The Sun.
London, England, 1837-08-07 00:00:00

SICILY AND NAPLES.

(From the Quotidienne.)
" The repugnance of the Sicilians to everything that is
Neapolitan is one of the great difficulties of the Govern-
ment, because this national sentiment is laid hold of by
bad or ambitious men in all unpleasant circumstances. In
times of tranquillity the Magistrates and administrators
seek to acquire popularity by preserving in Sicily en inde-
pendent administration, which is a great impediment to an
united policy. The two Sicilies form one kingdom, and
nevertheless there is at Palermo a Viceroy, surrounded by
a Cotneil, Ministers, and Directors. Each country has
its own treasury, custom-house, and superior court of
justice ; the both are bound by the same law. The con-
sequence of which is that the same law may be interpreted
in each differently. The least inconvenience of this sys.
tern is the great expense which it causes. But the true
injury is, that it entails a perpetual source of quarrels and
complaints. The Government is fully aware of the defect,
but all its efforts to amend it arc counteracted by all that
is Sicilian, from the first nobleman at Court down to the
humblest clerk.
0 This desire of independence, this hatred to the Nea-
politan name, is still more dangerous when any grand event
occurs. The people of the towns of Sicily arc always ready
to follow the first who cries—' Sicily for ever. Down with
the Neapolitans. Like all people of the south, the Sici-
lians feel violent and reason little, and thorefere it is diffi-
cult to foresee the consequences a any thstnrbance, The
slightest error 0;1 th,e p:tq of an Administration, the least
imprtkdonca eoptnitteti by a military chief, a trilling sedition
eC9,lllel a 50;lakla TeVOlti

" The King is loved. The mass of the Sicilians are fat
Irom desiring to dethrone him and his family ; but, if a
triumplant riot should get to the extent of demaldin,g the
separation of the Government of the two countries, political
consequences the most grave might be the result.
" The Constitution of 1812, imposed by Lord Bentinek
and the force of English bayonets, has never been fortnally
established. Wise men have ever seen the inherent delude
of that foreign work, but it has its value in the ey:e of
those whom it flatters and elevates—namely, the laWYPtis
and the nobility. The nobility were not insensible to the
dignity of an Upper Chamber, and the lawyers think thgt
the House of Deputies must be filled by them. Theristture,
when Ferdinand, in 1815, resumed the throne Naples,
he contented himself with declaring that, he would net
assemble the :Parliament until cew Ut o! were demanded ;
and, in this state of things, it is 01'te possible that a dee
claratinn of independence sbi:..old instantly follow a porniP:r
movement, and that Constitution of 1812 shotikj, be
again revived,
" entering into a discussion on. the merits of
aid Constitution it, is Sufficient to remarl:.. that the King
Fertlinanki is I:,buud by acts of public turopcan law no; to
pc•ralif, the existence of that Constitution in Sicily. A
treaty between Austria and the Two Sicilics formally stia
pulates that the two contracting Powers cannot permit, ',rl
their respective States any deliberative assembly, or roodi•
fication of the political institutions, without the consent of
the other parties. It is evident that Austria would not
permit the establishment of a Constitution at Palermo, and.
to avoid complications of that nature, the Court of Napl-,s
will make every effort to stifle any troubles which may break
out in Sicily.
" The question now is, whether the evil seh;•Ch afflicts
Palermo and Messina is of a nature to give 'as reason to
fear a political separation. It must, in the first place, be
observed, that a political character ;.s given to these
troubles only by the Liberal papers, Extraordinary power
and additionnl force have been sent to General Careta, a
man of judgment, who knows -hill well the character of the
people she has to deal with. If he be obliged to come to
blows with the people of Palermo, it must be allowed that
they have not the means of oppt.,in% a stout resistance.
"The town of Palermo is cut at right angles by two
streets, which divide the city into four equal parts. The
garrison, which, since the emunencement of the troubles,
has occupied a positio;: outside the town, is in the posses-
sion of the fort of Casteltnarre, so that it will be difficult for
the rioters to prevent the troops from occupying the gates
which lead to the four principal streets. But the great ele-
ment which General Caretta has in hand to put an end to
the popular frrenzy is by promoting the rivalry which exists
between the different Sicilian towns. Messina, always
jealous of Palermo, is bound by interest to Naples. It
must also be recollected that Sicily is occupied by Swiss or
Neapolitan troops. There is but one Sicilian regiment re-
cruited in the island, and it is always in garrison, not in
Sicily, but at Naples.
• " Still, among a people like the Sicilians, events are hur-
ried on contrary to all reasoning ; and as we cannot say what
may be the end of present state of things we are content
with pointing out the situ ;lion of the island, for the purpose
of allowing nu: readers to form an accurate judgment for
themselves."

The Piethrwillese Gazette of the 31st contains the fol-
lowing extract from the Milan Gazelle, respecting the late
disturbances in Sicily.—" According to information received
from an authentic source, bearing date Naples 21st, public
tranquillity haS been seriously disturbed in Palermo. Par-
tial disorders, occasioned by the ravages of the cholera,
were immediately repressed, and order soon restored ; but
the inhabitants of the adjoining villages having taken arms
prevented the introduction of provisions into the city, and
ware even preparing to enter it for the sake of plunder.
The garrison of Palermo marched out against them, de-
feated them, and took a number of prisoners, who were
handed over to justice. Six hundred men, sent from
Naples, landed near the village of La Bagaria, in spite of
the resistance offered by the inhabitants. A second expe-
dition of troops left Naples on the 17th, for the same desti-
nation in order to re-establish good order in the villages that
had revolted."

The Augsburg Gazette, in a letter dated July 20, An-
nounces that 20,000 persons had died in Palermo since the
first appearance of the cholera. The country people, no
less terrified than those of the city, had ceased to bring pro-
visions into Palermo, the inhabitants of which were suffer-
ing from a frightful famine. The epidemy, according to the
last accounts, had spread over the whole island, with the
exception, however, of Messina. Every day additional
troops were shipped from Naples for Sicily ; all the unoc-
cupied sailing vessels in the harbour had been freighted for
the purpose, together with six steam-boats. It was re-
ported that the British flag bad been hoisted at Messina, an
event which was made to coincide with the concentration
of the English fleet at Malta. Prince Charles of Capua
was charged with fomenting disturbances in the island. The
Council of Ministers met every day, and it was believed the
King of Naples would be obliged to proceed thither in per-
son to pacify the country.

RAILROAD FROM PARIS TO ST.

GERMAIN.

On Sunday, the 30th ult., the railroad from Paris to
St. Germain may be said to have been opened in its full
extent, a train of carriages, containing the Minister of Fi-
nance, the Duke de Cazes, several Members of the Insti-
tute, and other persons of distinction, having proceeded the
whole length of the road. It was, in reality, a second ex-
perimental journey, and there was originally no intention on
the part of the directors to proceed farther than Chaton, as
on the occasion of the preceding trip ; but some works,
which it was at first thought would have occupied more
time, having been terminated before the day expected, the
directors, by way of affording an agreeable surprise to their
guests, kept the secret until the party arrived at Chaton.
The length of the railroad is 18,430 metres, or 4i leagues
(11A- English miles), which the train passed over in 35 mi-
nutes, returning in 29 minutes. The greatest rapidity at
which the party went was at the rate of 14 leagues an hour.

Only one pair of rails has yet been finished, and it ap-
pears that the company intend to open the railroad to the
public without waiting for the second. The railroad in
Belgium, which is twice the length of that from Paris to
St. Germain, has been in full activity for nearly three years,
though only one pair of rails is finished.
In its course the St. Germain Railroad passes under two
tunnels, and along two-thirds of the line it is raised on a
viaduct of the average height of from 15 to 20 feet. It
crosses the Seine twice, and passes over or under no less
than fifteen roads. The rails are represented to be of
unusual strength, those on the Liverpool railroad weigh-
ing only 13 kilogrammes, %bile those on the St. Ger-
main weigh no less than 30. The Paris tunnel is 550
feet in length, and that of the Batignoles 960 feet. The
whole of the works, as far as they have yet gone, have
occupied only 18 months. The National concludes its de-
scription of the experiment in the following strain of extra-
vagance :—" All the spectators uncovered and respectfully
saluted this creation of human intelligence. A number of
them clapped their hands, and one woman made the sign of
the cross. The alternations of noise and silence, the more
or less hurried breathing of the machine, the sort of neigh-
ing noise which was heard, the sharp whistling sound which
announced the departure or arrival of the train, might lead
to a belief that it was a living being which moved, breathed,
and had its own peculiar language. It sometimes makes a
plaintive sound, sometimes a sound of anger, and then allows
a continuous torrent of smoke to escape, or puffs into the
air at equal intervals round clouds, which assume all the
hues of those of the atmosphere. In its moments of calm
it produces only a light vapour, and then suddenly imitates
the sound of horses' hoofs, or the noise of a mill."

A CIIRISTIAN LADY EMBRACING HINDOOISM.
—The chotec titnee of Ralth Mittrajit Sing, was born of
Christian parents ; hhtifrom the day that she was placed in the
Zenana of the Rajah she Has become a perfect Ilincloo, having
g;ven up the Christian mode of praying and the Christian cus-
toms to which she was brought up. She is in fact turned a
great devotee, and her whole time and attention is absorbed
in the observance of ceremonies according to the tenets of the
Shastras. She lately expressed a desire to•dedicate a temple
to Shiva ; and the question, whether the Shastras permitted
her doing so, was pet to the pundits in the neighbourhood;
but their opinion, that she could not be permitted so to do, on
account of the defect in her birth, diseutisfied the convert, and
at her request the Rajah sent to Benares for a number of pun.
dits to settle the point. These came, and after a somewhat
lengthy discussion they unanimously agreed in the opinion that
there was nothing in the Shastras against her dedicating a
temple to:Shiva ; but what she could not do was performing
the poojah of the:. god personally. She could, however, visit
the temple, keeping herself at a distance from the sacred part
of it. The ranee and the rajah were well pleased with the
opinion ; and the latter lost no time in ordering 10,000
for building the temple. The foundation of the temple is laid
and it is expelted, in the course of a short time, to be finished.
A hisbarhol- Cubbeer, Jan. 7, 1837.
Ott Thursday Professor Calvert lectured at the
Marylebone Institution, and Friday night concluded big course
on Oratory at the Southampton-buildinposhicb, 61- interest
and attraction, has not been exceeded by any tt,ing given at
that Institution. The Lecture.room was densely crowded,
and the expression of tumultuous delie,t which broke the
profound attention, required considerable time to subside.
We are compelled to say, in strictness of justice, that the
Lecturer's success, however great, is quite within the measure
of his merits, He unites all the requisites for this style of
emine
evennt ly the g garbesattr
aseetei
or ents
.o f
He xi;
lectuyieg, and possesses pre-
olaitnlanguagineteisreisiet,naonuds.
iemlepaars,siaorindingpeculiarly rich in metaphor—
but reasoning through physical ana-
inz
es 74 e
ar
sapdeect d osronfamn
brilliant logic, which does not encumber,
but forms rather the traesparent drapery of thought. We hope
to see Mr. Calvert again at a more placid season, when we
can do soutolhing like justice to his distinguished 'talent and
Tarn attainments,