The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-26 00:00:00

VICTOR EMMANUEL AT NAPLES,

Upon the time-honoured principle audi aileron:
portent we readily give insertion to the following
amusing and graphic account of the recent visit of
King Victor Emmanuel to Naples, taken under
date 14th Nov., 1863, from the Memorial Diplo-

matique :
Victor Emmanuel arrived at Naples on Wednesday, the
11th instant, at noon. His journey, which the Piedmontese
insist on transforming into a complete ovation, has been on
the contrary, an uninterrupted succession of accidents and
deceptions. Victor Emmanuel was to inaugurate the railroad
from Ortona to Foggia. In order to get the works finished
at the time named, 4000 men were employed day and night,

One thousand francs a night were spent on electric opera-
tions, As th 3 rain fell in torrents, thousands of waterproo;

coats were distributed to the workmen, who had been given
wine a discretion. It rained incessantly for four days. I leave
you to imagine what must have been the solidity of the
works. Then, on Wednesday, the King arrived at noon,
having been expected at 8 o'clock. From eight the National
Guards and the troops had been under arms. At the terminus
were the King's sons and the Prince de Carignan, the Pre-
fect, the Syndic—in short all the civil and military authori-
ties more or less constituted. Of course there were pro-
longed cheers and acclamations. At the moment that Victor
Emmanuel stepped out of the carriage, the roar of the
cannon announced his arrival at Naples ; at the same in-
stant the rain fell in torrents, which was really frightful to
see, and which speedily changed the streets into rivers. As
the weather had been fine in the morning, all the carriages
of the court party were open. I need hardly tell you
that their enthusiasm was somewhat damped. Some of
the Working Men's Societies followed the cortege
in
dirty carriages, adorned with still dirtier flags, A great
parade of the forces took place. The 12 legions of the Na-
tional Guard were echeloned from the station to the palace.
The grenadiers, the marines, two battalions of artillery, and
a squadron of lancers occupied the Place San Ferdinand°
before the palace. The Bth regiment of the line was on the
Place Marcatello, the 7th and 11th were on the Place della
Pigue, the 12th, Place Castello, and the Light horse at the
Capuan Gate. Some grotesque episodes marked the arrival
of King Victor Emmanuel. A woman, all dressed in black,
holding a great banner dressed in black crape, was intended
to represent Rome. When the cortege started, this woman
wished to rush forwerd and show herself to the King, but
she slipped and fell into a great pool of water, from which
she was not picked up until the Royal party had passed on.
You know the people of Naples, and that they are very su-
perstitious and much inclined co joking. On every side
arose mocking cries, "All is over I Rome has fallen into the
sea. Victor Emmanuel has missed Rome, 'tis not the first
miss he has made of it;" and other jokes which amused mo
very much, being accompanied by those gestures which are
unmatched in the world. The municipality had conceived an
unfortunate idea, which was to post on the walls immense
placards bearing the words" Benvenuto, it Re d'l talia." The
result was that on all sides one heard that Victor Emmanuel
was dethroned, that the Municipality had announced it
everywhere, and that Benvenuto was king in his stead.
Too next day a caricature representing Benvenuto (the
principal confectioner in Naples, as well known here as
Tortoni in Paris), seated on a throne in his cai6, and re-
ceiving the homage of his subjects, made its appearance,
But, to return to King Victor Emmanuel. Ile was wet to
the but appeared to take his bath philosophically
enough, and certainly conducted himself well in an un-
pleasant position. Every now and then it was plain that
he barely restrained a burst of laughter, provoked by the
irrepressible shivering of the Prefect and the Syndic, both
seated in front of him. They reflected dolorously on the
colds and catarrhs by which they would expiate their damp
journey. Their teeth were clenched during the whole of
the drive, The air of all the persons composing the cortege
was rather pitiable than enthusiastic, and the King jested
with the ladies who had been invited on the fratelocur of
their toilette. Having reached the palace, the King ap-
peared for a moment on the balcony. The troops were then
to have marched past, but the instant the King presented
himself the rain, which had ceased for a few minutes while
the cortege was passing down the Rue de Toledo,. re-
commenced with such violence that Victor Emmanuel,
apparently thinking the joke had been earri!d
too far, retired, and the inspection did not
,taTkoe
place. Some ragamuffins crossed the square, c
Rome to Venice I' But the King At San
and the mounted gendarmes dispersed the
an opera.
was changivin"rygihnFE: shirt,
. They
Carlo it was found impossible to g
honour ouTr aof England, and
sang a cantata of Verdi's,
having nothing whatever to di:wittahatehwe
eKteinign'shaernrievural ao tf
Naples. It seemed as if the spec
Mr. Elliott, the British Minister. Apropos of Mr. Elliot,
you must know that the iettatura has pursued the Ministers
Who accompanied the King, as well as the King h imself.
Prussian, Turkish, Russian, nd English Ministers,
The P a
as well as the First Secretary of the French Legation, have
followed Victor Emmanuel everywhere. At Bovino the
diplomatic equipage was overturned. The Turkish Minister
sprained his wrist, but Mr. Elliot, whose mind is greatly
pre-occupied about brigands, immediately suspected an
ambuscade, and drawing his revolver, fired at the
postillions. No one was wounded, but it was very
difficult to calm Mr. Elliot. The bad state of the roads
was the sole cause of the accident; fact, the En-
gineers dare not work where the brigands reign. Ido
not know how Mr. Elliot will be able
to affirm that brigan..
age no longer exists, and that the roads are perfectly safe,
when he arras himself cap •a-pie to make a journey with the
King tn the midst of an army. Let us return to Naples.
There was to have been a grand illumination in the evening.
The rain having ceased for some hours, the lights began to
sign of life. But 10, they had placed a bust of Victor
give nianuel on a sort of Altar in front of the Ministerial
palace, in the Rue de Toledo, and lighted eandles all round
it. In addition, immense wax torches were lighted in each
balcony, and the crowd were presently bathed in showers
of hot wax. It was a compensation for the ducking of the
morning. Briefly, it was not prett 3:::d but thenants ohar
charged
was
funereal. At half-past nine the atte
management of this illumination after the fashiondow:
t phy
eat hrr Yoe
La Chaise, came, and economically extinguished the can-
dles. Then the crowd hissed, yelled, screamed and hurled
execrations at these unhappycreaturesived, and who
who hereby
exceeded the orders they had received, retired
amid a shower of abuse. At 11 o'clock a torrent of rain
extinguished the lobject of Victor a
mps,
which still zealously burned. The
E
ores voyage was to review the fleet.
It is the same caseaTtplurerssednaty,,N a with 9
o'clockithther x theeviiewa morning,
the marching past. On Emmanuel's
the Admiral ordered the fleet, then anchored at Baja, to
proceed to Naples. Large placards had invited the whole
population to witness the review which was about to take
place. At one o'clock half the fleet arrived. The weather
was so bad it had been found impossible for the smallerships
to leave the Gulf of Baja. No matter, the review must be
held. The admiral ordered the ships to be got into lino of
battle. The whole population had assembled:on the shore.
At half-past one, a furious gale swept over the Gulf of
Naples, the rain came on again, the sea was terrible to be-
hold. The ships broke from their anchors, and the review
became impossible. The public cried out that all this was
very mysterious. They were promised fireworksn the
evening, but at sunset the hurricane had changed to r a
re-
d and hail,
gular tempest; lightning, thunder, rain, win
This morning
nothing was wanting to its completeness.
there
was weather is terrible—it rains, and the sea roars ;
was to have been a mock disembarkation at Baja—but no-
thing has as yet been possible of the whole programme.
victor Emmanuel is getting. tired ; he will go
,away on
Monday, and will probably have done nothing but dine mud
has been a complete failure.
visit the stables. The journey
Its only effect has been to wake Victor Eu 4140401 more