JB/012/342/001

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1825 July 25
J.B. to Bolivar

9
Codification

Greece. Not long after a copy of the Greek Constitution
reached my hands I sent a paper of Observations
on it to the Legislative Council. They actual The receipt
of it was acknowledged by them in terms composed of approbation
equalling any thing you will see in the letters from the Spanish Spanish
or Portuguese Cortes. In consequence as opportunity presented
itself I sent them such portions as I had then ready of the Constitutional
Code the bulk of content of which accompany I hope this letter
It might be about 2/3 or 3/4 of the whole. It was received
by the Constituted authorities Legislative and Executive
with similar expressions of acknowledgement, and promises of putting
it to use. After that Sometime after, Theodore Nigres, whom
every body agreed in reporting as the man fittest for the purpose
in all Greece, wrote to me expressive of his intention to
draw up for that country a Civil Code upon the model
of Bonaparte's and requesting my any assistance I might
feel disposed to give. This I immediately promised saying
whatever I could think of for his encouragement: but not
long ago, news arrived here of his death. When the Deputies
from that country came to this, they brought to me a letter from the Legislative Council and the
constituted authorities recommending them to my care
I not only received them upon a hospitality footing, but at their
instance maintained for a length of time a copious correspondence
in the course of which their language to me was as well as that of their
constituents was that of children to a father. On their solicitation
I endeavoured, but in my to keep them on good terms with their
generous benefactors here — the Greek Committee as they were
by whom the first l for them was procured. But the from first
to last their behaviour has I was sorry to say it has been such
as to render it impossible. Such a compound of ignorance to groundless suspicion
insincerity, faithlessness incivility, negligence quarrelsomeness, weakness of judgment, pride vaingloriousness
frivolity and in the whole together
incapacity for political business
I could not have imagined conceived unless I had witnessed it. To me from first
to last their expressions were full of the same affection and respect. But all hopes
of bringing them into any good course having compleatly failed, I at last pleaded
my occupation as an excuse for to correspond with them, and dealing a
to receive their a colleague
of theirs, Zaimi, upon his
arrival here. I have
but too much reason for the apprehension that they are but a fair specimen of their countrymen at home. A Guerilla warfare seems to be all they are fit for. They have
been [1]
[1] been perpetually quarrelling with one
another, as well giving to every body who
has come to their from assistance from other
countries but too much reason to complain of them:[+]
[+] so that nobody can so much as care
how their contest with the still
more incapable Turks will end.

Identifier: | JB/012/342/001"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 12.
Date_1	1825-07-25	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	012	Main Headings
Folio number	342	Info in main headings field	jb to bolivar
Image	001	Titles
Category	correspondence	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	d9
Penner	jeremy bentham	Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	4403
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