under his own influence, and to overthrow Capo d'Istria, whom he
despised, distrusted and feared. In 1821 Alexander Ypsilanti's misguided
raid into the Danubian principalities gave him his opportunity. The news
reached the tsar at the congress of Laibach, and to Capo d'Istria was
entrusted the task of writing the letter to Ypsilanti in which the tsar
repudiated his claim, publicly proclaimed that he had the sympathy and
support of Russia. For a while the position of Capo d'Istria was saved;
but it was known that he had been approached by the agent of the Greek
_Hetairia_ before Ypsilanti, and that he had encouraged Ypsilanti to
take up the ill-fated adventure which he himself had refused; he was
hated at the Russian court as an upstart Greek, and Metternich was never
weary of impressing on all and sundry that he was "using Russian policy
for Greek ends." At last nothing but long habit and native loyalty to
those who had served him well, prevented Alexander from parting with a
minister who had ceased to possess his confidence. Capo d'Istria,
anticipating his dismissal, resigned on the eve of the tsar's departure
for the congress of Verona (1822), and retired into private life at
Geneva.

On the 11th of April 1827, the Greek national assembly at Troezene
elected Capo d'Istria president of the republic. The vote was a triumph
for the Russian faction, for the count, even after his fall, had not
lost the personal regard of the emperor Alexander, nor ceased to
consider himself a Russian official. He accepted the offer, but was in
no hurry to take up the thankless task. In July he visited the emperor
Nicholas I. at Tsarskoye Selo, receiving permission to proceed and
instructions as to the policy he should adopt, and he next made a tour
of the courts of Europe in search of moral and material support. The
news of the battle of Navarino (20th of October 1827) hastened his
arrival; the British frigate "Warspite" was placed at his disposal to
carry him to Greece, and on the 19th of January 1828 he landed at
Nauplia.

Capo d'Istria's rule in Greece had to contend against immense
difficulties--the utter poverty of the treasury, the barbarism of the
people but recently emancipated, the continued presence of Ibrahim
Pasha, with an unbroken army, in the south of the Morea. His strength
lay in his experience of affairs and in the support of Russia; but he
was by inheritance an aristocrat and by training an official, lacking in
broad hu