The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-16 00:00:00

TILE SIEGE AT GAETA.

A letter from Castellone, dated Jan. 8, says—
The Piedmontese engineers display consummate
ability in their works, but it is well for the parties
engaged in erecting them that the enemy's artillery-
men are not as expert as those who were at Capua
during Garibaldi's short siege. The practice of the
Piedmontese artillery is splendid. Scarcely a shot
fails in striking the top of the parapet of the
enemy's batteries, and of the shells thrown into the
town hardly one misses its aim. The defence of
Gaeta is so badly conducted that the Piedmontese
are not half so severely tried as the French were
in 1806.

Two days ago a flag of truce was sent in by Cial-
dini with a proposition to the Neapolitan com-
mander of an armistice of a few hours, in order to
bury the dead, which were lying on the tract of
land formed by the slope of Monte Tortola and the
last declivity of Torre d'Orlando. After some delay
an answer in the affirmative was re turned, and it
was arranged that an hour should be granted for
collecting and carrying away the dead. On this
occasion some of the Piedmontese officers met their
enemies upon that neutral ground, and civilities
were of course exchanged. The Neapolitan officers,
I hear, were rather reserved ; fearing, perhaps,
that some one of their superiors was watching from
the bastions, and might charge them with having
too warmly fraternised with their northern coun-
trymen. At two o'clock the white flags were all
hauled down in an instant, and the last fluttering
bit of white bunting had scarcely disappeared over
the parapet when the flash and roar of a gun from
the Regina Battery announced that the war had
begun once more. The Piedmontese almost simul-
taneously answered frem their Monte Tortola bat-
teries, and the ballo, as the Italians call it, was
was carried on as usual. I have so often tiled, with
so little success, to determine the day on which a
general attack from the Piedmontese batteries is to
begin that I feel disinclined to attempt it again. I
am certain, however, that the great day is now near
at hand, and that in a few days Europe will hear
through the telegraph that the batteries of the
besiegers have all opened fire against the doomed
city. Then the question will be asked, " Are the
Piedmontese going to try at once to open a breach,
or will they only bombard the town and wait the
result ?" Well, the question is not easily answered,
for nobody can tell the effect which will be pro-
duced upon the half-demoralised soldiers of Franeis
11. by a tremendous bombardment. If, after a
comparatively insignificant bombardment of 12
hours' duration, the Neapolitan gunners re-
fused to go back to the uncovered batteries
of the right bastions, who can tell what
they will do when the fire of 148 pieces is opened
against the fortress ? On the other hand, they have
plenty of covered batteries in which they can safely
remain, and through the protection so unaccount-
ably given by Louis Napoleon to the King, Gaeta,
having increased its stock of provisions, may hold
out for many months to come. In this case the
Piedmontese must of course try to open a breach, a
thing which is not perhaps so difficult as people
generally believe.

Sad ne vas has reached us from Sicily. The Govern-
ment of Signors La Farina and Cordova has been
upset by a popular demonstration. Had it not been
for the calm and wise attitude of the Piedmontese
General Brignone, a bloody conflict could not have
been avoided, and the island would have been
thrown into all the horrors of a civil war. What
a misfortune that both political parties in Italy are
net able to understand that by their animosity they
are only playing the game of their enemies. It
may be that the complaints of the Sicilians against
the statesmen they have forced so abruptly to
retire from office were well founded. But would it
not have been better to wait for the meeting of
Parliament to secure the redress of those com-
plaints, instead of hastening it by a popular demon-
stration I'

I cannot help thinking that if the Government
on the one hand, and the more advanced party on
the other, do not come to an understanding, the
cause of Italian unity will run great danger in
Southern Italy. The adherents of Count Cavour
say that all these misfortunes are caused by Signor
Crispi and his friends ; the Republicans in their
turn proclaim that the conduct of the new Govern-
ment towards Garibaldi was the cause of the general
discontent which prevailed in that island. Be that
as it may, it is certain that Italy and its noble
cause will surely suffer if each party does not once
for all sacrifice its complaints on the altar of the
country.
Mr. Wm. Adams Smith, a member of the Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has been
for some time past resident in Naples, endeavouring
by every means in his power—by petitions to the
government; by published addresses in the jour-
nals to all classes, to the high as well as to the low ;
by personally interesting influential persons, and
by appeals to the police, to check the monstrous