“Ever yours truly, NOEL BYRON.”

Soon after this interview with their agent, a more direct communication on the subject was opened between his Lordship and the Committee itself.

LETTER 520.  TO MR. BOWRING.

“Genoa, May 12. 1823

“Sir,

“I have great pleasure in acknowledging your letter, and the honour which the Committee have done me:—­I shall endeavour to deserve their confidence by every means in my power.  My first wish is to go up into the Levant in person, where I might be enabled to advance, if not the cause, at least the means of obtaining information which the Committee might be desirous of acting upon; and my former residence in the country, my familiarity with the Italian language, (which is there universally spoken, or at least to the same extent as French in the more polished parts of the Continent,) and my not total ignorance of the Romaic, would afford me some advantages of experience.  To this project the only objection is of a domestic nature, and I shall try to get over it;—­if I fail in this, I must do what I can where I am; but it will be always a source of regret to me, to think that I might perhaps have done more for the cause on the spot.

“Our last information of Captain Blaquiere is from Ancona, where he embarked with a fair wind for Corfu, on the 15th ult.; he is now probably at his destination.  My last letter from him personally was dated Rome; he had been refused a passport through the Neapolitan territory, and returned to strike up through Romagna for Ancona:—­little time, however, appears to have been lost by the delay.

“The principal material wanted by the Greeks appears to be, first, a park of field artillery—­light, and fit for mountain-service; secondly, gunpowder; thirdly, hospital or medical stores.  The readiest mode of transmission is, I hear, by Idra, addressed to Mr. Negri, the minister.  I meant to send up a certain quantity of the two latter—­no great deal—­but enough for an individual to show his good wishes for the Greek success,—­but am pausing, because, in case I should go myself, I can take them with me.  I do not want to limit my own contribution to this merely, but more especially, if I can get to Greece myself, I should devote whatever resources I can muster of my own, to advancing the great object.  I am in correspondence with Signor Nicolas Karrellas (well known to Mr. Hobhouse), who is now at Pisa; but his latest advice merely stated, that the Greeks are at present employed in organising their internal government, and the details of its administration:  this would seem to indicate security, but the war is however far from being terminated.