The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-25 00:00:00

Force in Sicily.' The following are extracts from lof the affirmation." The same letter adds :—" We
our correspondence : were well pleased this morning by the arrival of
the French steamer Descartes, followed by a ship
of the line, which is signalled as in sight. Our
situation at Naples is extremely grave. The popu-
lace are beginning to be agitated, and as we may
at any moment see the city a prey to excesses, we
are happy to see foreign vessels of war arrive.
England has at present two ships of the line and
two steamers in the Bay of Naples."
The general plan of Garibaldi's movement ap-
pears to have been modified ; as he is now direct-
ing all his efforts and resources towards Sicily
alone, in order to make that island, if he should
succeed in becoming master of it, the basis of sub-
sequent operations against the kingdom of Naples.
All volunteers are, until further orders, to be
directed by small detachments towards Sicily ;
they will, it is arranged, land at points previously
fixed on, and thence proceed to head-quarters,
where they will be formed into companies and bat-
talions. If success crowns Garibaldi's efforts, he
hopes, the latest accounts from his friends state, to
organise a formidable expedition, make a descent
on Calabria, raise the country, and extend the in-
surrectionary movement from the south to the
north of the kingdom. 'The Neapolitan Govern-
ment appears to understand the great importance
of energetically defending Sicily. Six squadrons
are to be charged with the guard of the coast, and
they will be composed of about 50 vessels of war of
all sizes. The superior command has been confided
to Count d'Aquila, the King's uncle, who has the
direction of the fleet and of the naval affairs of the
kingdom. A telegram has arrived in Brussels, an-
nouncing that Garibaldi has entered Palermo at
the head of 9,000 men. This fact, if confirmed,
would prove that the soldiers of Garibaldi are ani-
mated with extraordinary ardour, as 9,000 men
will have taken a strong town defended by an
army estimated at 15,000.

" Marsala, May 16.

" Events are crowding upon us. Yesterday, the
15th of May, Garibaldi', joined by large numbers of
well armed mountaineers and people from the neigh-
bouring towns, left Salemi for Calata Fimi. It is
said that a considerable Neapolitan force is stationed
at Alcamo, which, however, cannot be so large, but
that he will unhesitatingly attack it, and no doubt
with his usual good fortune.
" ' The Argus, just in from Palermo, brings the
news that matters were in an extraordinary ex-
cited state there. The 10th Regiment had mutinied
against their officers, and had been in consequence
sent off to Naples. The Royalists were walling up
the gates of the town, and raising up strong earth-
works on the land side. All the women and child-
ren of the officers and soldiers had been sent off to
Naples. Two regiments of foreign recruits had
arrived from Naples ; and it is thought they will be
the only men that will think of standing a brush
with Garibaldi. A general panic was beginning to
show itself among the troops.
P.S.—The Neapolitans have not been able to
gr

;et off the Sardinian steamer. A frigate and a
steamer that came yesterday for the purpose, caused
a great panic in town, and all the inhabitants
crowded out towards the harbour to know if
their intent was ' wicked or charitable.' This de-
monstration seemed to produce a counter panic in
the brave Neapolitans, who appeared very shy
about coming near land, and in fact they had
scarcely any communication with the shore.
" Trapani is in a most rigorous state of siege."
" Another letter says :

" Marsala, May 12.

" You will no doubt have heard by the arrival
of the Intrepid of the extraordinary event which
happened here yesterday, and which still looks
more like a dream than a reality—namely, the
landing in this harbour of Garibaldi with a band
of about 1,500 as fine looking fellows as you can
well imagine from two Sardinian steamers. The
landing was effected in gallant style, and with
most extraordinary celerity and order, and part of
the time under the guns of a Neapolitan frigate
and two steamers. One of the Sardinian vessels
was run aground and scuttled by themselves in the
harbour, and the other was taken outside by the
Neapolitans ; but after the landing had been fully
effected. I believe the brave adventurers did not
lose a man—only two or three wounded. We
were all in a state of alarm during the firing, as the
shot and shell from the frigate went flying about in
a most awkward manner—some into the town,
some into Woodhouse's stores, some into Wood's
baglio (factory), and one actually over our heads
here on the baglio terrace, which fell into the sea
beyond the Salinella. Our Vice-Consul, with
the Captains of the Intrepid and Argus
(both here fortunately for us at the time),
went on board the frigate during the
firing to inquire into the meaning of their
missiles so capriciously injuring our factories, on
each of which the English flag was flying, and to
inculcate more caution and accuracy in their opera-
tions. The Neapolitan Commanders, wisely consi-
ding that it was their duty to expend a certain
quantity of powder and shot on such an important
occasion, gave the town the benefit of the residiary
dose, after the enemy was snug within the walls,
and laughing at this exhibition of impotent rage.
It was, however, no laughing matter to the poor
inhabitants, who, not accustomed to such pheno-
mena, took to flight in all directions to avoid the
effects of the shell, which did considerable damage
about the Porta di Mare and the Grazia Vecchia,
but fortunately without loss of life, as many families
were in the country for their spring trip. A con-
siderable number, high and low flocked under the
protection of our flag here, and the old baglio is as
crowded as Noah's Ark, only the animals are all
human.

" ' This morning the whole of Garibaldi's party
set off for Salemi, reinforced by a good many Mar-
salese volunteers, and well provided with horses for
the officers, carts for their spare arms and ammu-
nition, and mules for the field-pieces they brought
with them. Everything was managed with admi-
rable order, and apparently to the satisfaction of
General Garibaldi: though under the effect of the
bombardment from the Neapolitan vessels the poor
Marsalese did not show an enthusiastic welcome to
their unexpected visitors.

" ' May 14.

" ' At Salemi they were received with open arms,
after having been joined on their march by several
large armed bands under Coppola, of the Monte,
Baron Sant'Anna, of Alcamo, &c. Other two bands
of armed countrymen have set off from this place to
join the brave General, and with the reinforcements
expected from Castelvetrano, Santa Ninfa, and
other neighbouring towns, they will soon muster a
very formidable force. Even their artillery is in-
creasing, as some light brass field-pieces, buried
since 1849, have been brought out, and found in
good condition. Several Frane;scan monks have
put themselves at the head, with the cross in one
hand and the sword in the other.

" A kind of panic still continues here, and the
Marsaiese feel themselves quite at sea with such a
strange and rapid succession of conflicting events.
On Easter-day it was down with the Bourbons and
up with the tri-colour—a fortnight afterwards all
the obsequious nobles of Marsala going out with a
band of music to meet the Royal troops, who were
coming to disarm them and haul them over the
coals—nOw Garibaldi and his Chasseurs of the Alps
landing triumphantly among them under showers
of Neapolitan grapeshots and bombshells. They are
not yet recovered from the excitement, and the
town is in a kind of neutral state, no actual demon-
strations against the old Government, but no taxes
are being paid.
"' We have the Argus here. I have just heard
she is going to Palermo to-day. We hope she will
be back again immediately, as the town being again
in a state of confusion and without an armed force,
all the lawless vagabonds with whom the place
abounds, are once more uniting and threatening
pillage and plunder. Of course, with an English
vessel of war near us, we feel quite safe ; but we
are very uneasy when left to our own resources in
such a state of things.'

The following account of the parts of Sicily into
which Garibaldi's band have penetrated will be
found interesting :
"FromMarsala, two roads lead towards Palermo :
one in gcod repair, following the coast on the
north to Trapani, and from Trapani turning sud-
denly to the east by Mount San Juliano, crosses
to Calatafimi, redescends towards the sea through
Alcamo, and then proceeds right• along the splen-
did valley of Palermo. A second road, less care-
fully attended to, goes from Marsala to Calatafimi
Marsala only possesses a small port, and a road-
sted not very deep ; on the land side it is defended
by old walls flanked with square towers. It was
clear that troops disembarking at Marsala, an open
town on a low shore, could not intend to remain
there an hour. If the Neapolitan troops had in-
tended to hold the country, they would only
have to guard the defiles, which lead to Calatafimi,
and, in that case, when even if the insurgents had
possessed a numerous artillery and regular troops,
they could not have advanced more than five miles
into the interior. As the Neapolitans did not de-
fend the defiles of Calatafimi, they abandoned
voluntarily or forcedly all the west of the island.
No obstacle preventing the insurgents from pre-
senting themselves before the latter town, any of-
fensive return from Palermo was impossible or
at least very dangerous. The insurgents pos•
sessing Calatafinsi are masters of Trapani, Marsala,
Mazzara, Castel Vetrano, and even Sciacca. But
let us examine an instant this western part of the
island. Alcamo is a town situated on a plateau in
the midst of a plain ; it was formerly an Arab
establishment, as its name indicates, and is well
chosen to comdiand several little ports, of which
the nearest and most important is named
Magazinazzo. From Palermo to Alcamo is rather
more than 21 miles, and from Alcamo to Calata-
fimi about eight. To go from Palermo to Alcamo
we follow one of the most admirable valleys of
Sicily, in which are olive trees centuries old, and
groves of orange and citron trees. But on passing
the height which closes the valley to the south
the scene suddenly changes, and the approach
to Alcamo is through arid mountains. Then
entering deep gorges we arrive at Calata-
fimi, a town not of 10,000 inhabitants, as stated
in the newspapers, but of 4,000 or 0,000.
The town, which is of wretched aspect, is
dominated by a castle now quite in ruins. From
this castle an extraordinary country is seen—the
land and rocks being in confusion as if tossed about
by some terrible earthquake. The Neapolitans ought
to have defended these parts, but not having done
so they have left great advantage to the guerillas.
The latter, in fact, without leaving the mountains,
can surround Palermo, either by going to Bagaria
on the east, or in turning Monreale and occupying
the Monte Pellegrino to the west ; they can com-
mand the solitary plains of Marsala and Mazzara,
can possess themselves of Mount San Juliano which
dominates Trapani, can cut off all communication by
land between the town and Palermo, and can cause
the inhabitants of Trapani to suffer dreadfully from
thirst by destroying the only aqueduct which con-
veys them water from Mount San Juliano. If the
insurgents be numerous, they can besides reach
the rich valleys of Castel Vetrano and Campo

Bello to the south, and the towns of Termini and

Cefalu on the north coast. The place of disembar-
kation of Garibaldi's bands was chosen with so much
intelligence as to cause us to suppose that he and
his lieutenants will profit by all the advantages
which the nature of the country affords. Trapani
is a pretty town formerly fortified, and has a sort
_ _

of citadel which commands the port. If it were
not for the want of water, the town could easily
be defended on the land side, as it is only united to
the plain by a tongue of land cut by salt marshes.
From Calatafimi to Trapani the road winds through
irregular hills; and on this road, a length of up-
wards,of 18 miles, there:is not a house, not a tree,
not a shrub. At a distance of 2or 3 miles from
Palermo and all other great towns there is scarcely
any trace of cultivation. The inhabitants are so
borne down by taxes on all they produce that they
abandon the soil, though it is perhaps the most
fertile in Italy, and the peasaats contrive to live
on a handful of pulse daily."

" Another letter from Marsala of the 16th states
that a rumour prevailed in the town that the Nea-
politans, on hearing of Garibaldi's landing, de-
spatched a flying column of 700 troops to Calata-
fimi to meet him. Several armed bands of Sicilians,
expecting to find Garibaldi at Calatafimi, marched
towards that place to join his force. Seeing the
Neapolitan troops they mistook them for Garibaldi's
men, and marched on to the town, shouting ' Viva
Garibaldi !' The Neapolitans allowed them to ap-
proach till within gunshot. A most desperate fight
ensued, in which, according to the letter we quote,
600 of the 700 Neapolitans were placed hors do
combat, and the remaining 100 taken prisoners.
Neither the strength nor the loss of the Sicilians is
stated. Altogether the story bears with it an air
of great improbability, although it may be founded
on truth. It is not alluded to in our other letters
from Marsala.
" Proclamation No. 1 is as follows :
" Giuseppe Garibaldi, Commander-in-Chief of
the National Force in Sicily.
" At the invitation of the principal citizens, and
on the deliberation of the free communes of the
island,

FRANCE.

PARIS, THURSDAY

It appears, by letters received from French
agents in Savoy, that great irritation is apparent
among the population in that province, in conse•
quence of the slow progress the ratification of the
treaty ceding Savoy to France is making in the
Piedmontese Parliament. Mercantile men particu •
larly complain that there is a stop to all commercial
transactions, and threats are uttered at Chambery
and Annecy to adopt energetic measures. The in-
habitants say "If the Parliament will not act, let
us act for ourselves—let us organise a provisional
Government, and proclaim a definitive annexation
to Franco without delay."

The Moniteur publishes a decree promulgating
from the present date the bill just adopted by the
Legislative Body, relative to the duty on sugar,
coffee, cocoa, and tea. The Director- General of Cus-
toms has addressed a circular to the superior office' s
of the service on the execution of the new law. The
following are the principal instructions which it con-
tains :—" The duty on home-grown sugars and those
from the French colonies is reduced from 45f to
25fr. the 100 kilos. The surcharge on foreign sugars
is lowered from sfr. to 3fr. for all countries out of
Europe. The new law suppresses all distinctions of
quality and modes of fabrication, as concerns the
levying of the duties, so that all unrefined sugars
pay the same duty. With respect to the importa-
tion of refined sugar, there is no change ; it is still
prohibited. The ministerial decision which had
provisionally permitted the export of raw home.
grown sugars without paying the duty on fabrics
tion is regularised and confirmed by Art. 8 of the
new law. The rules usually followed in these ope-
rations, having been found to conciliate all interests
and give sufficient security against abuses, will con.
tinue to be observed. Molasses from the French
colonies when cleared directly for consumption will
only pay 7fr. per 100 kilos. instead of 12fr. No
change is made regarding molasses intended for
distilling. Art. 7 raises the basis of the yield in
refining to 76 kilos. for candied sugars, and to 80
kilos. for lump sugars. It is important to observe

' ' Considering that in time of war it is necessary
that the civil and military power should be con-
centrated in one man—

" Decrees that he assumes, in the name of Victor
Emmanuel, King of Italy, the Dictatorship in

" ' Salemi, 14th of May, 1860.
" ' G. GARIBALDI.

" ' Std. Turr, Adjutant-General.'

" Proclamation No. 2 is likewise dated from
Salemi, 14th of May, and consists of 19 articles,
containing instruction for organising an armed
force."

A letter from Naples of the 19th say's :—" Yes-
terday the commissary of police, Salvati, and Capt.
Le Carnec, of the artillery, went to the Bourse, and
after calling for silence, declared that official intelli-
gence had arrived to the effect that Garibaldi had
cut his throat on beholding the complete defeat of
his volunteers. Of course no one believed a word