circulation, the noble author requested of his friend, the Marquis of
Sligo, who had visited Athens soon after it happened, to furnish him
with his recollections on the subject; and the following is the answer
which Lord Sligo returned:--

"Albany, Monday, August 31. 1813.

"My dear Byron,

"You have requested me to tell you all that I heard at Athens about
the affair of that girl who was so near being put an end to while
you were there; you have asked me to mention every circumstance, in
the remotest degree relating to it, which I heard. In compliance
with your wishes, I write to you all I heard, and I cannot imagine
it to be very far from the fact, as the circumstance happened only
a day or two before I arrived at Athens, and, consequently, was a
matter of common conversation at the time.

"The new governor, unaccustomed to have the same intercourse with
the Christians as his predecessor, had of course the barbarous
Turkish ideas with regard to women. In consequence, and in
compliance with the strict letter of the Mahommedan law, he ordered
this girl to be sewed up in a sack, and thrown into the sea,--as
is, indeed, quite customary at Constantinople. As you were
returning from bathing in the Piraeus, you met the procession going
down to execute the sentence of the Waywode on this unfortunate
girl. Report continues to say, that on finding out what the object
of their journey was, and who was the miserable sufferer, you
immediately interfered; and on some delay in obeying your orders,
you were obliged to inform the leader of the escort, that force