hree months, in daily expectation of
the arrival of his vessels, Messina having been the appointed
meeting-place. No vessels came, but instead only dismal and
procrastinating letters. "We deeply lament," wrote Messrs. J. and S.
Ricardo, the contractors for the Greek loan, in one of them, dated the
9th of September, "that, after all the exertions which have been used,
we have not yet been able to despatch the two large steam-vessels.
Everything has been ready for some time; but Mr. Galloway's failure
in the engines will now occasion a much longer detention. We leave to
your brother, who writes by the same opportunity, to explain fully to
your lordship how all this has arisen, and what measures it has been
considered expedient to adopt. In the whole of this unfortunate affair
we have endeavoured to follow your wishes; and our conduct towards Mr.
Galloway, who has much to answer for, has been chiefly directed by
his representations." "Galloway is the evil genius that pursues us
everywhere," wrote the same correspondents on the 25th of September;
"his presumption is only equalled by his incompetency. Whatever he has
to do with is miserably deficient. We do not think his misconduct has
been intentional; but it has proved most fatal to the interests of
Greece, and of those engaged in her behalf. On your lordship it has
pressed peculiarly hard; and most sincerely do we lament that an
undertaking, which promised so fairly in the commencement should
hitherto have proved unavailing, and that your power of assisting
this unhappy country should have been rendered nugatory by the want of
means to put it in effect."

Those letters, and others written before and after, did not reach Lord
Cochrane till the end of October. In the meanwhile, finding that the
expected vessels did not arrive at Messina, and that in that place it
was impossible even for him to receive accurate information as to the
progress of affairs in London, he called at Malta about the middle
of September, and thence proceeded to Marseilles, as a convenient
halting-place, in which he had better chance of hearing how matters
were proceeding, and from which he could easily go to meet the vessels
when, if ever, they were ready to join him. He reached Marseilles
on the 12th of October, and on the same day he forwarded a letter
to Messrs. Ricardo. "I wrote to you a few days ago," he said, "from
Malta, and, as the packet sailed with a fair wind, you will receive
that letter