The Express.
London, England, 1861-08-23 00:00:00

ATTEMPT•ON GARIBALDI AT CAPRERA.

The following letter, addressed by Garibaldi's
aide-decamp, Vecchi (now residing witit him at
Caprera), to the Morimento, of Genoa, gives a
correct account of the recent incidents on the
island, to which repeated reference has been made
in various journals :
Led night there arrived here three dragoons : they had
heard that two men of suapicious appearance had landed ia
Camera. The report appeared to us a mere absurdity
they took leave of us, and we went to supper. Stegneti
and I walked up and down, smoking all the while, till
11 o'clock, and then we went to bed. About 3 o'clock in
the morning I beard the doge larking, and bounding oat
of the enclosure. Soon after I fell uleep again. At 5 I
got no and saw the gendarmes, who told me what had
happened in the night. After we had gone to supper they
patrolled about the rocks surrounding our little square, and
then stretched themselves out at a abort distance from each '
other. At 3 o'clock they beard some footsteps, and in
the dark contrived to descry two men passing before
them at the distance of a pistol shot. The caporal cried
out, " Who goes there?' He was simmered by • shot.
Then the three dragoons ran after the mu, the cameral
still shouting oat, "Stop, in the Ring's same!" He was
assailed with the foulest rmithele. The dragoons fired
spin, and heard one of the nark saying oat " Madonna !"
and then both ran off as fast m they cud& On reaching
the spot where the villains had jest bees, they found that
the bullets had lodged in the reek, that there were three
impressions of Woody hands on the granite, on the ground
a small pool of blood ; further on other traces of blood on
the road, a cotton handkerchief all stained with blood, and
a powder flask.
When the Sardinians are wounded, it is their custom to
cry out "Goan, Maria, Giuseppe'." The gendarmes there.
fore concluded that the two men were not bandits from the
island of Sardinia, but foreign assassins.
Alter the general had taken his vapour bath we informed
him of what had happened. With his customary indifference
he said that yester&y, whilst looking out at the window,
before taking his walk with me, he had observed two men,
unknown to hum, clambering 'crow the rocks. He spoke
with thedragoons, nod tried to persuade them that the whole
thing was a mistake, in order that they might not alarm the
inhabitantsof the neighbouring island of Maddalena Then he
went with Carpeneto to look at • vineyard at some distance.
But the dragoons, by the reports which they had
made to the authorities, bad alarmed the whole country.
The story, as it passed from mouth to month, became, of
course, more marvellous. The women were shouting frees
the windows that the general was killed, and all were rush-
ing to the harbour and jumping into the boats. The women
stopped at La Moneta ; but all the persons of consequence
in Maddalena (with the exception of the curate)—the gebd-
armes, the marine sharpshooters, the custom-house otdez
dozens short, the all classes, even the children,
in arms, and came thronging up to our little square at
Caprera. I was reminded of the esplanade of the palace of
Canute, when we bad the honour to protect there the unity
of our country. Some of the patrolling parties bad taken
the mountain road on the opposite side of the island. All
seemed animated by • common thought, the resolution to
protect the uobleet of lieu—the life so necessary for the
welfare of Italy.
Two government gun-brigs at the same time kept anis-
:Mg round the island. Ono of them reports that it saw •
boat set sail from Giglio, taking the direction of Capo Ferro.
Orders have been sent to ascertain what persons may have
landed there—nothing more. I wrote this merely that you
may know the truth about what has happened.
C. A. Vscau.