The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-09 00:00:00

7HE

the depreciations, waste, havoc, and sacrilege com-
mitted in the religious buildings of the place—at
the church of St. Francis in particular, little
escaping beyond the bare walls. All we have to
do here is to state the naked truth with regard to
the character shown by our people respecting the
so-called public voting or plebiscite. Finding
themselves under the pressure and alarming influ-
ence of this turbulent disorder, and called upon
by public notices to flock to the urn for a most
important demonstration, it would have been no
great cause of surprise if some of the citizens had
presented themselves out of sheer fear. But there
was not even so much as this. And we are pre-
Fared to guarantee, upon our honour, and by the
proof of the notorious public fact, that no one,
literally no one, appeared in answer to the appeal
in the room when the solemn experiment was to l e
tried. . . . If it has been represented that
there were even the very smallest, possible number
of voters, we, in the name of the whole town, pro-
test aloud, and are prepared to repeat it in the teeth
of all corners, whoever they may be, that it is the
most outrageous and shameful falsehood that was
ever invented."
Montefiascone writes :—" On the late occ&ion
when this town was subjected to the tyrannical
domination imported by the Garibaldians, a certain
public act, they called a plebiscite, was put forth
which pretended to represent the votes of this
people. The pressure and terror which prevailed
at the time would have sufficed to have neutralized
its importance. But, notwithstanding this, the
undersigned, charged with the public representa-
tion of the municipality, think it due to truth
and justice to protest against the said demonstra-
tion, which, so far from expressing public opinion,
was, on the contrary, viewed with general indig-
nation. The voting-papers, which were thrown
into the urn in numbers far larger than that of
the supposed voters could have been made out to
be (?), were thrown in by the very Garibaldian
rabble (tonne) which was oppressing the town.
The citizens of every class abstained most coura-
geously from all participation in it."
A second letter from Bagnorea says :—" . . . .
That in the interests of truth, and to the honour
of the magistracy as well as that of the population,
the undersigned think it right to protest against
any act which the subversive party may boast of
or produce as having taken place in this city under
the specious title of a plebiscite, as we declare
solemnly it was never accomplished, for not one
out of the whole population would take part in it."
The protest of Bolsena discloses the same ter-
giversation, declares how the whole population
held back from the affair, and how four or five of
the lowest of the people were dragged up to the
voting place by force, and concludes by protesting,
in the name of the people, against the whole thing,
and declaring " that they will always remain under
the regimen of the Pontifical Government, and '
ever preserve their faithful attachment and devo-
tion to the Holy See."
The French fleet arrived at Civita Vecchia from
Toulon on Wednesday, and the embarkation of
one division was at once proceeded with. There

will remain, however, for the present, at least, not
less than four battalions in Rome, and a brigado
at Civita Vecchia. Or, according to some reports,
one whole division will remain in Civita Vecchia,
and none in Rome.
A very remarkable fact, showing the utter vena-
lity of the Italian revolutionary press, has just been

mentioned to me. A person from Florence came
here a few days ago, commissioued by several of
the well-known " Liberal " papers to treat with
the Roman Government, their undertaking being
in consideration of a certain subsidy to prepare
public opinion for the return of Italy to the terms
of the treaty of Zurich, that is to say, to the Italian
Confederation. As might have been expected,
the only answer he received was that it was not
the custom of the Roman Government to seek to
influence public opinion in this way,
I must plead guilty to having let the fascination
of political events entirely absorb my attention of
late, making me overlook peaceful events. As a
first instalment of returning attention to these
things, let me mention the festa at St. Clemente last
Saturday (St. Clement's day). The most extra-
ordinary and interesting excavations under this
church are well known to all visitors to Rome, and
have been often described on the festa. It is custo-

mary to light up the subterranean works, and throw
them open to the concourse of faithful, who never
fail to attend on the occasion and listen to the
explanation of the ancient mural paintings which
adorn it. On this occasion, if it was not so full
as in former years, the numbers of foreigners pre-
sent showed that little by little all the world is
pouring into Rome as usual. St. Clemente offered
an additional attraction to pilgrims this year in
the consecration, by Cardinal Guidi, Archbishop
of Bologna, of a new altar in the subterranean
church, thus restoring to Divine worship a temple
which dates from the very time of the Apostles.
The new altar is of handsome marbles, bold in de-
sign, and somewhat similar to that in the Basilica

itself. Over it is a simple baldachino, supported
by four columns of cipolino. In front has been
laid a tablet commemorating the Dominicans of

former ages, whose bones have been disturbed in
digging out the old church.
_ _

Prince Cesarini was married on Monday to a
Princess Colonna. The wedding took place at
Naples.

THE VERACITY OF BRAZIL.