After a general review of the disjointed state of the Turkish empire, and of the hostile preparations which they are making, I am of opinion that they are incapable of making any great impression on Greece during the ensuing campaign. If the English money shall arrive in time, their invasion may, perhaps, be altogether prevented. I am, however, apprehensive that the Greek fleet cannot be in a state this season to meet their antagonists on the seas, or to attempt a general engagement.

A courier has just arrived from the chief Scalza. Alas! all our fears are realized. The soul of Byron has taken its last flight. England has lost her brightest genius-Greece her noblest friend. To console them for the loss, he has left behind the emanations of his splendid mind. If Byron had faults, he had redeeming virtues too-he sacrificed his comfort, fortune, health, and life to the cause of an oppressed nation. Honoured be his memory! Had I the disposal of his ashes, I would place them in the Temple of Theseus, or in the Parthenon at Athens.

Yours,

L. S.

[Vide Appendix, Nos. XIX, XX, XXI, and XXII.]

LETTER LXIX.

TO THE PRESIDENT MAVROCORDATO.

Salona, 1st May, 1824.

Dear Sir,

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 27th instant, relative to Lord Byron's contract with the government to pay the Suliots, and to the means of discharging the pay due to them for past services. In reply, I have only to state that I am entirely ignorant of the nature of Lord Byron's contract. I conceive that Lord Byron's trustees are bound in honour and-in law to fulfil his Lordship's agreement up to the time of his death, at which period the men should be discharged. With respect to your drawing upon the trustees, and, if not paid by them, having the debt discharged by the British loan, that is a point that must be referred to the representatives of the nation for their decision.

I must now beg leave to call your attention to the subject of the laboratory establishment at Mis

solonghi. This establishment, with all the workmen and stores therein, has already been placed under your protection by the agents of the Greek Committee; I therefore consider that you are responsible to the representatives of the nation and to your government for the proper application and disposal of them. You speak to me about the necessity of union; without it Greece and her liberties must be lost. To effect it, an alliance must be established between those who represent the various parties, I mean those of the people, of the aristocracy, and of the military interests.

"THANKS for your most interesting and able letters. You appear to have managed your mission in the most satisfactory manner. You recommend that some one should immediately proceed to Zante to give Napier an honest and full account of the actual state of Greece, and you desire me to mention this to Odysseus. I have done so : we are both of opinion that this measure is absolutely necessary, and we think that no one is so capable of doing ample justice to such an important mission as yourself; both of us, therefore, earnestly entreat of you to proceed instantaneously to Zante, or Cephalonia, or wherever Napier may be. The first measure for Colonel Napier to adopt is to hold fast the money, and by no means to allow one shilling of it to be sent to any part of Greece, till he is fully informed as to the state of its government. I have desired the government to send some well-informed commissioners to Zante to negotiate with us; also to send us proper returns of their armies and fleets, and statements of their accounts, and of their means of paying the interest of the debt.

"In about four days I shall proceed with Odysseus and the new representatives to Argos. It is

his object to establish a good government. From Argos I shall go to Zante or Cephalonia, and hope to reach one of those islands in about a fortnight.

66 I am, etc.

"L. S."

[Vide Appendix, Nos. XXIII, XXIV.]

Honours have been paid to Lord Byron's memory at Salona. His soul was prayed for in the church. The whole garrison and people of the town then went out into the plain, where another religious ceremony took place, under the shade of the olivetrees. This being concluded, the troops fired; and an oration, of which the following is a translation, was pronounced by the high priest:

"The enlightened foreigners, to wit, as many as unite to science the mild feelings of humanity, do not regard merely with pleasure the vast strides of Greece towards her regeneration (I mean in her efforts in the war), and content themselves with wishing you from afar a happy consummation of it, but they immediately contribute towards this end, according to the extent of their several capacities; nay, we behold many of them actually joining us in the struggle, and running the perilous course with us. One of these, who lately made