were, and could be, the property of no man; I had never read that the Cadii, without any juries, could transport the Greeks for seven years, merely for being out of their dwellings for fifteen minutes at a time, any time between sun-set and sun-rise. Never having read that the FATHER AND MOTHER AND I. Turks did any of these things to the CHAP. III. Greeks, and knowing that these things, and many others of about the same sort, are done to people who actually boast of their liberties, I wanted information upon Barn-Elm Farm, Surrey, 4th Jan. 1828. the subject, before I determined that we THIS is the third time that I have ought to risk either men or money in an adthought it my duty to offer to my readers venture forgiving liberty to theGreeks. Siobservations on the subject of the affair tuated as I am; having so many persons between the Turks on one side, and the in the course of the year coming to talk French, the Russians, and our Ministers to me, about something or other relating on the other side. I have before re- to politics, it is to be expected that I minded my readers that, from the mo- should meet with some, one or more, ment of the first talk of the LIBERA- who personally knew something about TION of GREECE, I expressed my the Turks and Greeks. I met with sedoubts with regard to the policy of the veral such persons, and particularly with thing, even if it could be effected; and one, who applied to me, to assist, what I particularly observed, that if it could he called the " Greek Cause." My obnot be effected without selling the Greeks jections were, first, that no man could and their children's children to the Jews assist a cause at the head of which were and jobbers of London, the Greeks would BURDETT and HOBHOUSE; that that be worsted by the change; for that no cause must fail, be it what it would, sway was so intolerable as that of a silent, unless instantly taken out of their hands. always pressing, always grinding, never In the next place, I was not clear that ceasing to torment, funding system; and the Greeks would derive any good, from that, if I were a Greek, and had to choose being taken out of the hands of the Turks between the mastership of the Turks, and put into those of the Russians; while and the mastership of infernal tax-ga- I was quite sure, that such exchange therers, I would prefer the mastership of would be exceedingly mischievous to us.. the former, even if they compelled me to I was very particular with this Gentlewear a badge of infamy, on the score of man in my inquiries relative to the treatalleged infidelity. I had never read that ment of the Greeks by the Turks. He the Turks made the Greeks live upon said, that they treated them in the most bread and water; that they put a farmer barbarous and insolent manner; that the pretty nearly half to death for turning Turks were the most infernal tyrants his waste fat into soap and candles; that that ever breathed; that they took just they authorised their Cadii to snatch up what they pleased from people in taxes; any poor man crossing a field, and to and, in short, that the Devil himself elap into jail, and that they strictly for- would hardly equal them in cruelty. I bade their Cadii to do the same to a rich was not satisfied with this loose, deman; I had never read that the Turks clamatory sort of description, and enactually subjected the poor Greeks to deavoured to get an explanation in the hanging for taking a peach or an apple way of cases in point, as the lawyers off a tree; I had never read that the call it; I therefore asked him, whether Turks transported the Greeks for being the Turks did more in the taxing way, found in pursuit of wild animals, which than seize men's goods, and ruin them 958983 B for ever, for merely attempting to turn perhaps, not in the very words, when their grain into drink? He answered, the "Greek Cause," as it was called, Nu. I pat several other questions of first began to make a noise. It was the same sort to him. But, at last, after quite enough for me, that the Westminhaving discovered that the Turks had ster DON QUIXOTE and SANCHO, were at erected no tread-mills in Greece, I, the head of the thing. I knew that sucgrowing tired of the trifling, said, "Come, cess must be impossible, and, therefore, Sir, I will now put the matter to the I said nothing about the thing for a long "test: do the Turks, or do they not, while. These great statesmen went on, "BANISH the Greeks for LIFE, if and how they went on, the public has "the Greeks utter any thing having a been well and truly informed by CAP"TENDENCY to bring the Turks into TAIN HIGGINSON and the Greek Deputies. contempt!" He began to backer and The moment the concern got into the stammer, and to look towards the door, hands of jews and jobbers, I most and then at his hat; and then he re- heartily wished it to fail, as I did the sumed his invectives against the Turks, schemes with regard to South America. saying, that they did a great deal worse I rejoiced at the beating down of the than that! "Come, come," said I, CORTES of Spain; because, the horrible getting between him and the door, "I villains in London, were, to a certain de"have put a fair and distinct question to gree, beaten down by the same blow. "you, which I now repeat: Do the They have been sucking our blood for "Turks BANISH the Greeks for LIFE, years and years: they now take from "if the Greeks utter any thing having a us three-fourths of our earnings, or "TENDENCY to bring the Turks into assist others to do it. The moment, contempt?" By this time he had got therefore, I see any people, begining in a his hat in his hand, and he began to bow system of loaning and funding; the moin the way of taking leave, which he did, ment I see, a set of ruffians calling themin observing, that he was sorry that I, selves patriots, selling their country to with the reputation of being the friend bands of loan-mongers, that moment, I of liberty, should take no interest in so wish for the destruction of the project, glorious a cause: to which I answered, be it what it may. I do not wish the "When you prove to me that there are people in general to suffer, because the "Tread-mills in Greece; that the Greeks loan-mongering ruffians deceive them; "live upon bread and water, or pota- but, I wish the project to fail and the "toes; that the Cadii transport them scoundrel loan-mongers to be disap"for being in pursuit of a wild animal, pointed in their gains. I do not recol"not bigger than a cat; that the Cadii lect any political event, that ever gave "transport them for being out of their me more pleasure, than the kicking out "houses for fifteen minutes at a time, of the CORTES of Spain. They talked "between sunset and sunrise; and, about their liberty; about the precious "above all things, when you prove to liberty that they were going to give the 66 me, that the Turks BANISH the people of Spain; but, when I saw, that "Greeks for LIFE, for uttering any that liberty was to reduce the people "thing having a TENDENCY to bring from good living down to bread and "the Turks into contempt; then, and water, and afford them a pretty fair "not till then, will I move tongue or chance of being banished for life if they pen in favour of the liberation of the uttered any thing having a tendency to "Greeks; and I will not do it even bring the wise CORTES into contempt, I "then, even if the Turks banish them prayed, most heartily, for the destruction "for life, for contemptuous expressions, "if I discover, or even suspect, that the "liberation of the Greeks will have a "tendency to bring the Russians into "the Mediterranean." All this I said, in substance, though, of the CORTES. I wished real liberty to Spain, if the change could be effected peaceably, and without more harm than good; but, the moment I saw a LOAN made by the CORTES; the moment I saw SPANISH STOCK in the prices cur rent of the newspapers, I knew that ing a tendency to bring them into contread-mills, bread and water and pota- tempt; seeing this, the "LIBERATOR" toes, apple felony laws, sun-set and sun- BOLIVAR, determined not to be outrise laws, transportation for being in pur- done in "liberality," even by the fathers suit of wild animals, banishment for life of the system, issued a proclamation, for uttering words having a tendency to making very short work of it, ordering bring the sweet CORTES into contempt; I that any man, who spoke disrespectfully saw that all these were in the rear, the na- of his authority should be instantly put tural offspring of loans; and I, therefore, to death. Columbian Bonds, thank wished the destruction of the CORTES; God, had fallen pretty nearly to nothing especially as I knew that if the insolent before this; so that, the work of sucJews and Quakers, got enriched by the cessful plunder, was put a stop to, at plunder of Spain, their sway here would any rate, except merely upon the spot. be more intolerable than ever. I there- Now, will any man of sense and sinfore rejoiced when the French crossed cerity, pretend to believe that there has the Pyrenees; and I am delighted now, been a change for the better in that to behold, that Spanish Bonds, as they country, which the vile Quakers now are called, are really worth nothing; call Columbia? Is it not notorious that is to say, that the KING of SPAIN that beggary, ruin, and murder, have has choked off, the Jews, Jobbers, and been produced as far as the power Patriots, from sucking the blood of his people. of the loan-making patriots has been able to reach The frothy Canning It must be the most monstrous of stu- said that he had called a new world into pidity that can lead a man to believe, existence, when he might have said, that, that the state of the Greeks would have as far as he had power to do it, he had been mended by being made, what is really murdered that world. Men, seem called, Independent, with a national now, to be surfeited with South America. debt tied round their necks. The Turks It is now manifest, that all that has been may, and I dare say do, exercise a rough done is to deliver the people of that despotism over them; but, can that be country up into the hands, and place so cruel, as the incessant torments, si- them at the mercy, of bands of ruffians lently inflicted by the doings of the in-calling themselves patriots, who began fernal Jews and Quakers! I put this their works, by making loans in Lonquestion seriously to every man of sense, don, and who will never end those that shall read this paper. Talk to me, works till they are put to death themindeed, about the sufferings of the selves, or till they have half extermiGreeks! Will any man prove to me, nated the people. that there is not more suffering in Eng- Just thus, has it been in Greece. land, in one single year; more bodily Therefore, even on the score of humanity, and mental suffering arising from the and on that score alone, it became every Jew and Loanmongering system, than has man to be cautious, how he gave enever been felt in the whole of the Otto-couragement to projects, for what was man empire, from the time of its esta- called, the deliverance of Greece. blishment to the present day. Even the Even on this score, there was ground temporary Government in Greece; or, for great hesitation; but, when to this rather, the thing calling itself a Govern- consideration, was added the certainty; ment, has been more cruel than the not the possibilty, but the certainty, that Turkish Government ever was. They the liberation of the Greeks; that the have improved upon "LIBERTY," separation of them, from their masters agreeably to the waust improvements the Turks, would let the Russians, into of the age." BOLIVAR, seeing that the Mediterranean, and would lead to a other enlightened Statesmen and Law- dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire; givers took care to protect their precious when this certainty was so clear to all selves by a law to banish for life, any men of sense, where was the Englishone, that should dare to utter words hav-man, who was not the most perverse, B 2 |