The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-12-05 00:00:00

OPERA IN MILAN.

(From the Milan _Lombardia and the Milan Gazetta.)
Yesterday was given 44 The Barber of Seville," with a
perfection of execution seldom heard on the stage of our
greatest theatre. This could not be otherwise when the
parts were confided to the artistic intelligence and prodi-
gious throats of a Witty (Whitty), a Stecchi Bottardi, and
a Ronconi. They did not sing the smallest branch of that
divine music without being two and three times recalled;
in fact the Barbiere was yesterday evening one applause,
one ovation. Stecchi sustained :his well-merited repu-
tation; B,onconi betrayed a talent superior to every
eulogium, and played the part of Figaro, both in
singing and acting, to make it appear a novelty—a
creation whose originality was all and entirely his own.
The Witty, who appeared in the Cenerentola, the
humble, mortified, and ill-treated child of the ashes,
became in the Barbiere the brilliant and astute Rosins.
She adapted so well every expression of her face, every

smile and every gesture to all the different and diffi-
cult points of her `position, that it would be hard to
decide whether she is more charming as a singer
tlian she is as an intelligent and accurate actress.
Don Bartolo (Parodi), Don Basilio (Rigo), and even
Berta (Nebuloni), had applause in their airs, that
they sang in a way that rendered them worthy of
standing by the side of companions of such reputation.
At the " Santa Radegonda" the " Cenerentola" has
ceased for the present, at least to triumph; the Witty
in the last representation was regaled with a beautiful
bouquet of flowers, that put a perfumed seal to the glory
she has acquired this season, a glory of which she can be
all the prouder, for it has been gained in a city that, in
the art of singing, stands the first in Italy, which for so
long has dictated the laws to every other country.

THE WAR IN ITALY.

COL. PEARD AND THE ENGLISH LEGION•

THE COLONEL ON THE ‘, SPREE."

HIS DETERMINATION TO TAKE CAPUA.

ROBBERY, DRUNKENNESS, & MURDER•

AN ()Lll SICK MAN STABBED.

THE PILFERED WINE AND THE STOLEN

SHEEP.

COMPLETE DISORGANISATION OF THE

LEGION:

(PROIII OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)

CASERTA, Nov. 24th, 1860.

The news will doubtless have reached you
through an official medium that the brigade is in
a state of total disorganisation, and that an order
has readied its front lletiktlarters fOr ear, imme.
ever titl
diate disembodiment. Although ever 'coif-
nected with tile Orig;.l.;-, *tom the maior cont•
manding down to the latest drummer, is kept ie
a state of glorious uncertainty, we are neverthe-
less aware that our stay here is merely unavoid-
able until proper means are obtained for our
transit, to England. It is, perhaps difficult to
ascertain the real cause which has led to this
end ; but many suggest themselves, which I shall
shortly notice in detail. The first „and most
plausible is the aversion which Victor Emmarifiel
feels to having any volunteers in his ranks at all,
coupled with the evidently second hand manner
in which he treats all the troops who have with-
out reserve handed over to him the result of their
brilliant achievements. This cause is also tea-
&fed ttiotb; likely; m an offer has beed
sent us that we should enlist in the PieOcioutese
army for two years—an offer which .1 am certain'
not more than half-a-dozen would think of
accepting. In the opinion of many, however,
the King of Italy would be quite willing to
accept our voluntary services,but for the notoriously
bad name we have created for ourselves. It is
with pain I Nyrite, but the unpleasant truth must
be told; that Many. of our battalion have com-
mitted excesses which, if perpetiated at homes
would bring down the hand of the la* iiried
them with great severity. I will treat of those
crimes presently ; in the mean time I ant only
aiming at pointing out some reason for our
disembodiment. The reports of these excesses
have doubtless reached the King.- We know there
are Italians here who Used to sit by the feet of
Garibaldi; and try to court favours by hanging on
tb the Skirts of his niantle-4these have transferred
their loyalty to Vietot Enitnantiel, and to them
we are indebted in no small theasUre for the puli-
licity which the delinquencies of my comrades
has obtained in high quarters. Another reason
may be the disinclination to keep us in quarters
until the spring campaign commences. To one of
these three causes the reason may be ascribed,
but private hitrignes and party distractions have
also contributed to the general result:
You will, doubtless, have also heard that the
brigade is now reduced to about one-third of ifs
original number, and that those who remain are
in a state bordering on insubordination. I have
before me a letter from the Naples correspondent
of the LOnddit Times, in which he strikes at the
root of the present unsatisfactory state of things
in the following words i—•"Withont any men who
could be properly called officers, With two or three
exceptions, it was impossible to inspire men, hevi.
ever well disposed, with anything like respect or
a disposition to obey." The day after starting
from London symptoms of dissatisfaction began
to manifest themselves, and the feeling has never
been allayed, but, on the contrary, has increased
in intensity. We found that, with two or three
exceptions," we were governed, or supposed to be
led, by men whose only recommendation was
favour at head-quarters, and in some cases, per-
haps, a more than ordinary stock of money--a
commodity which, I assure you, has been rather
scarce among volunteers of all ranks. As volun-
teers we naturally expected that we would have
a voice in choosing our own officers ; but, on the
contrary, -we were required to submit to men, the
most of whom were swallowed up in their owl'
conceit, and could not be approached without the
formality of a salute. I may state, however, that
as regards the Liverpool and Manchester com-
pany (lately the 9th, now the 10th), the choice of
officers has throughout been most fortunate.
Every one of them knew how to respect the men,
and the feeling was, consequently, reciprocal.
Our officers at present are Captain Hampton and
Lieut. Newberry, but Lients. Chippendale, Earle,
and Warwick have been at times attached to us.
The two last named gentlemen have left the
brigade through disgust.
The excellent correspondent of the Edinburgh
Scotsman has come near the mark when he com-
plains of the inefficiency of our officers near the
head—perhaps he would have hit it quite, had
his remark referred to the head himself Nothing
can exceed the universal detestation—l can use
no milder expression—in which Colonel Beard is
held. He .has brought it entirely upon himself,
by his haughty, overbearing, tyrannical demea-
nour towards every one under him, except a feel
of his "party"—for he has told us he has
"party." The feeling against him began as soon
as we landed, and when it became known to us
that Major Styles, our general favourite, was
placed under arrest by his orders. During the
battle of the/19th October he behaved, I must
say, with uncommon coolness ; and if walking
quietly smoking a cigar, while the bullets
whistled round him,
can be said to constitute
bravery, he certainly has his share of that quality'.
The next occasion on which he made himself
prominent, was on the evening of the 23rd of
October. The Liverpool and Manchester com-
pany, which I shall hereafter designate the 10th,
was always selected for particular sentry duty,
and on the above evening was divided into two
outposts near to each other. The situation was a
trying one—we were almost on the near bank of
the Volturno, while the grim walls of Capua,
bristling with cannon, frowned on us right ie.
front. Your correspondent was, about nine o'clock,
in the act of relieving a sentry in a solitary part of a
thicket, when we heard confused sounds to our
left —we immediately lay down flat, carefully
scanning among the trees, restraining our breath,
and listening intently. The sounds came nearer ;
the three of us brought our rifles to the full cock,
unsheathed our bayonets, and made ready for
resistance, if necessary. A sentry a short dis-
tance from us was heard by us calling out the
" Qui va la," and presently a gruff voice answered
" Sardinia." The sentry immediately demanded
the countersign ; and as there was some delay in
giving it, I crept forward among the intervening
brushwood, and distinctly saw eight or ten
figures approaching, and, at the same time, was
able to distinguish the red tunics of the English.
I then advanced and came up to Colonel Beard,
Major Hoskins, and about ten men. The
colonel seemed intoxicated. He stopped me, or-
dered me to come to " attention," and asked ins
some incoherent questions about my duty. ge
then said that he and his brave band were on
their way to " take Capua," and, with the men
leering at him, he actually set out in the direction
of the fortress. He stepped aside, however, into
a farm-house in which au old man, whom the
war had impoverished, lay sick in bed. The
colonel put some questions to him which he did nob'
understand, and, consequently, could not answer,'
upon which, it is said, our gallant commander drew
his dagger, and, stabbed the poor man in several
parts of the body. Next morning some of our party.
visited the farm-house, and found him lying dead
in bed. In his valorous attempt to take Capes;
the colonel forgot there was a river to cross, and
that he had no boat to do it with. He actually
requested his party to swim, and it was .
difficulty he was persuaded of the imp 40
bility of swimming 30 yards with a rifle, and
rounds of ammunition. In about two hour
heard them returning, and the colonel concluded
his escapade by telling the Scotch company'
half-a-dozen of them were worth twenty
Englishmen. But the greatest was jet
to
come. On the 25th of October, after having
he harrassmg
just been released from
t • ed orders to
sentry duty at the front, we r
march northwards along with
the
ction with the
our division, in order to effect a junction with
of
a fr We crossed
Sardinian army twenty
the Volturno at daybreakm,
ands of ammunition,
heavy blanket, rifle, sixty re
sd°burdened with a
dot '8 food, we marched
and threebiscuits,beingitco
ten miles without halting, On the following day
we reached the extreme ruins of
rmsiton amongst the point of our march-and
potion took up a strong --

. you
is in
order
mule.

3cod-
coml.
pt in
uthe-

ivoid-
r our
It to
this
shall
most
it all,
inucr