found that bitter dissentions among the Greeks had quenched even their animosity against the Turks. He was well received and arrived in time to prevent the disbanding of the regular corps. Towards the end of June, Rumeliots forced the government to seize $10,000 from Gordon to give to the Souliot Kapetanioi from Epirus. By the end of 1826, Gordon had spent all the public funds which the Greek deputies in London had entrusted to him. In 1827, Gordon accepted the command of the expedition to Piraeus, with the rank of brigadier, his troops consisting of the corps of Ioannis Notaras, that of Ioannis Makrygiannis, the regulars, and the foreign volunteers. His aim was to relieve Athens, which was being blockaded. Gordon successfully landed his troops at Faliro "under the nose of Reshid Pasha”. Having found that the Greeks besieged in the Acropolis were still able to hold out, Gordon wished to resign and only continued on condition of receiving supplies and being "entirely master of his own operations". He remained in command of the troops at Faliro until the arrival in April of General Richard Church, who took over the supreme command. On 16 April 1827, Church appointed Gordon director-general of the army. He probably continued to serve in this capacity until the Greek defeat of 6 May. Nevertheless, continued resistance, the success of the Battle of Navarino, and the backing of France, the Russian Empire and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland enabled the First Hellenic Republic to emerge with a northern frontier from Arta to Volos, but without Crete or Samos. In July 1827, Gordon returned to Scotland. Archaeological and historical interests in Greece Gordon returned to Greece in 1828. While at Argos from 1828 to 1831 with his secretary James Robertson and the historian George Finlay, he worked on the site of the ruined Heraeum near Argos. Archaeological plans also included a proposal to form a joint stock company for the purchase of Epidaurus. Finlay also suggested that he might be president of the Greek national assembly, but Gordon had no such ambitions. While at Argos, Gordon collected both written and oral material for a history of the Greek revolution. He also built a magnificent mansion which was modelled on Cairness House although smaller. He returned to Cairness in 1831 and completed his book in 1832. It was acclaimed for its detail and accuracy. Last