The Express.
London, England, 1860-01-09 00:00:00

CENTItAL ITAL.

triton oua spirts'. cosavvro,roeirra
ILORENCI, Jsx. 2.
The 'anstic deel imsti ns of priests and minks
have been followed by the noisier but mostly inst.
(retool explosions of shells. To inaugarate the new
year w h dinars and joviality, Commendatore Boon-
compagoi opened, yesterday evening, the elegant
apartments of his official residence to the select
society of Tuscany. It wee the first ball of the
fashionable winter season, and from the numerous
limitations which had been issued it was to be ex-
pected that the concourse of moans and foreiromm
would be even greater than it was at the state ball
that was refttlarlf given by the Grand Duke on the
lame occasion. the reactionary party could not
charities mile such an opportunity of showing
its aversion to the government which the
Governor• General of Central Italy hes been
sent to represent la this city. When the
hall was first announced the few friends of the
dethroned prince set busily to work to turn it into a
complete failure by sending a foolish anonymous
circular to the leading ladies of the fashionable world.
In this letter the recipients were threatened with all
sorts of indignities and abuses if they dared--so said
the circular—to accept the invitation of the Cowmen.
deter*. Knowing that a similar trick was employed
when the Mayor of Florence gave his great ball at
Poggio Imperiale, uobody took the slightest notice
of at. Fair damsels and stately matrons, young and
aged noblemen, officers of the national guard and of
the army, hastened to the Palazzo dells Crooetto
with the determination to amuse themselves and
to lay aside for a few hours all political discussion.
Tree cards of invitation said that the apartments of
the Governor-General would be opened at 9 o'clock,
and from that hour numerous carriages were making
their way towards the elegant residence of his BaP.
&Man Excellency. As always occurs on such occa-
sions, daring the first hoar there were not easy
arrivals at the palace, so that at a quarter before 10
o'clock only a few dozso guests were walking up slid
down its numerous rooms. The clock of Palazzo
Vecchio had just @trues a quarter past nine, when
a noise like the report of an eight-pounder suddenly
broke through the ellen** of the night. A @snood report
soon lu:lowsd, and Colonel Cuggis, of the Sardioian
staff, who was then talking with the Governor-
General, left the room to ascertain the clues of these
unexpected explosions. On his reacning the lobby
of the palace, he was informed that three shells had
been thrown by some unknown person into the yard,
bet that only two had exploded, and these had in-
jured neither the horses nor the persons who, out of
curiosity, were standing in the street. The shell
which had not exploded was soon discovered and
produced. It consisted of a flattish tin box, about
twenty inches square and five inches deep, closely
tied round with a strong cord, and having a short
match attached to it, and communicating with
the gunpowder it contained. When the first explo-
sion took place, Madame Cespi, one of the hand-
somest women in Florence, bad just left her carriage
and wee entering the staircase lobby of the patio/.
There is, therefore, not much doubt that the shell
was thrown with the intention of not merely fright.
ening the guests but of injuring somebody or other.
In spite, however, of this treacherous attempt,
the Regent's entertainment was as crowded
and as merry es it would have been if
nothing of the kind had occurred. After
the first ioqeiries had been made by the police
a suspicion arose that at least one of the shells had
been thrown from an opposite house, surapied by
one Gherardiai, a known adherent of the Lorraine
prince. Later in the evening I wee tend that
this mu had been arrested, and that the police
were already au the scent of some other wenn
It Is surely set to mach too say that the MOM MINI
An a had tree which it is ratight to serve by mesas
like these. Last night, at the ball, a letters[ Gnat
Csvoat'is was read to me, in which it wee stated that,
in hi* opinion, the suspension of the Congress would
be het temporary. The great l'alian statesman
moms to possess the greatest ova Ildenco in the happy
result of the forthcoming diplomatic meeting.
TOM will have heard of the sonorous demon-
Gyration made, both at Turin and Milan, in
Inmost of the Sar.lisiaa plenipotentiary. Not only
bee he been elected President of the Whist
Cub of the Sardinian capital, but attests
and plasma are going to be called by his name. I
hear that the same honour will be paid him at
Modena, Panne, Bologna. and Florence. So it
seems that the Italians are beginning to adopt oar
English custom of rendering the names of ersiasst
public men familiar to the eyes sad sate of the peat
Street multitude.