The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-10-16 00:00:00

TTACK UPON THREE ENGLISHMEN BY
ITALIAN BRIGANDS, NEAR ROVIGO.

The following is an extract of a letter just received from
Florence, written to a friend by Albert Smith, Esq., lec-
turer on chemistry, &c. residing at Chertsey _ _

" In consequer:ce of there being no vacant place in the
diligonce, we left Venice at two o'clock on Saturday, Aug.
29th, and on landing from our gondola, at Fusina, mime
diately hired a carriage and horses for the next stage, the
party consisting of Mr. Decastro, Mr. Hallett, and myself
About seven, a violent thunder storm on, which lasted the
way from Padua to Mont Celice, but on arriving at the lat-
ter place it cleared up, and a brilliant moonlight succeeded.
The clock struck ten as we left Mont Celice, and my compa-
nions composed themselves to sleep in the corner of the car-
riage, leaving me awake. We had gone on for about half
an hour, when I felt the horses stop suddenly, so as to throw
me forward with the check, and the next instant I saw,
through the front glasses, six or seven figures ranged across
the road in a semi-circle, pointing their guns at the postilion,
and closing round the carriage.

" I awoke my companions directly, and then recollecting
I had eight sovereigns loose money in my waistcoat pocket,
I contrived to put seven into my mouth, between my cheeks
and teeth, and to slip the other into my shoe. I had barely
finished this operation, when we had the muzzles of half a
dozen guns thrust into the carriage at once, against our
heads, breasts, &c. accompanied by the most horrid oaths,
and orders to descend. My friends immediately got down
on the near side of the voiture, but I was less fortunate ;
for the Italian carriages are not very well appointed, and
the door on my side was nailed up altogether, having been
formerly broken. In consequence of this, I could not get
out when commanded ; but that appeared of little moment,
as the chief of the party, a six-foot ruffian, seized me by
the collar, and dragging me over the door, threw me down
violently upon the ground, as if I bad been a doll, not
without some trifling pain to myself. A general pillage now
began. Our knapsacks and their contents, together with
all our German friend's trunks and portmanteaus, were soon
pulled out of the carriage, and then they commenced rifling
our persons. I had the side pocket of my blouse filled with
zwanzigers (Austrian coins worth about Bd.) to pay the posts,
which was directly emptied. Hallett's gold watch and ap-
pendages followed ; then our knives, pencil-cases—in fact,
everything down to our braces, with which they appeared
highly delighted. They tore our trowsers in all directions
to make sure no money was concealed in them ; and finally
discovered the leathern belt which I always wore, and in
which I had placed the circular notes we had obtained from
Herries. To show their rapacity, I may here mention that
I had a couple of pins and a gold chain in my scarf, which
was tied in a sailor's knot, and these I had secured with

b prevent t.

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brigand who was rifling me, finding-he could not remove the
pins, very deliberately took his knife and cut the scarf from

-my neck; taking it away altogether,

" I was extremely anxious respecting a small gold ring I
had on my finger, since it could not be removed, and I knew
it was their common practice to hack off finger and all when
this was the case. By good luck they never perceived it, as
I contrived to turn the clasped hands, which formed the sig-
net, towards the inside of my palm.

"When they had finished they made us re-enter our car-
riage, still keeping their guns pointed to our heads ; and the
postilion who had descended, resuming his seat, we pi o-
ceeded on our route, heartily glad to escape with our lives,
which for the last ten minutes had been worth but little.
Our first care, on arriving at Rovigo, was to call out the