1149.-To Samuel Barff.

Missolonghi, March 19, 1824.

DEAR SIR,-AS Count Mercati is under some apprehensions of a direct answer to him personally on Greek affairs, I reply (as you authorised me) to you, who will have the goodness to communicate to him the enclosed. It is the joint answer of Prince Mavrocordato and of myself, to Sig. G. Sisseni's propositions. You may also add, both to him and to Parrucca, that I am perfectly sincere in desiring the most amicable termination of their internal dissensions, and that I believe Prince Mavrocordato to be so also; otherwise I would not act with him, or any other, whether native or foreigner.

If Lord Guilford is at Zante, or, if he is not, if Sig. Tricupi1 is there, presenting my respects to one or both, you would oblige me by telling them, that from the very first I foretold to Col. Stanhope and to P. Mavrocordato that a Greek newspaper (as indeed any other), in the present state of Greece, might and probably would lead to much mischief and misconstruction, unless under some restrictions; nor have I ever had anything to do with either, as a writer or otherwise, except as a pecuniary contributor to their support in the outset, which I could not refuse to the earnest request of the Projectors.

1. Spiridion Tricoupi (died 1873), son of a Primate of Mesolonghi, had been "educated by the means furnished by Lord Guildford, "and was acquainted with the French, English and Italian languages. "He was a young man not only well-informed, but of sound good "sense, and a right-judging patriotism; and had been selected as "deputy to the general Government to represent Western Greece (Gamba's Narrative, p. 237). He delivered over Byron a funeral oration, which is printed in the original Greek in Felton's Selections from Modern Greek Writers in Prose and Poetry, pp. 98-108. He wrote a history of the Greek Revolution (Ιστορία τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς Επαναστάσεως), and played a distinguished part in the politics of liberated Greece.

Col. Stanhope and myself had considerable differences of opinion on this subject, and (what will appear laughable enough) to such a degree, that he charged me with despotic principles, and I him with ultra radicalism. Dr. Meyer,1 the Editor, with his unrestrained freedom of the press, and who has the freedom to exercise an unlimited discretion,-not allowing any articles but his own and those like them to appear,-and in declaiming against restrictions, cuts, carves, and restricts (as they tell me) at his own will and pleasure. He is the Author of an article against Monarchy, of which he may have the advantage and fame-but they (the Editors) will get themselves into a scrape, if they do not take care.

Of all petty tyrants, he is one of the pettiest, as are most demagogues, that ever I knew.

He is a Swiss by birth, and a Greek by assumption, having married a wife and changed his religion. I shall be very glad and am extremely anxious for some

1. Jean Jacques Meyer, a Swiss doctor, who had settled in Mesolonghi and married a Greek wife, impressed Stanhope as an "excellent" person, with the "good qualities of his countrymen (Greece, etc., p. 39). Gordon (History of the Greek Revolution, vol. ii. p. 109) calls him "a hot-headed republican." To the editorship of Meyer Stanhope entrusted his pet newspaper, the Greek Chronicle, for which he had chosen the motto "The happiness of the greatest "number." The Chronicle was to appear on January 1, 1824, and afterwards bi-weekly, at a cost of six dollars a year to subscribers. It was to have been printed in Greek and Italian, but as no Italian type was procurable, it appeared in Greek only. Mavrocordatos' attempt to establish a censorship failed, owing to Stanhope's "high and sturdy tone" (Greece, etc., p. 56). On the 20th of March the weekly paper, the Greek Telegraph, also planned by Stanhope, was published. Byron subscribed to both, but under protest. He also insisted on altering the prospectus and motto of the Telegraph, and associating other editors with Meyer.

In the 20th number of the Greek Chronicle Meyer published so violent an attack on the Austrian Government, that Byron suppressed the whole edition. For Meyer he had a strong dislike, partly for his democratic opinions, partly for his assumption of ridiculous titles (Kennedy's Conversations, p. 300), partly, according to Millingen (Memoirs, p. 16, note), for his familiar manners.

favorable result to the recent pacific overtures of the contending parties in the Peloponnesus.

Ev. yours very truly,

N. B.

1150.-To Samuel Barff.

Missolonghi, March 22nd, 1824.

DEAR SIR, Mr. Dunn has received in the course of my stay in Tuscany and the Genovese Territory some thousand dollars of mine, always paid without demur or delay, because I made it a rule to have no long accounts in Italy, however high the prices.-The present pretension to a much smaller sum is, however, of a different kind, being an affair (not very creditable to him, nor to the persons whom he recommended) of the letting of a House, the demand for which I told him, when I saw him at Leghorn, I would certainly not comply with, for some time to come at any rate, as I was neither satisfied with the account nor the amount. I then and there paid him a much larger sum on other accounts, which I conceived to be fairer, as I had frequently done before. I will not accept this Bill, and I request that you will say as much, and re-state what I have stated to you, as before to himself repeatedly. I will take care, however, that he shall be no sufferer eventually, but for the present he may wait as he can well afford. The transaction was one in which he involved me with a scoundrel, whom he well knew to be so and whom he ought to have made known as such to me. He never had to wait for any account of mine before, nor should he now, had he treated me well in the business; as it is, he must have patience; it will be a lesson to him how he allows men who have used him fairly, and dealt with him considerately (as I

have), to be cheated through his intervention. You will in consequence remark that I have requested you not to make any advance to him for the present on my account. I appeal to himself to say, whether I have not always dealt with him honorably and readily, and I happen to have his book with me as a voucher. You will have heard that the alarm of the Plague has subsided here.

If the Greek deputies (as seem probable) have obtained the Loan, the sums I have advanced may perhaps be repaid; but it would make no great difference, as I should still spend that in the cause, and more to boot-though I should hope to better purpose than paying off arrears of fleets that sail away, and Suliotes that won't march, which, they say, what has hitherto been advanced has been employed in. But that was not my affair, but of those who had the disposal of affairs, and I could not decently say to them, "You shall do so and "so, because, etc., etc., etc."

In a few days P. Mavrocordato and myself, with a considerable escort, intend to proceed to Salona at the request of Ulysses and the Chiefs of Eastern Greece, to concert, if possible, a plan of union between Western and Eastern Greece, and to take measures, offensive and defensive, for the ensuing campaign.

Mavrocordato is almost recalled by the new Government to the Morea (to take the lead, I rather think), and they have written to propose to me to go either to the Morea with him, or to take the general direction of affairs in this quarter-with General Londo, and any other I may choose, to form a council.

A. Londo is my old friend and acquaintance, since we were lads in Greece together. It would be difficult to give a positive answer till the Salona meeting is

over; but I am willing to serve them in any capacity they please, either commanding or commanded-it is much the same to me, as long as I can be of any presumed use to them.

Excuse haste; it is late, and I have been several hours on horseback in a country so miry after the rains, that every hundred yards brings you to a ditch, of whose depth, width, colour, and contents, both my horses and their riders have brought away many tokens.

Yours ever,

N. B.

P.S.-I hope that you have received the answer for Sig. Parrucca, and also a reply through your medium to Sig. C. Mercati.

I also wrote on some business of P. Mavrocordato's. Some Bills of his, that is to say, on England, on which I have advanced him an order on you from the balance in your hands with some directions also to the rest which you can send here, or order some one to pay for you in this place.

P.S.-Tell Dr. Thomas I have not written to him, but you can tell him also all that I could. When anything very particular happens I will send him a detail.

Would you request my friend Dr. Thomas to obtain for me some good English Calcined Magnesia, I paying for it of course, and send it over.

1. "To this offer of the Government to appoint him Governor"General of Greece (that is, of the enfranchised part of the continent, "with the exception of the Morea and the Islands), his answer was, "that he was first going to Salona, and that afterwards he would "be at their commands; that he could have no difficulty in accept"ing any office, provided he could persuade himself that any good 66 would result from it (Moore).