The Express.
London, England, 1858-03-17 00:00:00

THE ENGLISH ENGINEERS IMPRISONED

AT SAURNO.

(YlOll Offi OWN

SALERNO, Kum 10.
The trial, which was suspended last Thursday
evening, was resumed on Monday ; and as a boat is
leaving to-day, I think it better to clear off such
matter as is worth recording.
With regard to the sanitary state of the prisoners,
which is always verified at the opening of the
court, nineteen were reported ill, with certificates,
yesterday morning. Farther details you will hear
in the narrative of the trial.
The " interrogatorio " of the prisoners elicited
stronger and stronger evidence in favour of Captain
/hula and the crew, many denying that they had
ever said what was imputed to them, and others re-
tracting what they asserted had been extorted by
fear of death. In fact the strongest witnesses for
the crown (amongst the prisoners) have deposed
during the trial in favour of the captain. Thus
Marta—who wee made to say that he had seen the
captain in " Pianissimo accord° " with Pisacane,
walkingwith him arm-in-arm, and eatingwith him—
on being called op beside the Procurator-General to
identify the captain, denied that he knew his person,
or that he had ever said such things of him.
Another important deposition was that of Eugenio
Limbarii, because, in the case of the crown, his name
appears amongst the strongest witnesses against the
captain. He was brought down to court on horse-
back, being very ill. He denied all that he had said
against the captain and crew, affirming that in con-
sequence of illness he was confined below from Ponza
to Sapri, and could not be a witness of what was
going on above. He never went on deck until he
had to land in Sapri.. The officer who wrote the
deposition put down just what he liked, and as he
observed, " This is the commander of the Cagliari ;
this is he who distributed the arms," he, Limbardi,
being vey ill and frightened, and believing the officer,
replied, Yee." Alter giving this evidence he was
ordered to be taken off to the hospital. So was
Pellegrini, after giving his evidence.
Vincenzo Martino, who was ill though in court,
protested against the Urban Guards, who had robbed
and beaten him, but the Procurator-General

(illegally as it apiears to most people), opposed
the insertion of such protests in the prom verbal,
as being useless, not connected with the cause, and
as " being the result of previous agreement to
discredit the public force." Yet such things are.
Besides the persons above mentioned, many others
deny or retract their depositions against Sitsia, say-
ing that when they spoke of the captain they meant
not the captain of the vessel but the captain of the
enterprise, namely, Pisacane.
To give you a just idea of the sanitary state of
the prisoners, besides those already mentioned there
were removed from the court to the hospital
immediately after giving their evidence, Achille
Godano, Pasquale Anneal, Vincenzo Esposito, Gen-
naro Garguillo, and another whose name I do not
know.

The e ug of yesterday was much occupied with
the examination of some prisoners regarding letters
which they had either written or caused to be
written from Ponta to their friends, and which
letters were supposed to contain equivocal expres-
sions.

The letter of one was couched nearly as follows :
" Dear Mother,—Aßer having embraced you, I beg
you to send me two shirts, two pair of pantaloons,
and some money. I have only one carlino a day (or
4d.) to live upon, and can scarcely drag on (firare
arants). It is not more than enough for my lodgings."
(One carlino a day is the government allowance for
a transported man.) "How does that affair go on ?
And tell me the name and surname of my brother
and sister ?" By " that affair," he explained that he
' meant a former demand which he had made for
money. With respect to the names of his "brother
and sister," he had been four years an exile, had
never heard from them, and he meant to say he had
almost forgotten their names.
A letter of Pasquale d'Angelo was next brought
forward, bat no ingenuity could screw anything cri-
minal out of it.

An old man, named Domenico Cirolla, was then
called. He was almost too ill to stand ;he came
limping up the court, and the President ordered a
chair for him. He was without shoes and stockings,
and one foot was wrapped in rags. His letter was
to his wife, and contained these " equivocal " expree-
aions, that his affairs " fiorivano," were flourishing,
and he " hoped this year to see her." " What mo-
tive was there," they asked him, " for this hope ? "
" Hews' in exile ' genre condanna: (without sentence),
and he aliays hoped for a grazia (pardon)." Poor
old man, a grazia he will indeed receive, but it will
be that of God. He hobbled back to his seat
amongst his fellow-prisoners. Shortly after-
wards I heard groans resounding throughout
the court : they became louder and louder.
An officer and gendarmes went to the spot, and
Cirolla was carried off to the hospital on the back of
a fellnw-prisoner. At the same time another was
ordered off to the same place, and bad to be sup-
ported out of court.
Another prisoner's letter contained this " espres-
sione equivoca a Griminess "—" Dear brother,quanto
primo, spero di abbracciarvi." " You have yet 39
months to remain in exile; what, then, wu the ground
of your hopes of soon seeing your brother again P"
said the Procurator-General. He answered, "It
was everywhere said that the Hereditary Prince was
going to be married, and that there would be an
amnesty." Two other " equivocal letters" were
cited, in one of which the prisoner said that " his
liberty was sure by a certain month, for he lived
" in una epoee—alluding, as he explained also,
to the report of the Prince's marriage ; and another
saying, " Mia pens e finite—alluding to the ap-
proaching expiration of his punishment. It ap-
peared to me that the President was rather ashamed
of such letters as these being styled " equivoche e
criminose."

During the day one or two other persons spoke in
exculpation of the captain ; and, with one or two
exceptions, a cloud of witnesses has appeared en-
tirely in his favour. During the day another man
was taken off to the hospital ; and the usher reported
another ill in " convulsions." There has been great
hesitation this day in imputing robbery and cruelty
to the public officers who arrested the prisoners.
This, of course, was to be expected after the quasi
prohibition by the Procurator-General yesterday.
One or two protests of this kind were made to-day,
but they were not listened to. A spirited observa-
tion was made by cue of the prisoners on Monday :
—" The Procurator-General accuses us of robbery,"
said he, " but the real thieves were the officers of
justice."
What the spirit was which animated those who
took part in the apprehension and custody of the
prisoners has been already explained amply in the
depositions and confessions of nearly 200 prisoners
read or repeated in open court. Many might infer,
too, from the following fact, that there was a more

especially hostile feeling towards Sardinian subjects.
lam not, however, disposed so to generalise. Still
the fact is worth mentioning. " One of my crevr,"
said Captain Sites, "by name Girolamo Fromento,
was ill when we were in the Vicaria. He was or-
dered to be removed to the prison-hospital of San
Francisco; but to be taken there his hands were
bound together with a rope. Who are you
Of what country are you P said the acting gen-
darme. ' I am a Genoese' answered the pri-
soner; And lam a Neapolitan; was the observa-
tion of the gendarme, drawing the cord tighter with
a sound expressive of the effort."
In my report of the early days of the trial I stated
that it was resolved in the last instance to call in
" periti" to decide on the actual position of the Ca-
gliari when taken. Two captains of Sardinian
mercantile vessels and a captain of the Sardinian
navy arrived here a few days since to execute the
" perizia ;" but as their arrival was premature the
two former have left for the present. The Sardinian
government is, therefore, following up its declara-
tions with that tenacity and spirit which have dis-
tinguished it throughout.
In the provinces of Bari and Leeee a great number
of arrests have been made of late, but for what pur-
pose I cannot ascertain. I am not surprised, how-
ever, at the fact, as Naples has for some time been •
prey to suspicion of a sufficiently dark character.
The Minister and Prefect of Police are said to
have passed three days at Gaeta in the last week ;
whilst there the fate of several prisoners lying under
sentence was decided. The subaltern authorities
are said, in their absence, to have taken advantage
of their position, and to have made quite a razzia
upon the people. All who presented themselves at
the barrier without passports were arrested, and sent
off to the Vlcaria. Many of the country people
especially suffered, who were formerly in the habit
of entering the city without passes. The truth is, I
believe, that a great number of arrests were made,
and the prisoners sent off to the Vicaria, remaining
there till money was offered for their liberation. It
was a good speculation for the officials,in the absence
of the superiors.
The Journal of the 4th March again calls our
attention to shocks of earthquake in the scene of the
late devastation. The wretched survivors of the
calamities of December in Montemurro (where 5,000
were killed), on the 26th of last month, felt three
shocks just before dawn of day, and afterwards, about
break of day, they felt an earthquake so strong that
they fled in fear from their barracks with cries and
lamentations. Their fear amounted to sonsternation
when they heard that the ground in the country
had opened and closed again. At Viggiano
severe shock was felt, and some walls fell to the
ground. Balvares also, on the 23rd ult., was
shaken, but in a slight manner. On the same day,
towards evening, there were heard at Saponars,
with an interval of thirty seconds, two subter-
reasons thunder claps, like two discharges of cannon.

THE WEST INDIA MATTA

8017THAMPTON, WIMNESDAT, 1 Li 4

The La Plata ham arrived with the West India
mails. She left St. Thomas on the 3rd instant.
Amongst her cargo is specie to the value of 1,212,809
dollars. She has brought home 40 passengers.
The West India Islands are generally healthy,
and the appearance of the crops is all that can be
desired.

The monetary crisis has diminished at Valparaiso.
The civil war still continues in Peru.
Several mercantile houses have stopped payment
in Demerara.

It is positively affirmed that M. de Pereigny his
tendered his resignation as ambaseador in London ; and that,
in the event of its being accepted, it is probable he may as
succeeded by the Duke of Grammont. Thin last, however,
in only conjecture as yet. The Duchem of Grammont is
English, and otherwise it is thought that such an appoint-
ment would be well received in England. ht. de Persigny's
resignation has revived once more the rumour of 11.
Walowskre retirement, and the appointment of the former
to succeed him—with what tenth I cannot say.—Cone-
spondent of the Times.

Charles de Radio, the accomplice of Orsini in the
attack of the 14th of January, was brought before the Imp..
rial Court of Paris on Monday to hear the lettere Welt
read by which the sentence of death pronounced against
him on the 26th of February is commuted to hard labour
for life. Radio, who was attired in the convict dress of
gray cloth, was escorted to the bar of the court by awed
gendarmes•

Letters from King George's Sound received bytbs
last Australian mall state that a gold-Held is understood is
have been found at that settlement. The discovery was masts
by a convict end another man, by whom several sped-
mans had been brought in. A party had been formed to pro.
cad to the spot.

A report lately presented to the Emperor Alex.
ander oontains the following statistical returns relative ta
landed property and serfs in Russia —The number of fami-
lies who are landowners amount to 127,000. Out of them
2,000 poems, from 1000 to 10,000 serfs ; 2,000 from 600 to
1,000; 18,000 trot. 100 to 600; 30,000 from 21 to 100; sad
76,000 have lees than 21. The total number of peanut
staff of the nobility amounts to 11,760,000, and those of the
crown to 9,000000. There are therefore 20,760,000 pent=
anxiously waiting for an improvement in their condition.
A parcel received at the Poet-office of St=
has been the cause of much perplexity to the an
This parcel, which appears to contain either lace or silk, is
addreeeed "The mast beautiful lady in Stuttgart." A com-
mission of ladies wee appointed to decide the question, bde
singular to say, no two votes were recorded for the mate
person, and the question Is still in easpenee.—Galipswei.
LORD EGLINTOUN'S CHAPLAINS.—The of
ere the chaplains of the new Viceroy. As war to be ex.
=edagthii:grithl tirades a full share of clergymen who law
for their hostility to the system of na-
tional education :—Deanof the Chapel FtoyaL Archdeactort
Omit dawdle chaplain. Deans—St. Patrick's, Itaphoso
and Emly. Arolutesoons—lleath Dublin, Waterfat, &-
Rem.

magh, dialog, Cork, Kildare, Pains, and Asdigh.
rends—Dr. Butcher, D.D. ; Thomas McNeeee,
George Sidney Smith, D.D. ; W. Le Poer Tenth, D.D.i
H. D. Sadler D.D. ; Ralph Sadler, D.D. ; S. CMOs
D.D. • Mortimer; O'Sullivan, D.D.; H. Vanchoyle, kismet
Dat;:(l2.trgs Scott, Hon. Bernard,_ Luke Foully
E. Whateiy, C. Leone, Rae
Crawford, 2..Prrlock, and J. Han.
EARL STANHOPE.—The visit of this nobleman fa
Aberdeen has been fixed for the 24th and 25th of the prated
month. The town council of that city, at a mee on
Fwrijza ladopted the following resolution That ems the
, of the visit of Earl Stanhope to be installed es lord
Rector of Marlachal College, the freedom of the city be cm
fared by the town council upon his lordship, es kelt
tribute of respect to his eminence in literature, his pro-
found acquaintance with the history, antiquities, and art d
our country ; his enlightened reel to diffuse a useful tow
ledge at them among all classes of the nation • and the
libanl sad progressive character of his political antics:M."
His MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—The announced slant
swim of extra "farewell performances" commenced art
reside; with La 71roviata, in which Madile. Piecolealei
and Signor Giuglini sustained their celebrated characters of
Violates and Alfredo with the usual success. The boase
was crowded to the ceiling. On Friday next BOX
Ginglint takes his first " benefit "in London. The opera"
to be La Zisgora (The Bohemian Girl), in which the sdai•
rable tenor will personate Thaddeus, and Moak. Spezia, Is
Ai ftrit time, Arline.
THE NEW BOROUGH JUSTICES AT WOLTERRAIIN
ton.—We understand that the mayor received a liner ye'
today (Tuesday) from the Lord Chancellor's seer
stating that hie lordship considered the office heidbrgs
Mathes incompatible with that of a justice of the pesos bar
the borough, and that the Lord Chancellor, without est
reformat to Mr. Simkiss's individual fitztee for the oilleso
felt obliged to decline confirming his appointment as
trailfor Wolverhampton, on the sole ground that the
of poor-law auditor is incompatible with that of maglstraill
far the same borough. The addition to tho commission ef
the pesos will to simply the six mimeo mentioned in the
pendia of the Town Council.— Wolverhampton Chronicle.
A LARGE FAmay.—We notice the death of Mr&
Murray, widow of Mr. William Murray, sometime brae
at (Ironton, Carmyllle, at the ripe age of eighty-six.
old lady has left behind her sixty-five descendants, acanthi
of ten children, thirty-seven grandchildren, and WOOS
great-grandthildren.—Mostrost Standard.
AN EAGER SEORTBIIAN.—An amusing incident
occurred at the Wick shore the other day n , A mane
sportsman had succeeded in shooting a wild duck atone
distance from the shore. As the wind was at the time Mies
lug strongly from the north, accompanied by maannit min
showers, the wounded bird, to the doges of tit=
wee gradually driven so far seawards as to be en
reach except by a boat; but, not to be undone. the OM
threw doom his fowling-Om, stripped himself
clothes, and, though the temperature was many 4111011
Wow ft-'mgaz point, plunged Into the water, and swim allet
the bird. We wish we could my his temerity was reellfill.
In addition, however, to the disagreesbkmess of bla bait bl
failed to smut the duck, and, but for the amigos etvel
spectator, would himself have been the second rinks et
sporting propenaidee.—John o'Groat Joirsai.