The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-17 00:00:00

GAETA.

The following letter from Gaeta of the 9th inst.
gives an interesting account of • the operations of
the Neapolitan army :--
"The Neapolitan army is still retreating,' might
almost say that it is in full dissolution. Since the
day when Salzano lost his presence of mind at Garig-
liano, matters have been going from bad to worse.
The officers of the Staff, in place of giving an example
of firmness, show themselves to be perfectly unde-
cided, and quite incapable of directing any opera-
tion. It is a miracle that the soldiers do not
throw away their arms in despair, and there are
some old and well-disciplined armies which would
not have so long resisted under similar circum-
stances. On the arrival of the troops at Mola on
the evening of the 3d, the general planted but a
single cannon to barricade the road from Garigliano
and to reply to the fire of the Sardinian ships. On
Sunday morning, Nov. 4, three rifled cannon, 12-
pounders, were placed in position, and a Swiss bat.
tery was likewise placed on the seashore. On the
afternoon of the 3d the Sardinian fleet began to
bombard Mola, a town of from 8,000 to 10,000 in-
habitants. The fire of the battery was of course very
feeble, but some shots, nevertheless, reached the
ships, which kept at the greatest distance possible.
The bombardment caused a great destruction to the
houses, and but little loss to the troops. The sick in
hospital were about to be removed to Gaeta when
the King, who believed that the French fleet would
have prevented the bombardment, gave a counter-
order. At 9 o'clock on the morning of the 4th the
bombardment was resumed with additional fury
from the Sardinian ships. I witnessed the affair from
the window of our house. Shells fell on the hospi-
tals, and the sick quitted their beds to save them•
selves. Towards 11 o'clock everybody fled in disor-
der to seek shelter under the ramparts of Gaeta and
on the rood to Fondi. The Piedmontese entered
Mola by the road to Garigliano. At the same time
the commander of the French ship of the line Alex-
andre made a signal to Admiral Persano to cease
firing, but he appeared not to see it. The three
rifled cannon were abandoned to the enemy. Three
officers of artillery are remarked, and among them
Capt, Fevot, a S wiss,who behaved heroically. They
served their pieces as simple artillerymen, and were
killed at their guns. Col. Mortilliet, who com-
manded the foreign battalion, and was not much
loved by his men, behaved with great courage on
this occasion. The Neapolitans did not lose many
men in either killed or wounded, but the soldiers
are very much dissatisfied with their generals, and
I may add that the same discontent prevails in the
upper regions of the Government. A great many of
these generals would not have preferred Capua and
Gaeta to Naples, but that they expected fortune to
change quickly in favour of Francis 11. We see
shadows of Generals passing in the streets—mere
mummies, who would be better placed in the Egyp-
tion Museum in Naples. Orders have been given
to send the three foreign battalions to Terracina.
They are reduced by disease to 2,500 men, and the
German element is extinct. The consent of the
Roman Government has been obtained for this
movement. Since the evening of the 4th, when the
Piedmontese entered Mola, we have not heard the
sound of cannon. The Piedmontese have sent an
advanced guard to Fonti, the last town in the king-
dom of Naples on the Roman frontier which they
have occupied. It will be necessary to send from
this place half its nominal defenders, who are worse
than useless. The question now is, shall Gaeta be
bombarded? It would be an act of useless crueity
to do so, for the inhabitants alone would suffer from
it. The troops are safe in their casemated bar-
racks. We do not fear the Piedmontese outside the
walls, but we apprehend treachery within Gaeta.
This is so little a mystery that Colonel Nosano, one
of the most distinguished officers in the army, who
has been appointed to the command of the artillery
by the King, refused to accept the appointment
except on condition that he should not be placed
under the command of any general. He required,
further, that he should have the appointment of all
the officers serving under him. The Patric, whose
news from Gaeta I can never read without laugh-
ing, speaks of Spanish, Austrian, and Bavarian
volunteers who arrive here every day to reinforce,
the Neapolitan army. The writer must use magni-
fying-glasses, for with my two eyes I have not yet
discovered one Spanish, Austrian, or Bavarian
volunteer. A few Frenchmen have arrived here,
most of whom served with General Lamoriciere,
and who belong to noble families. General Bosco
will be here on the 14th. He landed the day before
yesterday at Civita Vecchia. The'Prussian Minister
here lately requested leave of absence from his
Government, but he was told not to quit the King
for a moment."

THE ORANGEMEN OF BELFAST AND

THEIR BISHOP.

The Northern Whig gives a full account of the
disreputable conduct of an Orange mob towards the
Bishop of Down and Connor at a meeting of the
Propagation Society in Belfast on Monday night.
It was well-known (says the Whig) that the
Orangemen intended to insult their Bishop by pre-
venting his taking the chair, and placing Dr. Miller
there in his stead, in consequence of the antipathy
which they entertain towards him for having inhi-
bited the Rev. Mr. Potter from preaching in the
parish church, on an Orange anniversary. Imme-
diately upon the Bishop making his appearance,
accompanied by a number of ladies, the deputation
and about 20 clergymen, he was received with tre-
mendous groaning and hooting, which was kept up
for several minutes. Dr. Miller was received with
the warmest enthusiasm, for which he gracefully
bowed, seemingly overcome with the honour. A
Voice, " Down with the Bishop !" (Tremendous
groans.) Another Voice, " Don't dare to go into
that chair---you'd disgrace it!" (Hisses and groans.)
" Order, order." (Kentish fire.) "Put the Pope
out of him." (Kentish fire.) "Heis a Pusey ite."
"To with the Pope !" (Groans.) The Bishop
took the chair. A Voice, " Put him out—out with
him." " No Puseyite." " No surrender." "Throw
him out of this." (Tremendous cheering and
Kentish fire.) " Three cheers for Dr. Miller."
(Cheers.) " Groans for the Puseyite." (Tremendous
groans.) Dr. Miller here rose to his feet simulta-
neously with the Bishop. A Voice, " Hear Dr.
Miller." Another Voice, " You'll beat him Miller,
my boy." (Cheers and Kentish fire.) The Bishop
here looked round him and faced the raging storm.
Nearly the whole audience got on their feet and
groaned and hissed. This lasted fully five minutes.
The Bishop, " I call upon Dr. Miller to open the
proceedings." A Voice, " There will be no proceed-
ings opened till you leave that." (Cheers.) The
Bishop, "To open the proceedings by prayer." A
Voice, " Will you go out of that at once ? No more
of your gammon." (Kentish fire.) Here the groan-
ing continued for about two minutes. The Bishop
(as understood), " You just needed one more ex-
hibition to ruin you, and you have got it." A
Voice, " What is that he says ? What are you
saying?" (Shouting and groaning.) . This went
on for a long period, the Bishop being assailed
with such cries as "He is a nuisance ; away with
him." His Lordship during the time this whole
scene of scandalous insult was progressing, looked
steadily upon the raging mass of faces, apparently
deeply moved. At length he rose, as if to say
something. His brother and several ladies im-
plored him to leave, which he did in their com-
pany, after a last look at the savage scene before
him. Four-fifths of the clergymen on the plat-
form accompanied the Bishop.. The members of
the deputation remained behind. Their object
being accomplished, in a scene. which baffles de-
scription, a long round of .Kentish Fire inter-
mingled with such epithets,,as The Pope is gone ;,,
"The Puseyite is chased; ",
.Down with him ;"
Away with him ;" brought this part of the per-
formance to a close, by a man shouting, "'they're a
parcel of scandalous ruffians ; they're well away."
(Great cheering.)
A resolution was then passed, condemning his
Lordship's inhibition of Mr. Potter • and the vicar,
Dr, Miller, took the chair from which his diocesan'
had been rudely expelled.

The Proporration Society's deputation then
quitted the building, and
Dr. MILLER addressed the crowd. He said—A
little agitation has passed over your minds, and if
anything can allay that agitation it is the spirit of
prayer. I would ask you now to put away from
you emery agitated feeling, and draw to the Throne
of Grace. Join with me now, this great meeting,
in approaching God in prayer. The vicar, having
offered up a prayer, said,—You have placed me in
a position that I do not covet under the circum-
stances, but I felt that when you called upon me to
take this place, and to engage in the exercise of
prayer, that it was my duty to do so. Duties are
ours; events are God's. I do not wish to refer to
what has passed but a few minutes ago, or call
it to your recollection. Painful feelings have been

evoked. I believe in my heart there is not a man or
woman that. I see before me that does not lo7e our
church, for I see the same faces before me at the
anniversary of every meeting of this society, esta-
blished by the glorious William. (Cheers and
Kentish fire.) But circumstances have arisen, and
circumstances have caused a change ; and, if there
be a man in the face of creation that more than an-
other regrets that change, it is the humble indivi-
dual that now addresses you; and I will say that,
of all the clergy in the diocese, or in Ireland, there
is no man reveres and respects episcopacy more
than myself. It may be said that you have this
evening been carried away with bad feeling—that
you allowed a little bad feeling to get the better of
you ; but, my friends, let it go forth on the wings
of the wind, that Protestants cannot allow their
principles to be interfered with. (A Voice, "No
Pope, no Puseyite.") I iftust confess that the
minds of the people of Belfast are agitated about
this solemn litigation which is impending. (A
Voice—You'll win.) (Applause.) Every thcught
is on the tiptoe of expectation about it, and I must
say that of our bishop— (A Voice—A Popish bishop)
—it was not wise or judicious when he came here
to preside over a Protestant meeting. (Kentish
fire.) I trust there is not a man in this room to-
night who world say a harsh word against the
orders of our Church, that there is not a man in
this room to-night that would give way to a loose
expression about the sacred office of the episcopate ;
and I believe every man in this room to night would
like to see than made subservient to the pro-
mulgation of good and true Protestant principles.
(Applause.) Now, my friende, let us in this grave
assembly of grave and solemn men try to let no
unkind word pass our lips.
This extraordinary outrage was wound up with
the Doxology and Benediction.