The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-05 00:00:00

GARIBALDI AT SOUTHAMPTON,

(From the Morning Herald.)
COWES, Monday.

The enthusiasm of to-day has certainly made
up for any lack there might have been yesterday.
To-day there was an approach to an ovation, and
if we interpret the word as loosely as now seems
usual, the ovation may be granted. The work of
the day commenced early. By a little after day-
light the High street was tolerably gay with
bunting, and the people lingered about the pave-
ment in the hope of seeing Garibaldi, who, after
all, passed through the crowd unnoticed, when he
went, between half-past nine and ten o'clock, to
pay a passing visit to Captain and Mrs. Richard-
son, across the Itchen, As he took the advice of
his best friends, who would fain save him from
the fate of Kossuth, he doffed his cloak and Tur-
kish cap, and appeared in a plain surtout, which
effectually shielded him from the gaze of the un-
penetrating multitude. Soon after breakfast he
received a deputation with an address from com-
mercial travellers visiting Southampton, and
another from the working men of London, who
presented an address, and to whom he replied,
saying that he was delighted to receive a depu-
tation from the working men of England, but
that he could not definitively say when he would
be in London, as his movements were uncertain ;
but it would probably be on Saturday next. The
ex-mayor of Bristol presented an address from
that city, when the general said :—'' The object of
my visit to this country is to thank the English
people for their kindness and sympathy to me, but,
above all, for the interest manifested by this great
nation for the welfare of Italy. lam unable at
present to make any precise arrangements: lam
going first to the Isle of Wight, and in a few days
I shall proceed to London; but I intend giving
myself the pleasure of visiting Bristol, whose recep-
tion of the Neapolitan exiles I well remember."
Then, turning to a gentleman near, he added, in
Italian—" Tell Mr. Haile that I cannot express
myself well in English, but were I able to do so I
could not, nor could any Italian, express his grati-
tude to the people who have done AO much for our
country."
Long before noon, the hour appointed for the
presentation of the Southampton address in the
Town Hall, the space in front of East Park House
was thronged by a crowd anxious to catch a glimpse
of the general. The Italian flag still floated from
the roof of the house, and everybody was bent
upon being very enthusiastic. At a quarter to
twelve the carriage with four greys was drawn up
to the door, followed by a string of vehicles, of
which I counted fourteen, and of which there were
at least as many more, all provided for the suite, the
aldermen and the town council, at the expense of
Mr. Brinton, the Mayor, who has shown himself
most generous. At ten minutes to twelve the general
started, amid the cheers of those assembled, and,
preceded by the band of the First Hants Engineers,
in uniform, went to the Town Hall, over the ancient
Bergate. Here it took some time for the proces-
sion, wending its slow length along, to get itself
unloaded; and by the time those composing it had
got into the Town Hall the throng down the streets
had gathered round the doors, and vociferously de-
manded admission to the hall, from which police-
men endeavoured to keep out the mere roughs. The
poor mace bearers, who had cut a very splendid figure
at the door of the Mayor's house, were detained far
behind the chiefs of the corporation, and when the
Mayor had taken his seat in the council chamber,
with Garibaldi on his right and Mr. Seely, M.P.,
and the Recorder, on his left, the noise was so
great that the Mayor, at first heard with difficulty,
was towards the close of his speech hardly audible.
He welcomed Garibaldi to England and introduced
him, with perhaps several touches of exaggeration,
but with unfeigned heartiness, to the British
public. The Town Clerk was then called upon to
read the address, and as Mr. Deacon, one of the
most amiable and obliging of officials, is not blessed
with a very strong voice, he was interrupted several
times in the first sentence by cries of " Open the
doors"—the said doors not having been closed
against any respectable looking people. And then
there was a tumult in the Town Hall, one or two
gentlemen calling for silence, one or two shouting
for the doors to be opened, one or two crying oat
that the room was not large enough. So the town
clerk, desiring that the general should find audible
at least one complete sentence in the address, and
wishing no doubt that the wording (which has al-
ready appeared) should be heard by the constituents
of the corporation, perhaps unwisely paused, and
the Mayor in vain trying to enforce silence, the
address was ultimately read in little more than dumb
show, and when the end had come the general rose.
In a minute you could have heard a pin drop, and
as he began people in the back of the hall could
hardly believe that those clear ringing tones—the
tones of a perfect, natural, though diffident orator,
were from the famous " Hermit of Caprera." Gari-
baldi said—" It is not the first time that I have
received proof of the sympathy of the English
nation—proof not in words only, but in deeds.
(Hear.) I have seen this sympathy in many cir-
cumstances of my life, but particularly in that in-
stance where without the help of the English nation
it would have been impossible to complete the deeds
we achieved in Southern Italy. The English people
provided for us men, arms, and money, and they
also helped the wants of the families of those who
sacrificed their lives for their country's cause. This,
then, was a proof in deeds, more than in words, of
their sympathy for us—such a proof as demands
the eternal gratitude of the Italian people. (Loud
cheers.) In answer to your noble and generous
words, Mr. Mayor, I am now glad that I did not
sacrifice my life for the cause of liberty to our na-
tion, but it I had I should have considered that I
had only done a part of my duty, and of the duty of
every man. (Loud cheers.) I finish by giving you
my thanks for your generous sympathy and kind
welcome to me." Garibaldi then bowed and resumed
his seat.

The general having concluded amid rounds of
cheers which echoed through the quaint old hall,
the Recorder (Mr. Montague Bere) rose and pro-
posed that the thanks of the borough be given to
the Mayor for his conduct and generosity during
the first visit to Southampton of the Italian general,
and this motion having been seconded by Mr.
Councilman Tucker, was unanimously carried, and
the proceedings in the Town Hall were brought to
a close. After a short delay the general, in the
carriage with the Mayor, and followed by the cor-
poration as before, came slowly through the streets
to the pier, with the band rousing the echoes of the
banks of the Test, which here joins the Itchen.
It was not easy to get near the steamer which Mr.
Seely had provided for the conveyance of his guest
to the Isle of Wight, She lay, blooming in new
turquoise paint, at the end of the Royal pier, near
the bottom of High-street, and on the pier for which
there was the usual twopenny charge of admiesioe,
there were assembled several hundred people, and
when the general came down in the carriage with
the Mayor and 111 r. Seely it was a wonder that
there was not an accident, so reckless were the
people in Pushing to get near the hero of the day.
Owing to the Crowd which prevented the gangway
from being seen the carriage was driven past the
proper place, but the error was in a moment recti-
fied, and the general descended to the deck, stepping
on which he ceased to be the guest of the town, and
accordingly here he took leave of the Mayor and
Mr. Alderman Perkins. When Mr. Seely had got
his party on board the gangway was hauled ashore,
and the general, walking to the quarterdeck re-
turned the salutes of those who, from pier, steamers,
and small boats, as well as from the shore, tendered
to Garibaldi a farewell which they were, one and all,
pluming themselves would be the preface to a very
short absence. A salute was fired from the platform
battery as the Sapphire moved from the pier, and,
turning round, glided down the Water. Nearly
opposite the entrance to the docks lies the Boscawen,
two-decker training ship, and here cccurred a most
interesting incident. Just as the steamer turned
Garibaldi lit a cheroot, and was proceeding to speak
to some of hie friendi when his attention was drawn
to the feet that the training ship was almost lite-
rally alive with blue jackets, who, as 1113 Sapphire
sped by, waved their hats and tens to the general,
but were by strength of discipline restrained from

the cheer which they would willingly have given.
Perhaps their silent goodwill affected the general
even more than the noisy demonstration of the
shorefolks, inasmuch as he who the day before
had such reverence for discipline that he would not
go on the Ripon's paddlebox until he had asked
the captain's leave could not help admiring the self.
control which prevented British sailors under so
strong a temptation from breaking a very whole-
some rule of the service, which provides that no
demonstration shall be made except by order. It
was five minutes past one that the Sapphire left the
pier with Mr. Clarke, one of the directors, and Capt.
Corke, the superintendent, on deck; and by twenty
minutes past one she was opposite Netley, when
the general accepted Mr. Seely's invitation to
luncheon below. First handing down a lady on
board, and then pointedly asking Mr. Negretti to
join them, Garibaldi descended to the cabin. It was
a pity, but there was no help for it, that the general
was hardly below when the Sapphire reached the
noble screw steamer, Ceylon, belonging to the
Peninsular and Oriental Company, and just on the
point of starting—lying at her buoy for the mails
—and the passengers on the beautiful packet were
all on the tiptoe of expectation ready to cheer him
whom they were unfortunate enough not to see.
Toe party did not,however, remain long at luncheon,
for Garibaldi is now more than ever abstemious, and
soon after he returned on deck the word was passed
that the steamer was nearing Cowes. Fifty minutes
only had gone by since she left the Royal pier in the
Test, when it was seen that West Cowes had made
as much as possible of the occasion. The pontoon
of the pier was gaily dressed with banners and
streamers, and numbers of people had assembled not
only on the pier but in little boats around, cheering
most heartily. Hardly had the sponsons touched
the pontoon when half a dozen gentlemen rushed
on board, at the head of them Captain Ledgard,
who, in the name of West Cowes and of the island,
congratulated the general on his arrival. The
Mayor of Newport was then presented, and, amid
the gratified looks of the islanders, Garibaldi
landed, and immediately proceeded in one of Mr.
Seely's carriages to Brook-house, where he arrived
about half-past three o'clock, no doubt wondering
in himself where so many people as he saw stowed
themselves at night in such a little island, and in
so few houses. At Brook House the general will,
with his sons and his suite, live in perfect quietude
for a few days—but for very few. He has, condi-
tionally upon his other engagements, accepted the
invitation of the Mayor and corporation of South•
ampton to a banquet at the end of the week; but
the day is not fixed, and, indeed, the occurrence of
the banquet is something more than improbable.
On Saturday afternoon he will, probably arrive in
London, where he will be the guest of the Duke of
Sutherland at Stafford House. It is understood
that, as the Mayor of Southampton hinted in his
closing words in the Town Hall, a strong effort will
be made to keep the general beyond the influence
of designing persons. He is so impressionable, so
disinclined to offer the least slight even to one who
has no claim upon him, much more those who fancy
themselves to have a lien upon his time or his per-
son, that he would fall an easy prey to the popu-
larity-hunters who have tried to surround him. It
is felt that he is now in good hands, that at Stafford
House he will also be safe; but it is feared that some
of those immediately about his person will parade
him through town in the theatrical, though simple,
costume which is well enough when just landed
from a voyage, but which his sons have discarded,
and which it is by his friends strongly hoped he will
not wear in London, at least after his first formal
entry. There is some talk of a grand banquet in the
nave of the Crystal Palace, but his most distinguished
friends, who have perhaps done more concerning his
visit to England than the public will ever know,
think it will be wise that banquets at which speech
making is to be the order of the day should be as
few and far between as possible. If his wiser
friends should have their way this visit to England
may be for many a year a matter for pleasant
thoughts both to Englishmen in general and to
Garibaldi himself. If, on the other hand, his more
selfish acquaintances carry their point both England
and the man whom such a large proportion or
England now delights to honour may for long
enough repent the doing of persons who will not
take a hint, and to whom there is nothing for it
but to speak plainly. As a gentleman said in my
hearing to-day, " Nothing would better please
Italy's enemies than to see the general and his
friends repeat the Kossuth mistake."