The Express.
London, England, 1858-02-18 00:00:00

ITALY.

-.-
THE ENG I. IS H ENGINEERS IMPRISONED

IN NAPLES.

(mow ors own

NAPLES, Flea 10.

In the interval which must elapse before the real
or feigned character of Watt's mental aberration be
decided on, I send you some details which did not
time within the general order of incidents of the
trial.

What is the MOM of the lamentable state of
Watt's mind I presume this is a question which
will be asked by every Englishman. There can be
no hesitation in answering, that it has been occa-
sioned by his long imprisonment, and an imprison-
ment. too, of which he felt all the injustice.
It will not be inopportune ham to narrate a few
more facts connected with their capture and confine-
wet, which will support the assertion just made.
" It appears to me now," said Park, "u if they
felt they could not arrest us on board, for we were
deluded ashore, and told to bring simply a shirt or
two, as we might be detained a day. On landing
we were arrested, and taken to the Vicaria.
Ascending a few steps we were led into •
narrow ?usage, separated from the outer part
by open iron bars. A number of people
had fo.lowed u.s from the streets, some, apparently,
from curiosity, others as officials; some, too, were
well dressed, and appeared to be gentlemen. There
might be about thirty in all. Before these we were
stripped naked; my shirt was taken off, inj• back
examined, and every part of my body. Watts shirt
was lifted up over his head. The people around
were laughing and jeering. All were exposed to the
same isdigni'ies. We did not take anything that
day ; fur we had no heart to do so. On the follow-
ing morning a loaf of black bread was brought to us,
and • sort of soup, which we could not eat. ' I will
leave the bread,' said the man, ',you will cams to
that ;* sad so we did, from necessity. With regard
to our imprisonment, you have already heard man
details. Our room was full of bugs and lice, and
the rats came in through the window. When I
was taken to be examined regarding a letter, I was
led upwards through • narrow passageimam=
by the castali, and preceded an followed by •
Every now and then, as we leased the dome of
cells on either side, they stopped and whispered to
each other, and told us to tell the whole truth. I
was much frightened, for I did not know the
resent for my having been taken out of my
room. On returning to it I was led back by
another peerage, which led me to think that
there was an object in bringing me up by the other.
For the first twenty days Watt was one of the most
cheerful of us, but when he saw that it was going
too far he became depremed and suspicious ; he fan-
cied that some of the prisoners who were confined
with us were plotting against him, and were the
cause of his detention. Outside the prison there
were some poles lying on the ground, and these he
persisted in saying were intended for his scaffold.
One morning be said ' They are coming now to take
me off to execution.' Nut to repeat what has already
been stated, it cost our party about four or five car-
lini a day in presents to the servants to induce them
to wait upon us, and when these persons changed
money for us they generally mulcted the prieoneni.
Even to remove that tub of filth which rendered
every indecency necessary the men were paid. Be-
lore leaving the Almeria, Watt was very anxious to
have the barber sent for, though there was no need
for his services ; but the request was considered as
very suspicious, and not granted."
Respecting Watt's condition upon his entrance
Into his new abode in Salerno, six medical men de-
clared on Monday, Feb. 4," We find that he imme-
diately endeavoured to cut his throat." To those
who have been the kindest to him he shows the
greatest dislike, and he will take nothing except
loom the hands of one of his fellow-prisoners. Ile
sleeps but little, walks up and down the greater
part of the night, going from one room to another,
and slamming the door most violently, so sat.° annoy
his fellow-prisoners very much." "He will," says
Park, " place himself, too, at the open window on
these cold nights for one hour cr two, apparently in-
sensible to the cold, hut much to our diecomfort. He
declares that he will not attend in the court, as he
consielen it to be inconsistent with his dignity and
honour; and if force is talked of he threatens to
repel it by force. Such is the state to which Watt
is reduced. As for myself," said Park, " I have had
Its from time to time, to which I have never been
subject before through my whole life. I had for-
gotten to mention that after our arrival in Salerno
whenever we were taken to be examined, and this
happened several times, we were manacled and com-
pelled to walk through the streets. I remonstrated
with the president, and said we should not fly, but
the answer was that the law compelled it."
And now let us touch on another point, which
demonstrated: either a contemptible pusillanimity
on the part of the government or a weakness in its
convictions of the guilt of some of the prisoners.
From the first the foreigners amongst the accused
have been treated with a marked difference by
authority. They have been brought down to court
and taken back to prison in carriages, and without
manacle.. When they bad occasion to leave the
court they werelpermitted to do so without manacles.
Those of them who have gone through their " inter-
rogatorio" have spoken freely, and hare been
treated with some consideration. Park and Watt
have been told that they might walk from the
prison separately, stop and take their coffee on the
way, and sit in what part of the court they chose.
" This, too," said a judge, " I must say, is by order
of our government.' In fact, a show of forbearance
has been practised which is extraordinary, so fares
regards the foreigners. On the contrary, the Nea-
politans are conducted through the streets manacled
and tied together by a long rope. If they leave the
court for a few minutes, they do so two and two and
manacled. Nicotera is the only one who has passed
bar " interregatorio," and contrary to the express
permission of the law, his right of speech was cut
short. \l-by is this difference made between the
foreigners and the Neapolitans ? All are included
in one and the same indictment—brought to
trial by the Fame process. "We are accom-
plices also," said Oegliani, the Milanese student,
" and we don't nieh to Tide whilst our com-
panions walk. Give ui a blanket instead of a
exch." If this diffeience in the mode of treatment
arises from a secret consciouseess that there is a
difference in their deTree of guilt, er from a conscious-
ness that some of the foreigners under Demolition are
not guilty, then these men ought not to have been
included in the precis; if, on the contrary, it arises
from pusillanimity, it is simply contemptible. The
trial is now in the course of procedure, and hitherto
not a shadow of evidence has appeared against the
crew of the Cagliari, and a variety of facts will be
Sertbeoming to show, not only that their committal
was unjustifiable, but that the capture of the Cag-
liari was, as the Piedniontese government has
declared. • violation of international right.
I cannot close my letter without adding some fresh
tenches to that melancholy picture which re presented
by the misguided men under accusatios. As they
lure the court to return to their prison all march in
military step; Baron Nicotera is at the head, Lis left
hand manacled to the right of his companion, and
his own right hand, which was shot through, and
seh,eh he cannot close, in hie bosom. The wretched
looking objects, however, dressed as en act of yrazia
in prison uniform, which appears to be that adapted
to the simmer, fix our attention, and awaken all our
compassion. Many wen barefooted, and some
bareheaded, and the snow was on the mountains.
Several had their feet limed up, as though suffering
from sores. Several halted in their walk. " Two
of those men at least," said a friend who could form
an opinion, " must be lunatics : look at the vacant
:rion of the farie of that man who turns round
aters some idle sound.' Most of them were
pallid sod meagre as spectres ; and, were we to
follow them to their mils, we should probably find
that, underneath that thin desk dress, many of them
wore nothing else, and that their bed wee nothing
bet a handful of scanty straw on the bare ground.
That many or most of these have deeply offended the.
laws of their country there can be no doubt, and
with such acts can have no sympathy ; but the
nemoustranees of humanity need net be hushed even
by a regard to the strictest justice.