The Express.
London, England, 1862-10-10 00:00:00

ITALY.

TURIN, Ocr. 9.

The Discussion of this evening says that a visit
of Signor Rattaari to Paris could only take place
after negotiations which would ensure a success
beneficial to the national cause.

Information having reached the government that
Mazzinian intrigues are being carried on in Swit-
zerland, the greatest precaution is being taken
against their success.
The Chevalier Nigra set out yesterday evening
for Paris.

The Marquis Pepoli, who has been detained in
Turin by a alight indisposition, leaves for Switzer-
land to-day.
Intelligence received here to-day from Fort Va-
rignano states that Garibaldi passed a very quiet
night. The wound had ceased to be painful, but
was still swollen. The General had been attacked
with rheumatism in the right shoulder.

TURKEY.
CONSTANTLNOPLE, Ocr. 9.

The Porte has rejected the propoesla of Russia
with regard to the formation of a military road in
Montenegro.
The Viceroy of Egypt has arrived at Alexandria
upon hia return home.

PORTUGAL
LISBON, Ocr. 8.
The royal yacht Osborne, having on board the
British Minister, has arrived in the Tagus.

AUSTRALIA.
MELBOURNE, A MUST 25.
The shipments of gold since the departure of the
last mail amount to 147,000 ounces.

ITALY.

THE AMNESTY AT VARIGNANO.

(ram ous arzczal.

SPEZZIA, Ocr. 6.

Armed with a ministerial order for my admission
to Varignano, and duly warned as to the nature
and temperament of the gallant colonel who corn-
mends that fortress, and who, it would seem, has
proved the terror of "all our tribe " for the last
month back, I took boat at Speraa early this
morning. I almost wish it were part of my task to
describe this nobly bay, large enough to hold the
navies of Europe, and at the same time secure as
the most land-locked harbour.

Spezzia, being a gulf within the larger gulf of
Leghorn, is in reality more like a lake than an
arm of the sea. Its depth is about right miles,
and its width varies from five to two and -a half.
The mountains which enclose it on every side are
covered with vines, olives, and chestnuts, and
broken at their bases into innumerable little coves
and bays, with villages down to the very water's
edge—picturesque spots as seen from a boat, and
from my experience of such elsewhere, I feel deter-
mined not to risk dispelling the illusion by a closer
intimacy.

As we rowed over a sea like glans we saw gra-
dually opening before us as we went the little
bay of St. Arenas, with a large old-fashioned villa,
close to the sea, so close that the waves passed
freely under the massive arches of the basement
story. These same arches support a rude terrace,
covered with an awning, the favourite walk of
Shelley—for it was here he lived and wrote, and it
was ou his return to this he was overtaken by a
hurricane and lost. Further on we came to Lerici,
a crescent-shaped town on the very margin of the
sea, and by its position and dilapidation rather re-
minding one of certain old streets in Venice. It
was to this spot, if I mistake not, Mr. Disraeli, inone
of his cleverest novels, makes his hero's ride from
Sper.zia in full gallop an achievement which a goat
would find very difficult of accomplishment, there
not being the trace of even a footpath along the
rugged cliffs which intervene.
Directly in front of Lerici stands Varignano, a
square, many-windowed, four-storied building, with
a sea wall toward the bay, and a mass of misshapen,
incongruous architecture behind, in which the con-
victs are lodged.
Varignano occupies a promontory between two
small bays, and even in the hottest days of summer
enjoys a glorious breeze from the lofty sides of the
Castellano mountain, that defends it on the west-
ward.

- -
Just where the sea wall terminates in the bay of
La Crash' is a spacious stair descending into the
sea, and on this we landed.
Fully impressed with the importance of my pass-
port, which bad cost me some time and negotiation
to procure, I marched boldly forward to show it to
"all whom it might concern." At the arched
gateway were four very dirty sailors with cutlasses,
evidently on guard ; but they made no sign of op-
position, and I passed on. I descended a sort of
sloping road, with piles of shot and shell on either
hand, to the chief entrance of the building, blandly
exchanging as I went salutations with various galley
slaves, who, heavily chained, were issuing forth to
their allotted labour.
Still there was none to demand my credentials,
and I passed up a wide and very dirty stair to a
far dirtier corridor, at the end of which a soldier
in undress pointed with his thumb to a half-open
door. Where, thought I, are all the great mea-
sures of security, the strict precautions we have
been bearing of to satiety 1 and where is the terri-
ble Colonel Santa Rosa himself, of whom Sir

Hudson Lowe was buts, mild prototype ? What
am I to do with those wonderful phrases with
which I have provided myself to propitiate Cur-
borne, or awe him, as it may be ?
Two young men, red-shirted and black-bearded,
met me with much courtesy, to whom, for want of
other introduction, I abowed the ministerial re-
script. "Ah, we have done with all that now,"
said one ; "we have no more to say to Messrs.
Rattazzi and Company."
"How so'?' asked I.

"The amnesty has come ; it arrived Lift night."
"The amnesty come You amaze me. I slept
at the Croce di Malta ; I ate my breakfast in the
public room with one of the most talkative waiters
for company ; I went to the post-office for my
letters and to a tobatroonist'sforeigars, and I bought
some lozenges from a Swiss tionfectiener ; and yet
neither waiter, postmaster, tobacconist, nor confec-
tioner told me one word of this."

" E pomibile !" said my friend, with a shrug,
" The people hereabouts interest themselves
little about us." " And the General, how did
he take the news r' " You can me—go in there
—that door to the left—and you will find him."
And with no other introduction I panned
on, and stood at the bedside of Garibaldi.
He was alone, half-seated, and looking out
upon the glassy sea before him. He turned
his bead slowly, and as I bowed and told my name,
said, in a voice of indescribable sweetness, "I
heard you were coming to see me. I know of all
your kindness to M. and IL" This was enough to
put me at my ease, and enable me to sustain my
share in the conversation that now passed be-
tween us.

He is, I hear, much better in health than be was;
but his eye is over brilliant and his cheek too
flushed for health. Nor were these signs less
marked when he began to speak about England and
all his gratitude to Englishmen. I have been very
often proud of my country, but I do not know if I
ever before felt that pride so sensitively. He is
not a talker, but, like most silent men, his choice
of words is singularly happy, and in nothing more
than their simplicity. It was not from himself but
one of his followers I heard how the amnesty had
oome. It arrived at the office of the Sotto Prefetto
of La Spezzia at half-past 8 is the evening, having
left Turin five hours before by telegraph ! Cer-
tainly good news does not travel fast in Italy. The
telegraph wire being broken between Spezzia and
Varignano, a messenger was despatched with a
speedy horse. When he reached Varignano the
General was sleeping.
" What is it ?" said he, as be awoke about mid-
night, and heard an unusual noise of tallying around
him. " What is it ? "

"The amnesty has come."
" Oh," maid he, drowsily ; and turning round on
his aide he fell off to sleep again.
"And what are the terms of it ?" asked I of my
informant.

" Here they are," said he, taking up a copy of
the telegram :
Ms Majesty has this day signed the decree of amnesty
to all those authors or accomplices of the late acts and
attempts of rebellion which within the past month have
t,ken piece in the southern provinces of the kingdom, ab-
solving them from all consequences, personal or otherwise,
which might attach to them through the course of justioe.
All deserters from the land or sea cervices are exempted
from the action of this amnesty, which to-morrow will be
published in the Official Gazelle.

" And are you and your friends satisfied 1"
asked I. " Does the expression of this act of
grace meet all your wishes and expectations P
" No, far from it, and the General himself pro-
bably feels some indignation at the terms employed,
but be is too noble-minded to notice it ; besides, were
he to refuse to accept it the penalty would fall
heavily on many who are wearied of imprisonment,
some actually dying from the unaccustomed hard-
ships of their lot."
" As to the amnesty," said another, an older man
with a yellowish beard and moustache, " it is mani-
festly incomplete. We are only pardoned by halvea.
Why do not the ministers extend the act of grace,
and pardon us for all we have done at Marsala. at
Melazzo, for our crimes at Palermo, and our rebel-
lion at Capua 1 Be assured of it, more than one of
us is sorely sorry for his share in that rebellion,
and would gladly, if he knew bow, give another
issue to that act of treason."

Let me add that he who spoke this is no
Marsinian ; indeed, I could not detect the shadow
of Mazzinianiam in the conversation of any of
Garibaldi's followers. So little is this their spirit,
that when one was relating to me the ungenerous
and unfair tone of certain newspaper writers about
them, he said—" They assailed us with every
epithet of insult. They called us Brigands, Bour-
bonists, and Mazzinians.' "
This speech, of which I have heard many exactly
in the like spirit, may reassure many friends of
Garibaldi in England that however rash they may
deem his late exploit, however severely they may
criticise his patience or his prudence, one thing is
beyond denial—he never was, nor is now, an emis-
sary of Mazzini.

The following is an extract of a private letter
from Spezxia, dated Oct. :
Garibaldi is getting on very well indeed, but legal in bed
on account of his foot. The night before last he slept all
night, owing to the relief • new-fashioned leg-rest from
England gave him, enabling him to turn without moving
the leg, the pain of which had previously always awakened
him whenever he stirred. brought an English friend
to see him yesterday (with an order from the Minister of
War at Turin), and he says he was in better spirits and
convened more than he had ever known him do before, as
he usually answers in monosyllables. Garibaldi appears
satisfied that he has acted for the beat, and that he should
have succeeded if he had Dot been out-jockeyed. He would
have given himself up to Pallavicini had the latter
summoned him to surrender before ordering the
troops to fire; but no parkmentaire arrived till
after Genbaldi was wounded. describes Gari-
baldi as having extraordinary dignity of manner. No
one ever dreams of the slightest familiarity with him.
They all behave as if in the presence of • king. Ilia
good temper is extraordinary. The only time he ever said
anything against his foes was one day when they were
moviug him which gave him great pain ; he exclaimed—
" Chi brutto cane di Itattani di lascianni cod ! " (That
ugly dog Rattazei to leave me like this He would not
see poor Bizio, who came to see him on his first arrival,
and left in a flood of tears because Garibaldi turned away
and would not look at him (you remember he refused to
join him in his last expedition). Garibaldi has everything he
wants. At first he was rather badly off for invalid's comforts,
such as good mattresses, fro, but they were very soon supplied,
the commandant seeding his own bed. He cares nothing for
luxuries. One of his Garibaldians 000 ks for him, and he
declares it is very good. found him eating • quail
one day, holding it by the legs and enjoying it immensely,
without accompaniment of any kind. I met Madame de S.
this morning; she had • great black bottle wader her arm,
and • bag full of heavy things. She told tee she made
soap for Garibaldi several times a day. . . . lie will have •
stiff ands, they say. His eon, ltiociardi (the youngest), is
with him, and quite at liberty now; at lint he was kept

under arrest. In fact, Garibaldi is allowed to
see pretty newly anybody he likes, but he rather dis-
likes strangers. He reads the Tina with great
interest, or rather bin son reads it to him, for be no-
derstaads English better when read aloud. Madame S. S.
was here when he first arrived, and took immense care of
him, and tried to make him accept some money (he pos-
sesses not a sous), but he would not take it, though she pre-
tended it was from • subscription, and that she was em-
ployed to give it to him. Re told her to give it to some of
the men if she liked. He sees the gulf from his window.
This place is much enlivened by the new workers and the
arsenal they are making ; some of our favourite haunts of
last year are entirely destroyed and blown away.