The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-20 00:00:00

niE SUN, :LONDON, MONDAY 2EVENING, AUGUST 20, 1860.

The launch of the Orestes from the Sheerness
Dockyard took place on Saturday, and, notwith-
standing the unfavourable weather, the wind blow-
ing very strongly at the time from the south-west,
it was witnessed by some thousands of spectators,
among whom were the Commander-in-Chief at
Sheerness, Vice-Admiral W. J. Hope Johnstone ;
Captain Wise, aide-de-camp to the Queen, and
superintendent of the dockyard; Captain Schom-
berg, chief of the steam reserve ; Captain Luard, of
the flagship, and other officers of the Royal Navy.
The ceremony of launching and naming the vessel
was performed by Miss Hope Johnstone, the daugh-
ter of the commander-in-chief, and took place at a
little after 12. The following are the dimensions of
the vessel :—Length between perpendiculars, 225
ft; length of keel for tonnage, 196 ft 8,1 in; extreme
'breadth, 40 ft 8 in ; breadth for tonnage, 40 ft 4 in;
breadth moulded, 39 ft 8 in; depth in hold. 24 ft ;
burthen, 1,172 tons ; draught of water forward, 9 ft
4in ; aft, 15 ft 11 in. Her engines will be of 400-
horse power, and are being constructed by Messrs.
Napier, of Glasgow. She will carry 20 8-inch guns,
9 ft long, each weighing 60 cwt, besides one 68-
pounder 10 ft pivot gun, weighing 95 cwt, which
can be removed at pleasure to either the forecastle
or quarterdeck. Her full complement of men will be
260.

Great activity prevails in the Sheerness Dock•
yard. The Virago, 6, paddlewheel steam sloop, 300,
horse power, is undergoing thorough repair in the
basin. The Collingwood, 80 guns, is being converted
in No. 2 dock into a 400-horse power screw steam
vessel. In No.l dock the Leander, 51 guns, having
been lengthened amidship upwards of 40 feet, is
being converted into a screw steam vessel. The
Severn, 51, screw steam frigate, 500-horse power,
will be taken into dock this day to be fitted for the
pennant.
The Tartar, 20, screw steam corvette, 200-horse
power, which has just been commissioned by Capt.
John M. Hayes, hoisted her pennant on Saturday,
and is being fitted in the basin of the Sheerness yard
for sea service.
Her Majesty's ship Firebrand arrived in Har-
wich harbour in the course of last week.
The Colosses, 80, screw, Capt. F. Scott, C. 8.,
while riding in Yarmouth Roads during the night
of Thursday last, sheered about so wildly in the
run of the tide that she parted both her chains.
Steam was immediately got up and the ship pro-
ceeded to Spithead, where she anchored, as reported
in The Sun of Saturday.
The Himalaya, screw troopship, Capt. J. Sec-
combe, arrived at Spithead yesterday morning from
Liverpool.
It is reported at Plymouth that the stay of Ad-
miral Erskine's division of the Channel fleet at
Milford Haven will be about a fortnight.
The new screw steamship Gibraltar, 101, whieh
was launched on Thursday at Devonport, has been
hauled under the north crane in Keyham steam
yard to receive her boilers and machinery.
The screw steam sloop Curlew, 9, has been re-
moved from her moorings at the head of Hamoaze,
and placed alongside the sheer hulk for the purpose
of being masted.
The coppering of the screw steamsloop Jason, at
Devonport, is completed, and the crew are receiving
spare spars, and rattling down the rigging.
The trial of the machinery of the gunboat Violet
having proved satisfactory, she has left Plymouth
for her destination, Pembroke, where she does duty
as tender to the Coastguardship Eagle. The com-
mander of the gunboat, Lieut. Eugene C. Batty,
who burst a
_blood vessel while on duty, and was
obliged to go into the Royal Naval Hospital, is so
far recovered as to be able to proceed on six weeks'
leave of absence, after which he will rejoin the
Violet.
The Prussian war steamer Ida, Lieut. Riebath,
from Stettin, bound for Syria, put into Falmouth
on Friday morning to coal.
We understand that several vacancies exist for
mail agencies both for Commanders and Lieute-
nants of the Royal Navy:
At the request of Commander Deakin, of the
Matilda Wattenbaeh, we make the following ex-
planation in reference to the statement in The Sun
of the 14th inst. that the ship had put in at the
Mauritius and the island of Flores, for fresh pro-
visions and water, on her voyage home from India
with invalids. Commander Deakin says :—" These
steps were taken, not on account of the actual pro-
visions in the ship in any way running short or
proving insufficient to meet the requirements of the
men, but because, on nearing the Mauritius, I re-
ceived an urgent communication from the officer in
command of the detachments on board requesting
me to touch at the island as the medical stores
shipped for their use by the authorities at Calcutta
were found quite inadequate to meet the numerous
demands of the invalids, and unless I had complied
with his request great loss of life would, in all pro-
bability, have occurred. I put in at the island of
Flores again at the solicitation of the commanding
officer, who had discovered that scurvy had broken
out among his men."
Some experimental trials of a somewhat similar
character to those recently carried out on Jones's
system of angulated armour for ships' sides have
been during the past fortnight conducted at Ports-
mouth, under the supervision of Capt. R. Hewlett,
C.B. The experiments on Jones's target were in-
tended to prove the correctness or incorrectness of
a principle. Those in the instances to which we
are now alluding were intended;to test the powers
of resistance offered by plates or other forms of ar-
mour in a vertical position to round shot. The
Sirius frigate was the craft selected to carry the
targets, and was moored up Porche3ter Lake for
practice upon them-from the Stork gunboat. Five
different targets were affixed to her side, three of
which may- be termed " plate" and the two re-

mainder "chain armour." These two last were
termed " Howell's patent ship armour." They con-
sisted of half-inch bars interlaced or woven into a
fasciae of 6 feet iil length by three feet in breadth.
Six of these layers Vere placed together, and the
whole mass bolted together, and about 11 inches
through. This affair stood nowhere in its resist-
ance to the tremendous flight of the round shot at
200 yards. The next plate on the Sirius's side is
from the side of the Trusty, but this has not been
tried yet. The two remaining plates were manu-
factured by the Thames Ironbuilding Company.
They are of two separate qualities of iron ; the
upper plate is three-quarter " scrap" and one-quar-
ter " puddle" of the same quality as the 950 tons
now nearly completed by the same company to
place on the Warrior; the under plate is all "scrap."
The edges of both plates are fitted with, the one a
tongue and the other a groove. In this they differ
from the -Warrior's plates. Each plate is 15 feet 9
inches in length, 3 feet 2 inches in breadth, and 41
inches in thickness. The result of the firing at
these plates has been that of 11 shots, only one has
fractured them, and that was caused by the very
unusual circumstance of a shot having struck in the
very centre of an indentation made by a former
shot. The outer edges of the plates have bulged,
as in Jones's target, from want of support. This
may be noted as the first instance of any plates
placed in a vertical position resisting solid shot at
the same range. The edges of the plates where
they fitted with the tongue and groove stood the
concussion of the shot as well, if not better, than
the central portion of the plate ; neither did it
tlaw
'''',
the slightest inclination to bulge. To fully
, at tend, the tenacity it is necessary for a4leinch
ran? e
possess to resist a solid 68-pounder at short
4e' it necessary to pay a visit to Portsmouth
dockyard, where lie som-e hundreds of tons lef old
plates,
iron and steel, that have been knocked and
broken up into every conceivable form and shape
during former experireent
The following promo s•
teens,. have been made La the
Sheerness dockyard j. Stevens, seconde?lass
clerk, ptoreoted to the first class, and selectee by
ilitenant Wise as his secretary, vice
Capt.-Super
Mr. S. Creasy, appointed store-keeper ;
Mr. C. Pen-
nell, promoted from the third to the second class,
vice Stevens.

The following appointments were made on Satur-
day at the Admiralty :—Commander 0.
Borland
to the Camberland ; Lieut. L. W. Peyton to the
Perabrok e, for service in the Coastgard ; Lieut. C.
R. Trefuris to the Atgiers Lieut. H. W. Mist to

the Royal Albert ; Robert Brown, master, to the
Firebrand ; George A. Stable, master, to the Rus-
sell ; James Long, surgeon, to the Firebrand ; Henry
Richardson, surgeon, to the Eagle ; C. H. Slaugh-
ter, assistant-surgeon, to the Espoir ; Henry
Richard, assistant-surgeon, to the Cambridge ;
William E. Dillion, assist an t-surg€ on, to the Tartar;
Andrew Cornish, third-class assistant-engineer, to
the Fisgard, as supernumerary ; and John G.
O'Connell, second master, to the Rolla.

Swordbearer. Had the weather been auspicious the
whole of the brigade, to the number of upwards of

1,000 men, and several of the metropolitan corps,
who had been invited, intended to have been pre-
sent, and the evolutions, for which the ground was
well adapted, would have been interesting.
On Friday the 47th (Lewes) Sussex Volunteers
mustered in the afternoon at their barracks, and
marched from thence to the Down, where battalion
movements were gone through with great accuracy.
After this the line was extended and advanced,
firing on the supposed enemy in front; the firing
was continued for some time with great vigour. At
the close Col. Rose addressed the volunteers,
expressing his satisfaction at the way in which
they went through their movements.
A review of the companies comprising the Ist
Battalion of Kent Volunteer Rifles took place on
Saturday afternoon in the beautiful park of Sir T.
M. Wilson, at Old Charlton. About half-past 4
o'clock Viscount Sydney, accompanied by Sir T. M.
Wilson (colonel of the West Kent Militia) and other
officers, arrived on the ground, and were received
by a general salute from the whole of the battalion,
which was drawn up in review order. At the ter-
mination of the proceeding, which occupied about
two hours, his lordship complimented the officers
and members of the battalion upon the efficient
manner in which the evolutions had been carried
out.

The Nottingham Robin Hood Rifle Corps assem-
bles twice per week for battalion drill, and the
companies separately for ordinary and position drill
every evening. In addition to the nine companies'
which at present constitute the corps, mustering
nearly 800 members, it is proposed to embody a
tenth, to be called the Armstrong company, in
order to complete the regiment. The latter com-
pany is to be formed from among those who are
not wholly able to equip themselves. Each mem-
ber, however, will be oalled upon for 305., or one-
third of the cost of the equipments, and a monthly
subscription of 10d. The outfit, the cost of which
is £4 10s., is to be the property of the company,
unless the volunteer pays £3 before the expiration
of three years. A subscription has been commenced,
and a number of gentlemen have alreadyguaranteed
to provide two-thirds of the funds necessary to
equip 30 men.
The review at Knowsley Park on the Ist Sept.
promises to be a very successful affair. It will be
strictly confined to the Lancashire Volunteers ; but
already the acceptances amount to 10,500 men.
Lieut.-General Wetherall will command.

Lieut.-Colonel Gladstone and Major Tinley, of
the 2d Battalion Lancashire Rifle Volunteers, are
making arrangements for a county rifle contest on
their ground at Hightown, near Liverpool. The
meeting will commence on the 29th of October, and
is likely to last three days. One day will be de-
voted to all corners. It is' intended that on this
occasion there shall be a prise for Artillery Volun-
teers, who will contest with carbines.
Lieut.-Colonel Bousfield's Ist battalion Lancashire
Volunteer Rifles are still encamped at Crosby, near
Liverpool, and appear determined, notwithstanding
the very bad weather, to remain there for some
time to come.
The Earl of Leicester, Lord Lieutenant of Nor-
folk, has appointed Tuesday, the 18th of September,
for a general review of the Norfolk corps at Nor-
wich. The review will take place on Mousehold-
heath, and will commence at 3 p.m. Major-Gene-
ral Wood, commandant of the camp at Colchester,
will be the inspecting officer, and the manoeuvres
will comprise both battalion and light infantry
movements. About 1,000 to 1,200 Volunteers will
probably be assembled on the occasion, as the Nor-
wich and Yarmouth corps are 700 to 800 strong,
and companies more or less numerous will also be
present from Lynn, Fakenham, Aylsham, S waff-
ham, Reepham, Loddon, North Walsham, and other
parts of the county. The proceedings altogether
promise to be of an interesting character.
The Melton Mowbray (Leicestershire) Rifle Corps
had a field-day on Thursday last, and were inspected
by Lieut.-Col. Turner. The men were put through
a series of movements, which they executed in an
admirable manner, and the gallant Colonel compli-
mented them on their approaching efficiency. After
the inspection the members of the corps were enter-
tained at dinner by their officers.
A few days ago the ceremony of presenting colours
to the Sleaford (Bth Lincolnshire) Rifle Corps was
gone through at Leasingham Rectory by the ladies
of the above town. There was a large assemblage
of ladies and gentlemen on the occasion to witness•
the presentation. The Volunteers received the
hearty applause of all present on their soldierly
appearance.
The First Huntingdon Rifle Volunteers are to be
shortly presented with a silver bugle, with banner
attached, as well as camp colours, by the ladies of
that locality.
The Ist Manchester Volunteers has betome very
popular, in consequence of the admirable manner
in which they acquitted themselves at the Newton
review, and the applications from new Volunteers,
and from Volunteers in other corps, for admission
render it likely that the strength of the regiment
will be much increased. They have now 11 com-
panies, and on forming the 12th will be entitled to
a junior, or second Major. The 143 d Lancashire,
or Rusholme Volunteers, Manchester, whirl aimed
from the first at becoming a " crack" regiment, is

making very satisfactory progress. It is composed
of gentlemen who have agreed to purchase their
own arms and clothing, adopting the short Enfield.
They have built their own butts, and had them cer-
tified by the appointed officials. They maintain
their own drill-sergeant, resident near the ground ;
are training up a band (fife and drum) composed
of youths, with a competent instructor, at a rather
heavy cost, and the corps is consequently rather
expensive to its members. The object, however, is
to make it an efficient one. The young men ad-
mitted hitherto are tall, and of pretty uniform
height. They spare no pains at drill, and attracted
much attention by their soldierly bearing at
Newton.

The various Worcestershire Rifle Corps con-
tinue their daily and weekly drill with great regu-
larity. Colonel Winn Knight, M.P., at the head
of the Wolverley corps, the first that was esta-
blished in the county, is most zealous in the
movement, and has rendered great service to the
Volunteer cause.

The Volunteer movement is progressing in a very
satisfactory manner in South Wales. New corps

are being formed, so that the Volunteer spirit is ex-
tending throughout the whole of the principality.
Lord Portman, Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset, is
completing arrangements for placing the Volunteer
_ .

corps of that county on a more complete military
footing. For this purpose the county is to be di-
vided into three districts—an eastern district, a

western district, and a central district—and a
colonel and adjutant will be appointed to each. It
is intended to hold occasional dis isional parades and
reviews in each district.

The Bristol and Glocestershire Artillery Corps
were inspected on Saturday afternoon by Colonel
M'Murdo, C. 8., Inspector-General of Volunteer
Corps, and Major Gustavus Hume, inspector for the
district. Each battery fired four shots and two
shells. The firing was excellent; in fact, two were
so good that Colonel M'Murdo expressed warm ap-
proval, and in one instance went down from the
position from which he viewed the practice and
personally complimented the sergeants, who laid
the guns, on their success. At the conclusion of

the firing the detachments were drawn up, and,
having been formed into three sides of a square,
were addresscd by Col. 111‘,11urdo, who expressed
his satisfaction with the proficiency they had at-
tained.

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THE INVASION OF CALABRIA.

(Fr•orn the special Correspondent of the Times.)
MESSINA, AUG. 7.

While people in town entertained themselves with
he chances of another interview between the Dicta-
,or and Gen. Clary, and frightened each other with
,he cancans of the fearful measures the Neapolitan
general intends to take in case of a descent on the
coast of Calabria, Garibaldi spent the whole of the
day at the Faro in superintending preparations.
He left, as usual, early in the morning with Gen.
Cosenz, who is called " his soul; " but, by way of
change, he did not go by land, but embarked in a
boat. Garibaldi is one of those superior minds
who, however engrossed by an idea, and ilCAV-
ever overworked, always find a moment to give
to whatever is interesting, beautiful, or instructive
about them. As an old sailor, everything regard-
ing the Straits is of double interest to him at this
moment—the currents, their changes, the depth of
the water, the anchorage, the shipping, the boats,
the fisheries and the fishermen—in a word, what-
ever concerns these curious and beautiful waters.
He talks to the fishermen, looks on with interest
at the spearing of the swordfish, and tells, proba-
bly, an incident of his life in South America, or
makes a comparison with his experiences at some
other of the strange and numerous coasts which he
has visited. Then there are those beautiful Cala-
brian mountains, which look so well from the sea;
white Reggio, straggling San Giovanni, and black
Scylla. Yesterday the amphibious disposition of
the sailor-soldier already told, and he came back by
sea, and the attraction was so great that the boat
was likewise ordered for to-day.
But there was another object in view to-day, for
which a boat was handy. I have told you of the
two salt-water lakes on the low, sandy penin-
sula which ends at the Faro point. A narrow
but sufficiently deep canal connects them with the
sea, making of them a kind of natural port for
tolerably-sized boats. It was thus the very plaoe
for making preparations. Twenty large barges,
most of them still marked on the stern as having
belonged to the service of the Messageries Imperiales,
were collected some time ago, and Colonel
Bodroni, an Italian by birth, but French by
education, was intrusted with preparing them
for the embarkation of horses and artil-
lery. Expert in naval construction and full of
energy, Colonel Bodroni, completed his task in a
few days. The barges were covered in by solid
platforms, a railing was made on three sides, and
on the fourth a bridge on hinges to facilitate the
disembarcation. Each of the barges can carry 20
horses, and in the space below from 80 to 100 men,
for a short passage. Besides this, about 150 large-
sized coasting and fishing boats have been collected
all along the coast, each of them capable of carrying
from 10 to 20 men. Then there are three steamers,
the City of Aberdeen, one of the old wooden paddle-
wheel steamers, formerly used for peaceful traffic
along the cast coast of England ; the Calabria, and
her companion the Duca d'Alba, which were taken
by the Turkori, alias Veloce. With these means
5,000 men can be thrown across in less than half an
hour. The distance between the Faro and the
nearest point on the other side, " Torre Cavallo,''
is 3,700 metres. In peaceful times, people who
dine at the Faro are in the habit of sending across
an hour before dinner-time for their ice, or rather
snow. There is at times a difficulty, on account of
the current; it changes every six hours, flowing in
turns up and down. It increases and decreases
with the phases of the moon, being the strongest at
full and new moon; just at this moment it is mild
enough, as you may judge by the Neapolitan
steamers, who in their cruisings let themselves float
down and then steam up again. During the greatest
strength of the current, ships cannot anchor, there
being the additional difficulty of great depth close
to the shore.
All this day the Neapolitan steamers were very
shy in coming within range of the Faro batteries,
which increase in strength every day. Half of them
were playing about the Punta di Pezzo, and the other
half above Scylla, in the direction of Bagnara and
Palmi, both of which you can see distinctly, the
first forming a cluster of houses close to the sea-
shore, and the second visible on the top of the high
steep cliffs which bound the coast beyond Bagnara.
It was evening before Garibaldi returned from
the Faro. He had scarcely come in when the
Commanders of Divisions and Brigades in Mes-
, sine, as well as the chiefs of the different military
. departments, were with him, expecting to hear
something about the dispositions to be taken. Re-
gular councils
of war are unknown with us, and
an immense advantage it is ; but every one who
has and thing to say
for himself, or any observa-
tionssuggestions to make, is listened to if he
chooses to to present himself. As for the decisions,
there is one man who takes them. It is most inte-
resting to watch the manner in which Garibaldi's
decisions are taken, The initiative comes almost
invariably from him ; his mind seems the fullest
and most active, He knows better than any man
that in a popular movement, and with volunteer
soldiers such as he has, it is dangerous to stop long,
and leave them in idleness. Besides, he is anxious
and return to his solitary island
ot of finish
e a pr
otias task
.
While, therefore, the others allow
themselves to
fresh ones. repose on their laurels, he seeks for
Others think invariably that things
are riot enough prepared; he, on the contrary, he-
lieves the means
al ways sufficient provided there
is sufficient goodwill. A new plan once hinted at,
other
which produce their effect; and during this inter-
mediate its i nstage
those who don't know Garibaldi
would almost miss that energetic determination for
which he has the
him see in credit. But those who do know
this indecision the energetic work of
his genius,
seeking for the right determination. It
lasts till
is the very moment of action. This come,
it is as if Garibaldi awoke from a dream. All hesi-
tation order follows order distinctly, and
er
with a firmness which shows that the decision is
irrevocable. But Garibaldi expects at the same
time every one to work out these orders. They con-
tain merely the general idea; the details are left to
bthie discretion of the commanders. In battle Gari-
than a general helper in difficulties, appearing
always at the most exposed point, and animating
and repairing the fight. With ordinary commanders
accustomed to routine, this would be dangerous ;
but
are rather inclined to take the
other
course,
of u
Osortsheee is not much danger of a want
of commandon any point.
This evening We had.an alarm. About 9 p.m. a
succession of musket shots were heard towards the
n imoms t a
nd
Diana di Termsnova, where our outposts stand.
The imagination of the Messinese, heated by the
story of the threats of Clary in case of a descent on
the coast of Calabria, thought he had anticipated
his time, and the evening promenaders in the streets
were rather scarce in a few moments, I hastened
to the spot, and found our men already under arms.
There are several large monasteries in that part
which have been taken up as barracks; thus there
iscase.
a
m was caused by the Neapolitans
firing off a dozen shots, and then running away.
The whole long line was abandoned when I arrived,
and as far as you could see in the pale moonlight not
a man of the enemy was visible. All was clear as
far as the three lights which mark the entrance of
the fort. Medici, whose people furnished the ad-
vanced guard, and who is besides commandant of
the province and town, was already on the spot, and
everyone was puzzling his head to explain the
mystery of the disappearance of the Neapolitan out-
posts. The most probable supposition is that some
one tried to desert, and the sentries nearest fired,
spreading the alarm, which was caught up, and led
to the precipitate retreat of the outposts.

AUGUST 8.

i\inoi i.npg acking
up ;
All this day was a day of stir and movement.
Garibaldi off to the Faro, as usual, early in the
nra,r
; head-quarters almost. deserted ; the Etat-
leisurely gentlemen of the force, this morning and
the guides, usually the most
all day running about on foot, or driving about in
carriages. Everyone demanding of everyone else,
bag ? Are you going by sea or by land,—during
going? Who is going ? Who is remain.
the Are d3'LL'oyilor in the evening ? The contractors posi.
tiveli distracted and, with syff.34t_;ol4 0.0; i)plyp, 1

,

seeking for comestibles, looking in at bakers', en-
treating shopmen, dealing in " colonials," macca-
roni, and rice, or bullying wine-shop keepers. The
townspeople putting their heads together, making
conjectures, and coming to the conclusion that
something was up. A general razzia on all carts
and carriages that could be laid hold of. The Com-
mandante di Piazza and the municipality com-
pletely demoralized and positively bewildered.
Even the blind could see and the deaf hear that
something unusual was going on, not excepting the
Neapolitan outposts, which had returned with day-
light. Besides this, the great search after boats
and the direction of those laden with all kinds of
baggage and stores towards the Faro could be
plainly seen from the fort. As almost the only
topic is the descent on the coast of Calabria, the
conclusion about the meaning of this stir was easy
enough. The long-talked of expedition must be
coming off.

,ON BOARD THE CITY OF ABERDEEN,
AUG. 9.

If Messina was yesterday the scene of unusual
stir and activity, the road to the Faro and the vil-
lage of Faro Inferiore, with all its neighbourhood,
was ten times more so. All this space was like an
ant-hill—all in motion. In what is called a regu-
lar army two-thirds of this space would have been
taken up by carts and horses. With us irregulars
it is rather different. ' Baggage is a faint tradition,
train unknown, Commissariat dispositions shock-
ingly moderate. The soldier carries everything,
and that is very little. Happy he if he has an
extra shirt and drawers, which take little room in
the havresack, and leave plenty of space for biscuit
or bread, and happier still if he has a greatcoat
over his linen or cotton suit. Most have merely a
smaller or heavier blanket, which serves instead.
In this way our forces can be contracted like the
tubes of a telescope. Had it not been for this it
would have been impossible to get all the forces col-
lected which found room last night and this morn-
ing on and about the Faro Point.
The whole of the artillery and field guns, as well
as of position guns, were already there, together
with the Engineers, Sappers and Miners, and all
the materiel which these arms require. The Faro
Point had been the general port for all materiel
ever since we came to Messina. So you may
imagine that a good deal of room was monopolized
by these first corners. Yesterday the Division
Cosenz and the Brigade Sacchi had received orders
to come up. The first had been echeloned all along
the road from Messina to the very extreme point of
the Faro, its left wing resting on the outskirts of
the town and occupying two large monastries there ;
the rest disposed in the villages and hamlets along
the road. All this force had received orders to
start at nightfall, and to be by 11 p.m. as close as
possible to the place of embarcation at the Faro.
The Brigade Sacchi, quartered in the village and in
the neighbourhood of it, on the first heights above
the Faro Point, had orders to descend and follow
up the rear guard of the Division Cosenz. The
Second Brigade of the Division Turr, quartered in
Messina, had to leave at night and be at dawn at
Pace, a village two-thirds of the road. The whole
force thus collected cannot have been less than
10,000 men, exclusive of the artillery.
Now about the object of this concentration.
Two plans presented themselves in pursuing offen-
sive operations, the first more brilliant and more
expeditious, but likewise more hazardous; it was
to collect the forces and transport them into the
heart of thd continental possessions of the King of
Naples ; the second to effect a landing in Calabria,
and work up our way through the country to
Naples. Were Garibaldi's views only directed to
Naples he would, I am sure, scarcely have hesitated
between the two, and chosen the more hazardous
one, as more suited to his taste. But his ideas aim
higher, to the unity of Italy, for which all Italy
should co-operate, Calabria as well a$ all the rest.
It is a practical way of completing the union this
passing from one end of. Italy towards the other,
planting national ideas, making them take root,
grow, and mature ; teaching that example of sacri-
fice and devotion which Upper Italy gives to the
rest by sending her sons to fight, suffer hardships,
and die in the interest of the common cause. Cala-
bria contains elements which one day may be most
important in establishing and defending Italian in-
dependence. Besides this, there was a formal call
for Garibaldi by representatives of all the towns of
Calabria, asking for his speedy arrival—a call he
could not very well resist.
These reasons decided him to choose the longer
but more complete and surer road towards his great
aim. The Calabrese soldiers who fought in 1848 in
Upper Italy showed what this element might be-
come in good hands, and Garibaldi is not the man
who would forget this in his " great national re-
cruiting tour," as this campaign may be called.
Once the resolution was taken to disembark in
Calabria in preferenee to going higher up, the.
places which offered the greatest facilities became
self-evident. It was the line from Torre di Cavallo
to the Punta di Pezzo, about three miles in length,
and with a good beach. Higher up you have
rocks and breakers, and at Scylla a stronger cur-
rent. Lower down you are just on the line of com-
munication between Messina and San Giovanni and
Reggio, exposed to the batteries of the first, besides
the steamers which take their berth at the last two
places.

Torre di Cavallo, which is likewise the nearest
point of the opposite coast, is a small plateau, about
100 feet above the road, which is itself a tittle above
the beach. It forms a horseshoe, from which cir-
cumstance I suspect it has derived its name. To the
north, in the direction of Scylla; the rock is almost
perpendicular, and comes down close to the road ;
it seems rather fragile, for you can see the buttresses
by which the road is protected. You can see like-
wise a small stonework, which is said to mount
about 20 guns. On the southerly point of the
plateau is another fort, mounting about the same
number of guns. This latter is called the fort of
the Fiumara, overlooking as it does a little moun-
tain torrent, oe rather, its dry, gravelly bed. 'Then
follows a succession of gardens for two miles, inter-
sected only by two other little dry river beds, and
then comes the straggling village of Cannitello,
which extends to the Punta di Pezzo. The road
after skirting Torre di Cavallo, and crossing the
first Fiumara, loses itself among the gardens, pas-
sing several clusters of houses on its way. This
makes the part from Torro di Cavallo down to Can-
nitello look rather quiet, and just the place for a
descent. The garrison, as far as one: could ascer-
tain from the best sources, is not more than 150 or
200 men. Towards the sea the fort is open, it being
inaccessible from the height and steepness of the
rock. The chief defence is on the land side, where
it is well protected.
From the first it seemed desirable to surprise one
of the positions on the opposite side, the possession
of which would facilitate the landing of the main
force. The question was between this Fort of the
Fiumara and the Fort of Scylla. According to the
information received this latter had a very small
garrison, scarcely 30 men, which circumstance
turned our attention towards this point. In order
to ascertain the exact circumstances, Major Misisori,
of Cie Guides, was sent across in disguise. He
succeeded in landing without difficulty, remained
two days on the other side and returned. This
facility would be surprising, if anything in Neapo-
litan tactics could surprise. People cross over from
one side to the other without difficulty and without
any question being asked. A number of officers
belonging to Calabrian families have more than
once gone over to see their relations, from whom
they have been separated by an exile of years.
well, Major Missori went over like so many
others, and saw what there was to be seen at Scylla.
The Fort of Scylla is perched on a detached rock with
almost perpendicular sides, and connected by a
drawbridge with the town, which lies on a moun-
tain spur, and extends down to the beach on both
sides. Close to the Fort is a church, and in front of
it an open space, used as a market place. From the
corner of this a narrow passage of about 25 yards
leads up to the drawbridge. Until quite lately there
was 0110 sentinel at the drawbridge and another
over the gate. In expectation probably of coming
events, the garrison was lately increased to 120 men,
and had taken precautions against a surprise. A
detachment was encamped before the chords; and
typo sentinels vlaced at the e%Tcmoo of iho