ut some Albanians and the
inhabitants. Lepanto is thinly peopled; all have little provisions as
well as Missolonghi. From what I know of Lepanto and the Castles, I am
confident that, if your lordship was to attack it with the squadron you
command, and General Church was to make even a demonstration of attack
by land, it must fall in forty-eight hours' time. Lepanto lies on the
face of a hill open to the sea; every shot and shell and rocket must
tell somewhere, and they would readily capitulate. We must not take the
Monastery of the Piraeus as an example. At Lepanto the Turks have their
families--this particular always operates upon them; but whether it did
or not, the place would be taken, and I am not one who overrates the
capabilities of the Greeks. I fear, however, that General Church has
other projects, and such as, according to my opinion, are very unlikely
to succeed. So much so that, if your lordship does not arrive or send me
orders, I shall return to the Archipelago, rather than lend myself to
measures which appear to me worse than useless. I must again beg of your
lordship not to forget us in the way of money, provisions, ammunition,
coals, &c. We are now more than three months absent from Poros.

I have the honour to be, &c.,

F. A. HASTINGS.

XXIX.

_Karteria_, off Vasiladhi, Dec. 27th, 1827.

MY LORD,

I have now been twelve days before Vasiladhi, and since our arrival I
have every reason to believe they have neither received provisions nor
water. The weather has usually been so bad, that I have only been able
to bombard it twice, and the gunboat having few shot, I have exchanged
her 32 for one of our 68's, with shells; since which I have not been
able to batter it, owing to the weather. I am satisfied they are now at
their last shifts in the fort; and if I could remain before it a week
longer, and bombard it for a couple of days, I doubt not it would fall
into our hands. I regret of all things not having the flat-bottomed
gunboat here; with her we would have had the fort before this. General
Church was to have attacked Anatolico, and might have taken it, in the
first instance, with little or no resistance; but he delayed till too
late, and then came without an ounce of provisions, and returned the day
after to Dragomestre. This man is such an insufferable quack, that I
cannot act any longer with him; he affects to comma