The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-27 00:00:00

THE GARIBALDI FETE AT NAPLES

A letter from Naples, dated March 20, says :
The Garibaldi fete is now over, and never had
man a more glorious ovation, and never did man
better deserve it than Garibaldi. Preparations for
it have long been making, and during the past week
considerable apprehension has existed of some dis-
turbances, not only amongst the old women of the
city but even amongst Government officials. There
have been deliberations in high quarters, and peo-
ple have been employed to use their influence and
counsel, and the walls have been placarded with
several addresses from the syndic and moderate
men amongst the Garibaldini, calling on all good
citizens to celebrate the name day of the glorious
hero, but to respect order and to put down all who
were disposed to create confusion. Indeed public
opinion was so strongly pronounced that it was
evident that the day would pass off quietly ; and the
reactionists and Muratists, who, I am inclined to
think, would have been glad of an opportunity to
create disturbances, saw that any attempt would be
useless, and remained quiet. I cannot, however,
sufficiently praise the Government, who took the
wind out of the sails of the ill-intentioned by taking
the initiative and making the fete their own. It
was a bright and warm morning, and on arriving
in the Largo del Palazzo I found it full of the
National Guards, who, as far as dress and appear-
ance are considered, are a remarkably fine body of
men. The mounted National Guard attracted espe-
cial attention by the splendour of their uniforms
and their excellent horses. Amidst them were
bodies of workmen ranged according to their several
trades, and carrying their respective banners. Thus
I observed, from the inscriptions on the flags, that
there were represented on the ground, the " Car-
vers and Gilders," the " Carpenters," the " Tur-
ners," the " Tanners," and the " Engravers," all
sober and well-conducted men who were being ad-
monished here and there by their leaders to main-
tain order. There was a vast crowd between the
Largo and the theatre, and it cost some trouble to
penetrate it and get to the door of San Carlo, where
it appeared almost an impossibility to enter ; but a
great deal of pushing and a few magic words
whispered in the ear of a carabineer, which were
passed on to the officer in command, soon procured
me an entrance, though without any ticket. It was
ten o'clock in the morning, and the interior of this
magnificent building was resplendent with light.
The pit was crammed, the boxes, with a few excep-
tions, were full, and the stage was crowded with
the committee of management and their friends.
Just in front of it was the banner of the workmen,
at the head of whose association is Garibaldi, and
a very beautiful work it is, made of the finest satin.
At the summit was a star, and underneath a mural
crown. In the centre appeared the cross of Savoy,
and underneath a regal crown ; whilst above and
below were the inscriptions, " Progresso, Incorag-
giamento ; Viva l'ltalia una ed indivisibile." Pro-
fessor Zuppetta had already spoken a word of
exhortation to the workmen, reminding them of
the objects of the association, and the necessity of
progress, and urging them to maintain order.
Then there was a lull, which was only broken
by cries of " Viva Garibaldi !" given with
a heartiness and enthusiasm which I have never
heard exceeded, and which no other name has
awakened to the same extent. " Viva Vittorio
Emanuele !" was also an occasional cry; and
" Viva l'unita Italiana !" was responded to as it
were with one voice; but the hero of the day who
reigned in every heart was Garibaldi. So has it
been at all times, and from the time of his entrance
down to the present moment Giuseppe Garibaldi
has been and has deserved to be the object almost
of the adoration of the Neapolitans. Towards the
end of the meeting Zuppetta again made a speech
full of allusions to Rome and Venice, which was
received with a storm of applause, and then the
vast crowd began to disperse. In the royal box was
Nigra, accompanied by Liborio Romano and Dr.
Filippis, who was deputed by the workmen to go to
the palace and invite the attendance of the Secre-
tary General. On the appearance of the banner,
sacred to Garibaldi as the president of the Associa-
tion of Workmen, the air was rent with cries of
" Viva Garibaldi !" It was borne by workmen, and
others of the same class followed with their trade
flags, being flanked on each side by the national
guard, a mark of honour and a guarantee for order.
The crowd was so dense that we moved on en masse
and yet there was no pushing, no disorder. Nothing
could be better than the conduct of all present. The
spot towards which we now moved was the church
of San Francesco Paolo, and as we went along the
people shouted till they were hoarse the favourite
cry. A little anxiety was felt about getting the
" sacred banner" in, but by lowering it, and a
little wheedling and coaxing, the difficulty was got
over. This beautiful and spacious church was built
ex rote by the grandfather of Francis 11., and we
might almost have expected to see him awakened
from the dead by such a scene. The building was
full of persons of all classes, and not an incident
occurred which might have been regretted. The
benediction was given to the banner and the flags
of the various societies, and then the vast multitude
left the church with the same order as it had en-
tered. In the evening the city was generally illu-
minated, but unfortunately a heavy rain set in
after midday, which rather damped the happiness
of the population: During the whole of the day I
did not hear one cry which was contrary to the
terms of the plebiscite. I did not mark one single
incident inconsistent with the strictest order. I
saw not one drunk or disorderly person ; and I come
to the conclusion that, though they may not be able
to govern themselves, the Neapolitans may be easily
governed.
I cannot conclude my remarks on the festivities
in honour of Garibaldi without marking, too, the
elevation and consolidation of the working classes.
It is one of the most hopeful signs of our social
state, and the time is fast approaching when the
people, instead of consisting of an ignorant aristo-
cracy and a degraded basse classe, will number
amongst them a large proportion of thoughtful,
well-instructed men.