The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-01-19 00:00:00

THE LAST MOMENTS OF VICTOR
EMMANUEL.

The Correspondent of the Standard, writing from Rome,
on Jan. 10, says :
Particulars of the last moments of Victor Emmanuel
are, now that the shock and hurry of the unexpected
blow are beginning to subside, minutely described and
eagerly received. The King met death with the sub-
lime simplicity of a brave man who has striven to do
his duty. Thousands of his humblest soldiers have
done as much. The mightiest monarch can do no
more. But Victor Emmanuel not only died with courage
and composure, he concentrated his last thoughts,
he consecrated his last efforts, to the welfare of those
he was leaving. He had a private colloquy with his
eldest son, now King of Italy, which must have tried
his failing forces. He took a calm farewell of all those
officers of his household and other personages who
happened to be within the palace at the time. His
eyes never lost their clear, candid look until they
gently closed in death. No one who has ever fully
met—as it has more than once or twice happened
to me to meet those bright, fearless, honest
blue eyes, can easily forget their expression.
I have informed you by telegraph of the
fact that Professor Scipione Vannutelli, one of
the most distinguished painters in Rome, was sent
for by Prince Humbert to limn a record of the
dead Royal face as it lay peacefully on the pillow
where he died. He has made a very striking
portrait; and he will be at work all this night to
pourtray the hero of Italian independence as he lies
in state, to be visited by thousands of his sub-
jects. The King's body will be clothed in the
superb white mantle of a Grand Master of the Order
of the SS. Annunziata, in which garb the sovereigns
of the House of Savoy are consigned to the tomb.
It is characteristic of our Re Galantucmzo that he
did not possess in his modest wardrobe one of these
sumptuous robes, and that artificers have been
working all night to prepare one. It is a fitting
shroud for such a King—a King who never broke
one compact with his people; who, educated
amidst traditions of dynastic tyranny and "Divine
right," held valiantly by faith in his people, thus
winning theirs in return; who, when the hour sounded,
perilled life, and crown, and glory in his country's
cause. It is fitting that Victor Emmanuel should lie
before the eyes of the nation that beholds him for the
last time— "like a warrior taking his rest,
With his martial cloak around him."

The following is an extract from the letter of the Special
Correspondent of The Times, under date Jan. 11 :

"The King is said to have been suffering for this
last fortnight, and consequently must have been indis-
posed when on his New Year's reception he threw
out those hints about the necessity of arming Italy so
that she might be 'respected and feared' which his
Ministers were at no little pains to explain away.
He complained of rheumatic pain at the intestines;
but said 'it was nothing to signify.' He also felt
'extraordinary weakness in his legs,' a general
sensation in Rome when the sirocco predomi-
nates. On Friday last he had a slight attack
of fever, but he nevertheless persevered in his
intention to go back to Turin, where he had
spent the Christmas, and preparations for a start
were being made on Saturday, in spite of the
doctor's objection, for in the morning he thought
he felt better, but later in the day he had to lie down
in the bed in which he died. It is supposed that on
his last journey from Turin, on the 28th ult., he felt
chilly on the approach of day, and put on his overcoat
—an article of his costume that seldom came into
requisition, as he not infrequently on his travels even
divested himself of his coat. At eight o'clock on the
morning of the faLd Wednesday, the 9th inst., the
physicians in consultation found that his illness was
already exhibiting grave symptoms. During the
night his breathing had become painful, his
pulse was greatly irregular, and the eruption
attending what is here called a milanc or
inflammatory fever began to show itself. At noon
this fever had risen to its acme, and the doctors from
that moment looked on the case as hopeless. Then it
was that the administration of the Sacraments was
recommended. The ceremony was performed by the
King's chaplain, Canon Anzino, in the presence of
Prince Humbert and Princess Margaret. The Portu-
guese Minister, at the request of the King's daughter,
Maria Pia, Queen of Portugal, was in attendance
since the previous day, his mission being to trans-
mit bulletins of the various stages of the
King's illness to his Royal Mistress. This diplo-
matist was erroneously described as Baron Hay-
merle, the Austrian Ambassador, whose alleged
presence was in consequence variously commented
upon as unaccountable. The King was, by his de-
sire, moved from his bed and laid in an armchair; but
at half-past one he was again in bed. Towards half-
past two the oppression in the chest had greatly
increased, and the doctors relieved it by making the
patient inhale some oxygen, which temporarily
revived his strength. The King turned then to the
bystanders and nodded his head three times to them
by way of recognition and salutation. He made an
effort to throw himself back upon his pillow, made
with the hand a movement as if to give one more
habitual twist to his long moustache, then uttered a
deep sigh, and was motionless. All was over.

"'Beiides the doctor there were present the Prince
and Princess, the Ministers, some of the officers of the
Civil and Military Household, General Medici,
General Sonnaz, Monsignor Marinelli, the bearer of
the last message from the Pope, Count Mira,fiore, the
eldest son of Rosina, admitted by the special per-
mission of Prince Humbert, and others. Rosina, the
King's second wife, was still ill at Turin.
"In the course of the morning the King had a pri-
vate interview with the Court Almoner, Canon Anzino,
at the end of which the Prince and Princess were
again called in, and were addressed by the dying King
with loving words. He then expressed a wish to be
alone with Prince Humbert, and UPOII the chaplain
and Princess Margaret retiring, the King and his heir
were for a few moments—about 20 minutes—left to
themselves. The King's last words, when the Prin-
cess and the others were recalled, were, 'I figli 1 I
figli I' He is also said to have uttered a feeble Addie.'
At the moment he bres.thed his last, Baron Uxkull,
the Russian Ambassador, came in bearing a message
trom the Emperor Alexander expressing hopes for the
King's recovery. Victor Emmanuel lay on his death-
bed with an expression. of perfect calmness on his coun-
tenance, as if in a light sleep. He had no appearance
of death but its paleness, his head being slightly
turned to the left shoulder

"The death of Victor Emmanuel is looked upon as
a great event throughout Europe. The assurances of
the participation of all foreign Courts and commu-
nities in the mourning of Italy proves the value every-
where attached to the name of one from whom the
title of King received, if not its highest, certainly its
most becoming lustre. Victor Emmanuel did not
care for the designation of 'Puissant Monarch,'
'victorious Emperor,' or 'the Great," the Fair,' or
even 'the Good.' He was the King Honest Man.
The King whose word was sacred, who reigned by his
people's will, and had no other will than his people's.
"It ha-, been observed that the date of the King's
death, January 9, coincides with that of the Emperor
Napoleon 111., who died at Chislehurst just five years
before. In a popular almanac published here it was
predicted that on the 11th a great burial scaffolding
(catafalco) would be erected in Rome. All these
chance circumstances are discussed with great serious-
ness among the superstitious classes of the Roman
people."

The British Medical Journal contains the following
telegram from its Roman Correspondent:

. -
" The following is a brief epitome of the course of the
late King's illness :—The King had been slightly indisposed
for 14 days, the symptoms at first being. however,
only of an indistinct character. The main symptoms of
which he complained at the outset were those of cold,
shivering, and pains chiefly located at the right side
of the chest. During the night of Saturday, he had ex-
posed himself at an open window, and was seized
at noon on Sunday with severe shivering and acute
and obviously pleuritic pain, for which he was
bled to a slight amount. On the same evening,
Dr. Baccelli, a physician specially known for recent
researches on the subject of the diagnosis and treatment
of pleuritic effusions and accompanying inflammations,
saw him in consultation. He found considerable dulness
over the right lung, indicating a complication of
pneumonia. The King was bled again next morning, and
his other treatment consisted mainly in the administration
of quinine in small doses and tartarized antimony. On
Monday high fever set in, with profuse sweating ; the heart
was dilated, and its action weak. On Tuesday the same
symptoms continued in an aggravated form, and on that
evening there was a notable exacerbation of fever, together
wills a nailiary eruption of bad omen. Oa Wednesday
morning His Majesty was obviously sinking, and had be-
come so weak that the pulse could scarcely befell. Oxygen
inhalations were then employed, and these produced a tem-
porary rally; but the effect was only temporary, and the
King died in collapse at half-past two."

Ma's CHANGE2.—The Times remarks that it is
eighteen years since tho Parliament of the United
Kin_gdom met in January. In 1860, the time referred
to, Parliament assembled on the 24th of January, and
the Queen's Speech announced that Her Majesty had
expressed her willingness to send a Plenipotentiary to
take part in a Conference of the Great Powers of
Europe, which was to deliberate on the means best
adapted for the pacification and future prosperity of
Italy. In the result, Victor Emmanuel became
King of Italy. He is now to be borne to his grave.
There is, indeed, again a work of " pacification" to
be accomplished; unhappily, it threatens to be a more
formidable work than the unity of Italy,