The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-10-17
The Island Of Corsica.

s.xerai ftlands, who like Ourselves but
.nort wasls age, appeared 70 know little Oh sni'
tight lIt,is Leland. which. in by-xone Day,
furnished King 10 Algiers, an Empsle.
Morocco. 4 Pepe 10 Rome. shs srea.esso'
~ sasru como uerors TO France. and tthe i"-
"a assert without much color Oh Pioo~
h,lttv r>oIurws 10 the world, request us W
.,a.,@,nnas nnr .ketches. We shall do SO Win
In. rr.a Tar pleasure that IL AFFORDS us an OPP
n,rs.n,tv OF calling attention. once more. 10
IA :. nsrksole book from which we obtained
rrnowledge. We borrowed h from Messrs.
wxsr 4 JOHNSTON, where anybody who feels
interested In the subject can find 1t.
Corsica, under the name OF Cyrnus, 10 men
tisued by HsRoporus, the father of History,
az the place TO which a colony OF Phocians
rho had previously settled in Asia Minor, He'd
from the intoleraoie tyranny of CYRUS, after
h. had oyerthrown CR6sus, and conquered
LYDIA The narrative of HKRoporus IL
xa,y clear aud circumstantial. They nrst Ell
deayored to obtain possession OF the Donesian
Islands. but not succeeding, sailed to Corsiea,
ft,srnu.J where they had settled colony
and built the town Of Alfalfa, twenty 3ears
before. They seem TO have been little better
shaa pirates, for their Irregularities caused the
Tyrheniaas and Carthaginians TO fit out An
armed expedition of sixty ships against them.
They met aud totally defeated this fieet, before
sardinia; but the victory cost them SO dearly,
that they emigrated and sailed to Rheginm.-
What in habitan,s they found in Corsica when
they flr.t Waited il, does not clearly appear !;
but the sculptures existing to a late period, as
we'll az buildings, coins and the language,
plainly Indicated that it had been, at various
periods. visited, and probably settled, by Phe-
nicians. Etruscans, Spaniards and Ligurians
before the Carthaginians visited It, In the
coaglomsrate thus formed the Italian trait
prevailed, as may be seen even al this day
tits not known whether the Carthaginians
ever established any colonies in the island, but
if they did they were dispossesssd OF DOM IL
and Sardinia by the Romans during the Punio
wars, In the year 26o, b. O., the Consul Lu-
CIus OohNxLIUs ScIP 20 landed with an army
and destroyed Aleria. (Alaiia) But he did
no, .ubdus the wild Inhabitants of the in
terror who refused all gu admission to Rome.
Thu war thus CONNIE need continued for
nearly 8 century. The Corsicans defended
themselves with the most obstinate valor.-
Previously to $40, 3. c. they had already
MANY times defeated the Romans. During
that year, the Consul MARCUS CLAuDIus,
with large army, was entangled by them in
surrender or compromise. He chose the latter,
and made treaty. which the Sc refused
10 ratify. In order TO get themselves out Of
the awkward position, they sent CLAUDIUs
hack TO the Corsicans, to await tho punish
ment they might infict on him, for having de-
ceiyed them. The Corsicans masnanimously
refused TO harm him, but returned him safe,
an. the Senate had him strangied, and thrown
down the Tarpeian rock. The Consul VARUs
wa. then cent 10 chaatise the Corsicans, but
though he gained some advantages over them,
hecoald not IN bdue their lndomitabe spirit.
O uieted for a while, they rose again In arms,
exhibiting in their noun tain stronEholds that
same daring courage and iuvincible love Of
freedom that has distinguished them from
that day TO this. They sustained bloody de-
feat, at one time, al NJ yrlhe, but in ten years
were again In arms, sustaining themselves
with great resolution In their mountain fast
ass.es un I'll they compelled the Romans to an
advantageous peace. In the year Is. q. Isl,
they were again in arms. On this occasion the
Pretor PinARIUs slew more than two thou
sand Of them, and compelled them to lay dow q
their arras and pay tribute Of 100000 pounds
OF wax. Seven years after, another rising
more bloody than the former took place
1t was sxtinguished in the blood of seven
thousand Corsicans, slain in single battle,
in which the Romans, moreover, took two
thousand prisoners. Notwithstanding thi,
terrible disaster, ton years after they revolted
again, aud on this occasion occupied a whole
consular army for years before they could be
finally subdued. Su bdued they were, how
ever, after struggle, without example in an
Gent history, lasting more than century,
distinguished by thousand battles and Skin
mishes, and costing the Romans an amount
OF blood aud treasure almost incredi Bile, when
we reflect how fsw they were and how narrow
was The little spot Of earth. for the possession
of which the Mistress Of the World put forth
ali her power. Corsica now becamea Roman
province, governed by Pre;or, who was
Governor also Of Sardinia, and resided at
Cagliari Those men of blood, MARIUs and
SYLLA, both founded colonies there. Mariana,
after MARIUs, retains the name of its founder
10 this Gay. Corsica now began to be Roman
Used; but the heroism of the Inhabitants OF
late years plainly shows that they belong to
that race which so long set the power OF Rome
at defiance The island may, indeed, be com
pared 10 an alembic into which 90 much Of the
precious metal was thrown that the amalgan
was adulteratsd in no perceptible degres BY
The admixtnre Of the bassr substances. II
was remar Ia BILE in the days of is Roman vas
saiage, only as the point from which SExrUf
PoNPAY dsfled the power Of the second trium
viIase, and a. the spot TO which the philoso.
pher SENECA was banished. That writer ha
left a fearful account of the wild manners o.
the Inhabitants, SO different from anything b,
had witnessed in the effeminate court Of thos,
who claimed TO be the successors Of JULIUl
CESAR. Many have been led to do ubt, indeed
whe Their the interior Of the iSland had ever
been thoroughly subdued. The historian DI
oDoRUs SIeuLUs tells US that the inhabitant
were preferred 10 all others a. slaves, ant
SooTT, In his Life Of NAPOLEON" exultingIy
refers to this Islander. Far different is tn
report Of SyRABo, who says that when tn
Roman Generals invaded Corsica, they car
ried on great number of slaves, whose bar
barous habits aud appearance astonished tn
Remans.n "For," says he, "they either tool
their own lives, or tired out the patience O
their masters by their pride and obs tnacy, .,
that the purchasers found them dear bar
gain, cheaply as they may have bought them :
The unchanged character Of the Corsicans
who, In modern times, have never been able t,
endure slavery, plainly indicates which o
these two authors spoke the truth. The pic
turs of STRABo is, indeed, The picture Of Cor
sica to this dav.
Corsica remained In the possession Of tn
Romans, from whom it received Christianity
until the breaking up Of the empire. Lik
every other part OF the Roman world, it wa
subjected TO the inyasions OF those hordes O
barbarians, which excessively spread desc
lation over the earth. 1t wis the prey O
Germans, Byzantine Greeks, Romans ant
MOODS, ous .ne Roman influence remaines