“There is a slight demur about Hato’s voyage, her mother wishing to go with her, which is quite natural, and I have not the heart to refuse it; for even Mahomet made a law, that in the division of captives, the child should never be separated from the mother.  But this may make a difference in the arrangement, although the poor woman (who has lost half her family in the war) is, as I said, of good character, and of mature age, so as to render her respectability not liable to suspicion.  She has heard, it seems, from Prevesa, that her husband is no longer there.  I have consigned your Bibles to Dr. Meyer; and I hope that the said Doctor may justify your confidence; nevertheless, I shall keep an eye upon him.  You may depend upon my giving the Society as fair play as Mr. Wilberforce himself would; and any other commission for the good of Greece will meet with the same attention on my part.

“I am trying, with some hope of eventual success, to re-unite the Greeks, especially as the Turks are expected in force, and that shortly.  We must meet them as we may, and fight it out as we can.

“I rejoice to hear that your school prospers, and I assure you that your good wishes are reciprocal.  The weather is so much finer, that I get a good deal of moderate exercise in boats and on horseback, and am willing to hope that my health is not worse than when you kindly wrote to me.  Dr. Bruno can tell you that I adhere to your regimen, and more, for I do not eat any meat, even fish.

“Believe me ever, &c.

“P.S.  The mechanics (six in number) were all pretty much of the same mind.  Brownbill was but one.  Perhaps they are less to blame than is imagined, since Colonel Stanhope is said to have told them, ’that he could not positively say their lives were safe.’ I should like to know where our life is safe, either here or any where else?  With regard to a place of safety, at least such hermetically sealed safety as these persons appeared to desiderate, it is not to be found in Greece, at any rate; but Missolonghi was supposed to be the place where they would be useful, and their risk was no greater than that of others.”

LETTER 555.  TO COLONEL STANHOPE.

“Missolonghi, March 19. 1824.

“My dear Stanhope,

“Prince Mavrocordato and myself will go to Salona to meet Ulysses, and you may be very sure that P.M. will accept any proposition for the advantage of Greece.  Parry is to answer for himself on his own articles[1]:  if I were to interfere with him, it would only stop the whole progress of his exertion; and he is really doing all that can be done without more aid from the Government.

[Footnote 1:  Colonel Stanhope had, at the instance of the Chief Odysseus, written to request that some stores from the laboratory at Missolonghi might be sent to Athens.  Neither Prince Mavrocordato, however, nor Lord Byron considered it prudent, at this time, to weaken their means for defending Missolonghi, and accordingly sent back by the messenger but a few barrels of powder.]