The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-03-22
ALEXANDER DUMAS, INVENTOR OF THE
NEAPOLlTAN REVOLUTION-SOME AC


NEAPOLlTAN REVOLUTI ON-SOME 40.
COUNT OF HIS DOINGS AT NAPLES.
PARIS, Feb. 2S.-A Neapoitan correspondent
gives some amusing details of Alexander Dumas
dongs in the Capital of the Two Sicilies lust after
his appointment by Garibald as Director of the Ma
tlonal Museums. Although Naples is MANY miles
distant from Paris, you will permit me to observe
that Dumas is Paraisian, and have, consequent
~, perfect right to talk about him, even if the
scene OF bis oddities does happen to be under the
soft sky of Southern Italy. dare say that it will he
remembered, in the United States, that Dumas oc-
cupled one of the Neapolitan Royal residences the
villa Chiatamone. Some innocent people actually
suppose Nj. Dumas to have inhabited the Villa Chi
atamone as plain NJ. Dumas. The better in
formed portion of humanity are perfectly
well aware that the author of'Monte Crsto'' is
invented the Neapolitan Revolution and that
the future historian, when all the facts
come to be judged coolly and impartialIv, will
mention the name of Joseph Garibadi as a spe-
ces OF minor satellite, receiving its Illuminating
rays from the reful gent orb Alexander Dumas
The great French thinker did the planning of the
campaign, and the courageous Italian soldier mere
~ obeyed his orders faithfully. In testimony of
the nations gratitude, Garibaldi installed his
Homer in royal palace, of which Dumas deigped
to take possession. The servant of the Villa, ac.
customed to wait upon Your Grace and His Hiph
ness. considered it terrible falling off in dignity
TO call their new master by the pleban name of NJ
Dumas, so it was resolved, in solemn kitchen
council, to dub him with military title; and. not
to do things by halves, he was promoted to the
rank of General at once. If visitor called and
demanded els NJ. Alexander Dumas in ?" the
major-domo replied with imperturbable serious
ness-"His Excellency the General is not vsible;"
or, Ills Excellency the General is engaged with
His Excellency's barber;" otherwise, as circum-
stances might require.
"The "Generai' occupied the entire palaca with
the exception of one suite of apartments reserved
for the Of Crispi, before his return to Sicily
As the great man only found time to receive visit
ors during meal -hours, his courters offered their
| homage in the dining room, which, at the same
time, was used by the General as an arsenal. The
principal piece of furniture was an etagere, proan
ing under the weight of ornaments and TOYS. the
least ponderous OF which were sixbarreled revolv-
ers. The rest was composed of formidable bowie
| Knives (probaby presented by some of the hero's
Arkansas admirers rifles, muskets and other guns
OF all dimensions beneath Paixhan 1t was to
TINS array OF deadly weapons that the invincble
Alexander alluded, in a memorable message to Fa-
RIM, which will doubtless be fresh in the souvenir
OF future generations, when "Head of the Army, -
My loot Is on my native Heath" General Tay-
lof never Surrenders," &c, &C., shall have long
been consigned to oblivion. After Farini came in
to power at Naples, he conceived the notion that
the oVershadowing magnitcence of Dumas was too
dangerous to be tolerated, and, screwing up his
courage to the requisite point, he sent to vaorous
Alexander an intimation that he might pamos
| eco tell the Governor of Naples" was the Spar
tan reply, "that have twenty men and twenty
guns with which to give his sbirri warm recep-
| tionV'
| Never did a dning-room present so bellicose an
| aspect as that of Chiatamone. 1t was there that
the most romantic characters of the most romantic
of armies assembled, to court the smiles of their
historian, together with throng of French exiles
! who had known Dumas in times past and MANY
young enthusiasts who knew him through his ro-
mances, and were themselves Just then engaged in
| writing with their swords point the romance of
Italian unity. Each head was distinct tyne, and.
| in the agglomeration of costumes from the Circas
| Dpaka6 of thn hrou h.
| from the Caucasus to the eccentric gown of Carl.
baldi's chaplain, Fra Pantaleo, who had more bull
lets in his revolvers than beads in his chaplet there
was enough variety to have mounted all the comic
operas ever written. In the midst of this society,
so unlike the society of the real world, Dumas was
quite as much at his ease fish in its native ee-
ment. He found himself in his favorite sphere the
marvellous. He himself was dressed with appro.
pirate simplicity, minus cravat vest and in his
shirt-seeves. On gala days he donned an extra
garment, in the shape of Garibaldian shirt of red
cotton so deeply red that all the fires of Vesuvius
paed IN comparison with it. The careless pepli-
gence of this costume had the merit of softening
the brilliant halo of genius, so apt to strike ordi,
nary mortals with awe in the presence of the great
and the eccentrcity of the wearer was in perfect
Keeping with the appearance and behavior of his
visitors. " "''
The dining room of the Villa Chiatamone onen
upon terrace, leading by long and gentle slope
to the sea, whose indolent waves ripple over the
pebbly beach at its foot. The terrace itself is )
|
ten by an architect. In a pavilion oyerbapginp tht
sea, Dumas established his sanctum. Above hi
square writing table was window commanding ,
magnificent view of the Bay Of Naples and hori
cabinet the great man would receive nobody, tn,
solitary exception to this rule being any 'fallel
Minister who might come to lay before the histo
ran newly-painted scene of the Revolution. |
would have been entertaining to have witnessed
IN TINS palace OF dethroned dynasty an interview
between Ll6erto Romano, who gave his sovereig,
the coup de grace, and Alexander Dumas, con
demned by the ex-king's father to four years har
labor in the galleys
The air of Naples, whose elements are hydrogen
oxygen, and lazness, had no enervating effect upo
Dumas. As usual, he was pen in hand at fiv
, O'Clock in the morning, and except the time cor
; sumed at meals, remained hard at work until eleye
+. NJ. lie never dreamed of correcting his manu-
script, which is certainly enormous saving if
| is considered how many hours he would have los
IN reaolng MS hundred Volumes and several nimbl
copyists have hard time to keep pace with pc
which never stops. AS for punctuation, the eros:
ing of rs, doting IFS, and other breathing point
of ordinary writers, Dumas probably is not awar
that such absurd practices exist.
The independents, the journal which the autho
OF Monte Cristo established attn aples and beliey
it is still contnued,) was intensely amusing, in
country OF masquerades, and its grave poiitica
diatribes were funnier than its minor naraoranbs
t It's Italian was abominable. To those fam lila
win the majestic melody and well-rounded period
Oh TINS nonle language, nothing could be NOR
luuicrous tnan the short, spasmodic sentences anc
chop dialogues, peculiar to the most fecnnd q
French novests, dressed in mongrel Italian garb
Imagine Chinese journalist, with a very Unite
knowledge OF English, writing the leading article
of New York newspaper, and you may form SOM
notion of Dumas independents.
But, in spite of his disinterested friendship fo
Garibaldi, and the pints mot to say gallons) of n
he had shed in the cause of the Italian Revolution
Dumas aroused in the Neapolitan bosoms the de
mon of ingratitude; set on by the demon of envy
, | cd prntnnde6 Of
is not necessarily an archeoogist, and actually ha
the impudence to hint, in the journals of the oppc
siti0n, that if an author of romances must be D
rector of the excavations of Pompeii, the Italian
Manzoni, would doubtless perform the duties a
well as the Frenchman, Dumas.
when this pusilanimous attack appeared, Mont
| Cristo retorted by publishing tremendous pro
gramme, whose execution would have enriched al
Inc pIeggars IN Naples; and from this platform
4 ! Gull only one immortal phrase: 81 would build
e IN the midst OF the ruins of Pompe, an mmens
Greek theatre. In which the tragedies of Eschylu
should be performed in the original, with all tn
: wise men OF the universe for an audiencen
! ! To those who carried their bold insolence ia
} enough to ask why ne had taken up his residenc
In royal palace, Dumas replied by publishing. il
the independents, the history of the Neapslita,
Revolution, or, in other words, the recital of hi
astonishing exploits in favor of Italian liberty
and intimated that the municipality of Maple
might choose between presenting him the freedom
of the city, in gold box; 60 down to poserit,
followed by the excavations of unborn millions.
The warning was thrown away, and, as ever,
, body knows, the ungrate.ul Neapotans forced thu
heroic Dumas to quit the delights of the villa Chi
atamone, and seek lodgings elsewhere. However
unlike Caesar, ingratitude made no sinister impres
, sion upon this great soul. Never has Dumas beer
gayer, fresher, livelier, more mousquetaire, o.
younger, (if he lad ever grown old,) than sine
this atrocous act of black injustice. He snaps hi
fingers at the Neapoltans, and defes the power o
their Governors, past and present. They MAJ
Drive him from the villa Chiatamone, but not from
tne broad ocean. The Emma, his trim little schoon
~, aahces lightly in the harbor, ready to spread