Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-11-25
THE POPE OF ROME AND THE
CASTLE OF ST. ANGELO.

unity Of race and common interest. The
Italians, nationally, are a brave, enter
prising people; believing in their mani
fest destiny and particularly DESTROYS of
seeing their country in possession of
the most famous city in the world, with
its renowned Vatican, whence have so
long issued forth the edicts of His Holt
ness, the Pope, he whose ambition would
rule over all the nations on the face OF
the globe. The coveted district is small,
containing q population Of about six
hundred thousand, and is rather of a
poor tract of land, burdened with debt,
and ignorance, and Of no great conse-
quence, in a military point of view, but
the Italians do not consider their couu-
try complete or secure so long as Rome
remains an isolated Government within
it. They also charge that the Roman
people are unwilling subjects TO the
Pope, oppressed and kept arbitrarily
bonded to his rule BY spies and mercen-
airy troops, and eventually they are de-
termiued to free them from such des-
potism.
They do not insist on the Pope lear-
ing Rome, but on the contrary are even
anxious that he shall remain there rs
the spiritual head Of the Catholic
Church, his temporal power, alone, be-
ing taken from him, and he rendered
like all other Italian citizens, subject to
the laws of Italy. The Pope firmly
urges thathe rules rs the hereditary sue
cessor Of Jesus Christ; that he is the
subject of nobody, but the master Of all
kings, potentates and people, infallible
and inspired, and that his district was
left to him in bequest by pious people;
also that it is essential to his priestly
independence that he should have a
throne and q State, as we'll as q title,
which position he defends at all haz-
ards, and is constantly laboring to
strengthen, improve upon and extend.
The recent onward march Of the victo-
rious Italians to the very gates of Rome,
caused great CONSERVATION in the camp
of His Holiness, and fearful Of the re-
suit, he removed, for better security,
from his princely home in the Vatican,
to the n~eighboring castle of st. Angelo,
The Papal troops, however, assisted b.
the French, succeeded in utterly routing
the brave and ambitious follower:
of G~aribaldi, and the Pope rests once
more quietly in the Vatican. How long
he will remain master Of the situation
is q matter which time and the Italian
people will decide.
The Castle of st. Angelo, which stands
uear one Of the bridges over the Tiber,
is surrounded with ramparts, bitches,
and bas,ions, on which cannon are
mounted, and really is the citadel OF
Rome. From 1850 to 1866 it was the
headquarters of the French command
ant. 1t was originally constructed, no;
as q fortress, but rs q tomb, by the En-
pcror Hadrian, who died in les, A. d.
1. was erected within the gardens OF
Domitia, aunt Of Nero, and was prob
ably suggested by the mausoleum OF
Augustus, on the other side o fthe Tiber.
Merivalc, the latest and most accurate
historian of the Roman empire, declares
that it far outshone the tomb of Angus
tus, and adds, "of the size and dignity
which characterized this work of Egyp-
tian ~massiyeness, we may gain q con-
cep,ion from the existing remains; but
it requires an effort of imagination to
transform the SCARED and shapeless
bulk before US into the graceful pile
which rose column upon column, sur
mounted by n gilded dome or span
almost %unrivaled, and terminating in
the statue of the. beatiied builder,
whose remains reposed below" Several
Of Hadrian's successors, , to the time OF
Septimius Severus "a. D. Ply, were
also inferred there. It-is q single mas
sive tower, lss feet in diameter, built
Of blocks of Pariau marble, and stand
ing on q square basement, each side OF
which is 253 feet long. As early as the
fifth century it was converted into a
fortress, and was occupied Us such by
so many various factious-papal, kingly,
foreign and native-that its history may
be read in the annals of Rome. More
than one Pope was besieged therein.
Berniui strongly fortified it in the mid
die of the seventeenth century, intro
ducing cannon cast out of the bronze of
the Pantheon. All the upper part of
the building is modern, and the view
from the top of the castle is n Of the
finest in Rome-the Vatican and st.
Peters being particularly distinguish
able. The Castle Of st. Angelo, how
ever, is anything but impregnable, and
it is doubtful whether it would stand
even a t~wenty-four hours siege.
The Eternal City, occupied for more
than eighteen centuries by the temporal
head of the Roman Church, it is to be
hoped may still remain the home of the
Pope, even though he be shorn of all
except his spiritual power. Other por-
tions of Italy are far more preferable as
the capital of the Italian nation. Rome,
as the seat of the Holy See and home of
the Pope, will always be visited by peo-
Pile from all parts of the world, but
divested of its holy presence, grass
would grow on the deserted floors OF
St. Peters, and with its miserable, des-
olate surroundings, the once magnificent
and proud city would inevitably fall to
utter abandonment, decay and ruin.
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FROM CAMP RUBY, NEVADA cor
rosna,J.. .ko CT. UDion writing