The Drake Letters 005
YOU ARE HERE: Drake Letters ► 5. Drake to Louisa 30 June 1854
4. Drake to Louisa 4 June 1854 ◄ ● ► 6. Drake to Louisa 4 July 1854
William Henry Drake (Piræus) – Louisa Drake (London), 30 June – 1 July 1854
30 June and
Piræus 1st July 1854 1
My dear Lu,
My last to you was dated the 22nd June & sent by Military Letter Bag via Marseilles – The Colonel makes this up, in conformity with Orders from the Duke of Newcastle 2 and sends a regular leather Bag to The Postmaster General London from the Expeditionary Force Piræus – I therefore hope they will arrive safely – 22nd June after closing my Letter Weir, Archer 3 & I took a Cab to Athens took our Uniforms dressed at the Hotel D’Angleterre & went to a grand festival, it cannot be called a mere dinner, given by the Greek Minister of War to the French English & Greek Military & Naval There were nearly 300 invited & present – It took place in the ruins of the Parthenon, on the Acropolis – the most celebrated ruin of Athens – The Greek Officers Regular Army were in their uniforms, Light Blue & Dark Blue & Silver & Green & Silver – the Greek irregulars in the true Greek costumes some of them very handsome, covered with Gold or Silver embroidery and lace – The Allies were of course in full dress – The French General led his Officers & Col. Lockyer preceded us we were all introduced – Field Officers & Staff singly the Regimentals en masse to General, Count Kalergi 4 (the Host) we sat down to dinner I at a side table but I was hauled up to the Grand centre Kalergi sat in the middle. French Genl. Mayran 5 on his right Col. Lockyer on his left – I sat three from opposite Kalergi (principally I think because I spoke French & had already made acquaintance with Sundry Greeks who turn out to be Generals!! Colonels!! &c. – all great grandees – I sat next to General Mavromichalis (Black Mike!) 6 whose Brother 7 assassinated Capo D’Istri, 8 the President of the Republic before they made Otho 9 King – Opposite was Col: Pittakys [sic] 10 conservator of Antiquities whom I mentioned in my former letter, both Great men, the former politically, the latter scientifically – The General & I got on very amicably I told him who the strangers were & something of English & French habits – & he did the same for me as regards the Greeks – Mr.Pyttakis [sic] introduced us & I had an invite to the Genl.’s House when I go to Athens
After feeding we promenaded the ruins & as Mr.Pyttakis [sic] took me under his wing I was rather lionised by the Greeks & was introduced to many among them General Church 11 who with Lord Cochrane 12 was one of the deliverers of Greece > he was very civil – after a time Ladies came up Mde ConditurriKalergi’s daughter Mrs. Wyse & Miss Wyse – Sister in law & niece to English Ambassador Baroness Leykam, an English lady, wife of Austrian Amb. with their husbands & many others – I escorted Mde Conditurri about, after the ceremony of our Ambassador having seated her. At night they lit a number of fires in braziers & it was a magnificent sight – we were home by ½ past 11 giving Dr. Downes 13 97th a lift home.
June 23 Genl. Mayran inspected the 97th & then the French troops – the 23rd & 28th du Line & the Infantrie de la Marine – 24th. H.M.S. Leander Capt. King 14 sailed the “Wasp”, Lord Hay 15 having arrived on the 22nd. I made the acquaintance of Colonel & Mrs. Caradjar [sic] 16 – She was is a daughter of Marco Botzaris [sic] 17 – and one of the most ladylike Greeks I have seen but not handsome also of Capt. (Greek Navy) and Mrs. Tombazes 18 – (Tom Blazes) the Soldiers call him. He speaks English & French was at School with Capt. Dennis 19 76th Ladies both speak French Capt. Cervos 20 Gk. Navy – two Misses Cervos one speaks French Mr. & Mrs. Condostavlos – he speaks English well, has three Sons in England, two at School & one in America. – Met Mr. & Mrs. Ralli 21 (He a Banker & speaks French) and Mr. & Mrs. Thasculopulos who live in the next house to us – Mr. T. speaks French. On the 26 I made up a packet of Coins & wrote to Sir C. E. Trevelyan sending them by Mr. Condostavlos going to England to see his sons & on business 22 – The rest of my journal records our fraternizations, eating ices drinking Rhom!! & ponche with sundry of our allies – visits to Greeks some remarks about French Troops &c.: they promenade for some two hours from 4 to 6 A.M. to exercise; Bag & Baggage & Mules, we are much behind them as warriors, in equipment in activity & in adapting ourselves to the ways of the Country but superior in strength, cleanliness & courtesy to the inhabitants: The 97 have the June Army List. We are all [listed as] “Archipelago” When I wrote last I was unwell and I have been so ever since – They call everything fever here – Weir had diarrhea [sic] for a day they said it was fever from eating Vegetables – Mine is fever from Bugs, fleas, mosquitoes & midges having eaten me – their bites having become inflamed – I had from [written across the page] 60 to 70 on each hand & wrist a few on my feet & chest Downes 23 said the change of Climate had affected my Blood – I took physic just what he ordered pills, some six Seidlitz, 24 &c. and continue a red mixture three times a day – With this my back has been just as if I had lumbago for a day or two & then it descended into my right leg like Sciatica & there it now is though not very bad – I have never given up to it, never laid in bed for a day – gone for a Walk every evening & sometimes out to drink tea and at last I am shaking it off – We have got the Bugs & fleas under – & I have a mosquito net to my bed, Downes has been surprised that my pulse has kept steady & even & my appetite very fair though I have by his advice eat little & drink no Wine – Tomorrow I am going to Athens to take a Turkish Bath and to call on Kalergi [sic] 25 and on some others – Welsford 26 & Archer 27 are going with me Today we had Surveys on the Military Chest and did up all the work of the month. 1st July A very hot wind is blowing today a regular Sirocco – Brickfielder – Land Wind or whatever you like to call it they are all wind the same – I am better again today but still have a bone in my right leg – Up to this day I have received no letter or paper from anybody – since I left England – Almost everybody in the Camp has had a letter so that I begin to feel disappointed – We have Galignani’s Messenger 28 to the 19th of June – We are anxious to know what they will do with us as it is not probable that they will keep a Deputy & two Assistants to feed One Regiment and no more it seems are to come here They will either order Weir or myself away – if Weir they will give me Charge here but if they order me away I have no idea where it will be to – I hope not Turkey for at least two months from this as it is hot and unhealthy – They may order me to relieve D.C.G. Goldsmith 29 at Corfu as he is a Deputy & it is an Assistants Station or they may Order me home again for Service in the Baltic as at first intended. – I should like to know which as uncertainty is the worst of all situations – This is by no means an agreeable place but if left in charge I should be able to do pretty well – it is tolerably cheap & we are living very economically If ordered on to Turkey I shall take two horses on from this one for myself & one for a Baggage horse – there is a Steamer between this and Constantinople – in fact there are plenty of Steamers to and from this – Colonel Lockyer 30 has just told me that Single Letters via Trieste pay only 1/4 postage these arrive here three times a month besides the French six times a month, at 3d for a single letter of ¼ of an oz; Downes 31 is here, & says I am better today.
With love & kisses to all Believe me
Your affectionate Hub,
W. H. Drake.
In my uncertainty where you are & where I may be, I write you much at random principally to let you all know how I get on. Louisa 32 should learn Italian again, as, if we should go to Corfu or Malta, it is the principal language in use – I am trying to pick up Modern Greek & if I could speak Italian it would be very serviceable – it is spoken by all in the Mediterranean – My last letter from you is of 23 April, now more than 10 weeks ago and I am most anxious for some intelligence of your movements since then, how & when you got home & how you get on there & my patience is much tried on the arrival of each Steamer.
W. H. D.
[Addressed to]
John Drake 33 Esquire,
Commy. General
27 Park Village East
Regents Park
London
Mrs. W. H. D.
Footnotes
1. Private family manuscript (Judith Hall and Sally Mac, Auckland, New Zealand). ▲
2. Henry Pelham Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle, was Secretary of State for War from June 1854 to February 1855. ▲
3. ACG William Spearman Archer. ▲
4. General Count Demetrios Kalergis was the Greek Minister of War. [The Times (London, England), 3 November 1854,
p. 8:3.] ▲
5. General Joseph-Décius-Nicolas Mayran. ▲
6. Possibly Tzanis Mavromichalis. ▲
7. Konstantinos Mavromichalis. ▲
8. Count Ioánnis Antónios Kapodistrias, the first president of the Greek republic, was assasinated in 1831. ▲
9. Otho I (1815-1867), King of Greece. ▲
10. Kyriakos Pittakis was Greece’s first General Keeper of Antiquities. ▲
11. General Sir Richard Church, British army officer in Greek service. ▲
12. Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, British admiral. ▲
13. Henry Downes, M.D., 97th Regiment. ▲
14. Captain George St. Vincent King. ▲
16. Katerina “Rosa” Botsari married Prince George Karatzas in 1845. ▲
17. Markos Bozzaris was one of the Greek leaders during the war for Greek independence (1821-1824). ▲
18. Possibly NikolaosTombazis, son of Emmanouil Tombazis, who was a Greek naval captain. ▲
19. Captain Morley Stratford Tynte Dennis, 76th Regiment. ▲
20. In a later letter [William Henry Drake (Piræus) – Louisa Drake (London) (17 July 1854)] Henry corrects the spelling of this surname to “Zervos”. However, maybe it is spelt “Zervas”, like that of Col. Napoleon Zervas, who helped overthrow Gen. Pangalos in 1926. [R. Clogg, A short history of modern Greece, p. 124.] ▲
21. Possibly Lucas Dimitrios Ralli, who was Mayor of Piræus from 1855-1866, and his wife Despina (Paul). ▲
22. The mail ship from “Greece, Egypt, &c., via Southampton” arrived on 4 July 1854. [“SHIP NEWS.” Morning Post [London, England] 4 July 1854:8. 19th Century British Newspapers. Web 20 June 2013.] ▲
23. Henry Downes, M.D., 97th Regiment. ▲
24. Seidlitz-powders. Aperient powders, usually sold in separate papers, one containing bicarbonate and potasso-tartrate of soda, and the other tartaric acid – they are dissolved separately in water, then mixed and drunk while effervescing. [The household dictionary of the English language, (London: William Collins, [before 1893.]) p. 682.] They worked as a laxative. ▲
25. General Count Demetrios Kalergis, Greek Minister of War. ▲
26. Augustus Frederick Welsford, 97th Regiment. ▲
27. ACG William Spearman Archer. ▲
28. Galignani was a Parisian bookseller who circulated his own newsletter, The Messenger. ▲
29. DCG Oliver Goldsmith was stationed at the Ionian Islands in 1856. ▲
30. Colonel Henry Frederick Lockyer, 97th Regiment. ▲
31. Henry Downes, M.D., 97th Regiment. ▲
32. Henry’s eldest daughter, Louisa Maria Drake. ▲
33. Henry’s father, John Drake, was a retired Commissary-General. ▲
4. Drake to Louisa 4 June 1854 ◄ ● ► 6 Drake to Louisa 4 July 1854
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