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.
Handwritten, notebook, pp. 1-48, the rest unpaginated [S. g. 6]. Byzantine notes by George Finlay 'Byzantine Greece: a historical view of the condition of the Greek nation under the government of the Byzantine emperors A.D. 717-1453'; some loose jottings.
Large quarto, 'carbon' copy, pp. 1-6 [S. 9. 7]. 'Appendix I. Note on the blindness of Belisarius.'
Large quarto, 'carbon' copy in George Finlay's hand, pp. 96-134+4 unpaginated sheets. [R. 8. 17]. 'The history of conquests of the Saracens.' Six lectures delivered before the Edinburgh Philosophical Institution by Edward A. Freeman.
Large quarto, 'carbon' copy in George Finlay's hand, unpaginated. 'Observations on the ancient history of the Turkish nation and on the earliest political institutions of the Ottoman empire.'
Brown mottle, cloth spine and corners, paginated pp. 1-89, mostly news paper cuttings pasted up, with 2 reviews of George Finlay's work (Fraser's Magazine, vol. 30, Oct. 1844, and The Scotsman, 25 June 1850) and 2 letters (L. Sgouta, 18 April 1863 and Cornelius Conway Felton, n.d.) loose, not in his Index, bound.
Listed by George Finlay on p. iii thus:
Reviews of and Observations on the writings of George Finlay.
Portraits of George Finlay aged 43 and 60.
Greece under the Romans published in 1843, 2nd ed. 1857
Blackwood's Magazine Oct 1844 by Thomas De Quincey, author of the confessions of an english opium eater
The North American Review Jan 1846 by Professor Cornelius Conway Felton LL.D. Notice of President Cornelius Conway Felton by Herman J. Warner of Boston 1862
Medieval Greece and Trebizond published in 1851
The Spectator July 26 1851
Britannia Aug. 16 and 23 1851
Athenaeum Aug. 23 1851
Edinburgh Advertiser Aug. 29 1851
Guardian Nov. 19 1851 and in Morning Chronicle
Allgemeine Zeitung 1851 by Dr Fallmerayer
History of the Byzantine empire, l. vol. 1st ed. 1852 2nd ed. 1856, II. vol. 1854
The Standard May 28 1853
Globe May 28 1853
Scotsman June 25 1853
Leader Sept. 9 1854
The Rambler New series No. IX September 1854
The North British Review No. XLIV Feb. 1855 by E. A. Freeman
Greece under Othoman and Venetian domination 1856
The Athenaeum May 24, 1856
Press May 31, 1856
The Leader May 31, 1856
Guardian June 18, 1856
The Saturday Review June 28, 1856
Critic July 1 and 15, 1856
Spectator July 19, 1856
The History of the Greek Revolution 2 vol. 1861
The Athenaeum Decr 14,1861
Glasgow Citizen Decr 21, 1861
Press Decr 21, 1861
Daily News Decr 26, 1861
Spectator Decr 28, 1861
Critic Dec 28, 1861
Guardian Feb 5, 1862
Examiner Jan 4, 1862
Bells Weekly Messenger Jan 25, 1862
Albion (Liverpool) Jan 23, 1862
Kolnische Zeitung February 25, 1862
The Saturday Review March 1 1862
The Edinburgh Evening Courant March 1, 1862
The Anglo Hellenic Witness Jany 1862 by Edward Masson
The Christian Examiner Boston Massachussets May 1862
Art VII. The Greeks by Herman J. Warner Esq.
The London Quarterly Review No. XXXIX April 1863
Art VI. Greece and the Greeks
The Edinburgh Review No. 240, Vol. CXVI April 1863
Art X. p. 590. The Greek Revolution
The Christian Remembrancer Vol. XLVIII No. CXXV July 1864. Art. VIII.
Finlay's Greek Revolution
'H IIaveM71viK l:71µa{a, 8 'lovvlov 1865
Finlay's history of the Greek Revolution
The National Review Jany 1864 Mediaeval and Modern Greece (pencilled commentary of Finlay)
On the site of the Holy Sepulchre Pamphlet 1847
The Classical Museum No. XVII, October 1847.
Notices of recent publications
Extract from Revue des deux mondes 1 Juillet 1865
Extract from Neue Fragmente aus dem Orient von Dr Jacob P. Fallmerayer
Remarks on the topography of Oropia and Diacria with a map. Pamphlet. Athens 1838
Bulletino dell'lnstituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica No. Vlb Giugno 1839. Opuscolo di Finlay. G. Abeken
North British Review No. XLII August 1854 Art V. Greece under the Macedonian period
North British Review No. XLIV February 1855 Art II. The Byzantine empire-Finlay
NB. These two articles were written by Edward A. Freeman, M.A. late Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford, author of History of Federal Government from the foundation of the Achaian League to the disruption of the United States. Volume 1. London· and Cambridge 1863.
Fraser's Magazine No. CCCCI May 1863: A day at Athens by Miss Frances Power Cobbe
Black cloth, bound, lettering on spine 'Greek Revolution 1821-1843', handwritten, paginated in part only, 406-700 (= part of a 'carbon' copy book of transfer paper).
George Finlay's MS. draft of his History of the Greek Revolution.
Black cloth, bound, lettering on spine 'History of the Greek Revolution Book X 4-5', handwritten, paginated i-ix, 1-424, followed by transfer paper paginated 551-65, 924-36.
George Finlay's MS. draft of his History of the Greek Revolution.
A letter loose at p. 129, in French. Myhrberg to Col. Th. Gordon. Affairs of Piraeus; defeat of Church. [Note by George Finlay on letter: '27 April/9 May 1827. Account of the battle of Cape Colias by a Philhellene who escaped. I think it was written by Myhrberg and addressed to Gordon but cannot recollect how it came into my possession. See Gordon, History, ii. 471'.] 4 pp.
Black cloth, handwritten, bound, gilt lettering on spine 'History of the Greek Revolution. Supplementary chapter 1844-1864', paginated by George Finlay, I-II, 1-209. A supplementary chapter to George Finlay's History of the Greek Revolution, with Appendix. 'Constitution of Greece 1864', pp. 191-209+loose press cuttings from Allgemeine Zeitung,
14 August and 26 August 1855.
Dated (p. 190) Athens, May 1866.
Letter: W. Stuart to George Finlay. 17 March 1872. Re loan of George Finlay's 'Supplementary Chapter' [1844-64]; and the other two volumes of the History of the Greek Revolution (stuck on front flyleaf, 2 pp.).
Paginated, large quarto, handwritten, unbound. Miscellaneous notes
Quarto, unbound, handwritten. Notes on Greek affairs.
Brown mottle with brown calf spine, gilt lettering on spine 'Chronology of Greek Revolution', handwritten, paginated by George Finlay, bound, with loose sheets and letter. Contents listed by George Finlay:
'Chronology of the Greek Revolution in which the dates are inserted as far as possible from the best authorities following the authority of persons present when such testimony is obtainable', pp. 1-241.
Bibliography of the Greek Revolution, pp. 242-53+a loose sheet p. 230, inserted between p. 241 and p. 242.
Loose papers at back are listed below.
Letter of George Finlay to Alick [Finlay]. n.d., inserted at October 1862. Rough draft of letter on revolts in Greece (unfinished) br> Newspaper AYΓH, 13 June 1862.
Death notice for Helene Leutwein, 1861.
Death notice for Sir Thomas Wyse, 1862.
List of Greek newspapers.
Note on Greek state budget.
Notes on Mills' History of the Crusades.
King's printed response to first constitutional draft voted by national assembly, 31 October 1864. Loose in FIN/GF/08 Timeline of the Crusades.
Historical note on medieval France.
Note on the French revolutionary months with their names.
List of cabinet members for Spain and France.
Population of Turkey.
Notes on the Ionian islands.
Note on Orlov revolt.
Death notice of Kuriakos Pittakis, 1863.
Budget of economic administration of the state, January 1833 - December 1843.
Blue mottle board, faded cloth spine, gilt lettering on spine 'Greek Documents from 1821', bound, unpaginated. This contains documents, notes, and letters all loose. George Finlay never pasted up any of these and they have been placed in a separate green manilla folder 26 X 37 cm
(1) Nikolaos Laspas, Secretary (grammatikos). Ioannina, 29 April 1821.
Circular to Greek captains re Sultan's order (firman) punishing Greek population for revolutionary activities (in Greek). 2 pp.
(2) Patriarch Gregory of Constantinople. 1821.
Excommunicates Michael Soutso and Alexander Ipsilantis and condemns Greek revolution; appreciation of Turkish privileges to Greek population (in Greek). 6 pp.
(3) E. Trelawny to George Finlay. The Cavern of Ulysses, Mount Parnassus, 27 May 1824.
T's arrival at Parnassus with supplies for Odysseus. Criticism of Mavrocordatos and his activities at Mesolonghi. Mention of Fenton, Byron, Gordon, Millingen. 4 pp.
(4) S. G. Howe to George Finlay. 6/18 December 1829.
Discusses mutual plans. Comments on Capodistrias's policy. 3 pp.
(5) E. Trelawny to George Finlay. n.d.
To arrange to meet George Finlay. 1 p.
(6) E. Trelawny to George Finlay. Argos, 1824.
Comments on arrival of Colocotronis and Mavrocordatos. Invites George Finlay to visit Fenton on Parnassus. 2 pp.
(7) Col. Fabvier to Capt. F. A. Hastings. Ambelakia, 23 October 1826. Regrets inability to supply H with men and money (in French). 1 p.
(8) Col. Heideck to F. A. Hastings [1826].
Heideck's project for defence of Athens; need to cut off Turkish supplies from Euboia; Greek control of sea essential (in French). 1 p.
(9) J. C. Hobhouse to F. A. Hastings. London, 12 December 1826.
Promises support. False accusations against members of Greek committee by ex deputies Orlando and Luriotis. Dispatch of assistance to Greece. Cochrane's plans. 4 pp.
(10) Capt. T. Sackville Crosbie. Enterprise, Plymouth Sound, 22 April 1827. Reports on state of his ship Enterprise. 3 pp.
(11) T. Gordon to Capt. F. A. Hastings (of the Karteria). Cairness, 18 November 1827. Appreciation of Hastings's military qualities and activities. Satisfaction at Battle of Navarino. G regrets having left Greece. 3 pp.
(12) Col. T. Gordon to Capt. F. A. Hastings. n.d. Memorandum on Phaleron expedition. 2 pp.
(13) n.d.
Notes (or extracts from a letter) on activities of Odysseus. 1 p.
(14) n.d.
Notes on treacherous activities of Odysseus. 1 p.
(15) Mytica, 30 September 1828 and 4 October 1828. Reports on entrance of Gulf of Preveza. 2 pp.
(16) Odessa, 25/27 October 1828.
'Extracts.' A report on blockade of Varna and position of Russian army. 3 pp.
(17) S. G. Howe to George Finlay. Egina, 4 December 1828.
Topographical and archaeological information on Tomb of Agamemnon at Mycenae and other Mycenaean ruins in Argolis. Political events at Poros; Capodistrias's unfair policy. Comments on Cochrane's retention of Hastings's property. 2 pp.
(18) S. G. Howe to George Finlay. Egina, 5 January 1829.
Offers George Finlay hospitality in Egina until his house there is free; suggestions for improving port of Egina. 3 pp.
(19) J. Hane to George Finlay, Egina. Vaffé, 15/27 March 1829.
Anarchy in Crete and situation of Candia; his acceptance of the Presidency of the Cretan symboulion [in place of Rheineck, who was recalled by the Greek government]. 2 pp.
(20) J. Cartwright to George Finlay. H.M. Rifleman, off Tenedos, 14 June 1829.
Invitation to visit him in Constantinople. Comments on Capodistrias's role in Greek affairs. 4 pp.
(21) K. Kyrouras (?). 14 June 1829.
Description of Turkish attack on Greeks at Anephoriti (?) (in Greek). 2 pp.
(22) (Sent to George Finlay) June 1829.
Instructions given by electors of Corinth to their deputies, said to have been written by Capodistrias (in Greek). 2 pp.
(23) June 1829.
Note by Fridericus Bialloblotzky on German colonists in Greece (in Latin). 1 p.
(24) G. Lee to George Finlay. Argos, 12 August 1829.
c/o J. Cartwright, H.B.M.'s Consul-General, Constantinople.
Details of Greek Assembly and Senate; Capodistrias's salary; new Greek coinage. Personal news of philhellenes. George Finlay's house during his absence. 3 pp.
(25) S. G. Howe to George Finlay, Egina. Isthmos, 10/22 November 1829.
Discusses Greek political situation and Capodistrias. Difficulties of the 'colony'. 4 pp.
(26) S. G. Howe to George Finlay. Isthmos of Corinth, 25 November 1829.
Offers George Finlay superintendency and administration of 'colony' and property at Corinth; optimism re future revenues of estate. [In March 1829 Capodistrias had granted Howe land at the Hexamilion near Corinth, in order to found a settlement for refugee Greeks.] 3 pp.
(27) S. G. Howe to George Finlay, Athens. Isthmos, 14 December 1829.
Account of plundering activities of pallicaria in Roumeli. H's measures to protect colony's estate from irregular troops. 3 pp.
(28) S. G. Howe to George Finlay, Egina. Nauplion, 20 December 1829.
Re affairs of colony; needs priest and schoolmaster; present disorders; public criticism of Capodistrias. 3 pp.
(29) S. G. Howe to George Finlay, Egina. Isthmos, 15 January 1830. Near disaster off Salamis. Activity of pallicaria. 2 pp.
(30) 9 April 1830.
Views of senator Tatzi Manginas on Greek national policy (in Greek). 3 pp.
(31) Nauplion, 10/22 April 1830.
Reply of Greek Senate to Capodistrias's communication re protocol of 3 February 1830 (in Greek). 8 pp.
(32) Clonaris to Col. T. Gordon. Argos, 28 April/4 May 1831.
Political situation in Greece; activities of Maniates; restriction on liberty of press; position of islands; Mavrocordatos at Hydra; Zaimes's submission to Capodistrias (in French). 4 pp.
(33) 10 May 1830.
Congratulations to Prince Leopold from Chiots at Syra (in Greek). 2 pp.
(34) B. Chales, A. Manoussayiannes, and G.Tsouderos to Capt. Perronel, 14 May 1830.
Answer of Cretan chiefs to Perrone! expressing their faith in Cretan cause and decision to fight for liberty (in Greek). 3 pp.
(35) S. G. Howe to George Finlay, Liverpool. Boston, 13June 1831.
Requests information on Greece and 'colony'. Rejoices in Capodistrias's fall. He is now editor of new daily paper in Philadelphia; political situation in the U.S.A. 4 pp.
(36) Athens, 14 May 1854.
Statement of king of Greece confirming Greek neutrality towards Turkey. Sir Thomas Wyse's reply (in French). 1 p.
(37) G. Gropius's memorandum on new monetary system for Greece (in French). 3 pp.
(38) n.d.
Approximate calculation of Greek revenues (in French). 3 pp.
(39) George Finlay's jottings on various offences committed against Greece, 'Greece, July 1831'.
Cuttings on various topics from The Times and Globe and other papers.
Printed pamphlet (General Catalogue of Animals in the Museum of the Natural History Society, Athens, 1840, in Greek).
G. Gropius (?). n.d. Asks to borrow Leake's book on Morea (in French) .
Loose papers and 4 letters taken from GF's books, notably his copy of T. Gordon, History of the Greek Revolution (2 vols., London, 1832).
Schnitzlein (officer in Bavarian Artillery) to Col. Thomas Gordon (in camp at Metochi). Ambelakia, 28 January 1827.
Details of S's visit by sea to Piraeus and Phaleron (in French).
Sir Richard Church to George Finlay. n.d.
Criticism of Gordon's observations on C (George Finlay's comments appended: 'Gordon's observations appear to me to have been called for on the part of one who pretended to write history. He certainly owed Sir Richard Church no particular tenderness and could not be expected to suppress truth in order to please him.')
Edwin Hill Mandley. Athens, 14 January n.y.
Would like to keep George Finlay's History and Hellenic pamphlet longer.
G. Finlay, Letter to the Athenians 1844' printed (in Greek), Athens, 1844, with MS. translation in English.
MS. copy of 'Palmerston's Despatch to Sir Edmund Lyons on the state of Greece in November 1847 with some observations from the Spectator'.
Extract from the Cairo Journal of Nassau Senior Esq. dated 1856. The file also includes some notes on Egypt hand-written by GF.
Small notebook with a plan for an essay (probably related to GF’s History of the Greek Revolution). It also contains notes on Chios, and on the ‘Greek character’ (undated).
Note on ‘Modern Greek History’ and on egoism as a trait of modern Greek society (undated).
Note labelled ‘Parties in Greece’ with a focus on the English party and the role of Hamilton in its formation (undated).
Note on the personality of Colonel Leake (undated).
Miscellaneous (undated) notes on the Greek Revolution (on the municipal system, on the naval losses of the Turks, etc.)
Note labelled ‘Bavarian Administration’ that focuses on defects of the centralized system of government the Bavarians introduced (undated).
Questions about the Greek Revolution (probably useful for F’s writing of his History) (undated).
Note labelled ‘Generals in yachts’ (undated).
‘Thoughts’ about Greeks as 'Orientals' (undated).
Note labelled ‘Conclusion’ with remarks on the state of the Ottoman Administration (undated).
Note (undated and fragile) of Pouqueville’s speech ‘Régénération de la Grèce’, and on Perraivos and Trikoupi’s view of the Philiki Etaireia’s failure to make progress in Northern Greece.
F’s thoughts on the ‘social condition of Greeks after their deliverance from the Sultan’s yoke’ (undated).
Note about the regular troops of the Greeks (undated).
Note on the financial administration in liberated Greece (undated).
Small notebook on the ‘Causes which created the mental impulses which ultimately led to the revolution’ (undated).
Small notebook with notes on ‘Money’ and on ‘Constantinople’ (undated).
‘The questions [on the Greek Revolution] to which I find it difficult to obtain precise answers’ (undated).
Athens 27 May 1854 Memorandum ('carbon' copy, pp. 1-8).
Carbon' copy entitled 'Brigandage in Greece', pp. 1-4.
Memorandum and Supplementary Chapter on the Government of Otto and Revolution of 1862', 9 loose sheets+pp. 1, 3, 4.
Historical Sketches of the Albanians, the Modern Greeks and the Greek Revolution by An Observer.' 'Carbon' copy, paginated by George Finlay i-xx. This appears to be a plan (chapter and section headings) for a work on the Greek Revolution though it is not identical with any of the printed volumes. It also contains (pp. xv-xx) a Preface which does not appear in the printed volumes of 1861.
Observations on the reform of the Greek Ministry of the Marine. Athens 6 February 1855' (pp. 1-14, with notes on pp. 15-17).
Observations on the condition of Greece in 1854', 'carbon' copy (pp. 1-31).
The 'top' copy of (c) but with the author's corrections and amendments (pp. 1-31).
Note on the ‘Communal system’ in Greece prior to the Greek Revolution (undated).
Program for the reception of the King and the Queen (in French).
Notes on different chapters I-VIII (of F’s History of the Greek Revolution) (undated).