Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1826-05-09


magistrates of Athens pretended that this had
hesn dome nv tbe captains without their know
LEDGE. and that they were very sorry for 1t. II
was rsnre,ented 10 them that their honor was
., .,ate If they did not hasten the embarkation
NJ the Turks: and Fauvel offered to give one
,housand francs towards. the expenses OF the
transport, if a contract was Immediately en.ei
ed inio with some of the vessels that were lying
in the Prsus. This was done al last; out' a'aS'
too late.
The day before the Turks were to be en-
harked. letters were brought to Athens from
Lavidia, that Choursit Pacha had passed tne
Thermopyle with thirty thousand men, and
that he sweep, every thing before him. NOW:
shrieks of despair were heard in the streets Oh
Athens. To the Turks themselves this news
was truly dreadful-for, disarmed as they were,
what could they do, if popular fury broke out
agains. them2 1t is impossible to describe the
confusion and despair that prevailed at Athens
on the morning the news arrived. Great mum
bers left the town Immediately, and He'd on the
road TO the Piraus. The magistrates did not
seem to make any efforts to tranquillze the
people; the panic had become general. oniy
the captains and soldiers were seen IN the
streets, with their fierce countenances mat De-
spoke some dire adful decd. At two O'CLOCK III
the afternoon heard the discharge oil severai
pistols, and wild uproar in the streets; ran
out towards the Bazaar, and on the way 10 ~,
met some soliers carrying away few turkish
women, whose deadly pale countrnances oetray-
ed the aponized state Of their mind. Shortly
afterwards | saw some Turks wetering in their
blood in the middle Of the street.
The gates of the Xonaki, where between three
and four hundred Turks had been quartered,
were shul;a Greek soldier, whom knew, al
lowed me to enter Having gone into the court
ward, large and spacious square, | met with
the mos: appalling and dreadful sight, numbers
Of dead bodies were spread about, all stripped
with sashing wounds, and from the different a.
partmcnts, every moment fresh sacrifices were
broueh, GU, to receive the deadly stroke. One
Turkish woman, with wound in her neck,
half striped, had escaped from one ofthe rooms,
where the work Of slaughter was going on,
but as she was getting down the staircase, 10 ny
through the court yard, the dead bodies with
which it was strewed over, presented them
selves to her view, and there she stood lew
moments, with her child in her arms, upper
ceived by the Greeks, her eyes rolling in des-
pair, her hair dishe,elled, and her countenance
bespeaking horror and egony, till some ruffian
got up stairs, dragged her down, and having
torn the child from her arms, and dashed II On
the ground When she saw her infant welter-
ing in blood, her eyes flashed with horror and
Indignation for'one moment, and in the next
she fell dead over her child. In less than two
hours, about six hundred Turks were killed
Amongst them was the Turkish servant Of the
Princess Of Wales, while at Athens. In the ev-
tra,p rod hp bazaar
and read letter TO the crowd that had gather
ed there according to which Choursit Pacha, al
though he had passed the Tbermopy!e, was
yet some distance from Livadia. The soldiers
shouted, and began to dance the romaika in the
middle of the bazaar, with pistols in their belts.
and the bloody swords in their scaopards. Wild
songs resounded in various parts of tie town,
and horrid merriment succeeded the terror Of
the day.
Some Turks had in the confusion made their
escape into the houses Of the French, Austrian,
and Dutch Consuls; others were rescued for
money the following days, and carried safely by
French brig 10 Smyrna.
To relieve my mind from the horrors had
witnessed, / left Athens for the Archipelagus,
and after short excursion to the Islands, ar
rived again in the Piraus, al The moment when
all the ithenians, except the garrison, had gone
to Salamis, Egina, o" Poros, the ancient Ca
lauriaD the Turks having penetrated ,hro' the
isthmus into the Morea For long time AN in
vasion Of Atica was expected either from the
Turks in The Morea, BY The way Of Megara, or
from the Turks of Negropont; but, fortunately,
this invasion did not take place; for had it ia
ken place, the dissentons among tie Greek
captains in the Acropo!is might have enabled
the Turks to retake the citadel without much
resistance. The most importan, event during
the three months stayed after the massacre OF
the Turks at Athens, was the discovery Of
well, outside the castle, near the grotto OF Pan,
and of a subterransoas passage, that anciently
led to it.
The walls Of az old Greek chapel were found,
decorated with fresch paintings, in the style that
is still prevalent in the Greek churches. This
place contained the we'll 1t was plentfully sup
piled with water, in spite of the dry season. the
Greeks Immediately erected battery for its
defence, and joined it thereby to the Acropolis.
There was also search made for the wei, which,
according 10 Pausanius, existed anciently in the
temple Of Minerva Poias, but without success;
but the beautiful porch where the Turks kept
their pow Ter magazine was opened again, and
the magazine removed TO more convenient
place.
All the cisterns were cleaned, and filed with
water, the wall between the citadel and the
town, which had done so much harm 10 the
Turks, demolished; aud the avenue to the Aero
polls cleared from all membranes. Captain
Y 4,