The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-10-16 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY FEMININE REVOLUTION

AT ROME.

haloe N
aples correspondent of thatmes, writing from
is!), °'vn on the 4th instant, saysat the state of Rome
toed_.weso sick at heart, that it is not known how any re-
tahennbe provided.
eZtra, gives the following graphic description of an
ttern I,d'narY " row " among the female portion of the
"t city
NVe have had another attempt at revolution in Rome,
go/lit i
aiit'aS been put down, by what I may well call the
rY of the French army. The quarter where the
spititl't was made has hitherto been most pacific, but the
ehtsseef resistance to authority has been engrafted on ail
prise,s' by the late republic, and one must not be sur-
htt_ee to hear, that in the eternal city the very lambs
01" been turned into lions. To explain this affair in a
s °Per manner I must state that the immense hospital of
411 • .
pub.QPirito, which is perhaps the most richly endowed
to . 1c charitable establishment in the world, has attached
it a f
love oundling institution, in which the stray gifts of
kid, Poverty, or crime, have been at all times received,
was no questions asked. A cradle, turning on a pivot,
pow °Ten every night, and the female child of sin or sor-
talePosited there, was, on a bell being rung, Billy
ei,rin care of, provided with a nurse, and brought up in a
of the
manner. Large funds were at the disposal
ezo'ne institution, so much so, that not only were all the
4teddoecnrSeeatStiarettsending the rearing and educating these deser-
paid, but a certain sum was given to each as
hae,wrY in case of marriage ; and, as I am told, the
kinaueler Peasantry of the vicinity of Rome have, in
seie ?mus instances, abandoned their village loves, and
sad;, a good-looking maiden, with a comfortable share
Th:ani, and the many here offered to their choice.
the're were various advantages attending this operation ;
lk Wife could never insult the husband by pretensions of
s, terror birth, and all the plague of mothers-in-law and
lets-in-law was for ever provided against. From time
ollt
French Sisters of Charity, being nuns, and under their
putt care it was managed admirably ; but when the re-
ppi'lle Prevailed the French nuns were expelled, and, the
,ell of self-government being proclaimed there as
as at the Capitol, the foundlings undertook to go-
mthernselves, and to eat up the revenues in a manner
aitteis
thmore satisNctory to human nature than that which
e rigid rules of the Sisters of Charity permitted. When
stearePublic was put down, and the Apostolic Triumvirate
üblished in the Quirinal, the Foundling Hospital and
„traPle funds were not forgotten, and an order was at
given to restore the ancient system, and to place a
rasr4,4 number of Sisters of Charity—some being French,
rest Italians, at the head of the institution.
day before yesterday was appointed for the instal-
ate of these ladies; but, in the meantime, the inhabi-
" of the hospital settled it otherwise; and, as there
of no less than from 600 to 700 great and small orphans,
ed. ages, and of all sizes, on hand, it was determined by
that the reintroduction of the old regime should be
togs,
vi et armis; that is to say, with tongues, nails,
10,nr,,, Poker, shovel, and brickbats. The messengers of
etiff'; 'min the Quirinal were sent back in the most in-
14"ng manner ; and when it was hinted that force would
resorted to, the heads of the republic raised a cry of
Intia.,...r'!he doors were strongly barred, and, provisions for a
ii,..."`mght's siege having been secured, the red flag was
srm„,. 11Y hoisted, and no surrender proclaimed. A provi-
-1 government was organized, and the young and
;ive mounted on the roof, wrenched out the stanchions
41 iron bars from all the windows, and, stripping the
ihrning building of its tiles, stood womanfully on the
ih :nee. In vain envoys of peace presented themselves—
the Tnin offers of a transaction' were made ; the blood of
tr daughters of unknown mothers was up. and an iron
wawbar or a tile hurled at the head of the Papal deputy
c2ao the answer. Only imagine, fair maidens of England,
t or 700 of your Italian sisters in open rebellion against
theh laws ; and judge what might be done by them in
h energy of their despair. You have tongues—so
~ave the Roman ladies. You have nails at your fin-
sere
6, ends—so have the children of Cornelia. You can
rateam, kick, and squall—so can these models of a classic
he"'-,, Proud, no doubt, would many an ancient Briton
or Your valour and love of justice, if your anger
ofr,, once aroused • and so, no doubt, would the fathers
lt,,,"'ese heroines feel, if we only knew who the gentle-
sfi`ea were. But history on that head must be for ever
self t, and even the actions of these champions of
has would remain unknown, if the Times
I not sent " its own" to the scene of action, and
btZtl,ed its eternal pages to the only account ever to be
Triumvirate,
of this extraordinary event. The Apostolic
tCualvirate, baffled in all its attempts to bring to reason
e refractory garrison, called on the French military
.4,9?orities to assist them and as the compact of the Holy
fa 'ance cannot be evaded or refused, a regiment of in-
11rY was formed into a column of attack, and directed
:`l‘4lnst the convent. To the honour of the colonel com-
b:11'11g, he disarmed all his men, with the exception of
4rltY-five, who mere to be employed in keeping off the
st, wd, and in overawing the male population out of doors
.ould it venture to interfere; and thus the column ad-
illtiled, with no other arms than thse which natureave
garri-
son after having invested the place,o summoned the
ito surrender. The garrison replied by a shout of de-
fiance, and every maiden, standing on the house-top,
prepared
1, to hurl down the brickbat, tile, or iron bar with
'eh she was provided ; but the commander-in-chief
warnedw them ef the fatal consequences if a single man
Itas hurt, and the uplifted weapon was never launched.
h a sight to see so many Amazons, hair dis-
evened, d•
pep dress isor , dered with classic arms upraised,
'Mg some deadly weapon, and glorious to hear their
screams of rage and storm of imprecations when the order
was given not to fire (for " fire" read " fling.'") A parley
en took place, but no terms would be listened to, and
the,„_, elder ladies declared they would set fire to the hospital
"tiler than yield. The French authorities were at their
eta' ends—their position was becoming ridiculous—as the
crowdWL began to laugh. So that, after another summons,
reh shared the fate of all the rest, was given, a batter-
thg-ram was levelled against the gates, and in a moment
e column of attack made a lodgment within the walls.
01.1 n crash of the broken door was answered I.)y a scream
tt, rage and•terror from the roof, and quick as thought
r outer defences were abandoned, and the whole troop
of furies came rushing down the stairs, imprecating every
imaginable. curse on the French army and nation, and
reatening to scratch out the e yes of the soldiers who
earne within their reach. The vocabulary of bad lan-
Ne is abundant at Rome, and, considering the reli-
ituS education these ladies had received, it was won-
.rfid
how they became possessed of so large a portion of
t e
but every possible word that coald be •applied was
kale use of, and oaths anti curses fell like hail. Fancy
idea hundred furies let loose from hell, and you have an
tu_ of the picture that presented itself—hair streaming—
d''es torn—.the person exposed—and every restraint of
aeoruni laid aside ; and then imagine that mass of living
i!ge screaming and bellowing imprecations, and you may
;ye a notion of what was going on. Every now and
hamn a rush was made by the leading files, and an array of
s exhibited, but the French commander swore that
Wel" woman who used her hands should bave her arm
Itrnhen in twain, and this threat, which of course would
t,,_14 have been carried into execution, alarmed the Ama-
-0.8 BO much that no act of violence took place, and the
w„,„"tne did all the execution. The most viblent hurricane
o,,,exhaust itself, end so will woman's rage, and so some
Isr _rte fair creatures having dissolved in tears, others
7Ying taken. to hysterics, whilst a few ran to their cells,
i"andoning themselves to despair, authority regained its
nence, anti'by degrees the revolt was put down. How
h_leresult was obtained is still a mystery to me—some
the s gave way—others that the men were
skiklueti. e