Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-07-16


CONDITION OF THE ReYAI TROOPS.
A correspondent Of the Boston Courier
writing on the eth Of june at Palermo, g4ivei
The best description Of siiairs there that We
have seen anywhere. We make extracts.
TIE CONDITION or nAIrRMO-How rHr pRosLr
WIRE ARNEp,
When arrived, tho lively part Of The
campaign was over. Tho shops were still
shut and the city still IN arms, but there was
no more fighting, nor was It likely there
would be any more In Palermo. OF course
ihe FIRST exploradons were toward the main
street the Toledo, which the ROYAL noops
could have raked up and down-at one end
from the palace, and at the other from their
frigates in the harboE There were barri.
eades at every Eve or six rods higher than
my head, and mostly cannon-prooE Swarmb
Of people were hurrying about, but no one
was doing any work that saw, except few
Piedmontsse on guard at important points,
Almost every one had a gun on bis shoulder,
and the peasants who had come down from
the interior in crowds looked about as dirty,
as lazy and as degraded as the best conservas
tive could wish. They were sleeping in the
squares or lounging in groups round the
guard-houses, their guns in their hands, and
in costumes suggestive Of brigands and cut
throats. Il was strange collection Of arms
that the Insurgents had. There were guns Of
every shape and length, from the short fat
blunderbuss, suggestive Of stage-coaches and
highway TObberies two centuries ago, up to
the lohg-barreled, thin affairs, such as the
Arabs might have shot with when Moham-
med was a small boy. There were pl enty of
Seapolitan muskets about too, which de-
serters bad brought, or towards had thrown
away to run better. All the toWn-people
seemed to have q rage for cutlasses and dirlls,
which were half the time tied over their
shoulders with twine. Among other armed
individuals there was priest in his black
robes rushing about day affer day, with his
gun in his hand. A large average of the
arms were too old and rusty to be dangerous
70 any one but the owner. Providence
seemed particularly kind to the city, for
though every. one was carrying his gun load
Cd and capped, and sometimes at full cock,
and jamming against the stone barricades in
the crowds at the narrow passages, and gesti-
cnlating as only these SioiliRns can gesticu-
lafe, We heard Of no one case Of an accident
though It is hardly possible but that there
must have been few. Still, to do the Sicil-
ians justice, for all their laziness and british
look and dirt il was a peaceable, good-na-
tured croWE, Rnd ] have seen Ia all only one
drunken man, and no fighting nor insolence,
Perhsps it might not be SO well behaved if
Garibsldi was not Dictator.
TrsIr TO eARIBALDL -
1 was taken to, see the Dictator. The par
y was five in an, officers and civilians and
the visit was informal; indeed, Garibaldi
seems to discourage ali formality, and though
be has Just now all the power Of an Emperor,
h0 viii not even adopt the state of General.
Europeans are fond Of calling him the Wash
ington Of Italy, principally because they
know nothing about Washington. Catch
Washington invading foreign kingdom on
his own hook, in q freman's shirtl You
might about as wen call Tom Sayers, Sir
Charles Grandson.
We walked up the Toledo and found the
little square before the palace even rowdier
than usual. A band Of musicians had been
raked together, and they were marching
about and making great noise, and looking
very dirty and ragged, with a most varied
collection Of instruments. Of course the
louder they played, the louder the people
howled pfDG Eta6Q, and the more chaotic the
crowd became. The effect was quite striking
except that IT was rather laughable.
We had no time to look carefully, but
passed straight on, every one showing Us the
greatest respect, until finally the third door
opened, and there we were, in the presence Of
a hero.
Garibaldi had apparently just finished his
dinner, and was sitting at the corner window,
talking with four or Eve visitors, gentlemen
and ladies Of Palermo. BE rose as we came
in, and came forward shaking hands with
each of the party as we we're introduced. He
had his plain red shirt on, precisely like a
fireman, and had no mark Of authority. His
manner is, as you know Of course, very kind
and off-hand, without being vulgar or dems-
gogic. BE talked with each of Us, and talked
perfectly naturally; no stump orstory and no
sham. Just as an instance of his manner,
thei was one little action of his that struck
me was seated next TO him, and as the
the head of our party remarked that had
come all the way from Naples in order to see
him, be turned round and took my hand,
thanking me as if I had done him favor.-
This is the way he draws people. he talked
mostly in French, for his English is not very
good. As for what he said, is Of no particu-
lar interest TO any one st least as far as it was
said 70 me. The others can report the con-
Tersation, if they think it worth while TO re-
port what was not meant to be reported.
But this was only half the scene. At
round table, in the middle Of the room, q
party Of SIX or eight men were taking din
ner. These were real heroes Of roInanee.-
Two or three had the red shirts on; the 9TH
ers were In civil costume; one had dirty
faded, hussar jacket on one was priest, in
his black robes. They were, eating and
drinking, without regard to US, and IS if they
were hungry. Especially the priest was pun
ishing his dinner, He IS a fine fellow, this
priest, slave to Garibaldi, and a glorious
specimen Of the church militant. have me-
him several places rushing about the streets
Yitha great black cross in his hands. He ha,
a strange restless face, an passion and i'm
pHlse. The others were Garibaldi's famoul
captains-a fine set Of heads, fun Of energy
and action. -9r-.--...--r
Here was at last then, face to face viii
ouc VI the BEedtti iIfFAiLS 1Ol our Gay. II wa
al perfect; there was Palermo, the insurgen
Sicilian city with its barricades, and it
ruined streets with all the marks of war
There was that armed and howling mob il
the square below, and The music OF the na
tional hymn, and the Eve revolutionary can
non. There were the guerilla captains WHIT
had risked their lives and fortunes for some
thing that the worst envy could not call sci
fish. And there was the great Dictator, Wit
when your and my little hopes and ambi
tions shall have lain IN our graves a few cen
turies with US, viii still be honored as a hero
and perhaps. half Worshipped- knows
for God.
And yet Heaven knows why he, Of all mel
has been selected for Immortality ], fo
one, think that Cavour is much the create
man Of the two; but practically the futur
Italy viii propably adore Garibaldi's memo
~, and only respect Cavours.