The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-31 00:00:00

THE SUN.
LONDON, FRIDAY, OCT. 31, 1862.

How can he ever get better? It certainly ap-
pears as if they were determined to be the death of
him ! A consultation upon the wound of General

GARIBALDI upon Wednesday afternoon, the 29th of
October—with Seventeen Physicians present at it,
and participating in it! The result of this formid-
able consulation—(surelyabout the most numerously-
attended that can ever have been held upon any
wound received by mortal man, no matter how illus-
trious his name or important his existence)—the re-
sult of this formidable consultation we cannot but
regretfully look upon as very far indeed from having
proved as satisfactory as we were led to believe by

the last telegrams. These certainly made the

best of it. According to them Dr. NELATON
virtually guaranteed the patriot's recovery—
in a manner, staked his professional reputation on
it. According to these more cheering telegrams
which were flashed westwards after the close of the
consultation, the necessity for an amputation was
disproved. Looking at the further particulars now
coming to hand, alas ! we cannot but grieve to re-
cognise indications of much present and future
sufferings for 'that cruelly maltreated Hero who is
still doomed, it seems, to wait as patiently as may
be for the prospect of some indefinitely de-
layed alleviation—to say nothing about the
chance of some vague eventual recovery. Does
it not make one wince with a pang of sympathy
to read that—" The examination made with the
finger and probe, although incomplete, caused suf-
fering to the patient :"—that " it was impossible to
find the ball, but that in the opinion of the physicians
it is still in the wound"—that "a repetition of the
examination will be requisite to establish the exact
position of the projectile, and to allow of its ex-
traction being proceeded with, if possible, without
serious injury to the patient." It is quite out of the
question to deny, after reading these significant
words, that the prospect is gloomy indeed in the sick
chamber where GARIBALDI still lies upon his couch
of pain. His own impression proving after all to
have been the right one—the ball being still there
deeply embedded in the ancle, though invisible as
yet to probe and finger. The mere examinations of
the wound with probe and finger causing the patient
so much anguish that they had to be discontinued, and
the final scrutiny postponed. Even then, when the
exact position of the projectile may ultimately be
(and with as
little anguish as can be contrived)
ascertained—even then, these Physicians, in Wed-
nesday's Consultation, these Seventeen Physicians,
can intimate nothing more encouraging
than that
the extraction
of the rifle ball shall be proceeded
with, if possible (I),
without serious injury to the
patient I Certainly
anything but a satisfactory
conclusion to be arrived at, when the opinions of so
many experienced Doctors from Italy, from Prance,
and from England, have all been brought
to bear upon this difficult and anxious
case. There it is, however. And that
at the present is all that the friends of GARIBALDI
can hope for. The General must perforce be sub-
jected again to the torment of having his lacerated
ankle penetrated by probe and finger far enough,
at length to lead to the touching of the (as yet only
conjectured) projectile. When that has been accom-
plished, the extraction of it will have to follow, or—
the amputation of the limb. Either being a bitter
trial enough to that pain-worn, and attenuated
form—after weeks and weeks of silent suffering
borne with heroic fortitude. It is idle to gloss over
the fact that the state of GARIBALDI'S health and
the condition of his wounds, are such as to give
cause for the liveliest anxiety in his regard, and
for the most painful solicitude among his friends as
to the result.

We do not envy the feelings at this mo-
ment' "andr those eireumstanees—of General
PALLANIciNi, of CIALDINI the Cowman(ler-
in-Chi
t ef, of RATTAZZI the Prime Mini-
MANUeI., or of .
`phi Majesty Kin VICTOR EM-
L Rill be to them all if GARIBALDI'S
life succumbs under the miserable treatment to
treatment the hero has
which he has been hubiceted. AVe speak not of the
received [tool the various
ea:latent phytician6 and suri.3t-,oe who 1,0,