The Press. — London, England, 1856-08-23 00:00:00

THE NEAPOLITAN NOTE. THE Cologne Gazette, this week, publishes the following as a correct text of the note of the King of Naples in reply to the recent notes of England and France:— King Ferdinand formally declines all interference of the Western powers in the internal affairs of his kingdom. He rejects it as contrary to all the rules of international law, as an attack upon the independence and dignity of his Crown. Relying upon the principles of eternal justice, which pre senbe " that thou shalt not do unto thy neighbour what thou wouldst not have done unto thee," he puts the follow ing questions to the London Cabinet, whose representa tions were made in much stronger language than those of France : What would Lord Palmerston say if the Neapolitan Government was to presume to describe the management of the English Cabinet, and to propose a modi• fication in its internal policy or the adoption of more liberal views towards Ireland, or to recommend more humane con duct towards its Indian subjects? What would he say — what would he reply to the representatives of that power which interfered in such guise with the Government of her Majesty ? He would reply, as the Court of Naples now replies, that he does not recognise in any one the right or the power to dictate a line of conduct or to address re proaches. Or rather he would not do this—Lord Palmers ton would not even give himself the trouble to reply at all; he would most probably send the meddling representative his passports. And has not the King of Naples, as well as Great Britain, the right to look after his own ho.iour and that of his people? He may, as a proof of his goodwill, listen to communications made with a view to the consolidation of public order in Europe ; but then such communications must be made with that moderation and deference which is due to a free and independent sovereign ; and he alone must be allowed to form his judgment upon the pro priety of the proposed measures and of the moment for carrying them out. No one except the King himself can form a correct judgment upon what circumstances may require. It is asserted that the present state of things requires certain alterations and improvements. It is stated that the armed attacks of the revolution against the Govern ment of the Two Sicilles have ceased. This is primi•facie evidence that the system opposed to them, and which is the object of such violent attacks, is not so useless or so baneful as some persons wish it to be believed. But, it is added, the necessity for such a system no longer exists. . _ The King is not cf this opinion, and his will cannot he opposed unless the exercise of superior force can be as serted as a right. But what will then become of the principle of royal authority; and what value will be attached to the acts of a Government which have emanated under the pressure of a foreign power? Under such circumstances any con cession, however justifiable, would lose all effect. His Majesty King Ferdinand, therefore, regards himself as perfectly justified in maintaining his prerogative, and of notifying his intention to decide himself alone upon what ought to be done, and the proper time for doing it. He ardently desires that that time may speedily be at band ; but it cannot be denied that the violent and sys- tematical attacks of the English pleas and the demands thundered forth in the English Parliament are of a nature to adjourn that time for the present. Is it supposed that such means are calculated to calm the evil passions in a country still a prey to the revolutionary doctrines of 114-1 , 4? It cannot surely have been already forgotten that the Central Committee of Italy only recently established the principle " that political assassination was not a crime, especially when its object was to get rid of a powerful enemy," and that this same committee put a price upon the head of the King of Naples, and promised a reward of 1,000 ducats "to the man who rid Italy of this monster." _ _ Considering such recent facts, it is not only the right, but it is the duty of his Majesty the King of the Two Sicilies, to act with the greatest caution, and not to relin quish carelessly a system of government which he thought tit to adopt, as much in the interest of his subjects as for his own safety. It has been asserted, and attempts have been made to establish the assertion, that the Constitution of 1848, under which the above execrable principles were openly promulgated, is the fundamental law of the kingdom of Naples. But it is overlooked that when that Constitution was proposed to the Sicilian Parliament they rejected it with contempt, and asked for the Constitution of 1812. The concessions then made by King Ferdinand 11. had no other effect than to increase the demands of the revolu tionary faction throughout the whole of Italy, and the risings which took place at Naples and at Palermo were the signal for risings in Sardinia, Rome, and Lombardy. Is it desired to see a renewal of those dreadful crimes and catastrophes of which unhappy Italy was then the theatre? The Constitution of 1848 would he wonderfully adapted to bring forward a repetition of them. Rut, on mature reflection, that cannot be the idea of the Cabinets of London and Paris, whose object must be the maintenance of the peace of Europe, so dearly bought. Especially it cannot be the view of the French Cabinet. After having taken such energetic measures at home to put down revolution, France surely cannot seek to create it in Italy. This wo u ld h e i n di rec t o pposition to that wise and clever policy which has been so successfully car ried out. France and England should also remember that the war in the East was undertaken precisely to prevent a foreign power from interfering in the affairs of Turkey. Any similar interference in the kingdom of the Two Sicilies would be a curious anomaly, n o t t o g i ve it a more p recise qualification. King Ferdinand cannot, and will not, THE PRESS. lieve in anything of the sort. He places full confidence in the acknowledged principle so gloriously established by the Courts of Paris and London, according to which every independent Sta'e, although much weaker than the power which wishes to force its counsels upon it, has the iocon testable right to reject those counsels if they contain a menace or an attack upon its independence. The King is firmly resolved to adhere to what he has said. If, however, an attempt should be made--which is scarcely possibly—to go further (passer (mire), his Majesty, relying on the justice of his cause, would appeal to the patriotism of his people, and, trusting to his brave and faithful army, would repel force by force. MOUNT A.RXRAT. THI ascent of Mount Ararat has been effected for the first time since the days of the Patriarch by five Englishmen—Majors Fraser and Stuatt; Mr. Evans, of Darley Abbey, Derbyshire; Mr. Theobold, of Winchester; and the Rev. Mr. Tbursby. Major Stuart, in a letter to the Times yesterday, dated Erzeroum, July 26th, gives the details. Neither he nor Mr. Thursby succeeded at the first attempt, on the 11th of July last, but their companions did, to the astonishment of a native chief. "Mashallah," he exclaimed, " God is great!"—" What wonderful people these English are; a few of them c Atte here, and without any difficulty walk to the top of that holy mountain, a thing that never was done by man bi-fore. Wonderful, wonderful !" On the 13th Mr. Thursby and Major Stuart attempted the ascent: — We proceeded slowly and leisurely until we reached about one-third the ascent of the cone. There we were obliged to dismiss the Kurds, who, from religious fear, refused either to proceed further or to spend the night on the mountain. Wrapping themselves in their rugs, they watched the sun set in "indescribable glory, throwing the shadow of the vast mountain far away over Georgia, and darkening the distant eastern horizon." They passed the night on the mountain, and at daybreak they resumed the ascent:— From an elevation of about 14,000 feet above the sea we saw the sun rise in unclouded majesty, lighting no simul taneously to our view vast tracts of the Russian, Persian, and Turkish empires; that was a glorious sight, never to be forgotten. Caution and perseverance enabled us to overcome everything, and at nine a.m. we had the satisfac tion of standing on the highest point of the mountain. Here I stuck to the hilt in the snow a kama. or short double edge sword, which we found at the foot of Ahich's cross. Here also, as loyal Britons, we drank the health of our beloved Queen. A fine snow mist prevented their obtaining any dis tant views. " The top of the Mount," he writes, " seamed and scored with ravines— bears evidence of having been subjected to violent volcanic action. The rocky ridges that protrude from the snow are either basalt or tufa ; and near the summit we found some bits of pumice on a spot which still emits a strong sulphurous smell. The summit itself is nearly level, of a triangular shape, the base being about '2OO y,rds in length, the perpendicular about 300. The highest point is at the apex of the triangle, which points nearly due west ; separated from it by a hollow is another point of nearly equal altitude, and the bnse of the triangle is an elevated ridge, forming a third eminence. These three points stand out in distinct relief on a clear day. The snow on the top is almost as dry as powder, and in walking over it we did not sink more than half-way to the knee. The impression left on my mind is, that the summit is an extinct crater filled with snow. We expe rienced no difficulty of respiration, except being sooner blown by exertion than we should have been at a lower level. The cold was intense. Major Fraser, in his attempt on the 11th, had a narrow escape. When within a few hundred feet of the summit, he slipped, lost his footing, and shot down with fearful velocity, now head, now foot fore most, for some hundreds of yards. Luckily, he was pulled up by some rocks, and then with indomitable pluck recommenced and achieved the ascent. On the 15th they ascended Lesser Ararat. The summit of Greater Ararat is 17,323 feet above sea level, and 14,300 above the plain ; from base of cone to summit may be above 6,1'00 feet. The Lesser Ararat is 13,003 feet above sea level. THE ARCHDUKE MAXIMILIAN, brother to the Em peror Francis Joseph, it is said, will be appointed viceroy over Lombardy, and that Marshal Ranetsky will retire on attaining his next (00th) birthday, which falls on the 2nd of November. The illustri ous veteran is still comparatively active in mind and body, but has expressed a desire, so it is affirmed, to pass the remainder of his days with his daughter Countess Wenkheim and his grandchildren at Vienna. M. HORACE VERNET has received and accepted an order to paint a grand picture representing the taking of the Malakoff. It is also said that Colonel Lan glo's, whose panorama of the battle of Eylau was a standing object of attraction in the Champs Elysees for many years, has returned from the Crimea with all the sketches necessary to enable him to complete a panorama of the assault of Sept. B—the taking of Se bastopol, SATURDAY, GARIBALDI AND CECERUACCHIO. A SECOND letter from Garibaldi upon the fate of Ceceruacchio and his sons discloses some further details of that barbarous murder. The letter is ad dressed to a friond in London : My dear Friend,—l have just learned from Colonel Sacehi (one of the siztythree patriots who sailed with me from Monte Video to Italy in l 818) the sad fate of Ceceru. Recta() and his two sons. They followed me in my retreat from Rome in 11-il9, and on the 3rd of August embarked at Cesenatico, with my wife and Ugo Bassi, in one of the thirteen fishing•boats, in which it was our intention to land at Venice. But when I reached Ravenna with my dying wife, I insisted on all my followers dispersing, the Austrians having issued a proclamation that whoever should guide or give us tire, food, or shelter should be put to death. Of the fate of many of those brave ones I am still in ignorance. Ugo Bassi, atter having had the skin stripped from his fingers and the crown of his head, was shot at Bologna. I flattered myself that Ceceruacchio and his children had gained the Apennines, and had been sheltered by the mountaineers. But Sacchi tells me that while commanding a steamer on the River Po he landed at one of the towns on the banks of this river, and that there the peasants gave him the names of seven individuals shot at Contarina by the Austrians, under the orders of an officer belonging to the Imperial family. Among them was a Roman, Angelo Brunetti (Ceceruacchio was the name given to him by the Romans ), his two sons, one aged nineteen, the other thirteen, a youth named Stefano Ba. morino, Lorenzo Parodi, captain of the Italian Legion in Monte Video, and two others whose names I do not know. After the first volley was discharged, Ceceruacchio's youngest eon and the boy Ramorino struggled so long that their murderers had great difficulty to despatch them with kicks and with the butt•ends of their guns. Hence the peasants of the district venerate their memories as saints. Colonel Sacehi has made every effort to establish beyond a doubt these facts, which Austria and the priests have been at so much pains to conceal. Observe also that Cece• ruaochio, his young son, and Ramorino, although they ac• companied me in the retreat, never carried arms. Entreat the English press, my dear friend, from me, to use their influence in bringing Austria and the priests to account for these atrocities. I have written myself to the leading Italian papers, and also to the United States. Italy, August 15, 1856. GUIUEPPE GARIBALDI. THE FRENCH, says a late letter from Balaklava, have had a great miss at Sebastopol. " They were in charge of the church there for soma months, anii never found any treasure ; it was supposed to be carried away. But this being against the old tra ditional custom of Russia, it was thought strange, and once it was hinted some English soldiers had got hold of it. Such, however, was not the case. When the Russians came back they dug a hole and found it all safe near the altar. It was composed of gold plate and diarncnds for the head gear of the oriests, and its supposed value is from 20,0001. to 30,0001. This will be no pleasant satisfaction to the Zouaves, who had been sleeping in it, I believe, for some time and never found it out. It was valued by a man well conversant with such articles, and he makes it also what I state. The priests were in such joy that they were not afraid to show it to an one, and we all had a peep at it before it was taken away elsewhere with a guard of honour, all singing at its restoration." LETTERS FROM PERSIA mention "a curious fact, namely, the appearance of the English flag on the walls of Herat. As all accounts agree in the fact, there can be no doubt about it, but the Persians have two versions to account for it. According to some, it is the work of the mysterious Englishman who was supposed to have been at Herat at the time when Youssout Khan was still master there. The Persians were very much puzzled by this man. who was disguised as a cattle-dealer, and asked for his removal, to which, however, the people of Herat opposed themselves. The hoisting of the British flag is now attributed by some to his agency. The other version of the story is, that the people of Herat got a reinforcement of several hundred horse men from the south, who were seen to enter by the Persian army before Herat. The people of Herat being apprised that this arrival had been seen by the Persians, and greatly magnified on account of the dust which they raised, took advantage of this to spread the rumour that a large English force had entered Herat, and in confirmation of this they hoisted the English flag. MORMONISM is making much progress in Denmaik. Jutland is the great hotbed of Mormon proselytism ; and, as they eventually make up caravans or parties of four or five hundred together, to emigrate to America, in order to settle on the banks of the Great Salt Lake, the result will have the effect of ulti mately depopulating the province to a great degree , and depriving its agriculture of many industrious hands. It is especially to this point that a petition to the King, just sent in from the town of Aalborg, and signed by upwards of two hundred of the principal inhabitants, lays much stress, and calls he atteatiou of the Government.