The Sun.
London, England, 1823-04-14 00:00:00

,
. ,
•

THE GREEKS.

INTERESTING COMMUNICATION.

LETTLR FROM MIL. HOBUOUSE TO THE GREEK
COMMITTEE.

London, April 10, •
GE!TTLE3ttx—Having been honoured by your request to
make some reply to the statements of Sir Wit LiAlu (TELL, re-
lative to the-character and condition of the-Greeks, I had ven-
tured to prepare for entering the lists against that • very .accts:
rate draughtsman. If seems that Sir William, who could find
so many traces of the exploits of that people at the siege of
Troy, is altogether sceptical as to the alleged efforts of their
descendants in his own time. •He disputes the very • topo-
graphy of their pretended actions—he believes their battles
and ,sieges to have been fabricated in Germany—he pro-
nounces their- regeneration neither more nor less than a
" joke." A. discourteous adversary and one not acquainted
with the personal merits of Sir William (fell; might have been
tempted to-reply to him in the same tone of sovereign '-contempt
with which he haeetreated this unhappy nation, The retort dis-
courteous might Me easily resisted, and the theege of vanity,
presuniptione and yreteheledlearning ;'.l.it, 11,44 applied with
more reason to an individual than to a whole. people, resolved
to deal With his credulity only by enumerating the towns and
district.; which.theGreeks bad wrestedfrom the Turks, and of
winch they are in -actual possession. For this detail I had made
some preparation when I was favoured with the eight of a let-
ter, a copy of which I have the-honour to subjoin for your
perusal. It is written from Greece by an individual with
whom I was acquainted when in that eountry, whose charac-
ter is i 1 think, a guarantee for his authenticity, and whose sim-
ple
ethough aflecting statement must be much more acceptable
to the committee than any thing which , I could offer on my
own authority.
Wishing you, Gentlemen, all the_succees deserved by your
sympathy for the noblest of human exertions, a struggle for
liberty, I have the honour to remain,
Your faithful humble: Servant, •
JOHN C. HOEHOUSE.—
. " You ask meinany things with respect to Greece; for you
are in the midst of ii-nation well educated, aboundingin wealth,'
• populous, and independent, not for years, but for ages; where.
as the unftertunate Greeks are not only ignorant, but come
paratively few in number, poor, without arms, and depressed
by the bondage of 22 centuries; but at length they have-be-
gun to assert their independence. During the last two years
they have vindicated their rights, though they commenced their
struggles only, as it were,with two or three rounds of cartridges
audit few merchant vessels. Is it not wonderful that they have
done what they have done? In this short space of time theyhaVe
emancipated all the. Peloponnesus, with the exception of four
fortresses, viz. Modon,,Coron, Patras, add Corinth—the two
last will surreneler •in • a few . days. Napoli, the 'principal
fortress of the :Noma,- surrendered• on 80th November,
Saint Andrew's Day, ~on which account - the Greeks have
agreed to call it the fortress of Saint Andrew. Crete is en-
tirely free, with the exception of a single fortress still in the
hands of the enemy. All :Bettie is free ; so are the districts
of Phocis, Soaris, Etolia, and Acarnenia. InEutea only
one fortress remained to the Turks, •and that is 'at ,resent
besieged by the Greeks. All the Wands composing the ancient-
Cyclades, excepting Cyprus and Rhodes, are free, and the flag
of emir nation floats triumphantly in all the Turkish seas. The
• vessel's of the Speziots, ilydriots, Cassiots, Pseriots, and Sti.
mians, though carrying only froth 10 to 24 guns, had cast
terror into the great fleet of the - Sultan, and have driven. it
from the Mediterranean. The • Turkish flag fears to show it-
self beyond the Dardanelles. Twice the fleet ventured beyond
them, and twice it returned with great damage and disgrace,
and without throwing any succoins Ike the besieged fortresses;
such is the state of our naval affairs. As to our successes' by
land, the Commandant of Ronielia,. Chourschid Pasha, last
Au"ust sentfoeward several Paellas, by way of Thermopylae
with not less than 33,000 men. But what have they done •
Nearly all of them have been destroyed by the Greeks under
their new Leonidas, Nicetas. Six thousand alone have escaped
of this great army, and these are now blockaded and perishing
with hunger in the citadel of Corinth. They also are on the
point of surrendering. Attica is entirely free, and the Greek •
banners flout upon her Acropolis. On the side of Albania, four
Pachas marched with 12,000 troops, the most Select corps of
Albanian Turkey, provided with field artillery, tiara battering,
train of mortars. They-arrived before the ramparts of Mosso-
had on the 2ritli December advauced to the assault, with
scaling ladders. For three hour they obstinatelyennintained the
fire of our Greeks, but were at last forced to retreat to their
camp with the loss of 500 men killed ~and es many wounded: ee •
On the 81st of the same mouth ~they, fled frdm their camp in
the middle of the night, leaving behind theM all -their baggage,
13 pieces of field-artillery and mortars, an immense quantity of
cannonballs and of gunpowder; 60 tents, two of which belouge
ing to Viziers, were magnificent; the whole' Of their provisions,
and Also many of their sick and wounded. The (reeks, headed
Mby their hero, the Prince attineordato, 'brought their spoil
the next morning in triumph into •Messolonghi, and then set
out in pursuit of the enemy, many of whom being elosely per.
sued, were drowned in the Achelous, at that time swollen, so
that in fact nearly the whole of this body of Turks is either
completely destroyed, or is so beset by the Greeks as to have'
little hope, of escape. All these details are authentic, and you'
may communicate them to your friends without fear of their
being exaggerated. Indeed, they have been rather said less
of than 1 might have done. . • •
" But I feared entering into-a detailed account of the actions
of the Greeks, lest they should appear almoet incredible, con-
sidering that they began all their exploits, as I before said,
with only a few rounds of cartridges. Now, hewever, • they
have artillery and mortars, which they found in the enemy's
camps and fortresses; and they have organized a regular corps
of 000 men. These are but few; but where is the money to
orguifize more? White. regularly disciplined army of 10,000
meh, the Greeks would have been how in Thrace, and would
have done peat things indeed. They would have sheevn the
Sul
"tan, with all his pretended power, what he really is.
The Greek fleet consists in all of 140 vessels ; the largest
of these carry 24 gong. The land-forges amount to. 50,000:
the Generals are skilful—and the troops are brave, but they are
not disciplined for regular warfare. Colocotroni and his uephewi
Nicetas, Zaimes, lAindos, and others, command in Pelo.
ponnesus, which, according to the new division, fi called
Southern Greece.

" Odysseus, Gums, Dubiniates, Metzos, Contogiannos, Ca.
ratassos, Scaltzedemus, and others, are at the head of our
troops in the eastern Greece, from Athens to.Zeituni. Marcus,
liotrari, Ziongas, Mures, Caraineos, and others, are our
Generals in i'Etolia and Acarnania, as far as Arta.
" The Greeks have begun, at least, to regenerate; they
conduct themselves daily with more discretion, and they ac-
quired the true spirit or heroism. That they want is pecu-
niary means. 'lf they could find friends to assist them with
money enough to pay a disciplined corps by a regular salary,
they would at once acquire power and stability. They wouli
want this aid only for a year; for in that tune, and by inean;4
of this corps, they would be enabled to discipline troop of
their own. They have well organized their internal
,govern-
ment—creating a legislative representation, a police in every
district, councils, courts of justice, and garrisons in the cap-
tured fortresses. The utmost harmony and union have pre-
vailed amongst them since their Senate has been presided, and
their afildra conducted by Prince Maurocordatos.
" And I must add this, that if neutral flags had not given
assistance to the besieged Turks, it is certain that no fortress
would now be in the hands of the enemy. Also, that if sailors
of neutral nations had not been found to menthe Turkish fleet,
that fleet would never have sailed from the Dardanelles. In
the Captain Pacha's ship alone, which was burnt by the Greeks
a short thne ago, there were found to be no less than five hun-
dred foreigners of neutral nations. I now hear that the Chris-
tian Ambassadors at Constantinople have prohibited this pro-
ceeding for the future.

" rciatiollTY GOD is for us.—He has confounded the
Councils of the Sultan, who has destroyed, one after the other,
all the principal protectors of his empire. He first made away
with Ali Paella, the pillar of Turkey ; next 'with the great
Chourschid Pacha ; then Selim Pacha ; Islunael
seven other Pachas, and the Grand Vizier himself. At last he slew
all his own Ministers, and amongst them the celebrated !laid)
Effendi. So that the high offices of State are now filled with
common Janissaries, and his Vizierats are given to the ineitpe.
rienced slaves of the Seraglio. To add to the perplexities of
our enemy, oriental Turkey is at war with Pasta, and the
Pacha of Amin has revolted, and defeated three Naas sent
againt him. I should mention that the Sultan also beheaded all
the Commanders of the Fleet who escaped into the Dardanelles,
because they failed to disperse our fleets, anti to relieve Napoli
and the other besiegedfortresses. iVith the next courier. I will
write to you more particularly, having now got to the end of
my paper.—Corfu, January 31, 1fit.)3,,U.5."

PRICE SEVENREN( P.

FOR THE SUN.

AGRICULTURE. 4c.

TO THE RICtIT HON. THE EARL OF LITERPOOL,,H.Gi

&e. &c. &c.

=My Louu—i wish your Lordship would have
the goodness to bring in a Bill, and fix the
mum of a (had heriot at 201. or 301. A farmer
told me a few years shier, that he was afraid to
bid for some copyhold land, formerly the pro-
perty of the late Mr. WILLIAM 11.xysoLn, lest
the Lord of the Manor should seize a stack of
%heat, worth about 2001.

Mr. NA TH N 1 EL K. cs s vahusble primed Hints
are in the British Museum, and also in the Vituf
lico and Chelsea Circulating, Lihrariesi unless
lately sold.

burgh Review states, that Mr. SA,
MUEL TERRY has nineteen thoniand acres of land
in Nesw South Wales (Feb. 183).—(Piges
and b 3.)

FISH, Scr.
My Lord—l wish several men were employed
by Government in catching .porpoises near the
salmon fisheries, in Great Britain.—ll have the
honour to be, with great respect, your Lordshir4
most obedient and very bumble• servant,
Pimlico, April 12, 1823. GEORGE REYNOLDS.