The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-09-21 00:00:00

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

ITALY.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
MILAN, September 17.
Nearly all our correspondents have lately been
so full of interesting and exciting details of the
brilliant victories, triumphant marches, and thun-
ders of applause that crown every movement of
the great and romantic hero of the nineteenth
century, that they neglect to give the public the
slightest particulars of the present social condition
or feeling of the Sicilians since their liberation
from the tyranny of the government of Francis
11. I have frequently brought before your
readers the subject of the immense difficulties
that will present themselves in the internal
organisation of the liberated States, and the
impossibility to institute such a form of govern-
ment as to satisfy this or that city by the conser-
vation of its autonomy and traditional privileges,
which the inhabitants will consider themselves
entitled to demand of the government. The
least difficult part of the work is already accom-
plished—that is, the entire annihilation of the
Bourbon rule in the Two Sicilies. (I will not
here stop to inquire the secret means adopted to
effectuate this -Overthrow.) The most difficult is
to come, and which the perseveranza of to-day
inadvertently declares that it is easier to pull
down than build up. This maxim is somewhat
realised in my last intelligence from Sicily, which,
I am sorry to say, does not represent the actual
condition of that country in very bright colours,
or the people to be so happy and contented as we
were led to suppose by the exaggerated statements
of the Italian and other journals. One of the
great causes of discontent among the people is,
that those very abuses and corruptions which were
upheld by the Bourbon government, and so loudly
denounced by the present men in power, still exist,
and are as bad, if not worse, than before ; and this
is another reason why the people are so unanimous
in their demand for en immediate annexation,
in order to enjoy the advantages of a liberal and
legitimately constituted government. The peo-
ple of Palermo and Messina are heartily sick of
the procrastination, dissensions and changes that
have taken place within the last few months, and
naturally exclaim—What has been done for the
country during this period ? Where are the
boasted reforms and internal organisation that
we were promised immediately after the retiree
meat of the Bourbons ? Are we .not almost in
the same position as before ? Do we not see
around us men in power who are continually
quarrelling among themselves ? Is this the happy
change that has been promised us by our libera-
tors ? The Sicilians are so incensed with the
present state of affairs and obstinacy of Garibaldi
in not permitting the immediate vote by univer-
sal suffrage, that the citizens of Palermo, on the
2nd instant, went in a large body to the Palace
of the Pro-Dictator Depretis and demanded their
immediate annexation with Piedmont. This
demonstration on the part of the people was con-
sidered by the government of such a threatening
character as to induce them to arrest not less than
thirty of the. principal citzens, thus once more
opening the doors of the dungeons of the " tyrant
Bourbonic Government," to shut up the people
for demanding their union with a liberal and pro-
perly constituted government. This is the liberty
of men who adopt for their creed the unfettered
expression of the will of the people. Since the
above demonstration and arrests Palermo and the
provinces have been in the greatest agitation ;
daily meetings of the Provisional Government,
some pulling one way, others pilling another, no
union, all dissension, the people in the meantime
becoming more and more exasperated, and the
Provisional Government more arbitrary, arrest-
ing fithin the last week Advocate Tirritto,
editor of the journal Plialia per yr Italiani,
Col. Porcelli, Signor Jacona, Cavaliere Giuseppe
Vegara, Baron Capuzzo, Lieutenant Paternostre
of the artillery, and others. The Piedmontese
deputy Bottero, who was sent from Turin in a
semi-official capacity to lend a helping hand to
Depretis, is said to have embarked on board the
Sardinian frigate Mouzambano to return to Turin,
finding his services absolutely useless considering
the present state of feeling of the people. Des
pretis, finding himself unable any longer to
combat against the difficulties that surrounded
him, despatched Signor Piola to confer with
Garibaldi upon the existing state of affairs, Piola
has since returned with the general's determina-
' tion not to consent to the votation until every
part of the Peninsula is free. This determination
being communicated to the Ministry was strongly
supported by Crespi, but his colleagues declared
that such a resolution would be most prejudicial
to the maintenance of that concord among the
people which was so vital to the national cause.
In this View they were supported by Depretis,
whereupon Crespi jumped from the green baized
table, made a most unceremonious exit from the
Council Chamber, perhaps kicking his official
blue bag into the street before him, and like Sir
Anthony Absolute, d--g them for an obstinate
triumvirate. Petitions from all parts of the
island have been presented to Depretis, urging
the immediate annexation, that of Palermo being
signed by.the most influential citizens, among
whom are Torrearsa, the Minister Longo, and
Major-General Carini. Garibaldi being continu-
ally urged by Depretis to permit him to convoke
the elections, but the General has written one of
his irresistible and candied appeals to the Sicilians,
calling them the brave people of Palermo and
other sweet words, which may tickle their vanity
for a day, and then the cry for the annexation,
will be even stronger and more determined than
ever. In this same address to the people of
I Palermo, Garibaldi plainly tells them that the
annexation will only take place-when it shall be
announced from the .Quirinal, and Victor Ein-
man gel declared King
of Italy ; ur, in other
words, when the Re' Galantuorno is crowned at
. Rome. Notwithstanding Garibaldi's coaxing
address to the people of Palermo, Depretis has
found it absolutely necessary to leave for Naples,
in order personally to confer with the Dictator
of the Two Sicilies upon the actual and menacing
attitude of the island. Having drawn for your
readers a faithful picture of the present state of
Sicily, I mug now go on to another subject, but
not before reminding them that all the events
that have taken place at Palermo have been
anticipated by my letters written weeks ago.
-From the tone of Garibaldi's last address to the
people of Palermo, it is clear that he intends to
push on his operations to the Eternal City, de-
spite the occupation of the same by the French
troops, and which has so frightened the Diritto
of Turin that, it cries out to the General, " For
heaven's sake be careful, be prudent, and duet
rush headlong into irretrievable ruin." A week
ago the same
journal denounced, in the most un-
measured the want of bold energy QP_ file
part
government, and urging Geelbaldi to
of
thet e rms,
puSli on his operations to the greatest extremes.
It sets up the same cry to the government,
andgays,
" Have you not dared too much Why
c
did you not wait a little longer ? For sod's sake
take care what you are about." The other
Italian journals laugh at the fear of the Aritto,
ridicule the idea of Austrian interference, and
despise all the force that thet Power can bring
against Italy, relying upon the present enthu-
siasin of the nation ; but this laugh and pretended
courage reminds one of a man on the high-road
of a dark night, some dietance from his home,
whistling the gayest tunes he can think of, to
keep up his courage, but who in reality is almost
sinking into his shoes with fear.
Before you receive this /your readers will, nom,
doubt, •have already perused Cavour's
reieluni or note, addressed to all the Geveemments
of Europe, explaining the motives T%-}rich induced
Victor Emmanuel to order his troops to enter the
Pontifical States. In the hands of such an astute
diplomatist as Cavour, it is a very easy to make
a mountain of a mole-hill, and adduce the most
plausible a
of such convincing argaments as a justifiea,
tian alugs, Cavour brings the
d pr o e
root flagrant, charges against the Pontifical
troetee, CleClaVel that the greatest disorder was
reigAiAg in every part of the Pope's dominions,
and charging the government with the most cruel
despotism. Autonelli, in his reply, enegetically
denies these charges and states that the present
disordene are solely to be attributed to the work
of the revolutionary emissaries of Piedmont, who
have been, for the last twelve months, corrupting
the people in every province, city, and village of
the States of the Holy See ; and plainly tells
Cavour that he well knew those who excited the
late rebellion of Perugia, and the sources from
when the money, arms, and instructions emanated,
which, I believe, is not far from the truth.
Taking the accusations of the one, and the de-
fence of the other, and supported by letters from