sals of the Turks. We regard as
null and void all letters of marque given to cruisers found beyond the
above limits; and the ships-of-war of the allied powers will everywhere
have orders to detain them. There remains no longer any pretence for
them. The maritime armistice is, in fact, observed on the side of the
Turks, since their fleet no longer exists. Take care of yours, for we
will destroy it also, if the case requires it, to put an end to a system
of maritime pillage which will end by putting you out of the protection
of the law of nations."

By that letter, Lord Cochrane was constrained to abandon his intended
work at Chios. He could excuse the angry terms in which it was couched,
since the anger was only directed against the same unpatriotic conduct
which he had all along been denouncing. He was painfully aware that,
with the exception of his own flag-ship and the few vessels commanded by
English officers, his fleet was chiefly composed of pirates, who only
took temporary service under the national flag in order to fill up their
idle time, or to make their public service an occasion for further
clandestine pursuit of their lawless avocations. From the first he had
persistently and fiercely denounced this piracy, and from the day on
which he had heard of the victory at Navarino he had resolved to make it
a special business to do all in his power to root out the evil. "The
destruction of the Ottoman fleet by that of the allied powers," he had
said in a proclamation dated the 29th of October, "having delivered the
Greek fleet from the cares which had necessarily occupied its attention,
and the commander of the maritime forces of Greece having the right to
take due measures for the extinction of piracy, to preserve the honour
of the State, and to protect the people and property of friendly
nations, it is now made known that ships of less than a hundred tons'
burden are not to have arms on board, unless they are first provided
with express commissions, so registered, and numbered in such a manner
that the number shall be conspicuously noted on the ship. All other
vessels of the size defined which shall be found at sea with arms will
be considered as pirates, and the crews shall be brought to trial, and,
if found guilty, be executed."

For the brief remainder of his service in Greece, indeed, Lord Cochrane
made it his principal duty to do all in his power towards the
suppression of piracy. The admirals of the allies h