The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware register., 1824-11-25
TpSARA..

capture of Ipsara, translated for the editor
of the Boston Daily Advertiser, from the
Smyrnean, will be read with interest.
SYRNA. July 31.--A Mussulman, who was
an eye witness, informs us, that during the
taking of Ipsara, by the Turks several indi-
vduals succeeded in saving themselves from
the general determination. They retired
to a very rocky place at the north Of the ISL
and. In vain we promised them by our
boards and by every thing we held most sa
cred, to grant them their lives if they would
surrendcr,-they were deaf to all our pro-
positions, they cried out necessarily, zoe have
tood, 7cc haze arms, LIBERTY OR DEATH,
this is the Ihsariot motto.
This is the spoil of brave man, said a
Turk proudly, the other day, shelving an lp-
sariot tunic in which he was clothed. Vain
ly, said he, did offer him his life; he would
fall under my arms. belonged, added the
Turk, to the first division which effected its
landing in very steep place. Conducted by
the European transports, we drew near the
shore, and favored blythe clouds of smoke pro-
ducetlby the brisk cannonading from our fleet,
wcapproached very near little cove without
being seen. At the sight of 50 famous coun-
Try our Albanians refused to throw them
selves into the water. A brisk atcrcation a
The volunteers carried away by their enthu-
sasm, threw themselves into the sea. We
advanced silently to little spot, then creep
ing like goats, one afterthc other, we arrived
at the entrance of a narrow dciile, where a
Greek armed with sabre stopped us and
killed successively eleven of our men. Alarm
cd himself at the number which presented,
he flctl.-Hc was pursued We came to
three cannon served by thirty men, who as
tonished, suffered themselves to be taken,
and were Immediately sacrificed. We must
have certainly fallen, ifthc Greek Albanians,
who were better situated, had fired. But
they demanded quarters; we fell on them
and oycrpowercd them. The Greek Alban-
ians rallied; they opposed force to force.
! Weak efforts. Disorder was among them
they were vanquishcd, though they dearly
sold their lives We then penetrated rapid
| " into tho Island, to effect our junction with
the other Turks. | was at the explosion of
st. Nicolo. Five to six thousand Ottomans
surrounded this fortress. Though destitute
of artillery, my brave companions wished to
give the assault; nothing abated their courage,
! not even the canister shot, poured from the
castle, nor the brisk firing of the bcsiegcd.
] Two hours before the terrible catastrope,
an lpsariot with a match in his hand advanc
ed towards us. He was Shot down by a
thousand balls. A second succeeded to the
same fate, a third appeared and pcrished in
| the same manner. What WAS our astonish-
men to see fourth, a fifth, and even sixth.
Sublime devotion Some moments after st.
Ni1olo blew up--Though one Of the most
distant, ! was violently thrown down, and
covered with earth. l got up an hour after
feeling as if had been raised from the dead.
1t is generally bclived in the Ottoman army,
that from three to four thousand Turks per-
shcd about this fortress. We afterwards
learnt that the spot to which the six Greeks
were advancing, was vast subterrancan
powder magazine, which had done us so
much injury by the explosion.
Welcarn from European who visited Ip-
sara after its destruction, that there were
tclcgraps all about the Island except at the
spot where the landing was effected so mac
cesiblc was that place considered. For want
Of this telegraph they could not learn in sea-
son that the enemy we're on the island.
Ipsara formerly bore the name of Psyra.-
Psyris in literal Greek, means a dry, uncul-
tivated land, and it is probably to the dry
ness of soil that it owes its ancient name.
! Ipsara had i'll ancient times a temple consc-
Grated to Bacchus, on the same spot where is
now found q monastery dedicated to the Nir-
gin. Psyra, says Strabo, is opposite the pro-
montorv Reena, sixty stadia from Sco 1t
is rocky island, of diilicult access, and has
city bearing the same name. Psyra
changed its name to Psara, because hand
! full of men, wishing to shake the Turkish do
minion, about century since, took refuge on
the rock. Fishing was their principal en-
ployment. They prospcred, increased and
multiplied. They always maintained among
themselves that spirit ofindependcnce which
in our times have raised them so much above
other Greeks
During the French Revolution, these har-
py navigators threw themselves into the
Mediterranean. They gaze themselves up
to smuggling, and acquired immense wealth.
Before the Greek revolution the population
of this island amounted to 5000 souls. At
the time Of its fall, ipsara contained about
twelve thousand.
A chain of mountains, running north and
south, growing lower as it advances, divides
! the island. 1T the south east stood the city,
and near it is safe port, large enough TO
contain about thirty ships. At the so',th
west about mile from this island, is an islet
called Anti Ipsara. the north is the creek
where the first landing was Effected. 1t is
about 100 PAGES long and so wide, and is sur
rounded by very steep rocks. ihe mouth
ofthis creek is separated into two equal parts
by rock, and it is only very small galleys
that can enter it. In the interior of this ISL
and we found some acres Of rock which sew
eral rich individuals had transformed into
vineyards The only trees which refresh