The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-12 00:00:00

DEPARTURE OF GARIBALDL

(noir ocra arzczAL

6PRZ.ZL►, Nov. 8.

Somewhat of a surprise was given to the very
lethargic habits of La Spezzia this morning, to
relate which requires • few words of explanation.
The house in which Garibaldi lodged at Spezzia
was the former Hotel di Milan, a large handsome
building, one half of which was occupied by the
staff of the colonel in command of the Royal
Engineers. The government, however, requir-
ing further accommodation, and resolving to
place the officers of the Marine department under
the same roof, contracted with the proprietor of
the house for its purchase, and were to have
entered into possession on the first of last month.
The hotel-keeper who was the tenant received •
suitable compensation for ceding his tenure, and was
to have cleared out by that day. With native craft,
however, this man sent off to Varignano as soon as
the news of the amnesty arrived, offering to Gari-
baldi sod his suite this satire hospitality of his
house—that is fb ttr-Votfb that was ifo
longer his, and for evacuating which he had already
been generously remunerated.

Garibaldi's followers--some of them at least—
eager to proclaim their hatred of the existing go-
vernment at Turin, insisted upon an immediate re-
moval, and loud and unmeasured were the notes of
triumph that contrasted the noble generosity of this
poor innkeeper with the penurious shabbiness of
the King's advisers.
Garibaldi arrived and was installed : the govern-
ment, delicately avoiding to enforce their contract
and obtain possession at once, not only did not dis-
turb the innkeeper, permitting him to remain un-
molested, but politely sent the colonel of Engineers
to state that whatever apartments General Gari-
baldi desired should be placed at his disposal, and
such alterations as he pleased to suggest be made in
them. The persons about Garibaldi did not permit'
the colonel to see him, and intimated themselves
the arrangements they wished for.
Matters for a while went smoothly enough. The
ministerial papers, it is true, announced, in rather
pompons terms, that General Garibaldi was lodged
in a suite of rooms pertaining to the "Ministry of
the Marine ;" while the Morimento, and all of its
colour, persisted in declaring that Garibaldi occu-
pied an apartment in the Hotel di Milan. The con-
tradiction never came to a controversy, and nobody
noticed it. At length, however, the government
have seen that things were not exactly going on
here as favourably as could be wished. There
carne a fleet, or rather a detachmentof seven train-
ing ships, here, and the sailors—partly with that
freemasonry of the sea towards one who had him-
self been a blue-jacket, partly in that careless
spirit which gives a zest to whatever is not
strictly discipline—went about shouting " Viva
Garibaldi," and at last proceeded in great
masses to see him ; for which purpose a hole
was made in the door of his room, and at this each
was permitted to put his eye in turn—the whole
proceeding being arranged with a degree of order
and regularity that indicated plan and forethought.
, This went on for several days. Upwards of
fifteen hundred sailors, it is said, had in that time
paid their homage to the hero. The authorities
now saw the peril of what was occurring. An order
came strictly interdicting these visits ; and for
further security a mild intimation was conveyed to
the suite of Garibaldi that such practices as these
were neither justifiable nor delicate, so long as the
roof of a royal establishment gave then, shelter
and protection.
Now it is said that something of this came to
Garibaldi's ears, and he learned for the first time
that, instead of being the occupant of an inn, he
was the guest of Victor Emmanuel.
I am only relating hearsays as to what followed,
, but I understand and I believe that Garibaldi's
rage was extreme. He resented the trick which
had been passed upon him indignantly—he knew
that such a scheme could not have been carried
through without the cognisance and the complicity of
some around him. Perhaps to such a nature as
his—frank and straightforward in all things—there
could not be a greater outrage than such as this.
The result has been that Garibaldi telegraphed at
once to Naples for a small steamer, the
Veloce. She arrived here last night, and
this morning at seven—carried on board,
on that " English bed" which has secured
him from so many shocks and saved him from so
many rude shakings—he steamed away for Pisa
or Leghorn ; the former, if he could, since it is
there that he means to stay during his long con-
valescence. Pisa is, however, not always easy of
approach from the sea. The mouth of the Arno is
traversed by a bar, over which there is barely
water for a row-boat, and on which, except in the
very calmest weather, a heavy surf breaks.
I must give myself more space than a hasty letter
will afford, as well as assure myself of your readi-
ness to receive it, before I enter upon the strange
quietude, the almost apathy, that now prevails in
Italy. Of the fact there is no doubt whatever.
The loud talkers of the cafes are silent ; the ques-
tions of public interest which one heard discussed
at every moment are now untouched. All seem in
a state of half sullen expectancy, though it would
be difficult to say for what they are waiting.