The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-05 00:00:00

THE INVASION OF CALABRIA.•

A letter dated Bagnara, Calabria, Aug. 24, says:
We were resting this morning with General Gari•
baldi and his staff on the terrace of a pleasant house
near Altafiumara, eating bread and cheese and re-
galing on the luscious grapes and figs of this happy
land, when a huge war frigate loomed in the dis-
tance at a high pressure of steam, making straight
towards us, as if bent on something like real mis-
chief. Garibaldi just issued orders to load the can-
non of the two adjoining forts of Fiumara. and
Torre Cavallo, from which the paltry garrisons had
not yet packed themselves off, and to make ready
for her reception. He kept his glass steadily
watching her movements, but after two or three
hours' veeriLg from Scylla to Faro, and from Faro
to Scylla, al ways keeping miles and miles off, she
turned her back, when, I doubt not, the Admiral,
or whatever her commander might be, sat down to
his maccaroni with the pleasant conviction that he
had discharged his duty. Now, it is my private
conviction, backed by the opinion of good Eng-
lish naval authorities, that an English frigate would
just have come within pistol-shot of all these forts,
and dismantled them one after another by a mere
couple of broadsides, as the forts are not very for-
midable in themselves, and we had manned them
with volunteers, most of whom had never seen a
cannon in their lifetime. The fact is, however, that
the Neapolitan navy is fully as much disorganised
and demoralised as the Neapolitan army, men and
officers at war between themselves, and only agree-
ing on the expediency of coming off from this
impious struggle with a whole skin. No man
in the world could do justice to the enthu-
siasm, the gentleness, and naivet e of these good
Calabrians. They accost 'Garibaldi as a Messiah,
and they would really throw themselves into the
fire to oblige him and the meanest of his followers
if they only knew what to do for them or how to do
it. They are helpless and awkward to an incon-
ceivable extent ; the primitiveness of their ideas, of
their habits and manners, of their mode of life is
something astounding, but no man can doubt either
the excellence of their nature or the genuineness
of their good will. Some of their National Guards,
which are everywhere speedily organising them-
selves, had caught a sinister-looking priest, whom
they charged with 13 years' persecution of the
Liberal party, and with the ruin, death, or impri-
sonment of some of the most notable patriots of this
neighbourhood. They had ferreted him out of some
secret lurking-place, and hurried him into the pre-
sence of their liberator and avenger at Fiumara,
begging that justice might be done on the old
treacherous, ruthless offender. The wretched caitiff
expected to be hurried off to instant destruction;
he did not kneel, but crept and crawled on the
pavement at Garibaldi's feet—such a picture of
abject terror as I could not believe to see evinced by
any human being, and forcibly reminding me of the
scene in " Rob Roy" where the Southron traitor is
brought before the vindictive wrath of the female
Macgregor. Who could depict the disdain and dis-
gust of the great-hearted Garibaldi at such a
hideous exhibition ? He shrank from the sickening
object as if from the touch of a reptile, and it was
only when the ill-advised culprit dared to adjure
him " for the salvation of the soul of his beloved
wife" (that Anita, who had died a victim to her
conjugal devotion) that he started up with a dark
cloud on his brow, and ordered his friends, who.
could scarcely be restrained from laying their hands
on the monster, to remove him by main force and
to bear him from the ground he was polluting
grs of
his touch. He then calmly directed
till °of war on
the National Guard to hold a
hies. c°utnochis fate.
We five. o'clock..
their murderer, and abandoned
We left Bagnara this morning
at a brisk trot,
Garibaldi and his staff rode away
of his troops at a great
leaving the very vanguilicid
adwaveiupon. a country still
distance behind,
crowded with his disbanded enemies. There was no
bravado this movement, as the rashness or
dis-
heartened Neapolitans were too glad to be allowed
to run away from the long trampled-onCalabrians,
who are willing to forego the vengeance so long
justly treasured up in their bosoms. Their for-
bearance and generosity
are above all praise. Not
a hair of the head of any of the fugitives, so far as
we hear, has been touched. They sell their muskets
to the highest bidder, and " Home, home!" is their
cry. Very few, men or officers, dream of joining
the patriot bands, who truly would rather not be
burdened with them.
It is but three hours' ride from Bagnara to Palmi;
we halted on the road at 6, and made a still longer
stay in a charming wood on the summit of the hill
hanging over the latter place. What a heaven of
a country this Calabria is ! What gorgeous, ex-
pansive views as we rise at every turn in the ter-
raced road ! what vastness of land and sea! what
atmospheric purity in the fresh, though not cool,
hours of the morning, before dust began to rise
under our horses' hoofs ! The hills, blessed with
unmatched, unwearied fertility, are mantled with
green to the loftiest summit, the soil teeming with
the produce of a backward but diligent and hard-
toiling husbandry. At every step, as we move away
from the Strait, the land looks more verdant and
more beautiful ; the plants, less vexed by the cool
and, at times, keen breeze of the Strait, reach f,
higher degree of luxuriancy. We crossed 7sit
i.
olive woods, the timber of which shoots np.e133.. 'of
loftier than I ever saw either in the
Genoa, or even on the hills of Frascati at
truly
Tivoli
The territorial wealth of this country is
-well off,
boundless, and the people are extremelyrem
ent to drain
in spite of all the efforts of the
commerce Government
and indus-
all sources of prosperity ; butt
thecountry may be
try are at so low an ebb. thtae
of silver. 'We are
said to be utterly destrictohases,
as the people aro
obliged to forego all
/70 either for our gold napo-
leons, to give us
chang
our e of the country. The
Icons, or even for
s must needs let us go with-
innkeeper who
out payment, as serves
he
really cannot accept 20f. for
.
a glass of wine,and the copper change he en-
deavours to scrape together n
for the difference be-
tween our tittle bill and 2s. is a load too heavy
for the strongest pocket.