The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-08 00:00:00

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SUN OFFICE, Six o'clock.

DERBY RACES.
(THIS DAY.)

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
UNION HUNT STAKES.

Escape
Newman Noggs
Six ran.
MIDLAND STEEPLECHASE.

Trout .
----
Spring
Victress

Eight ran. Won by a length and half.

ITALY.

TURIN, FEB. 4.

The strong majority gained by the Ministry in
the recent elections has just borne its firstfruits in
the Senate. The bill regulating the conscription,
in which the clauses defining the privileges of the
clergy to exemption from military service were the
first cause of disagreement between the Ministry
'and the Upper House, was passed yesterday by a
majority of 58 to 12. This result has been brought
about by a compromise, which satisfies the Liberal
opinion out of doors, and the now more manageable
prejudices of the Senate. It has been resolved
that exemptions from service shall only extend to
such of the candidates for holy orders as shall be
named by the bishops, on the average number of
the last tin years. This measure had become abso-
lutely necessary, as, in consequence of the exemp-
tion from the conscription enjoyed by the clergy,
the number of idle people crowding into the con-
vents, especially in the island of Sardinia, was out
of all proportion to the spiritual wants of the
country. The proceedings of the Senate on this
occasion afford a reasonable expectation of greater
harmony in future between that body and the
Ministry.
As I led you to expect, poor Silvio Pellico has
gone to his last account. He expired peacefully,
and with Christian resignation, on the night of the
31st January. He was horn at Saluzzo, in Pied-
mont, in 1788 ; but, on the completion of his
studies, removed to Milan, where he entered the
family of Count Luigi Porro, a gentleman well
known in England, in the capacity of tutor. He
there published the tragedy of Francesca da Ri-
mini ; and subsequently became editor of the first
Liberal paper in Italy, the Conciliatore. In Oct.
1820, he was arrested, with many of the best men
of Lombardy, on the suspicion of being a Carbo-
naro, and, as you know, was imprisoned :n the
Spielberg. There he remained in confinement
until 1830, when he returned to this country, and
published the account of his sufferings, "Le Mie
Prigioni," which provoked such universal sym-
pathy for him and his fellow-sufferers. Had the
Emperor Francis foreseen the wonderful effect pro-
duced by this work, poor Silvio Pellico would in all
probability have ended his days at Spielberg. His
Imperial Majesty used to evince the sense of the
mistake by the bitterness with which he always men-
tioned him as "quell' ipocritino." Since his liberation
he never took any part in politics ; but in 1843 Gio-
berti dedicated to him the first great work of the
Italian movement, "11 Primato. ' Great sweetness
rather than energy was the distinguishing charac-
teristic of Pellico's life. _ _

The contemptible Government of Tuscany is be-
ginning to lose what little sense it had, in its alarm
at the prospect of the present European crisis. Its
last act has been to expel Signor Piraino, a Sicilian
gentleman of property, and of moderate opinions,
who had taken refuge in Florence after the disaster
of 1849, and resided undisturbed until this time.
On inquiring the grounds for his summary expul-
sion, he was informed that he paid too frequent
visits to Lord Minto, who, as you may know, is
spending the winter at Florence with his family,
but living in the most retired manner. It was well
known that all Lord Minto's movements were
watched by the Tuscan police ; but it was scarcely
expected that drinking taa with him would be con-
verted into a crime against the State.