The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-28 00:00:00

TiIE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVEN !NG, JANUARY 18, 1848.

received the news of the-insurrection of Palermo that
very night. The troops sent against that city arrived
there quickly; they found that the fort had thrown
some bombs upon the town, but the two English ships
in port had intimated that, if the bombardment con-
tinue(l, they would bombard the castle in their turn,
since the. English have considerable property at
Palermo, which must not be destroyed, unless the
value of it be deposited in their hands by the Govern-
ment of Naples. The troops under the command of
Prince Lows, Count of Aquila, disembarked, and
were astonished at seeing armed men appear on all
sides, the town being new ise disposed to surrender.
After a little hesitation the troops advanced towards
the Marcueda Gate ; but when 'within shot the gates
were suddenly opened, and a terrible discharge of
grape shot threw them into disorder, and forced them
to retire. They afterwards encamped near the sea,
while the citizens are prepared for defence. Prince
Louis, says this account, sent immedietely to Naples,
to inform the KING that it was impossible to take the
town by assault. _ _

The latest intelligence from Sicily is contained in
a supplement to the Nouvelliste, of Marseilles, pub-
lished on the 23d, which gives the following addi-
tional particulars of the revolution :
" The Ville de Marseilles arrived here yesterday
from Naples. Although this steamer left two hours
before the Seaostris, it brings us our regular corre-
spondence, in which we find interesting details relative
to the insurrection. The provisional Government
instituted at Palermo by the insurgents is composed
of persons of the highest character and influence in
Sicily ; their names alone are the surest guarantee
that can be given for the cause of liberty and public
morals. The following is a list of the members of the
committee of this Government :—the Duke de Mon-
teleone, who is known to the whole of Europe by his
immense fortune which is derived from Fernand
Cortes, of whom he is the last descendant ; Admiral
Rugiero Settimo ; the Count Aceto ; and the
celebrated advocate Marocco. The provisional G.,-
vernment has adopted the most intelligent treasures
to secure the maintenance of public order and the
triumph of the cause; its prudent arrangements have
banished all fear of indiscipline and anarchy. Fore-
seeing the event, which, however, is not very pro-
bable, of the royal troops again getting the upper
hand, the provisional Government has decided that, in
such case, it will transfer the seat of its authority to
a town of the interior, where it would continue to
extend its action over the island, and, by an excess of
prudence and devotedness, it has gone so far as to
designate beforehand the members who ere to succeed
it if the chances of war should unhappily cause it to
fall into the hands of the royal troops. The
courage of the insurgents is already known ;
but what we are anxious to make known is the
moderation which they have constantly mani-
fested. We will mention a few instances. Several
detachments of the royal troops charged to guard the
public establishments found themselves completely
enveloped by the insurgents, who respected their
weakness, and even left them at the pests which had
been confided to them. The provisional Govern-
ment has ratified this act of clemency, and provides
daily rations for these soldiers. A great number of
the families of the soldiers, and particularly of
officers, were in Palermo. Not only have the in-
surgents respected them ; they have even for-
warded to them the rations which have been sent
from the fortresses. The troops encamped out-
side the town under Monte Pelegrino, before
their retreat into the forts and barracks, suf-
fered cruelly from cold and hunger, not having
been able to provide food and fuel in the town,
where they found only enemies ready to eject them.
In this state of things the Government sent from
Naples 30,000 rations by the brig of war Principe
Carlo, which was towed by a steamer. One fact,
which it is essential to state, is that the insurrection
maintains a purely defensive attitude, waiting for the
provocations of the enemy to reply to them. Only
once have the insurgents assumed the offensive.
This was at the moment when the troops abandoned
their bivouac at the foot of Monte Pelegrino to enter
their barracks, which the people conceived was an
aggressive movement. In this attack the royal
troops sustained considerable loss. The insurgents
occupy all the gates of Palermo, at which are
batteries of cannon sent from Trapani and Ter-
mine. General Viale, military governor of Paler-
mo, humiliated at the position in which he had
been placed, made a vigorous attempt on the
14th to enter the town. For this purpose, he
sent forward a strong column of infantry and cavalry,
which made vain efforts to open a passage for itself,
and be come master of the Maquedar Gate. The
people, wishing to avoid as much as possible the
effusion of blood, waited for the first shock with
silence. After having sustained the fire of the assail-.
ants, they replied by charges of musketry, grape-
shot, and artillery, which made dreadful ravages in the
ranks of the royal troops. The cavalry, in particular,
was nearly cut to pieces in this sanguinary conflict.
The son of General Viale, a captain of cavalry, was
mortally wounded. The column soon beat a re-
treat, leaving numerous victims on the field of
battle. Thus the garrison of Palermo, which, at
the moment of the insurrection, was 8,000 strong, and
which, by the reinforcements from Naples, has been
increased to 13,000, is unable to oppose with success
the progress of the insurrection. It was this despe-
rate state of things which the Count d'Aqui!a, the
King's brother, went to communicate at Naples on
the 17th. After having received his account, the
King summoned his Council to deliberate on the
course to be adopted. We do not yet know the
result of this deliberation ; it is, however, almost
certain that Sicily is in a position to obtain, one way
or the other, the legitimate concessions which it
demands. It would be easy for the King to disarm
the insurrection by entering freely into the path of
reform. The Sicilians desire nothing better than to
sign, with the King's Government, the pact of recon-
ciliation."

The Augsburg Gazette, under date of Naples, Jan.
15th, says that the KING has sent the Duke DE
SERRA CAPRIOLA on a mission to Lord MINT() at
Rome. Disturbances had broken out at Foggia,
to which place artillery and cavalry had been dis-
patched.
Count RADETSKI has published the following ordc r
of the day at Milan :

" The Emperor being firmly resolved, according to
his right and his duty, to protect in the most effica-
cious manner possible the Lombardo-Venetian king-
dom, as well as every other part of his states,
against any hostile attack, whether from within or
without, has charged me to make known this his
resolution to the troops stationed in Italy.
Soldiers, you have heard the words of your
Emperor, and I am proud to communicate them to
you. The machinations of a criminal spirit of inno-
vation will fall before your fidelity and your bravery,
as glass breaks against a rock. The sword which I
have worn for sixty-five 3 ears on many a field of
battle is still firm in my hands. I will use it to pro-
tect the repose of a country hitherto so happy, but
which a senseless party now threatens to plunge in
boundless misery. Soldiers, your Emperor reckons
on you. Your aged general has confidence in you.
Let me not be compelled to unfurl the standard of the
double eagle, the strength of its wings are not yet
paralysed. Our motto shall be Protection to
peaceable and faithful citizens, and destruction to its
disturbers."'

The King of WUNTEMBUBG opened, on Jan. 22,
the ordinary session of the Chambers, and delivered
on that occasion a Speech, of which we give the last
paragraph, relating to Switzerland. It is as follows :
" A grave duty remains for me to fulfil. The
events in Switzerland, generally known, called forth
by extreme and opposite parties, and carried even to
civil war, were calculated to exercise a dangerous
influence on neighbouring countries. Germans who
had fled from justice have assembled in that country,
and have endeavoured to found associations with their
countrymen, and to inundate our countries with re-
volutionary writings. The vilest and most reprehen-
sible means have been employed to propagate discon-
tent and fermentation. In that state of thingii, as
dangerous for us as for our neighbours and confede-
rates, I address myself with full confidence to my
faithful States, as to those who, bring placed at the
head of our people, express their sentiments and
manner of thinking. If the influences from abroad
should become more aggravated, you would behold
me with unshaken courage, as formerly against the
enemies of our country, combating at present, after
thirty-two years' reign, against the disturbers of our
domestic repose with the same energy and the same
decision in my principles. United with you, and
acting in the spirit of our constitution, I tranquilly
avoided the tempests of oar epoch. May God pro-
tect and bless our country."

The Austrian note to the Swiss Diet was pre-
sented on the 22d of January. It is a copy of the
French note. Both notes have been referred to a
Committee. Several Members of the Diet took
occasion to comment in severe terms on the arrogant
assumption on the part of the French and Austrian
Cabinets to interfere in the affairs of Switzerland,
and also protested against the false and calumnious
assertions of the Count DE MONTALEMBERT. The
Diet, with the exception of the Deputy for Neufchatel,
unanimously voted the address to the army, which, said
the Deputy for Friburg, will be giving an authoritative
contradiction to the falsehoods which the Jesuit
partisans have so industriously circulated in foreign