The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-04-23 00:00:00

shall be asked what foundation I have for my
opinion, for, be it remembered, I assert nothing.
The nature of the case does not permit of any
other than moral evidence being brought forward ;
demonstrative evidence is out of the question, but
that moral evjdenee appears to nie to be overwhelm,
ingly strong. The general. sentiment, though not
decisive, has, and always should have, much weight,
and that is in harmony with my own. Wherever
Igo I meet with people who express themselves
most strongly on the case—Liberals and Royalists
have so spoken; and I have one instance noted,-
with names and dates, which Was given to me by
a firm and attached subject of Ferdinand 11.
Many. other cases, with strong presumptive
evidence, I could alio Mention,. were it
consistent with the safety of individuals. nut,
leaving general, let me speak of one particu-
lar instance, and it shall be that of Angesilao
Milano. That that unfortunate man was tortured
is the opinion of Foreign Ministers, priests,
military men, civilians, Liberals, and Royalists
as well. This I
say- advisedly. Minute details*
have been given to me ; those who have the best
opportunities of knowing have so informed
me,. and there is such harmony in the various
statements which I have received as to leave no
doubt of the fact on my own mind. I cannot
publish the evidence, from fear Of consequences
to individuals. Sergeant Grramrnis, suspected of
having been implicated' with Milano; is another
instance of a man haviiig been tortured, if strong
moral evidence is to be. received. Until lately
he has • been, in the prisons of Santa
Maria Apparenti ; now lie is removed to the
Vicaria, lr am informed, the shadow of his former
self—a dying than. Of how many more victims
might I speak, did prudence Omit it. Incidents
of suffering, for the truth of which one might
safely, vouch, crowd upon me, though they may
not be written, but they will assuredly be brought
to light, to the confusion of those who have perpe
trated or sanctioned such barbarities. 'My remarks
hitherto,have had a reference to torture as applied
to political offenders, but there is equally
strong (if not stronger) reason to suppose, that
it is applied to common delinquents. The hoi-
ribiecase known here as the case of Canoes., in
1828, is well known. To collie down still later,
what is called the " Cause. del 'Campo," which took
place, I believe. in the -year that the Scienziati
Italiani Visited Naples, excited great attention.
Another case, Within a year, in Which twenty-eight
persons Were put upon their trial for various rob
beries, also afforded, it is said, indubitable proof of
the use of torture. " These who have the best
opportunities of knnwing," said a highly intelligent
and well informed man to me, "have not the shadow
of a doubt on the subject ; and if torture be used
in ordinary cases of crime, be assured it is used
in cases of political offences." I shall have occa-
sion, however, to return to this subject; and,
in fact, I rather hasten my notice of the charge of
torture against the Neapolitan Government, for
the- reason that the Palermo JouYhal has taken
it. up: ,A clear understanding of the subject
would require a definition of the term " torture."
If by it is meant the punishment of the wheel,
or other brutalities of a similar character,
practised in the middle ages, I do not believe
that it exists ; but' I believe that ferocious
beating is inflicted—that denial of, food is
resorted to, almost to starvation. I have heard of
people being supplied with wine instead of water.-
I believe that the coldest water is from - time to'
time thrown upon the body, and a firm supporter
of the. King told me. last summer of a man who
was bound naked to a pillar, which was kept damp
by the continued application, of cold water. Those
things I believe, for I have the evidence noted
down, ,with names- and addresses, and though in
many cases I may have been deceived, still it is
not likely that I should have been so in all.
On very strongly apparent evidence I have
heard of worse cases still of torture, but
humanity shudders at them, and I will try not to
believe them. There is, however, undeniably, a-
worse kind of torture constantly applied here—
worse, because it is less direct and less tangible;
of instances of this kind I know a thousand. The
denunciations of the secreispy-s-the brutalities of
the police ; the daily illegalities and acts of injustice
which are committed—men s latched from the
bosoms of their families on suspicion merely, de.
graded from their position, imprisoned, exiled for
months and years without trial,—these are facts
which no one dare deny, and which fills the hearts
of thousands of innocent persons with sorrow. Is
it no torture, too, that political prisoners, confined
in Montesarchio, are compelled to wear their chains
when they were only fit for a hospital, and that one
of them, Zeuli by name, who died last summer of
consum ption,wore his chains when a mere skeleton?
Of these facts the mast indisputable evidence
exists. A more delicate point remains to be touched
upon. As a rule, I have considered it more del:-
(mite to abstain from introducing the name of the
highest person in the realm into these discussions,
nor do I consider it relevant to the subject.
If the facts be establish° i, that is all that is
required. Suffering is not diminished by the
assurance that the Sovereign does not know it.
Eitablish the facts, and the necessity is forthwith
established for a thorough change in the system and
form of Government which has permitted even the
suspicion of such enormities. Little disposed as I
am to indulgence, thOugh very much to honesty,
in my views of the affairs of Naples, I would wil-
lingly hope that torture, if it does,exist, as I firmly
believe it does, is the relic of a barbarous
age, rather than the inventiOn of one called
civilised--=sthat it .is a part of a system long
pursued here, and so moulded with that system as
to form a necessary part of it in the opinion of
underlings ; I will refuse -to belieVe that the high-
tst personage in the realtn can sanction it, but I
do believe that it is practised directly or indirectly
to the full extent which I have stated, and I slisuld
sin against truth, justice, and htimanity, if I did
not state my impressions. The Government of the
Two Sioilies is put upon its trial by the press of.
Europe, and at is a great Point gained to civilisation
that it has consented to appear at the bar. There
is another point gained here consolatory to Mr.
Gladstone and to all who dare speak the truth, and
that is, than efforts-are being made to improve the
state of the prisons. Success has attended the
effort hitherto, but I must treat the subject more
in detail at some future time ; meanwhile consider
my allusiun to it as 'evidence of a disposition to
speak impartially and truthfully. Two works now
in circulation have just been brought to me—
one of which is entitled " The Praises of
the King of Naples in the English : Parlia-
ment." It was printed here, and opens thus-
" 'Co .day the praises of Ferdinand IT. the Intrepid
(such is the name reserved for him ty dispas-
sionate and truthful history) shall be sung, not
by us, but we will hear them sung in England, in
London, in the English Parliament, by members
of the Houses of Lords and Commons, by Lord
*Derby, Lord John Russell, Gladstone, Disraeli,
and Milner Gibson. Let us listen to them." Such
is the happy influence which those statesmen are
now exercising on Naples, and such the proud
title they have acquired—the Defenders of the
King of, Naples. As many as 10,000 copies have
been printed. •

S4R,DINIA.

TURIN, APRIL 17.

The Minister of Public Works here, Signor
Paleocapa, has just published a very inter& sting
account of the working of the government rail.
ways during the year 1855. It is in the form of a
" Blue Book" of 100. pages; and enters into the
Minutest details of management. From this re•
port it appears that at the commencement of 1855
there were 359 kilometres of Government railway
in activity, to which were added 15 more during
the months Of May and June of that year, giving
a total of 374 kilometres,- the gross receipts from
which amounted to 10,161,778 f. 89c., and the ex-
penditure thereon to 5,221,598 f. 63e., leaving a
net produce of 4,940,180 f. 26. _ _ _

In this return no account is taken of the advan-
tages derived by the State in the transport, either
gratuitously or at half price, of military, of
prisoners, of salt and tobacco, and of the service
of the post office, advantages which represent a
sum of 610,000 f. The average gross profit per