The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-01 00:00:00

THE SWISS AT NAPLES.

''-
.
TO TILE EDITOR. OF THE SUN. ::'':"1! -,:
Sir,—At this moment the eyes of EuroPii*,•
turned towards Switzerland. 11 is a glorious sig.Y
to behold a people girding themselves up to defend '
their independence. Hence no man with a heart
can dissemble his lively sympathies. All honest
men manifest them with an unanimity and an
I energy which drown the malevolent insinuations
of those mean slaves who abhor every liberal idea,
and who are dead to every generous feeling.
In the midst of this concert •of well-deserved
praise, would it be becom* that a voice flotn the
democratic party shouldl,l:it*te unpleasant
truths to the Swiss ? I have 0;14 titie bed-ated, -
but, after mature reflection,.,,keni..Peeati,ded t !let it
will render a service to denteCm:4:l'74kt - generLd as
well as to Switzerland itself. • his will that on the
I eve of battle the champion of /lf ionolity ~iinxi of
liberty should he invited to purify his codipioeee
from all stain.
It is well, that a voice whose sincerity cannot be. •
doubted should tell the Swiss at this Ho lem u mo-
ment,
" Brothers, take.. are!. It is not just that
while you are defending literix at home you should
be the instruments of opPiesSion abroad. See
what the illustrious Kossuth' 'gained by voting in
the Hungarian Diet enormous Subsidies of men i.nd
money to aid the Emperor of Austria to reconquer
the Lombardo-Venetian provincei—the insurgent
students of Vienna marching to fight as volunteers
against the insurgents of Italy—the patriots of the
National Parliament of Frankfort declaring them-
selves hostile to Italian nationality—the French
Republic employing its cannon and its bayonets,
which might have liberated Europe, to replace the
, despotic Pontiff of Rome on his blood-stained
throne."
In :he affeir of Neuchatel, Switzerland claims
from :Prussia, with ccalm and courageous Aignity,
"the iudefteasibls light -which every nation posseises
of giving itself the form of government best suited
to it.

At the same time the exercise of this right is
prevented at Naples, particularly, and above all,
by a pretorian guard of from 12,000 to 15,000
Swiss. It is, in fact, evident, to the whole world
that tyranny could not be maintained in Naples in
a durable manner without the support of that pre-
torian guard.
One can very well understand that generous souls
should hasten voluntarily where the battles of
liberty are fought. Italy will never forget that it
was for justice against iniquity that in the years
1848 and 1849 the brave Swiss shed their blood at
Vicenza and Venice. •
One can comprehend likewise to a certain point
that volunteers may engage in foreign countries to
serve as soldiers in war time, particularly in coun-
tries which have not and cannot have a laree
standing army.
But the King of the Two Sicilies has a numerous
national army which he might easily increase if he
wished, as the recruiting system in force in his
territories is similar to that of France. It is not
to carry on war that ho takes Swiss troops into his
pay, but to maintain despotism in the country.
They are not soldiers he collects in the Swiss moun-
tains, but sbirri.
One is certainly too severe on this pox.' King,
who conscientiously carries on his trade of tyrant.
A part, and a great part, of the reprobation should
fall on the instruments lie employs ; on ,the vile
mercenaries who sell their souls for the service of

tyranny.
What would public opinion throughout Europe
say, what would diplomacy itself say, if the Bour-
bon of Naples, ia place of having a pretorian guard
of 12,000 or 15,000 Swiss, bad one of 12,4)00 or
15,000 Prussians ? And yet it would he less
odious to see despotism served by the subjects of a
King than by the citizens of a Republic.
It is melancholy to be forced to assert the,t with
respect to this scandalous traffic the moral stnse of
the Swiss nation, fin other respects so honest and
so noble, appears to be perverted and paralysed.
Whin those mercenaries return home with the
competence acquired at the price of blood—snot of
their blood, but of the blood and tears of the vic-
tims of the tyranny they have served—they enter
into the full enjoyment of their civil and political
rights, and they find among their fellow citizens
that regard and consideration a2c.rded to those
who have gained their for nue by honourable
means. Public opinion in Switzerland stigmatises
not (as far as I know) one of the most dishonourable
actions a man could commit.

Some laws have been enacted since 1849 witli
the apparent object of preventing enrolments far
foreign service. It would be very easy to prove
that those laws are ha 1, and badly executed. It
is sufficient to mention the fact, that there are at
Naples 12,000 or 15,000 satellites of despotism
bearing the name of Swiss soldiers. So remarkable
a fact proves the insufficiency of those law s, and
could not exist without the material or moral com-
plicity of the nation itself. It isfor the ration,
therefore, to look to it, to render its legislation
effective, its magistrate vigilant and sever e, its
morals worthy of a free people. Its honour is at
stake. It cannot, it ought not, permit that the
Swiss name should be longer stained with this di.6-
grace.

I will not speak of the old capitulations, which
have now scarcely any importance. They exist at
present only as regards two regiments whose effec-
tive is reduced one-half in consequence of the pro-
hibition to enrol since 1849.

For want of better reasons extenuating circum-
stances are pleaded. It is said, " What will you
have of it ?' It is a peculiarity, and a particular
custom of our country. We supply soldiers much
in the same way that Savoy supplies sweeps.
I have lr ady proved that they are not. soldiers,
but sbirri. The speciality to supply sbirri would
be au infamous speciality. What would be thought
of a nation who would say, our speciality is to sup-
ply executioners ?

It is with pain that I employ such language
towards a nation which has so many ancient and
modern claims to the est( em and friendship cif every
elevated mind, but there are some ulcers which can
only be treated by the actual cautery.
I rely on the co-operation of every honourable
man in Europe who has faith in justice and human
dignity. I rely likewise, and more particularly, on
the co-operation of the Swiss, who love their coun-
try with an intelligent and manly love. Children
and slaves deny their fatilts. Upright and free men
confesi and correct them. M3NIN.
Paris, Dec. 30, 1856.

The Swiss Government have notified their ii,t,e.tion
to raise a federal loan of 480,0001., in virtue .if the
authority recently granted, and which wag to the extent
of 1,200,000/. Ot this'4Bo,ooo/. the portion to he sub-
scribed in Switzerland is 100,000/. The remainder is to
he raised abroad. The boucle are be of 201., 40/., sett
2001., and they are to bear 5 per cent, interest, to he
issued at par, and to he redeemable in 20 years by a
sinking fund with annual drawings.
GREAT SNOW STORM ON THE YoRKSHIRE Tierra
The moors of Yorkshire have been visited for the past
few days by one of the mist severe stArins of wied :tea
snow experienced in that locality f,ir a very long period.
Tire storm set in on Christmas night with sey-re frost
and a heavy downfall of *mew. In the eeiehteiureo, d
i ike losses.
an
avalanche before it,
of Skipton its effects are very disastrous, and tbey have
been experienced with more or less severity throughout
the whole of the Craven district, in which the faruntru
Toe high prevailieg
a
baudwin d s sustained
and the sheep have had to be dug from drifts three
and four yards in depth. One fat mer, who bed nearly
etdh e serious
snow
500 sheep out, has scarcely recovered a tithe of them
alive; on Conistone Mo.:r 30 sheep ',ere taken out
dead from one if the drifts ; on Einbsay Moor Line
were lotted huridled together in a similar hole ; on
Cracoe Fell a large number were either smothered
in the snowdrifts or frozen to death ; indeed, through-
l'ut the whole neighbourhood similar disastrous losses
have been experienced by the farmers. The keen frost
has still continued at night, with pt rtial thaws during
the day.
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