, 1859-05-30
Why Italy Hates Austria.

homeby express.
Why Italy Hates Austria.
tFrpm the Londpn Sjectasorl
People hare been heard to ask, eren in this
year 1850, tchy the Italians were suddenly SO
impatient to get rid Of Austria. The Italians
nre not 80 impatient tie wonder is that thet
hare lorne the in6ic,ion of repression. terror,
suffering, loss n1d dlslonor so long; but since
Engfishlnen hare forgotten how the misery has
come home to indiyiduals, VIC will give few
passages Of the old story. We have lately re-
ceiycd these Ncapolitau c,iles who could excm-
ptity IN their own pcrscp. the treatment they
had experienced under government which
daily violates the constitutional law Of it's own
existence government against which our own
lind made q rain 'denonslration,'' prpfessedly
TO carry out the policy Of 1856. Al the other
extremity Of Italy tile endurance Of the natives
was Of IN equally practical kind. Englishrnen
can have little idea the annoyance which poi
sons the li1t of an 1ta'ian-say in Lolilbardy; i;
but very few facts may possibly excmpiify the
lnbitual condition Of tle people. The police of
NllaN may be said to consist Of M Austrian
soldiery-a police ar1ned with the sabre, hold
ing tue authority Of d con9ueriug racc, and e1-
aspcrated by inevitable alienation. The ATS
trians, as the reader will presently understand,
have rendered themselves so intolerable that
Italians cannot associate with them; and If you
enter the pit Of a theatre you will see the first
few seats occupied bY Austrians, while the Iial-
iaus who are driven to the back, lcare one seat
entirely vacant between themselves and the
aliens. II an Englisl, officer III the Austrian
service discovers rt!atiyce Of his own amongst
the 1talians in Milan. he forbears to notice them,
lest they should become suspected and driven
from Italian society. We pursue the narrative
in the language of m esteemed correspondent,
who knows the country well, and Travelled in it
Of rec ut ycars:
In recent paper on occupation in Italy, it is
observed: ''If England upholds such system
it is only from ignorance Of its enormities.'' In
order to aid in cnlighteniug this Ignorance, may
ask you to insert the following extract from
tho Austrian Penal Code, established in tue
Lu1nbardo-F Venetian provinces in 1slj. with
WHICH few Of your readers are likely TO lie ac-
quainte1, together with certHin facts which may
serve TO modify the admiration occasionally
expressed for thu patcrual'' rule of Austria.
could have added many more from NY per-
sonnl knowledge, during prolonged residence
in different parts Of Italy in 1Si3-54-5j, but
have preferred offering such as can be uuth.n-
tic2ted ~ evidence which tic ulust violent enc
tnies Of Italian Independence cannut cal! in
question, the f,.hriuk Gazette Of Milan
To begin with the Penal Code What do
Engiislll!cn say to this: ]. The proceedings
arc to he strictly secret. This defence OF the
accused to he given IN writing; tic prisoner
can clu;ln no defender, nor CHI he demand that
charges brought against him should he coinlnu-
nicatrdto hini. Article 331.
Corporal cl,asiisemcnt forms ] fundamental
part Of the Code. High and low, rich and poor,
man and woman are subjected to this degrading
treat1ncnt-as degrading to the full III tic eyes
of all Italian as in ttlusc Of ali Enylisl.na,t.
True, mot more than fifty blows arc to h
administered ut one time" In the case Of
youths under eighteen, and younger women,
rods arc to be substituted for the stick. .irti-
Gle g"
When the sentence has been pronounced,
the punishment may he augmented by the
addition Of fnstinx and the bastinado. Article
:,72l.
Imprisonment is Of three descriptions -Juro,
il" d''o, d'tts*fmo The litter istl,us described
III The Penal Cotle, article II. "Tlc prisonsr is
to be confined III :. dungeon, shut out from all
sufficient to sustain existence. lie is to he load
ed with tsttcrs hEnd and foot. day and night and
to bc fastened by i chain II at iron rin. rivcte,l
round bis waist-cxcept during the hours Of
WORK: Ills tood is to be bread and water, soup
once N two days, no meat. Ills bed is to b.
formed of bare planks, and it is forbidden to
speak 10 any osc--cvcn his iai1or>." II MAS to
tLis treatment that the illustrous patriots CON-
tined i'll ,he SpeiEberg were subjected; tits be-
meath similar treatment that sonc Of the best
and nobc*t ltaians are now writlliug. The Pc
nal Code, section 81 commands tllut III every
thing rtla!.ns to the State, the wife shall de-
nouncc the husband, the husband the wife, tic
punishment rs nccoMplccs." Almost :lil pnliti-
cal offences arc still brought before whnt il called
tue :. Tribussalo Stadario'' fsections 5Vo-511 ot
the Penal Cole,. This tribunal is composed u!
'uil tary officers, Germans, Greats and Euhc.
inians. WIN scarcely understand word of Ital.
ian, and who from habit, education aud national
prejudice, sietcst and scorn the Italian people
Is are questioned in Gcrnlan, of which, II Ital.
i3nS; they il their turn, seldom comprehend n
rive tIIcir Testimony against the prisoner. III
Thus. SAYS Giovanni, the learned author o
Austria IN ltalia,' tue accused having no onc1
to defend him, ,n,r be condemned almost with
out knowing lis crime. aud learn it only wher
;"trnsd a t il hof he an Gsc ts f"pt
stration Of popular feeling is visited by the mos
| IN the birthday Of the Emperor, certain Aisse:
having been heard issuing from the midst Of ti.t
| crowd in one of the most frcqnented streets If
Milan in frouts of the Cafe di Mazza, Of which
tho nhtct apparently was the Austrian tilt;
| ho.stcd in the balcony Of a well known col1rte
be{urc Il military tribunal anil condemned to dill
fcr.nt u.odes ufcorpnreal punishment, aceor,lin.
| tn the degree OF their offence. -ainon:
the accused were men of high standing and ire
rroachublc character, MtFtadHfs, 1a'1tsitis, sfA
atufx. many Of whom, probably, were irnosan
IF The whole ai]:;ir, sud two Young girls ulso per
fectly respectable. The latter were cons!c,n,1ct
to,fMty H.rits tash. The sentence YVES cxcc.l
trd instantly after being PRONOUNCED on Tic b"b
Hr r.'asf 1~fort tie rasfte, in tnr presence Of
troop If Austrian officers. who laughed with cor.
! ttMptHDus cyIicisln ut the indecent eNpo*ur
and cries Of the victims. SO far the tale. Nuv
for the episode. The military conlmantlant o
Milan sent the municipality Ii bill for g.; iforin
| krcuzersI 1. JOS 6d,> for the expense Of ic
vent gangrr1,e, aud for the sticks aud rods bru
ken and consumed ii, the punishment Of I'll
| srditious in the rcyn1t Of the 10th Of August
In addition. the marshal commanded the tow
| to indemnify the courtczan who had been '' tc
ri.ied by the scene with the sum Of 20 roo ttyrc
fg6e@' How touching is tl'e care Of such a pa
tcrnal government.
1t may be objected that these tsg:aceful BAT
haritics were committed only Immediately aftc
tile revolution nt 1SlS-t2, at Il period Of grea
irritation. Did space permit, l could prescn
you witt, countless wrflauthcnticatcd cases. +
prove that this systcul Of tyranny aud brutalil
commenced from the ycrv moment that Itai
austrian masters, tllat it is onc from whic
Austria has ncrcr deviatcd, and which she in
puses wherever she is mistress. What sccnc
have nut bchchl ut Lcghorn, Bologna. Ance
! ia, Ferrara. wherever tho Austrinns Ind estat
lishcl ::arri%ons. Under prctcxt uf deitndin
Plus tx ,Athcy hare taken justice Or vengcanc
iuto their own hands. conaenlningto a sumlnar
and ignoininiuus dcutt, often without trial, flat
dres!s Of men. many completely innoceut lev,
ing enormous taxes in the name Of the Pop
wllu never received one farthiug Of tAen,; livin
in free quarters on the unfortunate inhabitant
and rcwarslius them by tie bastinado, admin
tered literally at pleasure, without distinction
| rank Or sex. "a recent reform" appoint
women to bastitado wotnc,..>
The following will lc found in tic 4i"gs1n'
Uairersdl Goz<fft, Jan. 90, lS5e-u paper nj
untuly partinl to tllc Italians:
"Captain J., commanding officer Of tue 81
Austrian regimen, of thc line. posted at Porous
has commanded forty blows to be administert
in the public place TO m estinnable clt1cu,
Monganc!l, simply because lie refused to :
| ccivc second Austrian officer when he had o'
already quartcrrd on him. There werc on
ten to bc divided among all tAs Inhabitants. }
This arbitrary sentence was preceded neither
inquiry nor fnrma'ity. The sane officer, 4 fl
days before, inflicted forty blows on po
peasant who happened to hare cotton hun
ketchief round his meek which once had been
t4ree colors, thoucl, they wcrc nearly ob'iterat
BY repeated washings."
Not less leflorablc is the universal reuallty
tlr Austrian administrators, civil and militia,
:, in Italy; thrv regard it rs d conquered count,
n TO he l,lundercd at li6itam. This will aeeou
). for tue great fortunes many have accumulate
!" Nuwherc il this exhibited 70 unblushin:!v