The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-25 00:00:00

his countrymen believe him to have forestalled
Harvey in the discovery of the circulation of the
blood. In the strife of pens and wordy harangues,
citation of authorities, references to ancient manu-
scripts, and hair-splitting disquisitions, which, in
accordance with the spirit of the time, were called
forth by the quarrel, Friar Paul especially distin-
guished himself, and his labours in behalf of the
Republic were unceasing. Familiar with the
secrets of Rome, and well skilled in theological
learning, he would have been a formidable opponent
even without the vigorous intellect and inflexible
integrity that were his most formidable weapons.
When the struggle was over, it is not surprising
that the partisans of Rome looked with the deadliest
enmity on him who had lent such efficient aid to
the rebellious senate, and sought every means to
entrap him. The friar was too wise to trust
himself out of Venice, and failing other means
of revenge, his enemies had resort to the despicable
crime of assassination. The intended victim, how-
ever, survived the attempt, and the Senate re-
doubled its rewards and precautions. It is satis-
factory to find that this eminent man died a natural
death at an advanced age in 1622, a year after the
death of Paul the Pope, his old antagonist. The
readers who are acquainted with Mr. Trollopetg
style will readily imagine that this story loses
nothing in his hands. His familiarity with the
Italian history of that epoch, and his fervent sym-
pathy for religious liberty and free government,
qualify him in no ordinary degree for the task he
has undertaken. His opening chapters on ,g The
Time" and " The Men," prepare the way for the
succeeding events, and make the reader acquainted
with the scene of action. His lengthened account
of the election of a Pope, taken from an old Italian
work by one of the Cardinal's secretaries, is very
curicus. The work is, perhaps, somewhat too
voluminous. We can readily believe that the maze
of correspondence and accumulation of documents,
through which he has waded, make his own work a
mere epitome by comparison, but nevertheless a fur-
ther condensation of his materials would have made
it more acceptable to the general reader, without
in any degree depreciating its value, as repetitions
both of narrative and reflection occasionally occur.
The English public are, however, indebted to Mr.
Trollope for a very interesting volume, which, in
connection with his former, and we hope with MS
future, works, will tend to increase the very limited
knowledge generally possessed among us of the
history of the Italian Republics. The following
tribute to the wisdom and ability of the Venetian
Government affords a fair specimen of the author's
style :

But if the gratitude of all succeeding generations, and
especially of the present, has been,!and is, due, in a greater
measure, perhaps, than has been generally recognised, to
Father Paul, to a still greater degree have the historians
of the various European nations failed to mete out a fair
measure of recognition to the sagacious, intrepid, and
patriotic government, which employed, protected, and
backed him, and which, at a time when greater nations froul
corrupt motives would not, and weaker communities dared
not, oppose the encroachments of Church power on the
secular affairs of mankind, stood forth the champion of
civil liberty and the supremacy of civil law. It was under
the strong shield of the Venetian republic that the terrible
Friar braved the power which, but for such protection,
would have crushed him in an instant. It was at the
bidding and for the laws of Venice that he fought as a Vene-
tian citizen, preferring loyalty to his humanity to loyalty
to his tonsure.

The position assumed by the Government of Venice in
the great and all-important struggle which is to be the
subject of the following pages, was truly such as to merit
the admiration and gratitude of mankind. But in this, as
in various other respects, the peculiar and remarkable Go-
vernment which ruled Venice and its territory for more
than eight hundred years, has been but superficially studied
and very erroneously appreciated by the writers of popular
history. The French historian Daru, whose work is one
of pretension, and has incautiously been widely received as
one of authority, has contributed much to this false and
unjust estimate by its errors in fact and unfairness in re-
presentation. But a few picturesque lines by an univer-
sally-read poet have done perhaps even more to root in the
contemporary popular niind a very mist iken notion of a
Government which, though it was by no means free from
the errors in practice and theory that belonged to its age,
was for a period of many centuries decidedly in advance of
any other European community, both in its conception of
the functions of the Government and its mode of carrying
out its views. A graphic poet spoken word or two of de-
scription of the prisons of the republic—a romantic story or
two of the secret action and irresistible power of " the Ten"
—have sufficed to enable the flash of genius to photograph
on the pablio mind the well-known picture of a myste-
rious, remorseless, and tyrannic power, which serves •I the
general reader" for an idea of that skilfully-constructed and
well-poised system of government to which mankind has on
many occasions owed so much. In vain the matter-of-fact
traveller, rule and notebook in hand, visits the prisons,
which have securely established themselves in all the
nmantic imaginations of Europe, and proves that any
jury of upholsterers would pronounce them far more com-
fortably habitable than many of our own. In vain it is
suggested to the romance-of-history-loving mind that the
Bridge of Sighs conveys by its poetically lugubrious
name no such serious imputation on the authorities, to
which it belonged, as for instance the phrase " Black
Monday" casts on the administrations which made Mon-
day perennially " black" at the Old Bailey. The prose.
man and humble dealer in facts finds it—not in this matter
alone—a very up-hill and well-nigh hopeless task to undo
that which the poet and the romancer have but too tbo'
roughly done.

The real history of Venice has yet to be written. Abun-
dant materials for it are now available which could hardly
be said to be available a few years ago. It is a story
second to none that mankind has ever acted in all that
makes history valuable and delightful. We have much
writing on the subject; but wo have not yet the history of
Venice, in any language.

The Ca2npaign of Garibaldi in the Two Sieilies.
A Personal Narrative. By Charles Stuart
Forbes, Commander R.N., author of " Iceland,
its Volcanoes, Geysers, and Glaciers." William
Blackwood.
This is a most interesting little work, and it is
sure to be one that will be received well anywhere,
as it refers to one of the most striking men of
the day, and one who will occupy a bright page in
the annals of the history of the nineteenth century.
The author of this book had the advantage of an
acquaintanceship with the illustrious hero of Italian
liberty, and hence he is enabled to write as one
who knows of what he speaks, and has no fireside
tale to tell us, since he has mingled in some of the
stirring scenes that have rendered Italy the stage
of interest on which the eyes of Europe have been
lately gazing. He thus writes :—" Courteously
permitted by Garibaldi to follow the bent of my
inclination, and honoured by his friendship, I passed
many hours in his society, and ofttimes shared his
frugal hospitality. If I have abstained from dilating
on his character, it is because I feel that language
fails to do him justice. The irresistible spell which
enables him to usurp all hearts may be traced to
the simple fact that he is what Pope has termed the
noblest work of God, "an honest man." The
period of his stay was very brief, but in those fesY
months more events of importance occurred than,
have often taken place in as many years. It will
be found throughout these pages that a veil
graphic description is given of all tliat took place
of consequence, and that it is written in a fair
spirit and an animated style. This record partaken
of the character of a romance, when we contera-
plate the extraordinary echievements that were
accomplished by a daring spirit and a devoted heart.
There is a portrait of Garibaldi at the commence'
ment, and throughout the book there are several
illustrations, which furnish the reader with plans
of the various battles and the places of the actions.
These are of great service, as we can always form
a better idea of an occurrence when all its details
are spread out, and when the mind can better
grasp the relative position of different places and
their consequent influence on the events of the
warfare. This campaign of Garibaldi is not un-
worthy of the land in which it took place, as Gari-
baldi observed to his companions in arms Italy
owes to you an undertaking which has merited
the applause of the universe. You have conquered,
and.you will conquer still, because you are pre-
pared for the tactics that decide the fate of battles.
You are not unworthy of men who pierced the ser'
ried ranks of a Macedonian phalanx, and contended
not in vain with the proud conquerors of Asia'
To this wonderful page in our country's histerl
another more glorious still will be added, and
the slave shall show at last to his free brethren
sharpened sword forged from the links of his fetters.
An impressive description is given of Garibaldi
distributing the medals to the remnant of the
" Glorious Thousand," who landed with him al
Marsala. Ha appropriately and feelingly allude'
to those who had perished in the struggle in these
words, "But many of those who went with us are
now absent,—their bones are bleaching on tb
fields of Calatafimi and Palermo, the Montano's!'
the Schiaffinis, the Yiickoris : they will lle";
however, be forgotten ; let their families keep th
testimonial of their vaour as an heirloom, and V:
young veterans, who have survived to receive it
with your own hands, remember that all is °
done yet, and that I trust and reckon on 9°lt
whenever your services shall be again require,
...Auo
Let us begin the distribution with those who hav,
fallen in our sacred cause." This eloquent tribute
the
to the memory of those who had fallen by
wayside before the prize had been won, is in accor,
dance with the spirit of those famous lines of
Byron,—
" To us even banquets, fond regrets supply,
In the red cup that crowns their memory,
And the brief epitaph on dangers day,
When those who win at last, divide the prey
And cry, remembrance saddening o'er each brow,
How had the brave who fell, exulted now."
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citing episode in the history of nations. The all
is attractive from its vigour and vivacity, and
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hero chronicled Why ;teems worthy of the good