The Express.
London, England, 1851-11-15 00:00:00

TUSCANY.

Our correspondent, writing from Florence on the
6th November, details the measures, on the part of
the Tuscan government, which have lately given rise
to rumours of identification with Austria, such as
the disarming and disbanding of the national guard,
the substitution of frontier battalions, the attempted
abolition of the judicial system now in vigour, the
increase of the tax on comestibles, the abolition, by
the Austrian general, of the Tuscan artillery, the
diminution of the cavalry and infantry,the university
restrictions, and the proposed revival of the order of
Malta. _

---
Fire Austrian soldiers, who had attacked the car-
riage of the Dowager Grand Duchess, were con-
demned to death by court-martial, but were punished
by bastinadoing instead, at the intercession of the
Archduchess herself.

ROME.

Our Roman correspondent, writing on the sth
November, states that his holiness had paid his
annual visit to the church of San Carlo on the pre-
ceding day, on which occasion the Roman troops
made their first appearance dressed d la Francais&
The agitation of the court at the prolonged French
crisis had partially subsided. His holiness had been
much alarmed by a too abrupt petitioner, during a
visit to an hospital. Grand preparations were mak-
ing at the Colosseum to celebrate the hundredth
anniversary of the death of St. Leonard. The re-
public of San Marino had made a very spirited
rejoinder to some new exactions of the papal court,
on the refugee question. Military and civil execu-
tions continue in the provinces. A series of works
are in preparation for the further excavation of some
of the most interesting localities of ancient Rome.
A letter from Rome, in the Genoa Gazelle of the
10th, states that the pontifical government intends
establishing a line of steamers to put down contra-
band trade along the coast.

NAPLES, Nov. 7.
The criminal court has again disposed of a batch
of political offenders. Navarra, with his company of
hired judges, has contrived to get through this
drama with a rapidity acquired only by practice.
The accused were known as I Patinalatori (the as-
sassins), and were 14 in number. I have referred
to these trials before, but to make the narrative in-
telligible it is necessary to repeat the whole story.
Some months since, when Pecaheneda, the minister
of police, was engaged in composing political trials,
some one came forward with the bright idea of
I Papialatori. About 40 persons were accordingly
accused of belonging to the "Assassins Society;"
but only a dozen were actually brought to tria.
Amongst the accused, however, were many who
were arrested, and their houses searched for
the purpose of discovering criminal corres-
pondence. It did not appear on trial that
anything was found, and indeed the subsequent
release of all save the above-named fourteen is a
proof that the material for trial was very limited.
fhe trials, at the same time, answered the political
aim of the government, viz., that of frightening
those whose opinions were known to be hostile to
the existing state of things. The most absurd story
was got up by the
.police, and read by the crown ac-
cuser. The assassins were to kill the royal family,
make themselves masters of the forts "by false
keys," and proclaim a republic. The most remark-
able feature in the trials was the assertion of one
(lithe accused, a Cay. Tagliavia, who stated that he
was thrown into a cell of the fort of Del Ovo, and
there kept fur several days, when he was visited by
an inspector of police, who told him his daughter
and father were dying, and that if he wished to see
them alive he must confess. Reduced by mental and
bodily debility, he agreed to say anything. On being
interrogated, he eventually signed a paper
suggested by the police, which accused severe per-
sons as members of the Assassins Society, amongst
whom the pol ce had the impudence to place Sir
IW. Temple and the Sardinian minister! Tagliavia
exposed the whole trick in public court. Lord Pal-
merston figured in the Perri° trials, as will be
remembered by the readers of Mr. Gladstone's
pamphlets, and now we have her Majesty's minister
at the Court of Naples mixed up with assassins! It
is surely high time that these practices should be put
a stop to. If the Neapolitan government thinks
proper to inspire its executive to accuse honest and
estimable men, subjects of his Sicilian majesty, with
repulsive crimes, some limit might beienformd;to pre-
vent similar abuses, when tricks are played with the
names of the highest officers of the crown of Eng-
land. The very least Lord Palmerston can demand
for such offences is the dismissal of the bench of
judges and all the police authorities employed in this
impudent calumny.

As far as I could learn the assassins' society was a
very ill got up story. On searching their house
nothing was found but dinner knives, and as for
taking the forts with false keys what could 14 men
do against a guard of 200 soldiers, with which the
castles arc provided? The Accuser-General asked
death for four, and galleys for the others. After a
long deliberation the final sentence was delivered :
lannazzi, Fortunate, Tagliavia, and Salser, banish-
ment from the kingdom of the Two Sicilies for life;
the remaining are to be set at liberty. Navarra and
Miranda, the two most " loyal" of this corrupt
bench, were for death, but their votes were of ne-
cessity overruled by the majority. These sentences
may be taken as at least a trifling change for the
better, since the accusations were fur more grave
than those which threw Pocrio and his fellow pri-
soners into a wretched prison, loaded with irons. '
'fhe trials for the revolt of the 15th of May, 1848,
are now expected to come on ; they will be impor-
tant and interesting, as amongst the accused are oae
cabinet minister and M. Leopardi, who represented
his Majesty at the court of Sardinia when the Nea-
politan troops, by royal authority, marched to the
camp of Charles Albert.
Manderini, the judge who wrote the reply to Mr.
Gladstone's letters, according to the official journal,
has been decorated by his Majesty for " good ser-
vices." _

Considerable activity prevails in the army. The
King and Oeneral Fdangicri have twice reviewed
the troops at Capua. It is reported a body of men
are to be placed on the Roman frontier. One thing
is certain, the utmost anxiety prevails about the
affairs of France, and there can be little doubt, should
any material change take place, the Pope and his
cardinals will look to Gaeta as a place of retreat. On
the other hand I am told that the King is assured
from France that French policy will not be changed
as regards foreign affairs, and that the new aspect of
politics in Paris is entirely occasioned by domestic
events. The King is reported as contemplating a
visit to Vienna. Filangieri is to return to Sicily im-
mediately.
lI.M. steamer Dragon came in from Leghorn on
Tuesday, and left the following day for Malta. The
Firebrand still remains. The French &et is expected
at Naples during the winter.
A gentleman living at the Island of Capri writes
me the following tragic event, which occurred a few
1 days since: "We have 120 political exiles on the
island of Capri. They stroll about during the day, and
are obliged to be in their houses by Are Aforia.
The government pays them 4d. per day. One of
these unfortunate men wa- condemned to be lashed

in the Piazza of our little village for some trifling
offence. During the night he nailed up his prison
door. The ordinary Urban guard the next morning
were sent to bring him to the flogging post, but
finding they could not get at the prisoner, the civil

authorities called in a picquet of soldiers. The pri.
soner from within prayed for trial, saving he was
unjustly condemned to be flogged. At last the
soldiers broke open the door, and he was laid
on a bench to he lashed. The unhappy man
tried to escape. The soldiers then struck him with
' the butt-ends of their guns on the hips, head, and
belly, accompanied by sabre-wounds. Thus bleed-
' ing and exhausted, he was again placed on the bench
to be flogged, but being supposed to be dying, he
was carried off to prison, where he expired in a few
hours. I know little about the offence or character
of this poor man, but the treatment he received is a
disgrace to a Christian land. The military are
taught to look on political offenders us something,
like wild beasts, and I fear the government encou-
rages any outrage on this large and unfortunate class
of his Majesty's subjects."