Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-12-28


menced by observing that peninsulas had
always been seats of power. The cause was
evident. In them communication was easy
and frequent-everything tended to eoneen-
tration. Athens, Rome, and Granada thus
became great peninsular seats of power
Italy had for ages been a giant crushed and
held down by petty despots, as GuIliver was
pinned down by the Iilliputians. The Pc
ninsula had been distracted, divided, and
kept under the sway Of petty tyrants. But
though through long ages there had been no
United Italy in politics, in language and in
literature there had continued to be United
Italy. The strong LOmbards, in the ancient
time, had endeavored to make Italy united
kingdom, but had been overcome by the in
strumentality Of ''the Papal king" as Carl
baldi termed the Pope. Then in The Four
teenth century Rienzi, "The Last of the
Tribunes," had conceived the idea of uni
ted Italy, but as soon as he touched the
power of the 'Papal King" so soon had he
fallen. It was but a short time ego that
Victor Hugo had exclaimed, "oh, Italy,
Italy, of all that is beautiful, thou art but the
shadow of thy former selfP' And, at an
other time, "Italy, that has taught the world
how to read, to-day knows not how to read p
But that was changed. The Waldenses-
that people which had never been dignifed
by the name of Italy-that people which
had been hidden away among the Cottisn
Alps, and whose motto was "Lur heet in
tenebris"-that despised and prosecuted peo-
pie, had been the feeble fundamentally by
which united Italy had been brought forth.
months ago the chances of Italian
liberty had seemed dark indeed. How had
this land rejOiced in seeing Italy united
Should that Italy now see US flying to pieces2
There was quite as much prospect of
it apparently as there was eighteen modths
ago that Italy would not be united. But the
same God who made it united Italy could
prevent US from becoming a dis-United
States. [Applause.l
Mr.. Fletcher gave some account of the
Waldenses, of their fearful prosecutions,
commenced in the Twelfth Century, whose
malignity called forth from Cromwell decla-
ration that unless it ceased he would thunder
down upon Cottian Italy with his old Iron
sides, induced the English Parliament to
vote them an annual sum. and inspired a
psalm Milton's. He told how steadfastly
they had stood by their religious principles
through all manner of trials, how they dis
seminated them,-and aPropOs of tt s, M.
Fletcher repeated, with high praise, poem
by John G. Whittier, much in vogue among
the Waldenses, in which the story of the
of a noble lady by one of their
is told in graphic verse,-how
their King, Carlo Alberto, in December,
ls47, proposed to give his people free Con
and how e VS. 49,, q, e7,--i,s-,
days before the beginning Of the French
Revolution of As how in the convulsions
that followed in Italy, Carlo Alberto was
he drove back the Austrians,
was in '49 himself defeated, abdicated in
favor of his son Victor Emanuel, fed to
Portugal and died a broken hearted man.
Mr.. Fletcher gave very entertaining ac-
count of his own visit to the Waldenses in
1850, mentioned an eccentric English Gene
raj, sketched the character of Count Cavour,
whom he described as a man of cool head
and ardent nature, just such a man as was
needed in Just such a crisis as that in which
be appeared, and so came at length to speak
Of the hero whom Italy is most proud of. In
ls4s, he said, man hastened TO Italy from
South America and offered his sword to
Carlo Alberto. That man was Giuseppe
Garibaldi. (Applause.) Mr. Fletcher
sketched his previous history, relating that
he was born in 1906, the son of a sailor with
no high ancestry; that he went to Rome,
thence proceeded beyond the Crimea where
he taught mathematics, returned, was expa-
triated and fed to Rio de Janeiro; that he
there entered into mercantile life, but find
ing that he had no bent to that calling, as
sisted in the revolt of southern province Of
Brazil; that there he married Anita, his
lion-hearted wife, whom be himself termed,
6 the American Amazon !" that he engaged
in the fight against Rosas, the monster who
preserved in pickle the heads Of his dead
enemies, and that he returned to Italy.
In 1s49 he was in Rome, and there with
Gen. Avezzana, engaged in the defence o
the Eternal City, driving back 5000 French
men with l,5OO Of his original Zouave Ital--
ians. Mr.. Fletcher dvelt upon the brillian-
ey Of that achievement, on the sore discom-
future Of the French, on the results which
might have followed had Garibaldi pursued
them further, and on the gallant bearing of
the Chief in other conflicts. Then he told
of Rome's final fall, of Garibaldis Fabian
retreat, and Of the death of his wife, Anita,
while she was sharing his desperate fortunes
at this epoch. He followed Garibaldi in his
flight to America again, related his expert
ence on Staten Island, where he was engaged
in making candles, and where saliva. the
celebrated tenor, calling upon him. would
exclain to the grease-dipping hero q You
may talk to me, but don't come ,.o, M, -,
then carried him back to Italy. vbo-o IN.
1859, he drew the first blood in the ,s-reole
for freedom. Garibaldi was sometime. %.
presented in the prints as dressed IN COR
geOus uniform. This was incorrect. H;.
dress was that Of a Maine lumbermsn ~ a
New York fireman, and when he n.ao ~.
entry into Naples, on the oath of septsmbo-
he was dressed like Nose. Mr. Po,. a.
artist, resembled Garibaldi greatly. 4s,S-as
Fabius in discretion, a Lafayette in -
lantry, a Washington, William TeIi
What more striking historical picture oop1s
be drawn than that in which the meetino
after the conflict, of the monarch, yiotes
Emanuel, and Gariba1di, the sailors ,or
was depicted2 To God he committed Its19
and Garibaldi.