[1826-1827.]


During the one-and-twenty weary months that elapsed between Lord
Cochrane's acceptance of service in the Greek War of Independence and
his actual participation in the work, the Revolution passed through a
new and disastrous stage. In the summer of 1825, when the invitation
was sent to him, the disorganisation of the Greeks and the superior
strength of the Turks, and yet more of their Egyptian and Arabian
allies under Ibrahim Pasha, were threatening to undo all that had been
achieved in the previous years. One bold stand had begun to be made,
in which, throughout nearly a whole year, the Greeks fought with
unsurpassed heroism, and then the whole struggle for liberty fell into
the lawless and disordered condition which already had prevailed in
many districts, and which was then to become universal and to offer
obstacles too great even for Lord Cochrane's genius to overcome in
his efforts to revive genuine patriotism and to render thoroughly
successful the cause that he had espoused.

The last great stand was at Missolonghi. Built on the edge of a marshy
plain, bounded on the north by the high hills of Zygos and protected
on the south by shallow lagoons at the mouth of the Gulf of Lepanto,
and chiefly tenanted by hardy fishermen, this town had been the first
in Western Greece to take part in the Revolution. Here in June, 1821,
nearly all the Moslem residents had been slaughtered, the wealthiest
and most serviceable only being spared to become the slaves of their
Christian masters. In the last two months of 1822 the Ottomans
had made a desperate attempt to win back the stronghold; but its
inhabitants, led by Mavrocordatos, who had lately come to join in the
work of regeneration, had resolutely beaten off the invaders and taken