The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-24 00:00:00

THE STATE OF NAPLES.

NAPLES, Sept. 15.—Decidedly the King of the
Sicilies fully appreciates 'Talleyrand's saying, "II
11,'y arien qui reussit .comme le succes." What less
than the fall of Sebastopol could have effected such
a favourable change in his conduct towards France
and England in three short days ? A few days
since and quarantine was imposed on all travellers
coming from Marseilles and Genoa—the insult of-
fered to al3ritish Attache by the Minister of Police
was denied—the want of courtesy shown to the
French flag at Messina on the Emperor's feast- day
palliated, and never until now has the news of a
victory gained by the Allies been published under
a delay of several days, and sometimes weeks.
Now, on the contrary—to relate matters chrono•
logically—the official Gazette has reproduced the
telegraphic despatch regarding the capture of Se-
bastopol from the Giornale di .Roma the very day
it arrived, and, though that intelligence was natu-
rally read with great avidity in all the cafes of
Naples, I. have .not heard of any extraordinary
number of arrests in consequence. That was the
night before last, and the same paper contained an
official notification that the quarantine placed
,on
vessels coining frOni Marseilles, Genoa, Leghorn,
&c., was abolished, it having been ascertained that
there were some cases of cholera in Naples and the
provinces.

- The Gazette of last night contains a decree apropos
of the affair of Mr. Fagan, the Attache to the British
Legation, who had been insulted. It says—" The
Director of the Royal Ministry of the Interior, Don
Ludovico Bianchini, will take the signature of the
Royal Ministry of the General Police in place of the
Director Don Orazio Mazza, called to other commis-
sions." This concession has no doubt been made on
the urgent demands of our Government for repara-
tion, and the "called to other commissions" shows
the bad grace. with which his Majesty yields to the
call of justice. Those who know the Neapolitan
Court will assert that this reservation means that,
while his Majesty literally sacrifices his worthless
favourite to the demand of England, he will virtu-
ally promote him, and continue to treat the allies
with the same mock courtesy until he sees a fleet
in the Bay of Naples.
It is said, also, that the officer who treated the
French Admiral with such discourtesy at Messina,
by neglecting to return his salute'on the 15th of
August, or even to answer his note on the subject,
has been removed from his command ; but this
likewise is probably only an appearance of redress,
and the. King. and his officers are really the best
friends possible.
__

Another removal from office, however, notified
by Royal decree yesterday, is a bona fide dismissal,
and that is the Minister of War, Prince Ischitella,
who is succeeded by General Winspeare, he himself
being continued as Adjutant-General.
The Prince is believed to have conscientiously
opposed the ridiculous expenditure now being made
by the King in military preparations, as more
likely to make the Government ridiculous in ,the
eyes of Europe than anything else ; and his Ma-
jesty, not brooking opposition of this kind, per-
mitted the Prince to resign. The new Minister of
War is said to be a very good man ; but, it, may
be presumed, of more pliable temperament to his
master's whims than his predecessor. The fortifi-
cations and military preparations of every kind in
progress at Gaeta, Capua, and other places, are
very laughable to every one except the unfortunate
soldiers and labourers, who are kept at work night
and day almost. His Majesty's character is known
to be very energetic, and when he undertakes any-
thing of this kind he spares neither himself nor any
one else ; but the ridiculous part of all these prepa-
tions of hot shot and sandbags and big guns is that
they are concentrated at places that no enernyis ever
likely to attack ; for who would think of wasting
time on Gaeta or Capua when a few three-deckers
might destroy Naples in an hour or two ? •
Some hundreds of field-pieces and a vast quan-
tity of military stores have been sent from Naples
to Capua within the last few days, and a shell and

rocket manufactory has been removed thither from.
Procida ; in fact, the bustle and activity in every-
thing connected with the War Department denotes
immediate invasion, or the fear of it. The Royal
family are now in Naples, and will no doubt take
part in the ceremony in honour of St. Januarius to-
morrow, when the miracle of the liquefaction of
saint's blood will be performed for, the edification
of the faithful. During this holy time—for four
days before and eight days after the miracle—all
the theatres in Naples are closed, which, however,
is the only symptom of mortification visible, for
last night illuminations and military music in the
streets commenced in celebration of the anniver-
sary.

Sept. 18.—Last night the news of the fall of the
south of Sebastopol having been confirmed, the
French, Sardinian, and English legations and con-
sulates, as well as the apartments of all indepen-
dent subjects of those nations, were illuminated in
honour of the victory. Could cur sympathisers
among the Neapolitans have expressed themselves
openly in the same manner, no doubt Naples would
have been a blaze of light ; but as it was of course
natives were extremely cautious of being seen in
the neighbourhood even of these illuminations,
and there is only too much reason to fear that the
police may have profited by the occasion to extort
money from persons by threats of denunciation, as
is their wont, for I find now there have been many
arrests made for reading the despatches relative to
this victory with unbecoming interest, although I
was not aware of the fact when I last wrote.
" Pazienza, Pazienza," however, is the watchword
of this long-suffering people. His Majesty is
running out line so fast just now that he must
•brino-6 himself up with a round turn (as the sailors
say) before long.
Further modifications in the Ministry were ex-
pected to be published in the Gazette of last night.
The publishers were desired to keep a page fur
official announcements, but at the usual hour the
paper appeared with nothing more important than
a notice of the establishment of a depot of grain
in the further Calabria.
The anxiety to ascertain what these changes are
to be is the greater because the King has contrived
within the last few days to offend even the few
" Codini " who surrounded his Throne. This is
the last sacrifice to his favourite Minister Mazza,
whose overbearing insolence roused the indignation
of Prince San Cmsareo, Master of the Horse, who
represented to his Majesty the injury this man
was doing him, whereon the King accused his faith-
ful servant of 25 years of Liberalism, which, of
course, was understood and accepted by the Prince
as his dismissal, and which, indeed, was formally
communicated to him next day. The Prince car-
ries with him the sympathies of that part of the
nobility which has hitherto supported the Bourbons
through all changes of fortune, and the idea o f
stigmatising or honouring him with the name of
"Liberal" would surely never have entered the
head of any man capable of distinguishing between
right and wrong. The bourgeoisie, the army, and
the aristocracy have thus been each in turn estranged
from the King, and he now listens only to the
suggestions of Mazza and the Queen, who, in her
turn, is said, on good authority, to be under the
influence of the infamous Campagna, who is
known as the Queen's Minister of Police, and who
in some cases has shown himself more powerful than
Mazza. If Mazza and Campagna should fall out,
there might, perhaps, be a hope for honest men •,
but at present everything—national loyalty and
'oreign alliances—have been cast off for their

gratification: Two classes alone they favour—the
Lazzaroni and the galley slaves ; and, indeed, it
would be most unnatural if they did not, belong-
ing as they do by birthright to the one, and by
every claim of merit to the other. Warlike pre-
parations proceed with unabated energy, very
much to the satisfaction of the Government con-
tractors, who don't fail to profit by these fancies of
his Majesty. When all arrangements have been
completed the King of Naples will be in a position
to hold the fortresses of Capua and Gaeta against
all corners, and he will have great reason to com-
plain of the discourtesy of a foe who shall refuse
to meet him on the ground he has himself chosen.
The poor gentleman! reckons over-confidently, I
fear, on the chivalry of his antagonists, who pos-
sibly will not refrain from striking his unprotected
parts. While he arms himself with breastplate and
lance to do battle, he will suddenly discover that
his hands have been tied by his own dependents.
In sober earnest, all save the favoured few in the
Neapolitan kingdom seem to be unanimous in
thinking that his present Majesty is not in a fit
state to direct public affairs ; the difficulty is for
them to agree in finding a successor. The Prince
of Calabria, though of full age to mount the Throne,
has been so educated that he would necessarily fall
into the hands of those about him, and therefore
could not be expected to do better than his father ;
and the sons of the present Queen are all subject
to the same objection, as they would have to com-
mence the rule under a Regency, although her
Majesty is said to have given them a much more
manly education than has been vouchsafed to the
Prince of Calabria. The Prince Louis, a younger
brother of the King, who is reported to be the