The Greeks, however, have long looked to foreign aid for the means of liberating themselves; and three different opinions prevailed among them recently in relation to this subject. The insular and commer cial Greeks, and those of the Morea, attached them selves to the idea of liberation through England ; a second party, including many of their literary men and continental merchants, looked to the late revo lutionary government of France as a more probable means of deliverance ; while the lower orders, and those most attached to the national religion, were anxious to receive the Russians as liberators. (Hol land, 274.) The recent course of events has cer tainly lessened the probability of any of these powers interfering in their favour. While the dread of ja cobinism continues to haunt the princes of Europe, they will be little disposed to tamper with new revo lutions, or schemes for reviving Greek republics. The Greeks have more to hope from the popular spirit now spreading through all the western parts of Europe ; but their chief reliance ought to be on their own efforts to spread education and knowledge among themselves, to raise their national character. and to create a common interest in national ob jects.
In the course of last century, the Greeks made two unsuccessful attempts to liberate themselves. The first was in 1770, during a war between Russia and the Porte. The Russians, in pursuance of a plan previously concerted, landed a small force of 2000 men at various points in the Mores. The Mainotes, and other Greeks, rose in arms instanta neously, and got possession of the open towns, but. chering the Turks with every circumstance of cruel ty. Before, however, they had mastered any of the fortified places, a great force of Albanians pouring in, defeated them, and retaliated, with dreadful se verity, the cruelties committed on the Turks. The inhabitants of some entire towns and villages were massacred, and the country almost desolated. Though the Greeks acted with much vigour at the outset, it was observed that their spirits sank at the first check they received. But it is impossible
to reprobate too strongly the cruelty and perfidy of the Russian government, which, by sending such an inadequate force, exposed the Greeks to certain de struction, for the sake of making a paltry diversion in its own favour ; and, at the conclusion of a peace, took no effectual means to protect them from the rage of their enemies.
In 1790, the Greeks of Suli, in Albania, rose in arms, upon an understanding that assistance was to be received from Russia. A deputation went to Petersburg to offer the crown of Greece to Prince Constantine, brother of the present Emperor, whom they saluted gecko; raw 'EXXinan. They were to collect their various troops from Suli, Livadia, At tica, and the Morea,—to march through Thessaly and Macedonia, where they were to be joined by other reinforcements, and to meet the Russians at Adri anople with 800,000 men (as they gave out), after which the combined army was to proceed to Con. stantinople, and drive the Turks out of Europe. In the end little was done. The Russians sent a trifling sum of money, which was chiefly embezzled by their own agents. and soon made peace, without concern ing themselves about the peril into which they bad brought the Greeks. The Suliotes defeated the Pacha of Janina, and, aided by their rocks, defend. ed themselves with prodigies of valour against the Albanian Turks. A squadron of twelve small ves sels, which they had fitted out at Trieste, signalised itself in the Archipelago, and after spreading terror among the Turks, was overpowered and destroyed by a greatly superior force. This second enterprise, in short, ended like the first, without any other effect than that of exposing the Greeks to renewed outrages from the Turks. The brave tribe of the Saliotes, on whom the Greeks placed a great reliance, as the best soldiers of their faith, were totally destroyed by Ali in 1808, after a contest of many years.•