MODERN GREECE-EXPLOITS OF KANARIS. "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori: Ar no period of time has the moral and political world been subject to such violent convulsions and rapid changes, as during the existence of the present generation. We have lived, indeed, amidst the shock of conflicting opinions, the paroxysms of warfare, and the convulsive throes of expiring empires; and the spirit of disaffection is still in fermentation. But among all the "turns out" for constitution-making, none excited greater attention than that of Greece, although its effects were more locally restricted than those of the grander explosions in France, Poland, Spain, and Italy. During the struggle it was somewhat difficult to get a true opinion upon the question; for while the Miso-Hellenists were confined in number, the Phil-Hellenists comprehended, in addition to zealous and principled well-wishers, all the radical levellers of Europe. The first class recited the acts of barbarity, perfidy, and atrocity, by which the Greeks proved their utter want of faith, honour, and morals. The second, with ideas preoccupied by their own imaginations, consider them as the worthy descendants of the heroes and sages of old; and while one party allows them no virtue, the other will acknowledge in them no vice. Both these opinions are absurdly erroneous; they have strong capacities for both, and the inferences have been so sweeping and conclusive as materially to injure their cause. Thus, many a panting hero volunteered to join their standard, heated more by classical enthusiasm and captious vanity, than by a rational view of his undertaking; and quitting the well-organized services of the most intellectual and civilized nations of Europe, fondly dreamed of participating in the glory of again rearing on the sacred shores of Greece a political structure worthy of Solon or Lycurgus, and extravagantly expected that neither a Socrates, a Codrus, a Leonidas, nor a Demosthenes, would be wanting. Those who went abroad with such visionary ideas, and they were not a few, were bitterly disappointed; and returning home, some of them, like Stanhope, wrote dismal Jeremiads to prove the total unworthiness of the present race. But a marvellous ignorance still pervades Europe as to the real merits of the contest, because, in the excitement of the moment, little would gain credit, but what was exaggerated against the Turks, and grossly exaggerated in favour of those who, in the mass, might very properly be termed the mongrel Greeks. The former are undoubtedly a besotted, tyrannical, and contemptible squad, as a people; but the latter are also less remarkable for any good quality, than for cowardice, treachery, perjury, and cruelty,-vices so far from resulting, as their advocates pretend, from the slavery they have undergone, that they were distinguished for them before the Turks became their masters. To a long line of sanguinary, vindictive, rapacious, and weak emperors, succeeded the barbarous despotism and diabolical policy of the FREE REPUBLIC of Venice; and so degraded had these descendants of Pericles, Conon, U. S. JOURN. No. 58, Sept. 1833. Lysander, and Miltiades become, that, besides the decay of their moral energies, they had already lost many branches of elementary knowledge; and the architecture, sculpture, medals, paintings, and literature of the later Greeks, form a shameful contrast to those of their illustrious ancestors. The public character, therefore, of the contending parties cannot be held in high estimation-but among the individuals of the two people there is a remarkable difference; and it is found the Turks are the favourites of most of those who have sojourned among them, while the Greeks are generally upheld by enthusiasts acting under the stimuli of classical prejudices and religious feeling; and in true sectarian style, the latter nourished their opinions, and anathematized those of the other party, till to be anti-Greek was synonymous with anti-Christian,-although it would puzzle many of the same enthusiasts to point out the quantum of real christianity existing in the Greek worship, or prove whether it is less idolatrous than that of the Turks. Throughout the late Lord Byron's letters, journals, and conversation, he almost invariably prefers the Turks to the Greeks; while in his poetry his whole energies are employed to laud the latter: the first resulted from his experience, the second was artificially inducted by education. The harrowing atrocities committed by the belligerents have been made a mode of comparison to estimate their morality by; but the statements have been much too ex-parte, and the special pleading too imaginary, to admit of a just verdict. The Turks had never recourse to the press to refute the amplified reports of the enormities which were circulated against them, as well by the Greeks in Germany and in France, as by the holders of Greek scrip in England, for the double purpose of exciting a crusade and raising funds,-assaulting at once the compassion and credulity of the public. Now, though the brutality on both sides was so disgusting as to make us-who were on the spot-wish that, like the Kilkenny cats, the parties would eat each other up,-we must confess, however unpalatable to that immaculate Hellenian, Mister Joseph Hume, that the balance of infraction of capitulations, indiscriminate butchery, and refinement in cruelty, is on the side of the Greeks. And we may also whisper to him, as well as to a few others misled by a knot of Ionian islanders who were baffled in their designs of pocketing the revenues of those states, that the cause, however holy, was all but lost by the folly, ignorance, and mismanagement, which appeared in the whole expenditure of the Greek loan. It is true, that the very note of preparation, a Greek insurrection !” carries an amazing prepossession in it; and the active mind revels in all the recollections of that beautiful and interesting country-in the fields of Marathon and Platea, the pass of Thermopyla, the shores of Salamis, and the crags of Pindus and Olympus σε Κορυφας πολυδειράδος Ουλύμποιο." But the professed object of the movement was tarnished to our own view of the affair, by a personal knowledge that a stream of Russian influence was poured through every ramification of the transaction. "Tis true that, after the foul murder of Czerni-Georgi, this was disclaimed with due diplomatic gravity; but, without taxing the autocrat as being the whole cause of the rebellion, we can positively assert that his being the head of the Greek church, the conduct of Strogonoff at Constan tinople, the intrigues of old Capo d'Istria, the menacing army of 150,000 Muscovites on the borders of Turkey, and the Russian officers scattered about Greece, certainly maintained the cause. As for ourselves, when the rising had actually taken place, we most heartily prayed for its success, but without shutting our eyes to the truth, that an independent state was not likely to be a consequence. We, of course, never imagined that a nation sunk in the degradation of slavery was at once to cast off the brutifying effects of such a state, and emerge in high civilization; but we could not help viewing the point at issue very much in the light of a mere change of masters for the oppressed, and likely to form an addition to the already enormous preponderance of Russia in Europe. Then the barefaced falsehoods which were trumped over Europe were of a nature to induce distrust and circumspection: we were on the spot, and knew of but few of those brilliant victories with which the papers, theatres, and panoramas of London teemed; and in spite of the enemy being both indolent and incapable, it is probable that, but for the secret agency of Russia, and the affair of Navarino, the cause would have been lost by cowardice, disaffection, and want of talent. Nor were the resources of the insurgents so indifferent as to apologize for the inefficiency of their operations. Many of the islands had long enjoyed a literal freedom, insomuch that they entered the arena with a powerful fleet of ships, and a store of wealth acquired by unrestricted commercial intercourse with European countries. The Turkish army in the Morea was barely 5000 men, and yet it gave ample employment to ten times that number of Greeks; and whilst a disgraceful inertness stigmatized most of their military proceedings, the horrors of war were augmented, without any real advantage to the cause of liberation, by the predatory inroads of the insurgent privateers, and the barefaced piracies they recklessly committed. We, therefore, considered the construction of an independent Greek nation as not only improbable, but impracticable, the natives of each petty state differing as much from each other as they do from the Turks; and their statesmen being as turbulent as they are variable, and as artful as they are specious. Recent facts oblige us to retain this opinion-for after foreign powers had settled the war for them, their time has been lost in squabbles and murders; and though our ministers have kindly made England a guarantee for two millions sterling, to place a German dwarf on the mock throne, and have bought for him, of the Turks, a boundary line for another half-million, that he may repose in safety, we predict that it will yet be some time before property is respected in Greece. But we must now quit the considerations into which we have been drawn, and show, that while we entertain no very high opinion of the Greeks, as a nation, we are desirous of appreciating the high merit of some individuals. We have witnessed various instances of admirable devotion and patriotism; and while many were distinguished by sagacity and courage, others, possessing wealth and comfort, ruined themselves by generous contributions to the cause. It is the exploits of one of these heroes, Constantine Kanaris, that we are now about to relate,— and the story will be told in very nearly his own words. We should observe, that, at the time of which we shall speak, the Greek fleet consisted of about 180 vessels, of various sizes, and was manned by from 15 to 20,000 seamen. These ships were chiefly fitted out by the spirited natives of Hydra, Spezzia, Psara, and Samos; but though the naval prowess of the insurgents was loudly bruited, it was but little superior to that of the Turks, who are, perhaps, the most contemptible maritime enemies that can possibly be found afloat. Instead of a decided plan of operations, the patriot sailors took to piracy, and had no other idea of conquering the naval force of the incautious Ottoman than by fireships, which, as an exclusive mode of warfare, must be condemned; while against the Turks, whom a strict fatalism renders singularly callous and careless of human life, it is inefficient. The atrocious massacre at Scio, in the summer of 1822, had struck fury into the minds of the Greeks who were cruising in the vicinity; but their leaders did not seem to partake the feeling, if we may judge by their discreditable inactivity. But that horrid carnage had hardly ceased, when it was reserved for Kanaris to deal retribution upon some of the perpetrators. Towards the close of the Ramadan, the Greek squadron returned to their respective ports, without having made any serious disposition to attack the Turkish fleet at Scio, although they had twice entered the strait which divides that island from Asia Minor, for the purpose. It was on the last of these occasions, while losing sight of the enemy in the distance, that the idea first struck Kanaris, that all had not been done which ought to have been, and of the possibility of destroying some of the ships single-handed by surprise. While pacing his deck he matured a plan, and immediately on his arrival at Psara, made a proposal to his superiors, which was most readily acceded to. Previous to this, Kanaris had commanded the Platoff fire-ship, with such credit as to have gained general notice; and in the retreat through the Spalmador passage, he dropped astern of his companions, backed his main-topsail, and was the last out of the straits, a station of his own choice, in order, he said, to protect the rear of the fleet. This afforded him an opportunity of observing the sluggishness of the larger ships of the enemy; and from that moment he felt so thoroughly persuaded of success, that he resolved to venture at all hazards, notwithstanding two other vessels, commanded by Nicolao Apostolo, the admiral's son, had failed but a very short time before, owing, it was thought, to their being fired too soon. Hearing the intention of Kanaris, the captain of a Hydriot brig, Andrea Pepino, volunteered his services to accompany him, and was accepted. Their two vessels were carefully fitted for the deadly purpose, and manned with picked crews of twenty-three men each. The combustibles were of the most inflammable and inextinguishable description; and two large swift-rowing boats were given them to effect their escape in. Thus equipped, they sailed for the port of Kaloni, in Mytilene, in order, from its advantageous position to the northward of Scio, to await there the opportunity of the first northerly wind for carrying their project into execution, as well as to create less suspicion by coming from that quarter. Owing to light, baffling winds, they were three days on their passage to Kaloni, and it was not till the third day after that they got a breeze suitable to their wishes. In the meantime they amused themselves, fishing and sporting in and about the harbour. On Wednesday, the 19th of June, at noon (the sixth day from Psara), they sailed, with a steady breeze from the N.E., steering direct for Spal mador island, intending to get within the straits of Scio as soon after dusk as possible. On nearing Spalmador, they got sight of the lookout Turkish squadron of five sail, (three brigs and two schooners,) cruising to the northward of the island; on which they hauled up and shaped a course as if bound into Smyrna, but kept the yards fine, to check the vessel's way as much as possible. This deception answered, for so little did the Turks understand their duty as cruisers, that they made no disposition to follow. Another difficulty arose: an English man-of-war hove in sight, bound into the gulf, and Kanaris was well aware of the vigilance which British sailors use; he was, therefore, however perilous, under the necessity of showing his colours to her, but he hauled them down again immediately after, to prevent their being made out by the Turks. At sunset he had lost sight of the Turks behind Karabouna, on which he altered his course, and rounded the Cape, keeping the main close on board. As he approached the entrance of the straits the wind gradually died away; and when abreast of Green Island, about 10 p.m. it fell nearly calm. Pepino, the Hydriot captain, hailed him at this time, and asked Kanaris, "What do you intend doing? do you think it safe to go on? the wind is very light; will it not be better to give it up for to-night, and take a more favourable opportunity? If we get becalmed inside the islands, the chances will be against our getting out again." Kanaris boldly replied, "There is nothing to fear; we shall have a breeze presently, and we have some time yet till daylight." A short time after, the Hydriot hailed him again to the same effect, and he answered, with something of asperity in his tone," It is my intention to proceed, come what may; I will either do the business at once, or not at all." Some of Kanaris' crew now began to feel dissatisfied; and, hearing them mutter about the chances of being taken, and that it would be better to make the attempt on some other night, he called them aft, and upbraided them with their wavering: "Did I ask you to come with me?" demanded he; was it not your own voluntary choice? Did not ye beg of me to take ye? If ye are tired of the thing already, and want to get home again, ye had better jump overboard and be off at once; and if that won't please ye, I must declare that ye are all under my command, and if one of you dare open your mouths again on the subject, I will cut his throat that instant." From that moment he had no further trouble with them, and they obeyed every order implicitly. On nearing Hippo island, the five look-out cruisers were observed to leeward of Spalmador, standing across towards the main, on the larboard tack; and a large ship, on the opposite tack, was seen in the middle of the channel. This ship showed a light, which was answered by the others, each of whom showed one. This was a ticklish moment; Kanaris braced his yards in, and kept them pointed as near as the wind would allow, and on towards the Turks, to prevent their seeing him. The land here being very high, by keeping close under it, he luckily passed unperceived, and the breeze freshening up again, soon carried him out of sight. To leeward of Hippo island the land trends down to a low point, off which lies a shoal, which he bordered on as close as the lead would permit, till, having rounded it, he braced sharp up, and hauled directly across for the town of Scio. When about mid-channel over he saw the Turkish fleet with their lights up for the festival of the Bairam; “Look |