Most grateful to the wretched Christian slaves who were fettered and penned up in the loathsome bani must the din of that day's bombardment have been!

A storm of thunder and lightning succeeded the carnage of the day. The last ship that fired a shot at the shore was the "Leander," on board of which one gun was found loaded, at twenty-five minutes past eleven o'clock.

"

Morning saw a general order issued, to "offer up a public thanksgiving to Almighty God for the signal victory obtained by the arms of Britain over these ferocious enemies of mankind."

Almost every house in Algiers bore traces of the cannonade. Five shells, one of thirteen inches, and four of ten inches, fell into the palace of the Dey. The moment Lord Exmouth's fleet hauled out, the janissaries demanded that the city should be given up to them to pillage, on the plea that the Moors had been cold in its defense, and that the Jews were spies. It was not at once that the humbled Dey could dissuade these furies from their purpose. Rushing in among them, with his breast uncovered, he bid any of them who was a greater friend to their cause than he was to shoot or stab him on the spot. This romantic act of bravery and voluntary sacrifice silenced them.

On the 1st of September, Lord Exmouth-who for his services was created a viscount-had the glorious satisfaction of receiving on board his fleet all the Christian slaves, amounting to one thousand two hundred and eleven, among whom, however, there was not one Briton alive now; and seldom had a more splendid spectacle been seen than the boats of the squadron bringing off all these poor creatures, whose now fetterless hands were raised frequently to Heaven, imploring blessings upon Britain in every European language save her own. He also obtained three hundred and fiftyseven thousand dollars for Naples, and twenty-five thousand for Sardinia.

Nor did the acts of mercy in this last crusade end here.

On the 27th of November, Rear-admiral Penrose, who remained as commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean, summoned the government of Tripoli and Tunis, desiring the Bashaw and Bey to make the same concessions to the prince regent of Britain that

had been made by the Dey of Algiers; and the rear-admiral had the satisfaction of sending eighty-three liberated Romans to Civita Vecchia.

After that not a Christian slave remained in the States of Barbary.

CHAPTER XXX

THE BATTLE OF NAVARINO AND THE DEFEAT OF MEHEMET ALI

GREEK WAR OF INDEPENDENCE-THE ALLIES AND THE PORTE -THE PASHA AND THE SULTAN-CAPTURE OF ACRE

TH

A. D. 1827-1840

HE history of the war of independence waged by Greece against Turkey forms a glorious page in the annals of that little kingdom, and one of great interest, not only on account of sympathy against despotism, but also because of the untimely fate that befell England's greatest poet, Lord Byron, who died at Missolonghi, in 1824, while actively engaged in the mission of freeing the land he loved, with a disinterested and noble enthusiasm that does him infinite honor. The sanguinary and remorseless character of the proceedings of the ablest of the sultan's generals, Ibrahim Pasha, son of Mehemet Ali, who, by his excesses in the Morea, rivaled the evil fame attaching to the names of Tilly and Alva, at length drew down upon the Turkish government the indignation of all Christendom. In July, 1827, England, France, and Russia resolved to compel the Porte to acknowledge the actual independence of Greece, on condition of receiving an annual tribute; and to enforce such an unpalatable demand each power furnished a squadron, which was dispatched to Navarino, on the western side of the Morea, where was lying a fleet which had brought re-enforcements to Ibrahim Pasha.

Sir Edward Codrington, one of Nelson's captains, commanding the British fleet, arrived at Navarino in September, in company with the French squadron, under M. de Rigny, and on the 25th of the same month a conference was held with Ibrahim Pasha, at which the latter agreed to suspend hostilities against the Greeks until he could communicate with the sultan. Codrington now detached a portion of his fleet to refit at Malta, and repaired in his flagship to Zante, whence he frequently communicated with Captain Fellowes, whom he had left with the "Dartmouth" frigate to watch the Turkish fleet. Twice Ibrahim Pasha endeavored to elude the terms of the treaty, by sending ships to act against the Greeks in the Gulf of Patras; but the British admiral intercepted both squadrons, and, on the 15th of October, the combined fleets, re-enforced by a Russian squadron under Admiral Heiden, assembled off Navarino, with the object, if necessary, of compelling Ibrahim Pasha to cease his brutal proceedings against the inhabitants of the Morea, whom he was slaughtering with increased and remorseless cruelty.

On the 19th of October Sir Edward Codrington issued his instructions to the captains of the combined fleets, and at 1.30 P.M. on the following day he hoisted the signal to prepare for action, while the fleet stood into the harbor of Navarino, the British and French squadrons forming the weather or starboard column, and the Russians the lee line.

The following were the ships of the respective squadrons. British squadron: "Asia," Vice-admiral Sir Edward Codrington, 80 guns; "Genoa" and "Albion," 74 each; "Dartmouth," 46; "Glasgow," 50; "Cambria," 48; "Talbot," 28; corvette "Rose," three brigs, and one cutter.

French squadron: "Syrène," flag of Rear-admiral de Rigny, 60 guns; "Tridente," 80; "Scipion," 78; "Breslau," 80; "Armide," 48; and two corvettes.

Russian squadron: "Azoff," flag of Rear-admiral Heiden, 80 guns; "Gargonte," "Ezekiel," and "Alexandre Newsky," 76 each; "Constantine," 48; "Proveskey," "Elena," and "Castor," 46 each.

The harbor of Navarino is about six miles in circumference; but the island of Sphacteria stretches across its mouth, affording

only an entrance about six hundred yards in width. On the righthand side of this passage stood a fortress mounting one hundred and twenty-five guns, and on the extremity of the island, almost opposite to it, was placed another fort; while a third battery at the northern end of the island also commanded the harbor.

The Turkish and Egyptian ships were moored, with great skill, in the form of a crescent; the largest of them presenting their broadsides toward the center, and the smaller being drawn up inside, filling up the intervals: at the entrance of the harbor lay six fire-ships.

The fleet consisted of one ship of 84 guns, two seventy-fours, two ships of 64 guns, two of 60, two of 50, fifteen frigates carrying 48 guns, twenty-six large corvettes, eleven brigs, and the fire-ships.

At 2 P.M., the "Asia," leading the line, passed the heavy battery on the mainland unmolested, and steering up the harbor, anchored close alongside a ship of the line, bearing the flag of the Capitan Bey, and on the larboard, or inner quarter, of a double-banked frigate, having on board Moharem Bey, the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian squadron. The "Genoa" brought up abreast of a double-banked frigate, and the "Albion" took up her position astern of the "Genoa." The Russian admiral was instructed to engage four Egyptian ships to windward of the fleet, besides others to leeward, the French and Russian ships of the line following those of the English line, and the whole being closed by the Russian frigates. The "Armide," and the frigates "Cambria," "Glasgow," and "Talbot," took up stations abreast the three British ships of the line, and the "Dartmouth," with the smaller vessels, directed their attention to the fire-ships. The action was commenced by the latter, which fired upon a boat of the "Dartmouth," and killed Lieutenant Fitzroy as he was proceeding on a mission from Captain Fellowes to the Turkish officer in command. This was returned by the "Dartmouth," and soon a general engagement followed.

At first the "Asia" only directed her guns upon the Turkish admiral's ship, but soon afterward the Egyptian commodore opened fire, when Sir Edward Codrington replied with so crushing a cannonade that she was, to quote the admiral's dispatch, "effectually

1

destroyed by the 'Asia's' fire, sharing the same fate as his brother admiral on the starboard side, and falling to leeward a complete wreck." The Turkish ships of the inner line were now enabled to rake the "Asia," which suffered severely in consequence; her mizzenmast was shot away, several guns disabled, and her crew began to fall fast, the admiral himself being struck by a musketball, which knocked his watch out of his pocket.

The "Genoa" also sustained heavy losses, owing to the concentrated fire to which she was exposed. Her gallant captain, Bathurst, was wounded early in the action by a splinter, which struck off his hat and lacerated his face; soon a second shot carried off his coat-tails, and at length a grape-shot, entering his side, passed through his body. This last wound was, of course, mortal, but he lingered eleven hours in great suffering. His body was taken to England at his particular request, and he was buried at Plymouth, with military honors, on the 27th of December.

The "Albion" was also exposed to the fire of a cluster of ships, and after repulsing an attempt to board by a 64-gun ship, a party of her seamen boarded in turn, and captured the latter; the prize was, however, soon discovered to be on fire, and, after she was relinquished, blew up with a tremendous explosion. The "Albion" engaged others of the enemy's ships until dusk, when she stood out to clear herself from the blazing mass.

The remaining ships of the allied fleet did good service; the smaller vessels, particularly the "Hind" cutter, Lieutenant Robb, carrying eight guns and thirty men, engaging the enemy's frigates and batteries with the greatest intrepidity. Two fire-ships were burned, one was sunk, and a fourth blew up; the "Dartmouth" and "Rose" being chiefly instrumental in effecting this result. Sir Edward Codrington cordially acknowledged the valuable assistance afforded him by the Russian and French squadrons, without which, indeed, his small fleet must have been overpowered. The result of this spiritedly conducted battle, as regarded the hostile fleet, was concisely put by the British admiral in the following passage of his official letter: "Out of a fleet composed of eighty-one menof-war, only one frigate and fifteen smaller vessels are in a state ever to be again put to sea.”