The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-04 00:00:00

ITALIAN DESPOTISM.

Clara Novello has been the prima donna for the last
half of the carnival. Rome and Genoa had both, as they
thought, engaged her for the season, and hence when
each claimed her there was a collision. The two Go-
vernments took it up, and finally it was referred to the
Pope. It was a matter of some consequence to his Holi-
ness where the sweet singer should open her mouth for
the season. In his magnanimity he decided that she should
stay at Rome. The managers, however, compromised
the matter, by each city having her half the time. She
had formerly been exceedingly popular here, but, contrary
to the will of the chief bass singer and the leader of the
orchestra, she attempted, at her .first appearance, an air
unsuited to her voice, and which she was told she could
not perform. Of course she failed, and was slightly
hissed. Her English blood mounted at so unequivocal a
demonstration of their opinion of her singing, and, Dido-
like, bowing haughtily to the crowd, the turned her back
on the audience and walked off the stage. The tenor and
the bass both stopped—the orchestra—indeed all stopped
except the hissing, which a axed louder every moment.
bile was immediately taken to her rooms by the police of
the city, and for three days the gens•d'armes stood night
and day at her door, keeping the fair singer a prisontr
for her misconduct. This is a fair illustration of this Go-
vernment. Even an opera-singer cannot pout without
having the gens-d'armes after her. On the promise of
good behaviour, however, she was released from confine-
, ment, and again appeared on the stage, where the good-
natured, music-loving Italians hailed her appearance with
deafening cheers, and repaid their want ofgellantry with
excess of applause. Poor Clara Novelle) is not the first
who has suffered from the tyranny of this military des-
potisio. The other day I went to see the first printer of
Genoa. He is a young man, modest, amiable, and cour-
teous—so much so, that I became immediately deeply
interested in him. His name is Isola. He, too, had
fallen once under the ban of the Government. Like all
geniuses, he loves liberty, and the great first historical
piece he painted, and on which he designed to base his
claim to be ranked amongst the first artists of his coun-
try, was a representation of the last great struggle Genoa
made for freedom. He showed me the design : in the
foreground, with his horse fallen under him, struggled the
foreign governor that had been imposed on the people,
while the excited multitude were raining stones and mis-
siles on him, and trampling him under foot. Farther
back, and elevated on the canvas, stood the Marquis of
Spinola, cheering on the people, one hand grasping the
sword, the other waiving Oat the flag of freedom. Ex-
cited men were running hither and thither, through
crowded streets, and all the bustle and hurry of a rapid
heavy fight were thrown upon the canvas. It was a spi-
rited sketch, and one almost seemed to hear the battle-
cry of freemen, end the shout of victory. Such a picture
immediately made a noise in Genoa, where yet slumber
the elements of a republic. It was finished, and admired
by all, and treasured by the painter. But one day, while
Isola was sitting before it, contemplating his work, and
thinking what corrections might be made, his door was
burst open, and two gens-d'armes stood before him.—
Seizing the picture before his eyes, they marched bim oft
behind it, to answer for the crime of having painted his
country battling for her rights. The painting was locked
up in a room of the Government, where it has ever since
remained. Isola was carried between two gens•d'aimes
a hundred and twenty miles, to Turin, and thrown into
prison. He was finally released, hut his picture remains
under lock and key. The Government, however, has, in
its magnanimity, condescended to permit the artist t 3 sell
it to any one who will carry it out of the country.—La-
ers from Italy.