Polynesian., 1850-06-08

COhtiuueu uduouh, i nave 10 tell you OF tn0
heaviest blow that has befaIlen your country.
even amid all her sufferings-a blow so sud-
den and so irreparable, that myself, true
Mosem as am, could not rejoice at it, A
few days after we had landed here, there was
a riot in the town-a Swiss was accidentally
killed by Souliote; and when he was taken
up, his countrymen flew to arms to avenge
him, and would have caused much bloodshed
in the town. The troops were ordered out
in vain; nor would they heed the voice of
their commanders | was with Vasili. in the
midst of the confusion, and saw it all The
authorities at last, became anxious for the
safety of the town, and were greatly perplex-
ed in their wish to find some means of quell-
ing the tumult without loss of life
Suddenly there came one riding down the
street on his jet black horse, calm and COM
posed as though the tumultous crowd around
him had assembled for rejoicing. He turned
round his face, and those who looked upon it
once never forgot this pale and beautiful
face-and stretched out his hand towards the
rebellious troops. They paused in their strife
to look on him. Then he spoke in voice
like music, and commanded them to be still,
and not to waste in vain disputings, the
strength and life they soon must lavish on the
enemy. He told them, if they proved thus
unworthy Of their country-f Greeks thus
turned against Greece-4 would abandon
them, and return to die in his own far dis
tant land.
1t was but one week after this, when the
sun rose one morning, as though shrouded in
thick, dark pail, and all things, even at the
early dawn, portended a most awful storm
clouds black as night hung over the city,
spreading themselves out above 1t like a
mourning veil-the sea moaned and wIithed,
as though some dread stern spirit was ma
king pathway of its pillows to advance up
on the town, and the ill-omened birds which
haunt the grave-yards came lowering round
our streets.
You know well how unusual IS tempest
at this season-and all men said that some
great evil was at hard. Still the storm de-
layed its approach, though it sat broodlng in
the burdened heavens as though 1t waited Tor
its hour to come. The day was that follow
ing the Anastasia, or Resurrection-Easter
Monday-but no one dared rejoice as chris
tians are wont, because of these portentous
signs of coming ILL., At length, one hour be-
fore sun set, the sky so black and lowering
lightning, and peal Of thunder. so loud and
awful, that it seemed rolling up from the very
depths of the unseen world. burst over Mes
salonghi with fearful sound. Just as it died
away, there arose among its echoes, one long
shrek from house round which thousands OF
watchers were assembled-and the cry went
forth that Byron had expired at that terrific
moment.
And so it was In the midst Of that ex-
traordinary tempes', the poet spirit had been
summoned forth, and for many days there
was weeping and wailing through the LAND
for the untimely fate Of the noble Frank
stranger. such as had never been wrung from
the stout Greek hearts, even when they saw
their own devoted dead falling round them
before the blast Of war, like leaves driven
earth-ward by the wind.-The PhiieIlsn''f.