and armed with muskets and bayonets.
This overwhelming force soon made themselves way, in spite of
all opposition. The sailors at the lower battery were surrounded
and destroyed to a man, and in the space of about an hour, the
enemy had swept the whole island victoriously from end to end.
Of the 500 men who defended it, not quite 150 escaped. Among
the slain was the brave Captain Tsammados, one of the most ar.
dent anti enlightened lovers of his country. The slaughter would
not have been so great but for the extraordinary conduct of sonic
of the ships in the harbour.
'When the Turks began to assume the ascendancy on the island,
their fleet also began to extend itself for the purpose of blockading
the mouth of the bay. At this critical moment Captain Badouri,
a Ilydriote, gave the first signal of flight. It was obviously the
duty of these vessels to have assisted the retreat of the fugitives
front the island, or at least to have left their boats on the shore to
facilitate it. But instead of doing this, six of them followed the
example of Badouri, and by a disgraceful flight saved themselves,
and gave up their countrymen to destruction. Fifty or 100 musket
shots were tired after them in their rage by the victims on the shore.
The vessel which remained was the Mors, belonging to Captain
Tsammados, who was killed. On board of this brig was an Ame-
rican naval officer, Mr. Allen, who arrived here some months ago
to assist the Greeks, and has since served as a volunteer. During
a number of days that he had been in the castle of Navarino, his
skill in the management of the guns had been of great service, and
on this occasion his gallantry was thrown into bright relief by the
shameful deficiency of others. Having gone on shore with Capt.
Tsammulos, he was separated from him by the accidents of the
fight, and compelled to take refuge abroad. He immediately sent
on shore the only two boats belonging to the vessel ; but no sooner
had they reached the land than they were both swamped by the
number of soldiers who crowded to them, as their only remaining
chance of safety. Almost immediately afterwards poor Tsamma-
dos arrived at the edge of the cliff with a wound in his left thigh,
and another in his left shoulder. He was accompanied by three sol-
diers, and pursued by about 50 Turks. It was impossible to render
i him any assistance, though he was plainly seen from his own ship,
fighting desperately to the last.
On this catastrophe Mr. Allen took fighting command of the
ship. He had on board several soldiers, who had contrived to swim
from the shore, and also Prince Alavrocordato, who had got him-
self conveyed aboard on the first symptom of fighting. The
Turkish fleet had by this time nearly extended itself across the
mouth of the harbour, and the battery commanding the passage
was in the hands of the enemy. Too much praise cannot be given
to the manner in which this vessel, a brig of eighteen guns, was
extricated from so many dangers. An officer on board addressed
the men from the quarter deck, promising them that they should
not fall alive into the hands of the barbarians, for, that in case of
necessity, he would Oct fire to the powder magazine, aid involve
both in one common destruction. The men received this announce-
ment with loud cheers. The breeze being light, for three succes-
sive hours she remained almost in the middle of the Turkish fleet,
during which time she exchanged broadsides with several frigates,
besides many core cues and brigs, none of which was under her
own force. Considerably damaged in bser hull and rigging, but
with a loss of only two men killed, and eight or ten wounded, she
at last got clear. On coming up with the fugitive ships she put
Alavrocordato on board of Badouri's ship (who conveyed him to
Calamata), and proceeded to Hydra, where she arrived on the ilth
instant.

The Greeks in the oli castle of Navarino, after a sally, in which
they lost nearly 300 men, their provision of water being totally ex-
hausted, lai.t down their arms to the number of twelve hundred.
Their Generals, Hadji Christo and the Bishop of Motion, also fill
into the hands of the Turks. These latter still remain prisoners ;
but the common soldiers, according to the terms of the capitulation,
were discharged, after being deprived of their arms, and compelled
to pray for the success of Ibrahim Pacha. The most alarming
symptom here is, that the barbarians begin to carry on war in a ci-
vilized manner. and attempt, by kind treatment, to conciliate the
affections of the conquered. In Crete, it is said, this insidious sys-
tem has been employed with considerable success. We have a
number of vague rainours here of two Cefaloniote vessels, with re-
fugees from the island on board, having been burnt by the Turks,
when they refused to give them up ; but I cannot trace theni to any
authentic source. The account of the battle which has appeared in
the journal here is full of inaccuracies and very deficient.
There is of course a great deal of distress in the little community
of Hydra; one hundred men is a serious loss in a population of
twenty-five thousand. But I see no symptoms of despair. (in the
contrary, every thing portends that this event will act like the cap.
,ure of Ipsara last year, in rousing them to icifuld exertions. B
douri, who gave the first example of Hight, dare not appear in his
native town. Ile would be torn in pieces by public indignation.

Private letters from Napoli, to the 3d of August state,
that the French Colonel Fabvier was busily organizing his
troops, which amounted to 800 men. Colocotroni and
Ypsilanti bad harassed Ibrahim'Paella very mucb,and sent
in many prisoners. The two sous of Colocotroni were to
leave Napoli in the beginning of August, to join their
father, with about 2,500 men. The eldest son is about
24; he is the idol of the people, on account of his gene-
rosity and courage.
The town of Napoli, which is only calculated for a popu-
lation of 6,000, in the latter end of July had 25,000
crowded into it, exclusive of those who had taken up their
quarters on the sea shore and in the dry ditches of the for-
tifications of the town, sheltered from the intense heat of
the sun only by a few scraps of carpeting or matting
stretched upon poles. Thcre were bouaLs in the town in
which there were not less than 300 inmates—seven, eight,
ten, or even fifteen individuals, being crowded into one
room.

The Etoile gives a singular story of a SuHot boy, of
twelve years of age, advancing to the tent of the Seraskier,
during a sortie from Alissolonghi, with a gun and pistol,
in order to shoot him. Ile was taken ; and when asked
how a child of such a tender age could dare to expose him-
self to such danger, he replied that the love of his country
inspire(' him, and that he would be happy to die for hor.
It is said the Seraskier placed a guard, over him in his
camp, but that be escaped and joined his compatriots.
One of the table services for the Pacha of Egypt is now
finished, and may be seen, fur a few days, at the Her.
culaneutu-rooms, Duke-street. Its value is 1,3651.--Li-
Ve7 rom. lef