The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-03 00:00:00

FANATICAL OUTRAGE AT PISA.

The city of Pisa was, it appears, the scene of a
violent riot on the 24th ult. The fact that the
Italian Evangelical community is there rapidly
increasing on the one hand, and the intrigues of the
priests ever since the arrest of Cardinal Corsi (the
Archbishop of Pisa) on the other, have contributed
to create a state of exasperation amongst the lower
orders of the people, and this has been artfully
turned to account by the grand-ducal andd, papal
emissaries. The circumstances which gave rise to
the disturbance are thus narrated iu the ilonitore
Toscana

On the morning of last Sunday, the 24th of
March, a deplorable act of violence disturbed the
public tranquillity in the city of Pisa. A certain
Lorenzo Poggi, an artisan belonging to the suburb
of Porta a Mare, was going in a carriage with a male
child, born two days previously, to the church of the
Evangelical Christians in order to have the child
there baptised according to the rites of the Wal-
densian worship.

No sooner was the carriage on the middle of
the bridge of Porta a Mare than it was suddenly
surrounded by a number of persons, and whilst
some of them seized the reins of the horse, shouting
"To the cathedral! to the cathedral !" and ad-
dressed menaces to the father and the other persons
who were with him, the carriage was violently
driven in that direction. The baby was brought
into the church of San John, and baptised accord-
ing to the rites of the Catholic Church.
The mob collected on the square of the cathedral,
then took the direction of the Waldensian church,
where the Evangelical Christians are wont to as-
semble on their holy days, and evinced the intention
of committing acts of violence. Various persons were
assembled at the moment when the crowd burst upon
them, and attempted to make their way into the
church, of which the gate had been already closed
and barricaded by those within. Then the church
itself was visited by a shower of stones which
broke the windows. The ordinary police force,
though always ready and present where the tumult
and the danger were at their height, did not
suffice to stop these serious excesses. The inter-
vention of the National Guards, therefore, became
necessary, and these were no sooner summoned than
they hastened in great numbers to the scene of the
disorder, displaying a zeal and an enthusiasm highly
honourable to them.

The words of the prefect, who, distinguished by
the insignia of his office, hastened to the crowd, and
the display of public force contributed efficaciously
to disperse the mob of ill-advised persons, and to
re-establish order and tranquillity. The police
meanwhile are proceeding in their researches in
order that justice may be fully exercised. While
we deplore such blameworthy acts of intolerance
and of violence, we are pleased to learn that the
political authorities, the police force, and the Na-
tional Guards have vied with one another in zeal
and in activity on this occasion, all, without dis-
tinction, performing their duty.

TILE PROPOSED COMPROMISE WITEI
THE WESTERN BANK DIREC2'OI?S.

The public are generally aware already of the
terms of the proposed compromise between the
liquidators and the directors of the Western Bank.
That proposal is, that on payment of the sum of
£200,000, the shareholders will abandon their im-
pending prosecution, and the postponement of the
action set down for trial this week is but one indi-
cation of the general expectation that this sugges-
tion of the liquidators will be approved by the
shareholders. The latter have suffered enough
already by the disaster which overtook them, and
are becoming less and less disposed to sacrifice
their own interests still further for the gratification
of their natural feelings of resentment against the
directors, or even for the sake of what many con-
sider to be the interests of public justice. The
division of £200,000 among the solvent shareholders
would yield about £l4 a share, which added to the
£36 or so of assets yet expected to be realised and
distributed, would make in round numbers a
return of £5O upon each share. Taking the
original value of the shares at £75, and the
calls at £125, there is a loss of £2OO on each
share, which would be reduced to £l5O, if the
proposed compromise is entered into. Of course
these figures may be somewhat altered when the
question comes to be considered how far those who
purchased shares immediately before the failure of
the bank are entitled to a preference. But the above
may be taken as an approximation to the general
result of the proposed arrangement. The issue, we
hope, may turn out to be even more favourable.
The Messrs. Baird are not parties to the proposed
arrangement; but though we do not speak by
authority we believe it has been too hastily assumed
that they are resolutely opposed to a compromise.
The Messrs. Baird hold among them the large num-
ber of upwards of 1,500 shares, and if some amicable
arrangement could be made by which these gentle-
men should also have a part in the compromise, it
ought to enhance the satisfaction with which the
prospect of a peaceful settlement of this harassing
business is now generally regarded by the share-
holders, and the more moderate section of the com-
munity. It is for the shareholders themselves,
however, to determine whether even the compro-
mme already arranged will be agreed to, and a
meeting is to be immediately convened' to consider
the question in connection with a report which is
to be drawn up by the liquidators.—F.dinburgh
Daily Review.