Evening star., 1927-10-16

ii III
Bay of Navarino, on the west
coast of ''the Morea," as the
,ower Greek Peninsula was then called,
and within less than four hours de-
stroved or drove ashore Turco-Egyp-
fian feet Of 50 vessels in one Of the
most remarkable naval engagements
in history.
Next Thursday the Greeks will cele.
hrate the tooth anniversary of that
battle with elaborate ceremonies at
Athens and at Pylos- Bay. for
merly known as Navarino. At the
latter place the first stone of a monu.
ment to- the three admirals who COM
manded the allied feet will be laid.
They were Vice Admiral Sir Edward
Codrington, British, who. by reason of
his seniority, was in supreme com
n,and: Rear Admiral Chevalier de
Rigny, French, and Rear Admiral
Comte Leguine Petrovitch Heyden,
Russian.
England and France will participate
in the ceremonies, having ordered de-
tachments of their Mediterranean
fleets to the scene, and the British
Official representative will be Gen. Sir
Alfred Codrington, great-grandson
of the admiral who directed the great
battle. Russia will not be represented,
not joining with Russia in celebra.
tons OF any kind.
The Greek Government also has
ordered a commemorative medal
struck off, further to signaliZe the
event. and is issuing a set of souvenir
stamps. depicting the battle and with
pictures of the three admirals.
Because of its effects upon the in
ternatioHdl situation, the Battle of
Navarino has been classed among the
decisive battles of the world. 1t broke
the back of Turkeys effort to suppress
the Greek revolution. il precipitated
the Russo-Turkish War of 1928, it
annihilated the Turkish naval power
and it brought about the ultimate
recognition of the independence of
Greece.
But aside from it's significance. its
story is one of the most colorful chap
ters in history. 1t was a battle that
was fought without g. previous decla-
ration of war by either side and when
neither side really wanted to fight.
1t was precipitated by the duplicity
of the Turce-Egyptian commander
and by the doughty spirit of the Eng
lish admiral, who in crisis elected
TO disregard part of the orders under
which he sailed. thereby risking court.
martial.
1t was a triumph of courage and
sheer fighting ability over a greatly
superior force, for the allies were out
shipped, outmanned and outgunned,
and. moreover. they had to fight in a
situation strategically to the advan-
tage of the enemy, who had abundant
time TO arrange his battle lines so as
TO make the most OF his preponder
ance of guns.
Na he
force did not lose n single vessel, and
its loss in killed and wounded was less
than twentieth of that of the enemy.
Further distinction attaches to the
hattie, in that il was the last great
engagement OF sailing vessels, and its
scene was not far from Lepanto. where
the last great battle was fought, nor
from the place in the Levant. off
S;nope in the Black Sea, where the
first important action in which steam
vessels participated was witnessed
later, in 1853.
"A MONG Americans especial interest
has always attached to the. Battle
Of Navarino, because Sir Edward Cod
rington, the commander-in-chief of the
allies, saw conspicuous service in this
country during the WaNof 1872 He
time of the capture of Washington, |
and during the futile attack upon the /
forts at Baltimore he was in command |
OF the flagship Tonnant of the British I
feet, under Sir Alexander Cochrane
Later he was at New Orleans when
Jackson put the finishing touches on
the war.
Sir Edward seems not to have enter
tained a very high opinion of Ameri |
oans. In letter to his. wife, dated
September 5. 1912. he wrote:
1T would seem that for the sake of |
giving vent to the bitterness of hatred. |
which marks the Yankee character, |
every gentleman God save the termD
who takes possession of a property
adopts the opposite political creed to
that OF his nearest neighbor."
In other letters at the time he re-
ferred cortemptuously to the Presi-
dent OF the United States, James Mad
ison, but as events developed he ap-
pears to have acquired a little whole
some respect for the American Execu.
tive. Writing when the city of Wash
ington had been taken, Sir Edward
referred to the President merely as
Madison" After the British failure
at Baltimore, the reference became
mfr. Madison" and after the British
defeat at New Orleans it was "Mr
President Madison" in all of which
Americans may see bit of humor of
which Sir Edward doubtless, was gu.
premely unconscious.
Sir Edward was a great fighting
man, however. He served with dis
t'uction under Nelson at Trafalgar,
and although after his dashing exploit
at Navarino he was threatened with
oourt-martial, was recalled and long
wrangle ensued. in the end he was
vindicated and later was promoted to
full admiral and given command of the
Channel feet.
The situation in the Levant for
some months prior to the Battle of
Navarino was a delicate one. and one
that occaSioned no little grief in the
British foreign office. The Greeks
were struggling for their freedom from
the Ottoman Empire, and were the
victims of a bloody, ruthless warfare
that was being waged with all the
attendant horrors OF which the Turks
were past masters. All Europe wanted
the war ended, but only the Russians
seemed disposed to do anything drastic
about 1t. The Car was known to be
preparing to intervene on the side of
the Greeks.
1t was the old situation with which
the world has been familiar for more
than a century, question of the bal
ance of power in the Levant, or in
the Near East, as that region has
been known modernly. If the Car
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