Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-12-08 00:00:00

GROSS ILL-TREAaMENT OF TE BRITISH
SUBJECTS IMPRISONED AT NAPLES.

NARRAiIVE OF ONE OF THE PRISONERS.

N.A.PLES, Nov 28.—For some time I have sent you such
reti,orts of the state of the English engineers now in con-
fanement at Salerno as have oozed through the walls of a
prison. lam able to state upon incontrovertible authority
that my reports, so far from exaggerating, have faded to
give the true aspect of affairs. The treatment of our
fellow-countrymen has been as bad a 3 it could be, My
last letter informed you that a demand had been made by
our Acting• Consul for permission for himself and Mr.
Parks to visit the prisoners. On the 24th it was obtained
and on Wednesday, the 25th, both these gentleman went
to Salerno. The following is the report of the latter
gentleman, and I give as nearly as possible in his own
words, for it is a tale so revolting to humanity, that it
requires neither addition nor ornament. At La Cava, the
British Vice-Consul joined the party, and they proceeded
to Salerno, whore they had an interview with the Pro-
curator-General. Some conversation took place on the
subject of two letiers, which were alleged to have been
found on the:person or in the cabin of the prisoners, and
the Procurator said that he was prepared to go on
with the case, considering that ha had proofs of their
guilt. Previous to the visitors going to the prison, an
official suggested that it would be batter, as Parks was in
a nervous c ,ndition, that ho should be first advised of the
arrival of his father. A man, therefore, was sent in for
that purpose, but instead of reporting correctly, he said
that Watt's father had come. "On entering, therefore,
the room in which they were confined," Parks says, " I
saw Watt standing quite pale and immoveable. I was
frightened at his appearance, but I had no time to think of
him, for my son rushed into my arms and swooned. I laid
him on the bed and tried to encourage him, and he
revived, but immediately he swooned again: I then said
to the consul, My son was never subject to this ; his
nervous system must have been much injured.' " Parks
then gave the following statement of fiefs to his father,
"and my son," he said, "has been always truthful;
I will guarantee what he says." "On the nigh. " said
the son "on which the rebels rose on board the Cag'iari
I was on deck with the captain. A number of men,
dressed in red, suddenly appeared. What is the matter'
I said, and then turning to one of the men, I asked,
What are you after ?" You will soon know,' was the
reply. I went and spoke to Watt, saying that something
serious was on, and told him that we must prepare for the
worst. A letter was given to me, which, as it was dusk,
I could scarcely read. It contained menaces spinet our
lives if the machinery was not kept iu perfect order and
we did not do our duty. I managed to decipher it, and
read it to Watt. I was fillowed down by five or six men,
armsd with pistols and d ggers. Thoy remained below
whilst another guard was placed above. On passing near
Admiral's Lyons fleet there wore fears entertained that
we might signal them, and additional precautions were
taken, for we were not permitted to come up. When we
approached Sapri we were told that we must join the revo-
lutionists; but we answered that we were not fighting men,
and that our duty was to manage the vessel. Later in
the voyage, on seeing the Neapolitan vessels, the rebels
thought that they had been betrayed, and counselled
together to murder passengers and crew. Eleven were
about to do so, but at this moment one of their number
fell down in an apoplectic fit. It was regarded as an
interposition of Providence; all fled to the buts. Some
of the rebels came to me (Parks), and asked how
much coal we had on board. I told them a less quantity
than we really had, and the answer was, that I must make
it, together with the wood, last so many hours, or we
sheulet be murdered. We were returning to Naples when
we were captured. Our intention was to deliver ourselves
up and state the whole case, for we had not coal enough
to enable us to escape had we bean disposed to do so.
A Neapolitan officer came on board, and I delivered to
him the letter which I had received from the rebels. He
said, You had bettor keep it for your exculpation.'
I went down and made a correct copy of it, and then gave
the original to the officer. This copy was left in my ca‘iin
in the hurry of my arrest and removal. Whether this
was the second of two letters spoken of I know not. lam
not aware of any other letters. It was said that a letter
directed to Watt, and written in a fema'e hand, was found;
but Watt was only the substitute of Newcastle, who was
kept at home by sickness, and the former did not know
any length of time beforehand that he would have to go.
On arriving at Naples, all, excepting ourselves, were hand-
cuffed, and were taken to prison. We were taken into our
cell and stripped naked, whilst other prisoners were look.
ing through the iron bars which separated them from us,
laughing and joking at our expense. I was enraged and
disgusted witk the government which could permit such
inewTetwee. swe 'more e=arrvinoa rand croon-o.oxalutod
regard to the letter or letters on which the accusation
against us is based, till my mind was in an awful state of
confusion. When they saw that nothing could be made
out of us, they led us round chambers and cells fearful to
leek upon, and said that if any guilt was proved against us
we sh: aid be put in there. Finally we were confined in a
separate cell, so damp and dark, that God knows how we
kept our health—the only window that there was was high
up in the wall. There was an abominable system observed
in our cell in one c Jrner of it was placed a tub, or half-butt,
in which to perform the necessities of nature. During the
hot summer weather the stench was insufferable, and we
were compelled to pay for the removal of it every night.
Our prison faro has been a soup that we could not drink
bread ao hard and bad that we could not digest it, and
beans ; in fact, we were compelled to seek for money for
our support, and it was supplied from various sources,
though, on several occasions, it was rejected by the au-
therifes. At our earnest entreaty we were pat into another
cell ; and at length we were removed down to Salerno to
await our trial. We were handcuffed, and that severely,
and bound by ropes round the arms so tightly to each other
that our flesh was black and blue for five days after."
Watt, who is a strong man, with much feeling, was very in-
dignant. He himself confesses that in his fury he attempted
his life with his razor on arriving in his cell. Blond flowed
from the wound and Parks, who was in a nervous state, fall
to the ground in a swoon. The captain of the Cagliari
wrested the razor from his hand, and thus saved him.
With regard to the health of the two engineers," says
Mr. Parks, " though it would be what might be called
generally good, I see that it has suffered a great shock.
My son is not whet he was ; he has been ble I in conse-
quence of his nervous sensitiveness, and the doctor of the
Bey of Tunis, who was a prisoner, said that, had it not
been done, his life would have been sacrificed. He is
now subject to violent palpitations of the heart, and thore
were good reasons for saying that Parks ought to be
apprised beforehand of the arrival of his father. Watt is
still ev.d,ntly effected in the head. He speaks little,
though that little was sensible—is sad /tad melancholy.
He had distributed a portion of his clothes anwrgst the
prisoners, and a gold watch. On Parks enquiring for it,
he said it was in the box or in the bag; but when it was
not to be found, he confessed that he had given it away.
A custodi was called, the watch was found, end Parks

now wears it as a precaution. Watt, too, has been bled
once, if not twice. The room in which we wore when
Mr. Pugh visited us (said Mr. Parks) was small."
" Perhaps," said the father, speaking from the description
of the son, " about seven feet by to elve." There were
two beds at the lower end of the room packed close against
the wall. Then came a small table, large enough for one
person. and then another bad. Standine on the bed or the
table, one could manage to look out of a small window,
the remainder of the room would form a space of four
feet square where we walked, and we had worn it down
with our foo'steps. Such was the room, which was a
comfortable Paradise in comparison with what they had
occupied in the Vicaria in Naples. Nov. 21, Mr. Parks
arrived with instructions from Lord Clarendon for Mr.
Acting-Consul Barber. Sunday, Nov 22, Mr. Barber saw
Signor Carafe, and made a formal demand to be permitted
to see the prisoners. A telegraphic communication was
opened with his 31,jesty at Gaeta. On Tuesday, Nov 24,
we were placed in another larger and better room, where you
now see us. We could not explain she reason of it, for none
of us knew what was passing without. A permission was
sent to Mr. Actirg-Consul Barbar and Mr. Parks to visit
the prisoners. I had given the result of that visit. Mr.
Pugh's report was less full, and apparently more favour-
able ; but his position was peculiar and delicate. He
announced that he went as a priest, and from honour
abstained from many questions, declaring that it was not
his object to increase ,he unpleasantness between the two
governments. His report of their comfort was compara-
tive, fcr no man in Naples knows better, or better appre-
ciates the state of things, than ho does ; but he confined
himself to his clerical duties. In the room which they
occupy are five prisoners—the two engineers, the captain
and second commander, and the commander appointed by
the insurgents. This man usderstands English, —does
this explain why he, one cf the chiefs of the accused sh(fuld
be imprisoned together with the others of the party ? At
all events the engineers a joined precaution in speaking
before him. Mr. Parks offered his son a copy of a London
weekly paper, but he refused it, as ho was afraid that in
some way or other it might be used against him And
this may explain why the engineers were less precise in
their derails to Mr. Pugh, far prisoners, who have been
liberated have said that in their reports they were com-
pelled to speak favourably —they were fearful of an
advantage being taken of them. The visitors included Mr.
Acting-Consul Barber, the British Vice-Consul at Salerno,
Mr. Parks, and two officials. "He begged me to see

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