Trieste, 17 December 1825. The Osservatore Triestino reported that a master, who arrived the day before, coming in 11 days from Zante with the tidings that the Turkish fleet commanded by the Captain Pasha was off Missolunghi and blockading this city. Ibrahim Pasha was moving with his troops towards Patras and from there according to the rumours destined towards the fortress of Lepanto to join the seraskier before Missolunghi. According to the rumours the fleet was waiting to the Turkish and Egyptian forces had joined each other for a combined sea-land attack. Other rumours claimed that there were about 30 Greek ships cruising in the waters around the Sapienza islands. It was confirmed that 40 Egyptian ships returned to Alexandria to transport a large amount of Greek families and to embark on board waiting fresh troops.
