Although the clergy had thus been chiefly instrumental in
bringing about the revolution; yet as soon as the national independence was once
established, they possessed but little influence in the administration of affairs. They had
themselves destroyed the principal prop of their temporal power. Turkish authority had
fallen; and their influence fell with it. On maturer reflection little or no gratitude was
professed towards them, by the people; for necessity and fear, rather than inclination and
patriotism, had forced them to contribute to the triumph of that liberty they, till now,
had been the foremost to restrain. But the chief reason of the obscurity, in which the
clergy remained, was deficiency of talent amongst its members. The most respectable part of
the higher clergy had been strangled in the prisons of Tripolitza. A few of those, who
escaped a similar fate, attempted to take a part in the government, but soon gave up the
task, as far exceeding their strength. Papaflessa
was the only exception. He distinguished himself by his zeal as agent of the Hetareia
before the insurrection, by his courage and activity as a warrior, when the nation was in
arms; by the ardour he always displayed in support of the constitution against the rebels;
and by the noble manner, in which he
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A former patient of mine, the Eparch of Vrachori, honoured me one evening
with his company. He was on his way to his prefecture, where, from information received, he
now hoped to return in safety. Being a prudent logiotato, he judged it
expedient, however, not to venture on too rashly; and while his eclaireurs reconnoitred the real state of things, he condescended
to take his place at my humble board; where he related to me the cause of his precipitate
flight from Vrachori. Staino Staico and his
aide-de-camp, a notoriously profligate monk, had placed themselves at the head of two
hundred soldiers, in order to oppose Alexachi
Vlachopoulo, whom Mavrocordato had
appointed capitano of that province. The Eparch, being himself a government man, refusing
to acknowledge the legitimacy of Staico’s pretensions, the
latter resolved to revenge himself for the affront. During the night he broke into the
house of the prefecture, from which Mr. Demetri, advised, as it were,
by some preserving angel, had absented himself for a few moments. After destroying the
seals of government, and taking every object, they could lay their hands upon, they
hand-
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Every village of that unfortunate province became the theatre of the crimes and extortions of these lawless depredators. The peasants sent daily complaints to Mesolonghi of the sufferings, they endured; but instead of redress, they obtained nothing but letters and proclamations*. In fact, Mavrocordato could use no other weapons; and his weakness was such, that he could not subdue even so small a band of rebels as this! Instead of healing the wound, he enlarged it, by ordering Vlachopoulo and his brethren to act against their rival. They judged it more prudent and advantageous, instead of exposing themselves to be murdered, to follow the example of the dog in the fable, who, unable to defend his master’s meat, began to eat it.
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Nothing could be more melancholy, than the internal administration of the different prefectures. Most of them were the scenes of similar disturbances; and where no rival disputed the authority of the existing capitano, he reigned like the most absolute despot. Vain were all attempts to lessen the evil by sending Eparchs, to separate civil from military power. What amelioration could an unassisted stranger bring against an armed capitano, whom he wished to dispossess of the better half of his authority? These gentlemen, who generally dealt in very broad hints, soon gave the Eparchs to understand, that they must change opinions or quarters. Thus Phocà, Eparch of Veneticò, was forced precipitately to abandon his prefecture, to escape the resentment of Zanganà, whose rapacity he had sought in vain to oppose. Most prefects did not, however, display so much delicacy of conscience; but, mindful of the proverb, that one must howl when among wolves, he howled louder than the wolves themselves.
The most notorious among these Eparchs for extortion was, no doubt, Jani Soutzo. No one better than he possessed the talent of making hay, while the sun shone. In less than eight months, from a beggar he became a man of easy circumstances. Such were the abuses he committed, that, disregarding his Fanariot birth, Mavrocordato was obliged to dismiss him from his employment of Eparch of Anatolico; yet, shortly after his arrival at Anapli, instead of being brought to trial and punished, as he richly merited, this corrupt man was appointed Eparch of the province of Calavrita.
On the 9th of August, towards evening, an express from Mavrocordato arrived, informing me, that, having received
intelligence, that Lord Charles Murray was detained
by a serious illness, at Gastouni,
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Anxious to return to Mesolonghi to inform Mavrocordato of the result of his mission to Anapli,Lord Charles insisted on travelling even during the
hottest part of the day. He, in consequence, received a coup de
soleil, which, predisposed as he had always been to cerebral
affections, gave immediate rise to a violent phrenitis. He fell, unfortunately, on arriving
at Gastouni, into the hands of a Cephaloniot empiric, who, instead of bleeding him and
employing the strictest antiphlogistic treatment, administered to him an emetic, which
could only aggravate the complaint. So totally had this truly noble man disregarded his own
comforts, that on the Eparch making out an inventory of the effects he left, nothing was
found in his portmanteau, but a couple of shirts, a pantaloon, a few stockings, a bible and
prayer book, one dollar, and numerous mineralogical specimens. Every one suspected, that
his servants had stolen the remaining linen and clothes; but two Greek gentlemen of
respectability, who made the journey with him, assured me that they were little surprised
to
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On my informing Sessini of the noble extraction of the deceased, of the zeal and devotedness, he had ever professed to promote the welfare of Greece, of his numerous virtues and amiable qualities, &c. he gave orders, that his funeral should be celebrated with all possible pomp; and that military honours should be paid over his grave. The archpriest Cyrillus pronounced on the occasion an impressive discourse. What an eloquent contrast might he not have instituted between the selfish, rapacious, feelings of those, that assisted at the ceremony, and those which animated this noble Philhellene! Not only had he volunteered into the service of their nation, without any other motive, than that of indulging the benevolence of his heart, and acquiring the satisfaction of having concurred to their regeneration; but he had sacrificed in this noble and disinterested pursuit, wealth, comforts, and at last his life. How could Sessini see, without blushing, this Englishman emptying his purse to relieve the necessities of Greeks, while he recalled to his mind the thousand acts of injustice, by which he had filled his coffers with the wealth of his own brethren!
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Sessini, though above sixty years of age, retained all the vivacity and activity of youth, united to the garrulity of old age. Descended from a Venetian proveditore, he has inherited all the mercenary spirit and aristocratical disposition, characteristic of his forefather; and blended them with the cunning, penetration, versatility, and vices, peculiar to the Greek. Once a meagre apothecary at Gastouni, he declared himself the legitimate effendi, or lord, of that town and province, on the revolution taking place; and, deposing his professional arms, assumed the sword of vengeance. Placing himself with his two sons, at the head of a small corps of armed peasants, he drove the Turks from that part of the country, which, from that day, he declared as exclusively belonging to himself by right of conquest as well as of birth. He constantly sided with the faction of the capitani; and, during three years, collected without opposition the immense revenues of a district, the richest and most populous in the Morea.
The population of this district might be valued at twenty thousand souls.
Its annual revenues under the Turks were estimated at two hundred thousand pounds. The
markets of Zante and Cephalonia received from this province their chief supply in cattle,
poultry, butter, cheese, honey; the larger portion of these articles being sold on
Sessini’s account, who sent his wife to
the former island to receive the money. He frequently sent her over large sums; but, partly
fearing to excite the notice of the Ionian governments, and partly to avoid the
custom-house duty, he often concealed his gold in the butter or cheese, which he sent in
presents to Madame Sessini. Two of these cheeses were, by some
unaccountable mistake, sold to a Zantiot, who felt as delighted in
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The wealth of Sessini was thought to amount to two millions of dollars. His manners, dress, and ideas were quite Turkish. He kept a harem of Musulmen women; and he insisted on those, who were in his immediate dependence, naming his sons Beizadè, when speaking of them; and Michal-Bey, or Chrysantho-Bey, when addressing them in person. These young men, though intrusted with the defence of Elis, against the incursions of the garrisons of Patras and its castle, were so remiss in their duty, that the enemy might, at all times, advance without opposition as far as Gastouni: and a few days previous, the Turks, in consequence, were enabled to surprise the inhabitants of Lechena, a village at an hour’s distance from the town. After killing the men, they conveyed the women and children to Patras.
I met at Sessini’s Mr. Polyzoidi, a
gentleman, who accompanied the Greek deputies to London, and had returned to Peloponnesus
with the first instalment of the Loan. Notwithstanding his strong attachment to the
government, he condescended to partake of Sessini’s
antipatriotic fare; and in justice to Sessini, every one must confess,
that, of all Greek capitani, he was by far the most hospitable. Mr.
Polyzoidi, though a Logiotato, was very different from
the generality of individuals belonging to that
| MEMOIRS ON GREECE. | 187 |
Philhellenes have loudly complained of the un-
* The greater part of the Greeks, employed in the civil administration, belong to the class of Logiotati. |
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