The Press.
London, England, 1855-07-28 00:00:00

JULY 28, 1855.

Lombardy under the Austrian yoke. The
people are too intelligent not to groan under
their degradation, and the Austrians too
fearful ever to relax their suspicious and
harassing vigilance. Between people and
Government there is no one link of sympathy
or bond of union. It is only, as Captain
Chamier states, a question of time when a new
insurrection will break forth.
As the author fixed his residence for a time
at Naples, it is to that city anti kingdom, and
to Sicily, where he staid long enough to make
several excursions from Palermo, that the
chief part of this book is devoted. Sicily, the
most beautiful and fertile country in the world,
continues to languish under the most deplo-
rable misgovernment :

Its population is gradually d,!creasing; the interior of
the island seems inhabited by a legion of paupers; the
population of the cities are heavily taxed, especially in
Palermo, where the inhabitants have to pay for the
soldiery. There is a general mismanagement iu all
departments, which routine continues; and, what is worse
than all, there is the low murmur of discontent, arising in
the interior from famine, and in the cities from the want
,of sufficient occupation.

But some classes, from their numbers, appear
to flourish. Sicily is a paradise for monks,
nuns, and nobles :

The monks. A late account gave the amount of these
idlers in the hive of creation at 28,000—whilst the nuns
figured for 18,000.

In Sicily there are 127 princes ! 78 dukes, 140 mar-
quises, and no man of the herald-office has ever
attempted to number the counts, barons, or chevaliers—
they would be more numerous than the monks, and almost
as idle.

These classes are the only exceptions to the
universal decline in Sicily. The very aspect
f the people seems changing for the worst, as
if humanity without progress must inevitably
deteriorate :

To a traveller revisiting Sicily, after the lapse of more
than a quarter of a century, and whose recollection was
rife of the beauty of the women who inhabited this garden
of Eden, the astonishment is great at the falling off. I
remember the Sicilian women as next in beauty to the
English and Americans; but now, amidst the lower
classes, there is a livid paleness, a sickly, olive com-
plexion, which may be attributed to constant exposure to
the sun, dirt, or unwholesome diet. If it be true, as is
stated in the " Vestiges of Creation," that bad, unwhole-
some food renders a people ugly, or that the whole physical
powers degenerate by the lack of proper nourishment,
indifferent clothing, of neglect of cleanliness, the mystery
is solved.

In ancient times Syracuse had twelve lhun-
•dred thousand inhabitants, now the population
•of the island is only 1,050,000. Railroads are
unknown ; gas is refused as savouring of
'heresy ; and by the ordinary course of post
.a letter is longer in reaching Palermo from
Naples than from London to New York. And
•as for the prisons, a gaol in Naples or Rome
may set at defiance all "dirty, unhealthy,
lousy, disgraceful places," in other parts of
.Europe and South America put together,
In the chapters descriptive of Naples there
:is inserted a memoir by a Neapolitan, who, we
•are told, " evidently wrote with the sword of
'" Damocles hanging over his head, and even
'" now watches lest the hair should snap which
'"ouppocto This memoir is of value as in-
dicating the sentiments of a portion at least of
',the best educated and most enlightened of
'the Neapolitan people. It is an able sketch
of the political history of Naples since the
peace, and more particularly of the events of
the last seven or eight years. The notices of
those English statesmen who have lithin
that period been connected with Nea itan
politics are marked by great acuteness. Mr.
Gladstone arrived in Naples wnen the reac-
tionary movement from successful revolution
to military sway was in full force. The writer
.of this memoir says :

I was one of the first to be introduced to him. I saw in
him a man of great ability and observation ; and, although
I never was intimate with him, I never lost sight of him a
.minute during his stay at Naples. It is impossible not to
Irecognise in this man the most distinguished talent, coupled
with a keen and vigilant observation ; more so, indeed,
'than is generally found in men of his political preeminence ;
and I gladly record my opinion of the sincerity of his
intentions, and the perfect loyalty of his character.
'The character of Sir W. Temple is more subtly
sketched :

•For a very long time the post of Minister Plenipotentiary
to the King of the Two Sicilies has been held by Sir W.
Temple. The English Government, in its far-seeing
policy, had ever) maintained the strictest amity with the
Bourbons of Naples : they had sheltered and protected
them in Naples and Sicily during the, invasions by the

THE PRESS.

French in 1799, and of the occupation by M urat, and

assisted them by force of arms to le-obtainthetr usurped
throne. It is true, Great Britain reaped a certain betiefit

by commercial treaties, never ceasing io interfere on either
side of the Faro of Messina.

I shall not andeavour to explain the marked change of
conduct of England towards Naples whenever Lord Pal-
merston has held office —I will not impute it either to the
fault of the Neapolitan Government, or to Sir William
Temple. I have known Sir William for many years; 1
have been forced to study his character under all its dif-
ferent shades, either as a public or a private man. Sir
William has received from nature almost as much talent as
his illustrious brother, Lord Palmerston ; and if his capa-
city were not somewhat weakened by want of exercise, I
have no doubt that England would possess in him, if not
an able orator, most certainly a very great and profound
politician. Unfortunately, energy is not one of Sir Wil-
liam's virtues; he loves tranquillity, repose, conviviality :
whilst he rebukes my countrymen with the eternal re-
proach of the " Dolce far niente," I fearlessly avow 1 never
knew a more perfect faiseur de rien than Sir William. With
a talent capable of sublimity, he remains from inclination
inactive. Sarcastically witty, and clever, he might be
amusingsbut he fears the applause might startle his lethargy.
A thorough gentleman, in its most comprehensive sense,
he might have friends—but then these frieuls might
disturb his repose. He loves Naples ; it is warm in
winter, and in summer it can bo changed : there is nothing
of importance to be done—if there is, the appearance of a
few ships from Malta would be more persuasive than dip-
lomatic notes.
Whenever anything troublesome does occur, this
Minister is never at his post ; if this arises from instruc-
tions, calculations, or combinations, who knows ?

As it is said that in viewing a portrait of some
person whose face is unknown to us, we can
from the distinctness of the features and the
expression form some judgment whither the
likeness be a good one, we may in similar
manner decide that this description of the King
of Naples has all the air of being true to the
original :

Ferdinand Ir. is the upholder of justice, and a defender
of the laws; his intentions are good and sincere. Endowed
with no mean talent, and with a wonderful memory, he
instantly perceives the sterling from the tinsel qualities,
and he treasures the remembrance of what is good; he has
a perception and finesse quite Sicilian.
In private life, and as a father of a family, his most
bitter enemies give him his due credit for morality and
affection ; his manner, full of ease and kindness, makes a
favorable impression on all who approach him. His educa-
tion, which was sufficient for a private individual, was
certainly insufficient for a king in these perilous times. If,
instead of confiding his youth to the instruction of the
Bishop:Olivieri, who neglected the requisite quality of a
sound politician, and engrafted in his Majesty an extreme
of religion, some man, more conversant in the world's ways,
more instructed in the useful book of history, and more
conversant with modern politics, had been his instructor,
I have no doubt but his Majesty would have been acknow-
ledged a wiser and a better king. He is generous without
being vain ; is merciful and forgiving, when such virtues
can be exercised without danger to the State.
His good common sense made him resist, in 1831, the
tempting allurement to ambition, of placing himself at the
head of the Italian movement, and thus was saved from the
calamity which afterwards was fatal to Charles Albert. Ho
always preferred and maintained the individuality of his
kingdom, disliking foreign interference, either by himself
or others. In the instructions given by the King in his
own handwriting to Deliaretto, these words are found, :
" Non roglio rieoluzioni—non roglio Tedeschi ;" but he
never would yeild his right to reign and govern ; and
fearing a too powerful Ministry, he has always counter-
balanced one Minister of a certain tendency, by another of a
contrary one; so that a coalition of the whole, which might
endanger his own authority, could never occur. If he has
good qualities, he is not exempt from the general failing of
all men ; he has but little confidence in any man, and a
general suspicion of all, and especially those nearest to
him. In every action he sees some secret motive ; and
rarely, if ever, believes a good action can spring from a vir-
tuous design.
Revolutions, it must be admitted, are dan
gerous experiments, leading, as they frequently
do, to the results which have attended them in
Naples :
It is astonishing how a despotism following a revolution
enriches the sovereign, and deteriorates the currency ; but
certainly, we find a man who bad not enough silver to
jingle on a tombstone, suddenly voting himself one million
two hundred thousand pounds sterling a year, and by a
new coinage making a penny less than a halfpenny—
rather a fortunate youth, if money makes happiness.
To the well-stored mind of Captain Chamier
the places visited by him frequently recal
some attractive anecdote. The following,
suggested by a visit to the top of St. Peters ,
at Rome, must relate to the fate of Admiral
Price, who perished so unfortunately in the
Pacific :
How age can unnerve a man ! and what a vast difference
there is between physical and moral courage ! Men who
despised death and raced every danger in the battlefield,
have been known to run away from a rat; they call that
cowardice, by the name of antipathy.
It is now many years ago that a midshipman, one of
those dare-devil boys whose nerves were strung to any
danger, mounted the cross on the top of St. Peters, and
actually stood erect upon it. A gust of wind might have

719

burled him headlong to inevitable death ; hut there be
stood, m spite of the giddy height, and afterwards
descended in perfect safety, leaving his handkerchief •s •
record of his daring; there was no pickpocket of the
church or the Co►so bold enough to take that. This mid-
shipman rose through the ditferent grades of the service,
pertorm►ng ma►►y a►►d ma►►y a gallant action—for few men
saw more tighting,and none exhibited more courage—until
he became an admiral.

The peace had changed his life, from scent* of activity
and danger to domestic quiet aud a wile, but he still
sighed fur employment; and at last, as the garden of
Eden, the Admiralty, had exhausted the standard fruits,
this gallant, excellent, kind, and brave officer acquired a
command. The war broke out, there was no man more
forward, no man more eager to face the enemy, and, in
conjunction with some ships of our ally, he appeared off a
Russian port : there lay two frigates of the enemy, the
fortifications were not very imposing, the place was recon-
noitred, and it was resolved to attack it. Now came the
necessity of moral courage, the physical had been beyond
doubt; he was the commander-in-chief of the station, he
might fail, his ships might be crippled by the batteries, or
sunk, for anything may occur in war, and then our wade
might have severely suffered. At this moment he had no
resolution; be had neither the requisite courage to face
the danger or withdraw from it, and he committed suicide
the very night before the attempt was to be made. One
would suppose that, at any rate, he would have made the
attack; and there was plenty of time, if he failed, to com-
mit the rash act, if he feared that bugbear, " responsi-
bility." liut he is not alone : many officers— Collingwood,
for instance—as brave as a lion in the fight, are more
afraid of " responsibility " than a child of a ghost.
Apart from the merits we have noticed, the
book contains some admirable notes on tea•
yelling, which intending tourists would do
well to preserve. The author travelled
vetturino from France to Naples—the most
convenient way, after all, for persons who have
plenty of time to spare. Considering that the
captain had three ladies with him and an
immense quantity of luggage, we think he was
quite right in concluding that he made an
excellent bargain with his king of vetturinos,
Signor Mosti

By ten the next morning I was an engaged man, and
wedded, as far as the contract went., to Mosti, for at least
three months. He was to take me over the Simplon to
Milan, Florence, Bologna, Bowe, and Naples ; he was to
wait a week at Milan, three weeks M Florence, two days at
Bologna, and twenty eight days at home; he was to put
up wherever I indicated ; and if the ladies felt inclined to
remain a day or two at ['arms, Placentia, Modena, or
anywhere else, the good-natured Lodi would make nu
objection whatever ; and the price was to be one thou-
sand four hundred francs, with the buonarnano included,
although I might, if I thought proper, give. anything
more which 1 thought right, in consequence of the stop-
pages.
The luggage having arrived at Geneva from Lyons, the
whole was mustered over-night for inspection, and
frankly own I was ashamed of the burden to be dragged by
four or five horses; and when I reflected that in my
written engagement Mosti had covenanted to pay all tolls,
ferries, extra horses, and every charge which could be
made, so that, under any circumstances, 1 wee only to pay
fifteen hundred francs, I thought I had made rather a good
bargain.
Some of the vetturino's sayings in connection
with Rome aro worth preservation :

If you see a shadow close to your own, step aside in•
stantly.
Do not believe the cardinal virtues etiat because there
are plenty of cardinals.
Never get in the dark streets or narrow lanes after dark ;
and if you must walk there, always keep in the middle of
the road.
Look well at the vase before you purchase it ; flaws
in China, like Roman virtue, are only discovered by the
closest inspection.
Never look at those who wish to conceal themselves ; a
pretty woman never wears a veil a lover's eye cannot see

throtigh.
As for the hotel expenses while travelling, the
author found that they averaged at the best
hotels about forty-five francs per day fur six
persons ; and concerning these hotels, which
may be considered the best, some trustworthy
information is given here which might be use•
fully added to Mr. Murray's Italian red books.
We are not disposed to quarrel with the
political opinions held by so agreeable and en-
tertaining a tourist as our author, but pru-
dence might have suggested some reserve in
the utterance of harsh sentiments concerning
a sovereign with whom we are in close
reliance, and whose life is constantly in danger
from the assassin's aim. We regret this
blemish in a book distinguished by so many
good qualities, and calculated to afford so much
pleasure to its readers.

The Crimea: Its Ancient and Modern History. By
the Rev. Thomas Milner, M.A., F.R.A.S. Lon-
don : Longmans.
Tins volume gives us the history of the Crimea, both
domestic and political, from the days of the Argo-
nauts to its complete annexation by Russia in 1t302.

We have careful sketches of the successive dominion
of the Greeks, the Khazars, the Tatars, the Genoese,
the Venetian, the Ottoman, and, finally, of the
Russian occupation of the country, the latter section
containing an interesting account of the origin and
progress of Sebastopol and the other Crimean ports.
It is remarkable that a squadron of the infant
Russian fleet in the Black Sea was commanded in
1780 by the celebrated Paul Jones. The work
abounds in curious information of this character,
and is plentifully interspersed with anecdotes of a
novel and amusing description. The style is lively
and graphic, and, whether to beguile a passing half-
hour, or to afford solid information cn the subject,
Mr. Milner's production will, we think, be found
equally acceptable.

The Pulpit. Vol. LXVII. London : Robeson.
Tuis publication (established thirty-two years) has
just issued its sixty-seventh volume. It contains
sermons (105) by some of the most eminent
preachers, reported by shorthand writers, whose
accuracy has been acknowledged by many of the
divines whose discourses it preserves. By means of
this work the sermon, which perhaps was heard only
by a few hundreds at the most, may be read at
I' the uttermost parts of the earth •;" and to the
minister at home, and the missionary abroad, no less
than to the general public, it is valuable, as contain-
ing in a cheap and compact shape the matured
thought of many of the ablest preachers of their
day. We believe that it circulates widely among
ministers of all denominations, and that few of our
missionary stations are without a complete set of
" The Pulpit."