The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-20 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 20, 1862.

BOMB PRACTICE AT NAPLES.

(From the Correyondent of the Times.)

NAPLES, AIARCII 11.

Bomb practice is just now the order of the day or
rather of the night, for on Saturday, about eight
o'clock in the evening, another was fired inside the
doorway of a house just opposite Santa-Bridgida.
The publicity of the spot and the early hour, when
the streets are usually full of people, show the
great daring of the persons or of the party who
make these attempts at confusion, without, how-
ever, producing any decided results. Happily no
serious accident took place; some of the windows
on both sides of the streets were blown in, the
roof of the passage was torn down, some articles
of furniture in the house were thrown down by
the concussion on a young woman and a soldier
who was passing at the time was slightly wounded,
but no life was sacrificed. In an instant there
were hundreds of people on the spot, and Na-
tional Guards and policemen :turned out with
such promptitude that some were without hats,
others without coats, and many had only their
belts on; all, in short, showing the greatest
alacrity to maintain the cause of order. As
if by magic, the windows of the Toledo were lit up
in a minute, and, as if it were a part of a combined
operation, lamps and candles flared, and flags waved,
while ladies and gentlemen from the balconies
shouted "Viva Garibaldi!" " Viva Vittorio Emma-
nude !" "Death to the Bourbons !" Death to the
Reactionists !" Patrols of National Guards paraded
the streets from 100 to 200 in number, and the
small boys, headed by a strong party of gentlemen,
went from house to house, urging the inhabitants
to put out their flags, and visiting with their wrath
those who refused. A tobacco shop near the Caffe
of Europa, the usual resort of the Codini, was at-
tacked and the windows broken, and the same thing
happened to another house higher up the Toledo in
the Largo di Carita. Some unfortunate persons, too,
who were walking in the Toledo, and who were
suspected of reactionary principles, were beaten by
the excited Liberals, and very fortunate it was that
nothing worse occurred. The agitation continued
till late at night, and so far as demonstrations went,
of which the Neapolitans are passionately fond, all
terminated well. On Sunday morning another
bomb, which had not exploded, was found under
the Ponte di Chiaja, and was ,imprudently enough
carried off to the Quxstura, as it would have been
better to leave it with a guard near the spot. Of
course, the publie mind is much agitated, and the
object of the Reactionists is fully attained, which I
imagine to be to prevent all settlement, and to give
an impression of a secret and widely-spread conspi-
racy against the new state of things; reports have
been flying about, no doubt propagated by the Bour-
bonites, that San Carlo was undermined, but they
deserve no serious attention. However, the spring
campaign has opened both in town and country,
and every one who is not dazzled by lights and
flags, and stunned by shoitting, must be sensible
that there is in Southern Italy a disaffected party,
however small, which is not to be put down by call-
ing it brigands, Bourbonites, Reactionists, or Co-
dini. The fact exists, and after almost a military
occupation for upwards of a year and much blood-
shed, rebellion or brigandage, call it by what name
you like, still crops up.

NAPLES, MARCH 12.

The fifth bomb of the season was fired on Tues-
day last, about 7 o'clock in the evening, in the
Strada Caragioello, and, as I witnessed the scene
which followed, I send you an early report of it.
This street leads out of the Toledo in the direction
of the Gesu Nuovo, and the event was the more
startling, as it took place at so early an hour, and
near the principal artery of the city. Same hun-
dreds, if not thousands, of people assembled to-
gether instantly ; the National Guards were on the
ground as quickly, without their unifoams, or with
only the kepi, and, of course, with their muskets ;
and, as on all the other occasions, demonstrations
were the order of the night. Hosts of boys and well-
dressed men perambulated the streets in different
parties shouting at the very top of their voices "Viva
Garibaldi !" For myself, I heard no other cry, but
doubtless, in some directions, the Sovereign's name
was shouted, and I was told that "Abbassoie Papa!'
and " _Norte ai Preti !" were uttered. It cannot be
said, however, that there was any show of the more
respectable among the citizens in the crowd—these
seemed to look on with curiosity, while no incon-
siderable number of rabble were mixed up with
some of the more exalted among the people. The
first party I met carried in their van a full-length
statue of Garibaldi, and the name of the idol was the
only one to be heard; then, after a short interval,
came another party equally excited, carrying the
national flag. All, however, were animated by the
same spirit, and as they passed along they called
for " Lumi, lumi !" which, from patriotism or fear,
were instantly displayed. The appearance of the
streets was therefore odd enough, for, as the shouts
below rose to the upper stories, the inhabitants
snatched up their • oil lamps or waxlights, and,
hurr3 ing to their windows, placed them outside on
their balconies. Some of the houses remained in per-
feot darkness, either from the absence or the reaction-
ary feeling of the proprietors, and before these the
crowds stopped and hissed, and cried oat "
Izmir in one case, certainly, just where I stood,
and I believe in many others, smashing the win-
dows on the order not being complied with. I am
told, too, that many persons, suspected of not
being over -friendly to the Government,were stopped
and beaten. As yet, the persons who fired the
bomb have not been discovered, nor is it likely that
they will be, for the train which is attached is so
long that it may burn several minutes before the
explosion takes place, giving ample time for escape.
It is true that little harm is done by these constantly
occurring events besides the shattering of windows
and the occasional wounding of a passer-by, but
confusion and exaggerated ideas of disorder are the
inevitable consequences; and, what is worse than
all, the excesses of the Liberals themselves. Men
already sufficiently excited are glad enough to dis-
cover some pretence for venting their personal or
political spleen against their opponents, and there
are not wanting in Naples miscreants who take ad-
vantage of the enthusiasm of honest men to urge
them to the commission of illegal acts. Private
orders have therefore been given, very prudently
to disperse assemblages of any party whatever, and
the authorities are instituting a process against
some of the promoters of disorder on Tuesday night.
The guardians of the public peace have, however, a
very difficult part to play, for while they are deter-
mined on asserting the law, they dare not altogether
check that enthusiasm which is their principal sup-
port against the intrigues of the Bourbonites, As
I have already told you, these attempts to produce
confusion emanate from the committees which are
more or less in connection with, and receive money
from, Rome ; and they are formed of two classes of
persons who, as far as it can be ascertained, are in-
dependent of one another. Thus, while some of the
committees are formed of the pure military eLlnent,
members of the old army in ritiro, others are.made
up of ex-Neapolitan and Sicilian police and other
malcontents. Such is the result of official investi-
gations, but, of course, there are others from various
classes who go to swell the list of the opposition,
and priestly class. We may expect
toheeasrpemciaanlyly more bombs burst, but' it is to be
hoped that we shall hear no more of these demon-
strations ; for they lead to great and shameless ex-
cesses, and are got up by over-zealous and injudi-
cious persons, and by men wearing only the mask
of liberalism. Demonstrations, too, have been the
order of the day in Sicily, of anti-Papal character,
and priests' hats have been carried and beaten as
tambours in procession. The irritating and often
illegal action of the ultra-Liberals is, perhaps, one
of the u
tght dangers to which Italy is exposed ;
and
will have a difficult game to play in
arociaitteys
checking it without destroying enthusiasm.

The Bahe of Turin states that a card manufac-
turer at Milan has conceived the idea of making packs, in
which the knaves (the word is not meant in an offensive
sense) represent Masaniello, Balilla, Pietro, Micca, and
Garibaldi ; their chief exploits being displayed. on the four
aces. The four Queens are Blanche of Sicily, Caterina Se-
gurana, Christina of Savoy, and Marie de Medicis ; the
four kings are Berengarius, Amadeus VI., Charles Em-
manuel, and the King.