The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-19 00:00:00

THE STATE OF SICILY.

The following letter on the state of Sicily is
published in the Dovere of Turin. It was written
in Garibaldi's house, by one of the Sicilian deputies,
and represents the general disaffection existing in
the island, which has since found expression in a
long parliamentary debate at Turin, and the result
of which, it is said, will be the secession of the
Sicilian members of the Italian Parliament :
CArBERA., Nov. 1863—My dearest friend, the affairs of
Sicily induce me to write to you. I cannot tell you with
what feelings Garibaldi read the cases of Petralia Soprano,
nor can I repeat the indignant words to which he gave
utterance. Whether by good or ill fortune, I hardly know,
but he had for a listener one of those Englishmen, who,
edified by the correspondents of the Times and the Morning
Poet come to Italy under the beatific illusion that they are
about to find the garden of nature, and the kingdom of the
arts illuminated by the splendours of liberty, watched over
by laws and inviolablestatutes. Now I leave you to imagine
from what a height of rosy dreams the honest son of Albion
was flung down, when he heard the story of that daily
chronicle of Sicily; it is enough to say, that becoming in-
flamed with Southern enthusiasm he protested he would
write to the English journals himself, and force the truth on
t
thenoticeof thepublic. However, whether it may evel:r:athc e
the foreign journals or not, at least it is necessary t
Italian press should do its duty, and recall the country toa one
hour
Let the
te.
hour of counsel and good sense. Let us not
moderate persons who commit their defence to Chested. u
of Bonaparte, just as if no Italian language
those who will adopt the pharisaical formula, that to confess
the evils of one's country is to dishonour it, we
edmay reply
that " already silence has been too much prolong , reply
that
which
may be that the wound has become grave and chronic be-
auldtalnyeeheasa.
cause it was not probed at first—that not on the country can
the dishonour fall, but on the perverse conventicle,
deceives and to
isgoverns it ; that in. short, if
should recognise her servitude, and
done wrong in tolerating its yoke,
.it is good
number of
sary now that she
see herself as she is. You do not knew the
letters which come to us here from Sicily, laden with cries
and iraprec.ations, in every variety of style, some tragic,it
somecomie, some true, and some exaggerated, some, perhaps,ad
false, and all concluding by the same unanimous
prayer,
4; COMO, 0 Garibaldi, and bringus aid.„
And you knownot
how many letters are sent forth hence,never containing any
words but those of conciliation, and
Counsels of tolerance,
and how the voice which speaks from Caprera is the only
one listened to or respected by the disgraced people.
It is certain that there would have been an opportunity
supplied by these last events for the General to have spoken
frankly, severely, and openly, but everyone knows to what
his reticence is owing, and one who
knows Garibaldi
could etid will respect it.
the
for a moment suppose him ac-
complice,
even by silence,
deterred
At any rate, lam not of any injustice.
being too insighifiendby any such impediments,
I
meanto
tell you my NV holo
mind. And in order to do so most briefly and directly, I
will say that, ,i if things continue as they are, the Govern-
ment will destroy Sicily, and Sicily will destroy Itatl)r.." Thiee
Sicilian people have given evidence in tQhtei
than once that patience is not the nahaos..
li trrihkiisn oyf more
smite wghich are
virtues, and that their forbearancal
y the vespers of the
not to be transgressed with Now, the Italians
4th of April have sufacientlyirapprouvned•'
safely than any other
cannot trifle with
them!t moreis certainly
to Italy, but it sacred and vital
people. The cause ofoitini. Y
upreme, and above the cause
of unity they© reigns
n
snin the conscience of every people that
r is
le that liberty, justice. In the long
run the civilians
or liberty, will find
hentdthat they must reason thus, and
they will be reduced adab
wo
painful strait of choosing Jae:
tice before liberty, or Italy. But you will ask, are there
sufficient
injusticeL and suffering to justify my presentiments
and fears ? et us see. On the debit side of the Government
so must put to the account everything which they ought
to have done, and have not known how, or have not chosen
to do. We find in this list schools, streets, reintegrated
funds, bravest men and patiiots rewarded, .thieves and
Bourbonists punished, Garibaldi and his followers honoured,