The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-25 00:00:00

VENETIA.

(From the Times' Military Correspondent)
VENICE, Oct. 18.

The aspect of Venice has materially changed
within the last few days. When the Generals of the
commission set forth on their errand of freedom ten
days ago the dead bones had already begun to stir
but languidly, and with all the signs of their long
sleep still conspicuously upon them. Preparations
were being made bit by bitin a hesitating manner it
is true, and convulsive efforts, in the shape of thea-
trical meetings and petard throwing, showed that life
was entering in gradually ; but the general appear-
ance was one of hope in the future rather than rea-
lisation of the present, the frequenters of the cafes
were listless, and a few journals only entered on
sufferance. To-day there is real energy abroad, the
soldiers are departing fast, and the irregular step of
the citizen guard is heard more frequently than the
measured tramp of the sentinel. The arcades of the
Quadri, where Austrian officers sat in the evening
discussing gloomily their coffee and cigars are now
closed against them, and the crowds sweep over the
marble pavement where the tables for the ledeschi
formerly stood. The decorous gravity of the aristo-
cratic few is interrupted by a host of pushing people
from all quarters of the civilised world who have
come to see Venice unchained, and it will be long be-
fore sherecovers her quietness or returns to her nor-
mal condition as a city of the past. The American
and the Londoner are not here to study art, nor to
dream away hours among the architecture of the
Gothic and Renaissance palaces, but to watch the
fetters fall off and enjoy the excitement of the fetes.
Even the air has becoming bracing, and the oily si-
rocco has given place to the biting north-eastern.
Then the cries in the streets have increased in
number and significance. It was a great thing
formerly to hear even the monotonous "Il Cor-
riere della Venezia" with long accent on the
" II," but now Milanese and Florentine papers
are to be got, and you can have Garibaldi's head
for a soldo. The workmen are pushing on
with all their might, flag staves rise as if by magic,
and seem to paint themselves ; the very face of
Venice is being changed, for the mouths of the canals
,outwards towards the sea are being bridged overfor
the troops to pass without that up and down move-
ment over the bridges which would break their march
and spoil the general effect.
As for the outsides of the houses, they have
undergone such a cleaning and whitewashing, alas !
in many instances, as almost modernises them. But
their interiors ! Who can describe the sweltering
masses of rags and rottenness that have been poured
forth into the canals from some of them lately,
creating a smell between decaying flesh and dis-
turbed old dustheaps ? No wonder that there were
six new cases of cholera yesterday, in spite of the
happy change in the weather. Nobody is troubled
about cholera now. What is a little disease when
Venice is renewing her youth ?
In a jubilant article of last evening the Gazette
of Venice, no longer " official," sounds a flourish
of trumpets for the acquisition of the Quadrilateral,
but in its rejoicings for what has been done does
not forget what yet remains to• be accomplished.
One spot still remains under foreign protection, and
until Rome is free and united to Italy the crown of
the arch is wanting. There is no question about the
immediate fruition of their hopes in Italian minds ;
their only speculations now being concerning the
future dwelling-place of the Holy Father. In the
meantime the press stretches its limbs a little by
lecturing the municipality for not moving fast enough,
and being too civil to the stranger, that terrible
stranger who has been so long to them a burden
more than they could bear.
The course to be followed to-morrow is already
announced—flags to be hoisted at about 9 a.m., the
troops to enter in three columns, about 12 noon,
preceded by civic bands. It is the people who have
called them, the people who will welcome them, the
people who will do them honour. To-day a depu-
tation from the Municipal Council received from the
hands of the Countess Comallo an embroidered na-
tional flag prepared for them in 1859, and long lying
furled till the hour of their deliverance should strike.
She has a right to their thanks and honour, for she
has suffered for her political opinions.
From articles in English papers there appears to
be some misapprehension about the material of war
actually remaining to be handed to the Italian Go-
vernment. The rule accepted by both parties was
exactly that which prevails in England when a
change takes place in the tenants of a house. All
that has been built or set up so that its removal
would become injurious becomes the property of the
landlord, who in this case is represented by the
municipality, and continues in its place for the use
of the next tenant; all the furniture, such as guns,
ammunition, tables, beds, gas-burners, &c., are
are either to be removed or paid for by the Italians.
The systems of rifled ordnance, heavy and light,
differ in the two countries ; the Austrians using
Wahrendorf heavy guns, La Hitte bronze medium,
and bronze light on a plan adapted with some modi-
fications from Lenk's invention, intended to be used
with gun-cotton. These are all to be taken away
with their ammunition complete, for the Italians,
who have adopted the French system of rifling,with
their own peculiar size of grooves, and twist in the
reverse direction to that of the Austrian La Hittes,
could not make use of the guns or projectiles with-
out creating great complication in their arrange..
meats, and adding to their manufacturing establish-
ments. But smoothbore ammunition only requires
a few new sizes of moulds for casting shot and
shell, and, perhaps, an inexpensive adaptation of
fuze-holes to fuzes. Austria is glad to leave these
guns, as they would cost much to carry away, and
Italy gains a large quantity of valuable material at
a price far cheaper than would be the cost of manu-
facturing them. So the rifled guns and their stores
go northwards, and the Italians retain most of the
smoothbores. All is not quite plain sailing, how-
ever, in spite of the apparent simplicity of this ar-
rangement. The Italian commissioners have shown,
let us say, a careful economy, and numerous ques-
tions have arisen requiring that reference should be
made to Vienna and Florence. For instance, there
were a large quantity 'of shells which Italy did not
want, but which she might make use of. If sent to
Vienna great delay in the departure of the last Aus-
trian detachments would be the consequence, so it
was arranged that Italy should take them at one-
third of their value, but when the commission came
to examine them, it appeared they were loaded and
their fuzes fixed. Austrian and Italian fuzes differ ;
and the artillery must either remove them from the
shells, a dangerous operation, or learn a new sys-
tem in addition to their own ; so the commissioners
refused to take them. Upon this General Moring
said, " Name your own price, be it even that of old
iron, rather than oblige us to continue the irritating
presence of our men to ship them off ; you can throw
them into water till fuzes are rendered unexplosive,
and;i the powder destroyed, and after that clean and
o,renthoetra.,, Whether this proposition is to be accepted
areis yet uncertain, but in the meantime delays
created
and volumss of papers exchanged.

It is done l I Oct. 19.
the Adriatic. itt 7is free at last from the Alps to
generals and half-past seven this morning the
Venice met, and when
they separated, it was on
military commandant one side to send forth the
and the last battalion on their
way to Trieste, and on the her
to ring their bells,
hoist the flag of Italy from thet masts that once bore
up the triple gonfalons of Venice,
and the
Morea, and proclaim " Venezia LibCeYal)tru3' Scarcely
had the vessel in which General Ate:l"
staff embarked left the harbour, when the and his
en the Ital.
war ships began to come in. It was vain the
vain the
municipality had elaborated a scheme which was
to give an artistical appearance of unanimity to the
decoration of the streets, in vain had they named 9
o'clock as the hour to watch for the sound of bells
from the tower of St. Mark's. The people wanted
no leaders in the matter. Enough for them that lo
straniero was gone, their first act of liberty was exer-
cised without hesitation, and the city blossomed like
a rose. Innate gentleness, called forth by the wise
advice of their magistrates, kept them quiet, for the
most part, till the Austrians were well out of sight,
but soon there broke out here and there gradually
trial shouts of joy, swelling and gathering force
from minute to minute, till at the sound of the first