The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-05 00:00:00

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FOREIGN NO-TES.

THE STATE OF ROME.

The Times contains a tong and interesting loadrifriitili
from the correspondent who has just gone to Rome. He
arrived there on the 27th, by train, punctually to the
minute, just as if Rome were London and the railway
thither the Great Northern. He had heard terrible stories
of
.bloodshed and rapine on his way, but did not much
believe them. On his arrival he found that he did
well to doubt. Rome, too, had its romances, and toll
how 250 Papalini had defended themselves against 5,000
Garibaldini, with a loss of 400 prisoners—an arithmetical
problem which would baffle Bishop Colenso. Rome
itself was not comfortable, certainly. If you made an
engagement to dine with your banker, the chances were
that you would be turned back by an irate sentry. Thar
hotel-keepers kept their usnally wide-open doors bulf A
and barred, for visitors were the rarest of rare birds. l'he
possession of any weapon larger than a penknife e--posed
the possessor to twenty five years at the galleys, Then
there was the farther desayrenzent of an occasioi.a~l Lomb
which, exploding, shattered all the windows mound, and
perchance killed a harmless passenger or two. The cor-
respondent Pp, aks highly of the courage and discipline
of the Papal troops. The Garibaldini have none
of the second, and a great niany of them very
little of the_ first. In fact, so superior were the
Pope's defenders to his assailants, that the correspondent
considers Napoleon to have made a great mistake in send.
ing his troops to Rome. They should ha, e stopped ht
Civita Vecchia. As it is he has played into the hands of
the Reds, and exposed Italy to the danger of a revolution.
The same writer says their the desire to annex the Papal
States is much stronger than the desire to be annexed.
No doubt if the subjects of Pius IX. could give an nu).
biassed vote, a large number of them would be for trrAs.
ferring their' allegiance to Victor Emmanuel. But they
are not sufficiently ardent in the matter to expose Ahem.
selVes to any risk.
The Rome correspondent of the Etendard has been to
Civita Vecchia, whence he writes in a state of ecstacy at
the splendid manner in which the French expedition has
been managed. "Twelve days ago," he says, writing on
the 31st, "there was no thought of an expedition.
Suddenly telegrams issue simultaneously from the
Ministers of War and Marine, and brigades and
divisions :traverse France from one extremity to,
the other, and in less than thirty hours find themselves
embarked with all their materiel on board a fleet which
two days before had been wholly unarmed. A counter.
order arrives : Italy has promised to keep her engage.
ments ; we believe her word; we, with whom honour is
supreme law 'Disembark the troops and disarm.'
This order is executed ; not a soldier, not a gun, not a
ration, not a bushel of coal, not a packet of cartridges
remains on board the transports; everything is taken out.
Four days later Italy tells us in a peremptory manner
that it is impossible to keep her word. Other pressing
telegrams arrive at Toulon. ' Arm and be off,' they say.
And in less than forty-eight hours all is again ready. The
fleet of transports light their fires and go to sea. The
cape of Civita Vecchia is turned, and on the day afterthe
morrow the fleet casts anchor amidst universal astonish-
ment." This correspondent says that 12,000 had landed
up to that time, and that 8,000 more were to follow. The
first detachment completed their disembarcation between
daylight and 2 p.m.