A servant brought their food from the ship to the Colonel and his aide-de-camp. The unfortunate administrator repeatedly entered the room, where the surly Colonel stood, with profuse offers of service. But he returned after each rebuff to his own apartments. All his attentions were rejected, Colonel Lowe would take nothing, not even a bed. He said he should sit up all night; and he was as good as his word. In the morning he sent his aide-de-camp to Fort St. George to summon Colonel Pierri to surrender. That officer replied that he would defend himself to the last, unless he were permitted to march out with the French colours flying, and with all the honors of war. Colonel Lowe, on receiving this reply, sent a threatening rejoinder, and instantly started for the fort at the head of a British regiment. On his approach, Colonel Pierri marched out to meet him, and surrendered without further difficulty. The Corfiot was perfectly justified in not resisting greatly superior numbers; but he made himself ridiculous by uttering bombastical threats, which he could have had no intention of carrying out into practice.

Colonel Lowe now despatched Zerbini to General Oswald to resign his office of administrator; but the General referred him back to the Commandant. The latter now sent him on board as a prisoner. Zerbini expostulated (through a Zantiot interpreter, who was the friend of the English), maintainin g

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that as a civilian he was not subject to military law; but Colonel Lowe, who appears to have been a man of few words, and of a disposition the reverse of conciliatory, remained immovably firm. Zerbini

was carried on board as a prisoner, but General Oswald subsequently liberated him by sending him ashore at Corfu, which the fleet proceeded to blockade after the capture of Santa Maura by the British troops.

General Oswald issued a proclamation in the Italian language which Focca read to me. It promised protection, good government, and liberty of commerce; but it did not hold out any hopes of independence to the Islands. From Cephalonia the expedition proceeded to attack Santa Maura, which surrendered after a defence of some months duration; but, for further particulars, the reader is referred to my History of the British Protectorate.

Colonel Lowe was appointed by General Oswald civil and military chief of Cephalonia, Santa Maura, Ithaca, and Zante. A Swiss in the British service, Major De Bosset, was appointed Lowe's deputy in Cephalonia. He was an excellent person, of great abilities and firmness, and was animated by a love of the strictest justice. Colonel Lowe invested him with full powers; and punishments were inflicted, without trial, on such officials as were guilty of bribery, corruption, or other crimes. A perfectly despotic system appears to have been introduced in

the southern islands, by the future jailer of the great Napoleon. But as war was raging all over the world, and a large army of Frenchmen occupied Corfu, it was not the moment for establishing liberty. Major De Bosset, however, endeavoured to maintain justice and good order. He found the peasantry oppressed by their landlords. Homicides also were frequent (though not so much so as at Zante), and general confusion prevailed. It appears, indeed, that although Corfu itself was well governed by General Donzelot, the absence or paucity of Frenchmen in the other islands, had left the chief authority in the hands of incompetent and untrustworthy persons. De Bosset laboured hard to reestablish better government in Cephalonia, where he remained from 1809 to 1813; leaving behind him a reputation destined never to be surpassed, except by that one Englishman whose name it is not necessary for me to repeat.

One romantic trait of Major De Bosset's conduct, as recorded by Focca, is worthy of mention. In a small house, in the beautifully situated village of Svoronata, which lies in the larger of the two drives* near Argostoli, and about six miles from the latter, there lived, more than fifty years ago, a young married lady dying of consumption. She was

*The larger circle is called the Great Giro, and the lesser circle the Small Giro.

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twenty-two years of age, singularly beautiful, and possessed of considerable property. Her husband was absent from the country, but his mother was living with her. It appears that, as she had no children, if she died intestate, her husband's brothers would eventually inherit some of her wealth; but she desired to leave everything to her husband. A Dr. acted for the brothers, and he took measures to prevent the village notaries from obeying the sick lady's summons to make her will. The mother-in-law of the latter tried vainly to induce them to change their minds. She at length went to Argostoli, and laid her complaint before De Bosset. The latter sent for Focca, and gave him detailed instructions for his conduct, which were faithfully carried out. The Town Major with a party of soldiers left for the village. Focca preceded them a little, accompanied by a notary from Argostoli. He arrived at the house, and pretending that he was accidentally passing by, sent a message to say that he would be glad to see the lady if convenient. Being admitted, he inquired of the invalid whether it were true that she desired to make her will. She replied in the affirmative, and shortly afterwards the notary was brought in, and the will duly made and signed. Focca then requested the lady to tell him who were the notaries who had refused to give her their professional assistance. But

the dying beauty earnestly requested to be excused. "I shall soon be dead," said she, "and I do not wish at such a moment to be the cause of unhappiness to any one, since all is now arranged as I desire."

But Focca would not give his consent to the generous request of the lady; and, as he had strong claims upon her gratitude, he persuaded her that it was her duty to give the required information for the sake of justice. A reluctant aquiescence was at last extorted. The soldiers had now arrived in the village, and Focca caused the two guilty notaries to be arrested and placed upon mules, and to be carried as prisoners into Argostoli. The indignant De Bosset had given orders that the notaries were to be put in chains, but Focca did not carry out this order till they were close to the town. They proceeded to the house of the Governor, who had sat up all night waiting for them, he having declared that he would take no rest until justice were done. "I thought," he had exclaimed, "that I was in a civilized country, but I find that I am in a land of savages."

The notaries were old men. The justifiable plea of sickness, saved one of them from punishment. The other was suspended for six months from the exercise of his profession. The doctor who had acted as the agent for the wicked brothers was al