The Express.
London, England, 1860-06-09 00:00:00

NEAPOLITAN ATROCITIES IN SICILY.

The following appears in the Times :
In re of your powerful appeals to humanity on behalf
of the appeared Sicilians, you lately noticed the atrocities
committed under authority by the polio. of Palermo in the
year 1848, when they lut attempted to free themselves
from the oppressor, and most true is your unvarnished
tale. On the morning of the 17th of February in that
year I was among the foremost, and the only Englishman
present, when the rush was made into the disclosed
region of death which you refer to. The fact' were
them:—About 40 of the sbirri had been captured by
the revolutionists, treated by them with kinars, and
placed in security until they could be sent to Naples
—a friendly precaution to prevent their being mur-
dered by the indignant mob, which then broke into the
police palace, and cast•the books and furniture from the
wiodows. A portion of the spacious building appear xl,
however, to be inaccemible ; windows and loopholes there
were in it, but no opening to one entire wing of the dark
prison-house. Presently, on removing one of the huge
bookcases, some fresh-plastered wall appeared concealed
behind it ; a purge was quickly broken through it, and
the genre were almost overpowered by the steaming
effluvia which issued from seven dark chamber,
communicating with each other, where, upon clear-
ing the loopholes, • secreted scene of horror was
before us, such as wants the best testimony to be
believed. There lay human bodies, and the mutilated re-
mains of such, in every state of death and decay—bundles
of rotting rags mingled with bones, and limbs, and filth
filled the corners of the smaller rooms ; chains hung rivetted
to the walls above, whence some of these remains had drop-
ped as they died—some still holding in their iron grasp the
arms or uncles of their famished victims. Skeletons, almost
fleshless, were piled upon others which were quite so, and
faced on stone shelves which had served as their beds while
wing; naked bodies, black and pulpy, were bidden beneath
others more reoe ntly dead, yet nli ve with maggota ; and, greater
horror still, two human bodies in writhing attitudes
were hanging crucified upon the wall of the largest chamber,
the reeking, blood-stained stones of which held rusty
spikes corresponding to the outstretched hands and feet
of others which had been so suspended, and still retain-
ing the stringy remains of muscles torn to shreds, from
which the heavier portions had dropped and lay in heaps
of putridity beneath. Shrieks of indignant horror
arose from the infuriate crowd, a portion of which rushed
back to the prison where tho captured sbirri were secured,
brought them out, and shot them down on the instant.
Others remained, raking and searching among the bones
and bodies, examinin minutely the putrid remnants of
those they fancied might have been their fathers, brothers,
or kindred, who had long been missing, but whose fate they
knew not. One of the sbirri, whose life I tried in vain to
save, endeavoured to prude me that the ausnded
bodies were not crucified while alive, but nailed there to
augment the tortures of the living prisoners.--I have
the honour t 3 be, sir, your faithful servant, G. W. BILLOGIA.
Beachly Parsonage, Joao 2.

A letter from Alexandria says :—" K de Lessepe
arrived here on the 26th from France, and on landing,
though at half-past four in the morning, be found • crowd
of friends waiting to receive him. The Viceroy, who was
up the country when M. de Lesseps arrived, immediately
lent a telegraphic message inviting him to join the court.
He accordingly started by rail on the 27th for Damanhour,
whence means of conveyance had been prepared for him by
order of the Viceroy. The works of the canal are pro-
gressing and numerous machines will soon be sent from
Prance to reinforce those already at work. The return of
M. de Lesseps cannot fail to give the undertaking • fresh
impetus."

The Moniteur de la Flotte states that the French
government, being anxious to reestablish the telegraphic
communication between France and Algeria, which has
been interrupted since February last by the breaking of the
cable between Sardinia and Conies, is now in treaty with
Messrs. Glass, Elliot, and Co., of London, for laying down
a direct cable between France and Algeria.

Miss Cushman, who has been residing in Rome
for the last three winters, arrived in London a few days
ago. She leaves next week for Liverpool, and sails from
thence to New York. Her intention, we (Sunday T data)
understand, is to make a professional visit to California.

We read in the Leeds Mercury :—" Mr. Baines,
M.P., and Mr. Christopher Heaps, clerk and treasurer of
the overseers of Leeds, gave evidence on Monday
last before the select committee of the House of Lords
on the electoral franchise, relative to the addition that
would be made to the constituency of this borough in
case the bill for the representation of the people should pan
into law. They laid before the committee the results of an
independent inquiry made into the probable effects of the bill
in the several townships of the borough, and those main'
substantially agreed with the returns already laid be-
fore the House of Commons. Mr. Baines also laid before
the committee numerous particulars to prove an extraordi-
nary improvement in the education, the habits of providence
and temperance, and the social condition of the people, with
the view of showing that a great extension of the suffrage
might he made with safety and wisdom, and could not long
be withheld."

A correspondent states that Dr. Hugh M'Neile
hes been appointed to the canonry residentiary in Chester
Cathedral, rendered vacant by the death of the Rev. James
Slade.

Fonzuv-omen, Jules 6.—The Queen has been
pleased to approve of Mr. Richard Cowell as Consul at
(Gibraltar for his Majesty the Emperor of Austria ; ales of
Mr. ThomasClegg, as consul, and of Mr. Charles Leigh Clare
an vice.consnl, at Manchester; of Mr. T. W. Fox, Jun. as
consul at Plymouth ; of Mr. A. Lloyd Fox as °maul at
Falmouth; and of Mr. William Hilligrew Wait as Consul
at Bristol, for the Republic of Liberia.—Oarefte.
WHITEHALL, JUNII'L—The Queen haabeen pleased
to direct letters patent to be passed tinder the Great Seal,
appointing J. L Ricardo, FAq., G. Hay, Fag. (commonly
called Earl of Gifford), Sir Henry Pollard Willoughby, Bart.,
Robert Spencer Robinson, Faq. (captain In her Majesty's
navy), and Robert Dalglish, Foci., to be her Majesty's com-
missioners to inquire into the system of control and manage-
ment of her Majesty's dockyards, the purchase of materials
and stores, the cost of building and repairing, altering, fit-
ting. and refitting the ships of her Majesty's navy, and
the best mode of keeping the accounts thereof ; and also to
inquire into the expenditure of former years connected with
the above subjects (not, however, iecluding any period
prior to the Tear 1848), in order to ascertain whether the
system of ship building in her Majesty's dockyard, has been
efficient., and whether the expenditure on the alterations of
the ships of her Majesty's navy, either in converting them
from marling to steam ships, or on other alterations during
the peeper of their contraction, has been judiciously
red.—Gazette.
Mn RICARDO ON THE HOUSE or LORDS AND THE
PATER DireT.—ln reply to a communication from the
secretary of the Hanley Reform Association, Mr. Ricardo,
after speaking of his inability to attend any meeting in
Hanley at present, says :—" I should have been glad to
see any body of my constituents assembled to protest
against the infringement of what I consider to be the most
valuable principle of the British constitution—that the
taxes of the people should emanate from the people them-
selves. The lawyers and the precedent hunters may split •
hair into us mon, lengths as they choose, but no man can
make out any other result of the vote of the House of
Lords, than that the peers have imposed upon the people
an impost of more than 1,200,0001. beyond what was voted
by their representatives.—l am, kc., J. Lewis HicARDo."
THE A PPRo•CIUNG AGRICULTURAL SHOW.—It is
said that the letting of lodgiaga to intending visitors to the
agricultural show at Canterbury is checked by the extrava-
gant price. asked. One instance may be specified in which
Mi. was asked for • sitting-room and two bedrooms of very
small dimensions, for • week. Other cases, showing equaly
unreasonable expectations, might easily be quoted, were it
necessary. Already many families intending to visit the
show, and who would stay here over the week, have taken
lodgings at Ramagate, Margate, and other towns in the
neighbourhood, because the terms on which accommodation
has been offered them in Canterbu7 are on outrageously
exorbitant. It is to be hoped the citizens will be a little
more oonnlerate, and not, by grasping at tnn much, lose
the chance of realising a handsome sum for the accommo-
dation at their disposal—Maidnotte Jeered.
CRYSTAL PALACE. —ONE SH ILLING DAY.—FRIDAY,
JENE 8. —Adsnladons on payment, 4,702; ditto by season
tickets, 1,410; total visitors, 6,112.