About the George Finlay Papers
The George Finlay Papers contain materials created by and related to the British Historian and Philhellene George Finlay, his father John Finlay, Greek-American Philhellene George Jarvis, and British Philhellene Captain Frank Abney Hastings, dating from 1791 to 1949. Most of the collection consists of George Finlay’s meticulous records of his travels, personal and official correspondence, his personal expenditures, copious memoranda on strategy and on military and political organisation, journal entries, maps, facetiae, scrapbooks, personal notes on people—Greeks and others—and on revolutionary events, newspaper cuttings mainly on Greece and international affairs, as well as Finlay’s original manuscripts of the History of the Greek Revolution (1861) as well as corrected proofs of Finlay’s other published works.
Also included are the papers of Finlay’s father, John, two journals of Greek American philhellene, George Jarvis, and those of Finlay’s fellow British philhellene, Captain Frank Abney Hastings. The Hastings papers, which Finlay purchased in 1830, include personal and official correspondence, ship’s logs, notes that he took on board or ashore, as well as memoranda on strategy and on the naval organisation of the revolutionary forces. Collectively, these records reveal a great deal about the character, motivations, ideas, as well as the military and political judgements of these British individuals, as well as of many others, both British and Greek, with whom they interacted during the Greek War of Independence as well as many of Finlay's other interests, such as Classical and Byzantine history, natural history and politics.
Light-grey mottle, green paper spine, lettered on spine: 'Letters on Greek Affairs 1869', paginated by George Finlay, bound with some loose quires, letters, and cuttings.
Cuttings cover Greek affairs, Cretan insurrection, brigandage, relations with Turkey.
Letters loose in 'Correspondence for 1869':
(1) Mowbray Morris to George Finlay. 8 January 1869. Critical comments on conference at Paris to examine Turkey's ultimatum (inserted at p. 32). 2 pp.
(2) Mowbray Morris to George Finlay. 4 February 1869. Difficulties in sending copies of newspapers abroad (inserted at p. 54). 2 pp.
(3) Mowbray Morris to George Finlay. London, 19 February 1869. Re missing copies of The Times sent to George Finlay (inserted at p. 54). 2 pp.
(4) Mowbray Morris to George Finlay, Zürich. 22 July 1869. Arrangements for payment of George Finlay's letters; regrets his absence from Athens at this time (inserted at p. 110). 2 pp.
(5) Mowbray Morris to George Finlay. 13 September 1869. Mr. Courtney wishes to meet George Finlay in Switzerland; M regrets that he was not able to visit George Finlay at Seelisberg (inserted at p. 120). 1 p.
(6) Baron A. von Prokesch-Osten to George Finlay. Constantinople, 25 June 1869. Pleasure at seeing Mrs. F.; her youthful appearance. Comments on the independence of Bulgarian Church (in French, loose, inserted at p. 1 of Saturday Review, 'The Bulgarian Question'). 3 pp.
Loose notes, newspaper cuttings and the Levant Herald (24 June 1869) (printed). Printed Greek pamphlet: "Ενθεσις καὶ Νομοσχέδιον. Περὶ νέου φορολογικοῦ συστήματος (speech by Alexander Koumoundouros to the Senate dated 14 February 1860). 50 pp.
Cuttings from The Times, 26 September and 2 October 1872, on 'The Sinai Question'.
Three cuttings from Evening Star 5, 6, 8 January 1858 (8 January contains letter from Freeman on Educational Franchise).
164134
Green cloth, brown calf corners and spine, on spine 'Letters [on Greek Affairs] 1870', handwritten, paginated by George Finlay, pp. 1-188, and then items separately (the whole has now been paginated pp. 1-297), bound,+loose sheets, quires, and letters (some dated 1868 and 1871).
Covers Greek finances, brigandage, Bulgarian history, sepulchral inscriptions of Attica, and various other subjects.
Black cloth, red calf corners and spine, lettering rubbed off, [1871], paginated pp. 1-151, handwritten, bound, with loose quires, cuttings, and notes. Subjects include Delisi murders, Greek politics
Blue folder, grey paper spine, lettering on spine 'Letters on Greek Affairs 1872-74', handwritten quires loose, frayed at edges with some newspaper cuttings, paginated by George Finlay, pp. 1-111, 1-162. Subjects include elections, state of Greece, politics, international relations, Greek monarchy, and other subjects.
Items (loose at front) not listed by George Finlay:
(1) Members of Greek Ministries 1833-66 (printed).
(2) Jottings by George Finlay+cutting of an article on Greece, The Times, 12 July 1872, from 'our own correspondent 29 June 1870'.
(3) Greece 1833-1863-1873. What has been and what might have been. An envelope with a draft of this article and the letter to Mowbray Morris of The Times, originally at p. 126.
(4) Miscellaneous jottings arranged alphabetically. 22 pp.
Green-blue mottle, blue cloth spine, gilt lettering on spine 'Affairs of Greece 1862 to 1864', paginated, pp. 1-142, printed cuttings pasted up, bound with some loose cuttings. Subjects include state of Greece, Greek constitution, public opinion, politics, among others.
Articles from Newspapers relating to the revolution in 1862 that expelled King Otho from Greece.
Letters from Edward A. Freeman to The Daily News from Digamma Sir Drummond Wolf ? to The Times
Correspondence of General Eber the special correspondent of The Times
Blue mottle, faded cloth spine, gilt lettering on spine 'Greek Documents from 1865' [but goes to 1867], printed cuttings pasted up+a few loose cuttings, paginated pp. 1-196. Drafts of some of the articles 'not inserted' may be found in George Finlay's Letters on Greek Affairs, FIN.GF/E/24 ff. Subjects include brigandage, the King, politics, affairs in Crete.
Dark-blue mottle boards, blue cloth spine, gilt lettering on spine 'Affairs in Greece from 1868 to 1870', paginated, pp. 1-188, printed cuttings pasted up, with some loose printed sheets.
George Finlay's correspondence inserted in The Times. Subjects include Cretan insurrection, Greek politics, relations with Turkey, brigands, elections, the Bulgarian question.
Dark-blue mottle board, blue cloth spine, gilt lettering on spine 'Affairs of Greece from 1870' [this in fact goes to 1872], bound, paginated, pp. 1-180, printed cuttings pasted up, with some loose letters and printed sheets.
Subjects include Corinth canal, state of Greece, brigands, international relations, accusation against Frank Noel, among others
Blue-black mottle, faded blue spine, gilt lettering on spine 'Affairs of Greece from 1872' [goes in fact to 1874], bound, paginated, pp. 1-196, printed cuttings pasted up, with some loose cuttings.
This was evidently George Finlay's last scrap-book; it remains unfinished and the contents are not listed by George Finlay.
The newspaper cuttings are arranged chronologically, dating from 4 January 1872 to 8 August 1874 (though not all are pasted up).
The subject-matter is mainly Greece and the east Mediterranean. Most are from The Times, but occasionally from the Boston Daily Advertiser, the Levant Herald, and the Foreign Times. Some of the articles are 'From our own correspondent' and occasionally have George Finlay's notes added.
One letter undated: A. Libathinellos (an editor of Scopia ) to George Finlay asks for translation of George Finlay's article in The Times (in Greek, loose, inserted at 'Material Progress in Greece, 21 November 1873). 4 pp.
Mottle bands, maroon calf (cracked) spine and corner tips, gold lettering on spine 'Greek Papers G.F.', paginated pp. 1-303, George Finlay's printed articles and letters pasted up (with some handwritten addenda and corrigenda), with some loose cuttings (mainly on modern Greece).
(1) 'Greece', the Scotsman, 14 May 1828, unsigned letter from Egina, 5 February 1828, pasted on inside cover.
(2) 'The new government in Greece', the Scotsman, 1 November 1828, letter from Egina, 27 August 1828, signed 'F.'.
(3) 'An important section of the Eastern Question', paper not cited, signed 'Phylax'.
(4) 'Affairs of Greece in 1827', paper not cited, article based on report sent by George Finlay.
(5) 'An Adventure during the Greek Revolution', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 52, no. 325 (November 1842), 668-73.
(6) 'Foreign Correspondence. Archaeological Researches in Greece, July 1843', The Athenaeum, 5 August 1843, signed George Finlay.
(7) Letter from Lord Aberdeen to George Finlay of 10 June 1843 declining to become a patron of the proposed archaeological society but stating that in the event of its formation he would be happy to be a member.
(8) Handwritten draft of the constitution of the proposed Archaeological Society, 25 August 1843, signed W. M. Leake, C. H. Bracebridge, G. Finlay.
(9) 'The Bankruptcy of the Greek Kingdom', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 54, no. 335 (September 1843), 345-62.
(10) Letter to the Athenians (in Greek) by George Finlay (printed), Athens, 1844.
(11) 'Michael Kalliphournas', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 55, no. 344 (June, 1844), 725-30.
(12) 'The Actual Condition of the Greek State', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 55, no. 344 (June 1844), 785-96.
(13) 'Biographical Sketch of Frank Abney Hastings', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 58, no. 360 (October 1845), 496-520. (14) 'The Indian Overland Route', Morning Herald, 26 December 1846. Unsigned article, from pamphlet 'On the Communication between Europe and India through Egypt'.
(15) Loose cutting from Morning Herald, 2 August (on Mr. MacGregor's candidature as M.P. for Banbury, year not given, ?1847).
(16) 'Belisarius-was he blind?' (with addenda and corrigenda in George Finlay's hand), Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 61,. no. 379 (May 1847), 606-21. [Unsigned but dated by George Finlay 'Athens, 20 March 1847'.]
(17) 'Crossing the Desert', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 62, no. 381 July 1847)
(18) 'Three Months at Gaza', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 62, no. 383 (September 1847)
(19) On the Site of the Holy Sepulchre by G. Finlay (rs. 6d.). Notice only, pamphlet not here. See FIN/GF/C/17, p. 27.
(20) 'The Political Condition and Prospects of Greece', Massachusetts Quarterly Review (Boston), December 1847, no. 1, 63-96, unsigned.
(21) Two printed letters (= 178a) inserted loose between pp. 178 and 179
(i) Thos. Wyse, Queen, Salamis Bay, to Palmerston, 18 March 1850
(ii) Mr. Finlay to Mr. Wyse, Athens, 15 March 1850 (on George Finlay's claims).
(sheet loose)
(22) 'The Greek Question-Mr. Finlay' (? The Scotsman), signed George Finlay, Athens, 28 March 1850 (on George Finlay's claims).
(23) 'Greece Again', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 67, no. 416 (May 1850), 526-39.
(24) Poem 'The Modern Argonauts', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 67, no. 416 (May 1850), 539-41 [on the Don Pacifico Affair].
(25) Greek translation of item (23) dated Athens 12 August 1850 and printed in Ἐφημερìς τοῦ Λαοῦ.
(26) 'Foreign Correspondence', The Athenaeum, 2 August 1851, signed George Finlay [on alleged discovery of ancient Greek manuscripts].
(27) Ἀθῆναι, 1 February 1852 [in Greek on Fallmerayer's views].
(28) The Witness, Edinburgh, 23 June 1852, p. 202. 'American Missionaries in Greece', a letter signed George Finlay, Athens, 7 June 1852 [on Hill and his condemnation for his religious teaching in his own house August 1851] with an English translation of letter from Greek lawyers supporting Hill.
(29) Cuttings from Southport Visitor, 10 February 1854, referring to Finlay's frequent visits and his mother and two half-brothers 'Mr. Walter McGregor the great iron founder of Liverpool and Mr. J. McGregor the railway magnate and member of Parliament. Their mother is a resident of Southport'.
(30) The Times, 20 July 1853, 'Passports in the Mediterranean' letter signed George Finlay, Athens, 7 July 1853.
(31) The Times, 14 April 1853, 'The Taxes on Knowledge', speech in the Commons by Mr. MacGregor.
(32) 'A Glance at Turkish History', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 75, no. 460 (February 1854), 184-92.
(33) 'King Otto and his Classic Kingdom', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 76, no. 468 (October 1854)
(34) 'Turkey and its Population', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 76, no. 469 (November 1854).
(35) 'The Euthanasia of the Ottoman Empire', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 89, no. 547 (May 1861).
(sheet loose)
(36) Spectator, 8 November 1856. Letter to the Editor, Athens, 28 October 1856, signed George Finlay, headed 'Justice to Greece' answering a letter 'Two Sides to a Greek Story' by Phil-Alethes (pasted up here), Athens, 27 September 1856.
(37) Spectator, letter headed 'Greece', signed George Finlay, dated Athens 29 December 1856, commenting on observation made in the Spectator, 13 December 1856, and stressing need for supremacy oflaw in Greece. p. 216 [+handwritten draft of letter from George Finlay (loose) to Editor of the Spectator].
(38) Evening Star, London, 8 January 1858, 'The Future Government of India', unsigned, Athens, 19 December 1857.
(39) Saturday Review, 3 May 1862, unsigned, 'The State of Greece', 8 ['sent 25 April 1862' in George Finlay's hand].
(40) Athenaeum, 17 May 1862, 'Discoveries at Athens', dated Athens, 25 April 1862, signed George Finlay.
(41) Note in George Finlay's hand 'There is an account of the revolution of the 22nd Octr 1862 which dethroned King Otto written by me in the Saturday Review of 8 Novr 1862 page 567 and 15 November 1862 page 597. That of 8 Novr is entitled "The Revolution in Greece", that of 15th Novr "Affairs in Greece"'.
(42) Daily News, 6 January 1863, article signed George Finlay 'Obstacles to the Progress of Greece'.
(43) Note in George Finlay's hand 'There is an account of the civil war at Athens on the night of the 30 June and on the 2 July 1863 in the Saturday Review written by me. It is entitled "Civil war in Greece" and is in the Number of 25 July 1863, p. 115'.
(44) 'The Fall of King Otto', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 94, no. 577 (November 1863), [See p. 587, note t, where he lists his earlier articles in Blackwood's.]
(45) December 1863, pp. 1-22, 'The Prospects of George I, King of the Greeks' with loose sheets of corrigenda.
(46) The Times 12 May 1864, 'The Kingdom of Greece' (from our own correspondent), dated Athens, 29 April.
(47) [The Times], 'The Kingdom of Greece' (from our own correspondent) dated Athens 6 May [no date of publication; published 17 May].
(48) 'Greece' (from our own correspondent) dated Athens, 22 September. The Times, 29 September 1864.
(49) [The Times], 'Greece' (from our own correspondent) dated Athens, 13 October 1864 ('October 22' inserted in George Finlay's hand).
(50) Article by E. A. Freeman in the Saturday Review, 29 October 1864 [note in George Finlay's hand], 'The New Greek Constitution'.
(51 ) The Times, 7 December I864, 'The Kingdom of Greece' (from our own correspondent), Athens, 1 December.
(52) The Times, 26 December I864, 'Greece' (from our own correspondent), Athens, 15 December.
(53) Loose cutting from The Times, 5 September 1868
(a) article on Crete and Cretan insurrection
(b) article 'Turkey and Greece' (from a correspondent, with 'G.F.' added in George Finlay's hand) on Cretan revolt and affairs in Greece.
Dark-blue cover boards, lettering on spine: 'Greece. Ionian Islands', paginated, pp. 1-101 (of which pp. 72-101 are blank), printed cuttings pasted up with loose quires and handwritten sheets.
(1) Some paste-ups and a number of loose cuttings from British, Greek, French newspapers on Ionian Islands and their cession, mostly c. 1852-1863.
(2) Two printed pamphlets on establishing hostels in Cambridge for oriental Christians by G. Williams, 1860 (in English reprinted from Cambridge Chronicle, and in French, Deighton Bell, Cambridge 1860).
(3) Two double foolscap sheets in George Finlay's hand (in very poor condition) containing
(i) Post Office notes on posting from England 1 January 1857 to Turkey, Syria and Egypt, and from England to Greece.
(ii) Heads of the Memorandum presented by Kanares to King Otho when he was charged to form a ministry 12/24 January 1862.
In George Finlay's hand two sheets large quarto.
Extracted from the Memorial of several Ionian deputies and provincial magis trates of Corfu and Cephalonia to George I King of the Hellenes dated 22 November (4 December) 1863.
Brown mottle board, paginated by George Finlay pp. 1-94, handwritten.
'Esquisse d'un project de loi concernant l'impôt fonder et le droit d'usufruit sur les terres et les plantations', prepared for Greek government in 1859
'Tables relating to Agriculture in Greece' [1856]
'Observations on the Communal System in Greece' [written for Mr. Strickland, 6 January 1859]
'The Euthanasia of the Ottoman Empire', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 89, no. 547 (May 1861), 571-94
'Rebellion of the Bulgarians caused by the Emperor Michael IV changing the taxes paid in kind for a money payment, A.D. 1040. Extracts from Cedrenus.'
Three loose sheets (notes).
One official printed notice from Ministry of Economic Affairs (?), 12 and 13 August 1861.
Handwritten documents, unbound, with two printed pamphlets. In the case of this and items FIN/GF/E/ 42-8 (each with a similar manilla label) details are noted on the outside of the folder. These papers are connected with the Commission of the Three Powers (England, France, and Russia, 1857-9) which was appointed to inquire into the state of the finances of Greece.
Military Affairs.
Sixteen documents [evidence produced by the Greek Ministry of War for the Finance Commission in 1857].
Ministry of Religion and Public Instruction. Three documents.
Ministry of Justice: three documents.
Greek Shipping: four documents (one is a printed pamphlet Ἑλληνικὴ Ἀτμοπλοΐα, Athens, 1857).
Foreign Affairs, Diplomatic, Consular, Household. Nine documents.
Receipts of the Kingdom.
Twenty-one documents, supplying figures for 1845-6, 1848-58, with remarks on the classification of receipts by E. Strickland.
Estimates, receipts, and resources of the Kingdom; the Greek Post Office. Thirteen documents.
Tables (in Greek) of imports and exports for the years 1844-6, 1849-50, 1854-5.
Fifteen documents.
General Report of the Commission of Enquiry set up in 1857, signed May 1859 (with a note by Sir Thomas Wyse expressing the view that little value can be attached to any one figure of the accounts which have been furnished to the Commission).
Fifteen documents.
Handwritten and printed + portraits.
Miscellaneous papers found in the Legation and presented by L. Bower (December 1926). Printed except for FIN/GF/E/49/015
Proclamation to the Greeks by the 'Pheres' Club concerning the election of Prince Alfred (Athens, 3 December 1862) (in French, 2 copies).
Translation of an article concerning the election of Prince Alfred to the throne of Greece from the Greek journal L'Avenir de l'Orient (no. 34), Athens 27 November/ 9 December 1862) (in French).
Letter from Sotirios Sotiropoulos to the President of the Committee of Greek bondholders (Athens, 18/30 September 1862) (in French).
Decree of the Provisional Government expressing recognition of the Greek nationality of Greeks resident abroad (Athens, 11/23 November 1862) (in French).
Letter from Count Sponneck to M. Rouffos, President of the Cabinet (Copenhagen, 1 September 1863). (in French).
Programme of the Deligeorges Cabinet (Athens, 2 November 1865) (in Greek and French).
Copy of Ἐλπίς for 3 September 1863 (in Greek).
Parliamentary resolutions presented to King Otho by A. Koumoundouros (Athens, 4 August 1856) (in Greek).
Subsection article 3 of the 'Community of Corfu' (Corfu, 22 March 1864) (in Greek).
Copy of Ἀναγέννησις for 21 March 1864 (in Greek).
Copy of L'Observateur d'Athènes for 27 October 1853 (in French).
Pages 67-70 of Athens newspaper of 1856 (in French).
Parliamentary resolutions presented to King Otho by P. Argyropoulos (Athens, 8 June 1855) (in Greek).
Treaty of Commerce, etc. between Greece and the Ottoman Empire-Koundouriotis (27 May 1855) (in French).
Document addressed to King Otho concerning the charges for hot baths in Kythnos (Athens, 18 July 1838) (in Greek).
2 coloured portraits of Lloyd George and 2 coloured portraits of Lord Kitchener distributed in Athens during the 1914-18 war as propaganda.
Black mottle boards, dark crimson calf spine, pasted on front cover: 'Picture of Greece 1866: Statistics of Turkey and its nationalities', paginated, pp. 1-192, handwritten, bound.
Includes notes on brigandage, arbitrary conduct of Government, murders, affairs of Crete, ethnography of European Turkey.
Paper covers, printed cutting pasted up and bound.
An article by George Finlay from the Saturday Review, 11 April 1869, and a duplicate of FIN/GF/E/55.
On the front flyleaf is a note by George Finlay:
'The author was induced to write this paper from observing the general ignorance of the historical side of the ecclesiastical dispute between the Greeks and Bulgarians manifested both by the Greek and English newspaper writers in the east. Athens 25 March 1869. George Finlay.'
At the end 6 notes on the sources are appended in George Finlay's hand.
Blue mottle, faded cloth spine, gilt lettering on spine 'Statistics and Foreign Affairs and Literature', unpaginated, except for pp. 1-7, bound.
A scrap-book containing a few pasted-up cuttings (pp. 1-7) and many loose ones for 1869-72. Most of these do not deal with Greek or east Mediterranean affairs but illustrate George Finlay's wide range of interest (e.g. reviews of Forster on Dickens, Mrs. Oliphant on George II, cuttings on the Fenian troubles).
Printed report, boards, paper cover, 351 pp. Ὑπουργεῖον Ἐξωτερικῶν.
Ἔγγραφα κατατεθέντα εἰς τὴν Βουλὴν περὶ τῆς ὑποθέσεως τῶν ἐκβολάδων καὶ σκωριῶν Λαυρίου 1872-3
A series of letters and telegrams (all in both Greek and French) on the question of the Laurion mines and concessions, June 1872-March 1873.
Miscellaneous notes. Unbound, handwritten except for FIN/GF/E/54/6.
Characters': rough notes mainly on Greek or British diplomats or political figures (e.g. Sir E. Lyons, Mavrocordatos, King Otho, Thomas Gordon) .
Trade of Greece with Trieste 1843.'
Copy of an article, headed ' "On the change which the treaty of 1871 closing the Dardanelles to ships of war will create on the policy of Great Britain written during the mission of Server pasha to Egypt when there was supposed to be danger of the Porte attacking the Khedive" inserted in "The Times" of the 19th Oct long after it was written for it was sent to England in July'.
A number of random bibliographical notices.
Printed article (in Greek) from Νέα Πανδώρα 18, 367-76, on Saint-Marc Girardin's book on Greece (see FIN/GF/E/49/1).
Water-supply of Athens' (in Greek, with rough notes in English).
Letter to The Times on use of chloroform as a treatment for cholera. 16 June, n. y.