The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-02 00:00:00

were raised.

GENOA, JUNE 2.

The report of Bixio's death is unfounded, as the
journal of the expedition, written by Bixio him-
self, up to the 26th May, has just been published.

NAPLES, MAY 31.
The bombardment of Palermo was still being

continued.

PARIS, JUNE 2.

The Moniteur of this morning announces that
the health of Prince Jerome again shows a slight

improvement.

LYONS, JUNE 1.
The Dowager Empress of Russia arrived here
to-day at 6.30 p.m.
The Emperor and Empress also arrived at 8.30
p.m., and were enthusiastically received.
The city was decorated with flags, and at night
was illuminated.

PARIS, JUNE 2.

The Constitutionnel publishes an article, signed
by M. Grandguillot, paraphrasing the speech of M.
Fould at Tarbes, with the object of proving that
the French are loyal neighbours to all frontier
powers.

VIENNA, FRIDAY,

The members of the Council of the Empire were
to-day received in the Throne-room by the Em-
peror, who read a speech, mentioning important
projects to be submitted to the Council, by which
provincial autonomy will be granted to the dif-
ferent parts of the Empire without disturbing the
unity of the State, and without specially favouring
any single province.
Counts Apponyi and Adrossy, in their speeches
yesterday, both declared that the political pro-
gramme of the Hungarians does not tend in any
way to a separation from, but to an intimate union
with the Austrian monarchy, on the basis of com-
mon liberal institutions.

VIENNA, JUNE 1

According to the most recent explanations of
Prince Gortschakoff to the great Powers of Europe,
Russia has only proposed the assembling of a
congress on the subject of the situation of the
Christians in the East, in case an inquiry should
confirm the justice of the complaints against the
Porte.

The inquiry, as proposed by Russia, was to be
conducted by the consuls of the great Powers, with
the aid of commissioners appointed by Turkey.
The Porte having itself taken the initiative in
the inquiry, by nominating three commissioners ad
hoc, over each of which a member of the Ottoman
Cabinet presides, the great Powers have agreed to
await the result before entering into ulterior nego-
tiations on the Russian proposition.

BERLIN, JUNE 1

The news published by the Austrian Gazette that
the Porte had conceded the appointment of mixed
commissions of inquiry, to be partly composed of
commissioners of the great Powers, is totally un-
founded. Shoul'l the inquiry of the Powers be con-
trolled by the great Powers, it would only be
through the normal action of their different consuls.

CONSTANTINOPLE, MAY 31.

The Grand Vizier having left for Roumelia on
account of the inquiry which has been instituted in
that province relative to the complaints of the
Christian inhabisants, Ali Pacha has been appointed
to replace the Grand Vizier during his absence.

INSULT TO THE BRITISH FLAG AT

SYRACUSE.

The keenzaphore of Marseilles contains a letter
from Malta, of the 24th ult., which says that on the
Queen's birthday the English vice-consul at Syra-
cuse having displayed the British flag, four Neapoli-
tan soldiers fired on it, and wounded the wife of the
vice-consu:, who died in consequence the following
day.

Another despatch says :—" Tne English flag
having been hoisted, on the Queen's birth-day, at
the consulate, some Neapolitan soldiers took it into
their heads that it was meant as a demonstration
in favour of republicanism, and fired through the
door of the house, whereby they shot the vice-con-
sul's wife through the arm. The vice-consul tele-
graphed to Malta, and the Caradoc was sent thence
to demand explanations. The governor made the
most ample apologies, and for the present the affair
is ended."

THE CAPTURE OF PALERMO.
A letter from Genoa, dated May 30, says :—At
two o'clock yesterday morning the patriotic feelings
of the Genoese were gratified by the news that an
official telegram had been received from Cagliari
by Count Porri, the Governor-General of this city,
announcing that Garibaldi had entered Palermo,
and that part of its population had risen against
the royal troops. This telegram had been sent by
Captain D'Aste, of the Sardinian navy, who had
left the Sicilian capital whilst the roar of cannon
and the rattling of musketry were still going on.
From what I can gather from Sicilian refugees
and citizens of this town, it seems that the storm-
ing of Palermo was begun by Garibaldi at four
o'clock on Sunday morning. The Italian leader
having concentrated all the forces he had at his
disposal on the northern side of the city during the
preceding night, he boldly attacked the town at a
place called Peperito, which runs on the left hand
side of the royal palace. Although General Lanza
had placed a strong body of troops to defend that
important position, it was carried by Garibaldi's
troops, after a tremendous struggle of two hours.
Peperito once in the power of Garibaldi, the popu-
lation of Palermo, which crowds the lanes and
streets of that locality, rose to a man, and began to
throw flower• pots, stones, furniture, anything they
could lay hold of, upon the retiring columns of the
Neapolitans. The rot-al vessels then opened their
fire upon the town, and a shower of shells began to
fall over it, a shower which lasted more than eight
hours. The bombardment did not, however, pro-
duce any great effect on the population, and when
the Sardinian steamer left Palermo three Neapo-
litan regiments had determined to join the ranks of
the insurgents. It seems that Colonel Sirtori, the
chief of Garibaldi's staff, was severely wounded iR
the bloody engagement of the 16th, and this is con-
sidered a great loss ; for Colonel Sirtori, and poor
Colonel Nino Bixio, whose death is now confirmed,
were the two best officers of Garibaldi's army. By
this time, perhaps, General Lanza has left Palermo
in the hands of his illustrious adversary, for it is
scarcely to be believed he could hold his ground in
a city which numbers a population of 200,000 souls,

who have declared themselves for the national cause.
Everything leads me, therefore, to believe that if
Garibaldi has left room for retreat the royal army,
protected as it was by the guns of the fleet, will have
reached Messina, the last bastion of Bourbon's domi-
nation in the island. It is possible that Garibaldi
may not have wished to prevent General Lanza
either from embarking his troops or from taking the
cornice road which leads from Palermo to the
above-mentioned fortress. The Neapolitan navy is
strong enough to have protected the retreat of the
royal army, for we know that a sailing frigate of
80, two of 60, and one of 41 guns, were lying in the
harbour of Palermo, together with five steam fri-
gates, numbering 60 guns, and 10 other minor
vessels and gunboats. You see that under the pro-
tecting fire of 311 guns, and that of the fortress, the
retreat may have been easily operated by the Nea-
politan general. The advantage gained by Gari-
baldi will throw the whole of the island into his
hands, and with the resources he can draw from it
he can easily carry the war to the Neapolitan do-
minions on the mainland.

As was to be expected, the news from Sicily has
redoubled the ardour of the Italian patriots, and
all the exertions of the Genoese are now devoted to
sending money and volunteers to Garibaldi. Six
days ago a new expedition of about 500 Neapolitan
and Sicilian patriots left this city, eluding the
vigilance of the Sardinian authorities, and started
from a village of the Ligurian coast towards the
blood-stained island. I hear that a more nume-
rous one will soon follow, and that funds drawn
from the national subscription are arriving almost
every day to the Sicilian committee of this city.