New-York tribune., 1868-02-21
BNYARD TAYLOR'S LETTERS.
FLORENCE As cArIrAL-IrALY AS KINGDOM.

rulers whose faults were chiefly Of negative char
acter. Now, FoIcace IS the temporary capital Of The
kingdom Of Iyaly-aud likely to be 30, l fear, Tor
some years TO come Victor Emmanuel Of Savoy lVes
IN tho Pitt Palace, ana the Parliament meets III 'ho
Paazzo Vccchio Podmontcse, Lombards, Genoese,
Venetian,, UuibTians, Apulians, Neapolt"hS' anu
Sicilians share in the Government, and Drlhg INC"
local pecuaTities of character, manner ana SPo'VN
not only TO show what diverse elements must oe
fused in the italian unity, but to contribute '''H'
selves 90 the process Of fusion
II seemed TO me. on arriving, that the popu!auon
of the city had doubled since NY last visit. lhe
crowded roar and rattle Of the streets was perhaps
exaggerated by comparison with the silence Of Ven
ice: yct remembering my former impressions
could not be mistaken as so tho change 1t was
pleasant 10 find all tie old landmarks stl in their
places the main toroughfarcs not in the least mod
ernizcd the architectural character of the city still
medieval and Tuscan and to know that Che heart OF
Florence will remain as it has been. Tho walls, on
the north side Of the Ano are now being leveied,
and suburbs are SLOW " growing on that side Toward
the Csscine number OF new and stately streets
have been built up. vet too far down the rlver 10
change the character of the views from the plncpal
bridges Several old palaces are turned mo olcss
for the departments of Government, ana sodicls iIg
about ten times as abundant as ever before. II
were asked to mention the principal dlhelence he,
tween Italian Florence and Tuscan Florence. should
say il was in the sale of newspapers Eleven years
ago rarely saw them on the streets: now they are
cried and sold moro than any other commodity.
The 1uSCans were once the most independent and
selfsacrhcing Of the Italians. The republican spirit
was kept alive by Florence long after il had died out
in Venice, Milan, and Genoa -Four centuries OF Subec
tiOn, however, 10 the unJuSty yrenOWneu meulcl ana
their successors have made the people stupid ana M
different. There is to-day more quichneSS Oh mtel-
lect. moro ambition to r1Se beyond the coarse
material aspects of life, among the aDOIIng classes
of Rome than those of Florence. Of course refer 10
the OF the people. Ia the country they are very
ignorant and tolcrably hoEest in the capital they
have the arts and tricks as the Romans, WiVh-
out their gIace and VlYaClty Where u great ObJtct
is to be attained the generation winch sees 1t accom-
plished always bear more Of the burden than tDelf
proper slare-hut the work is not TO be arrested for
that reason The unity Of Italy and the rends5dhce
of civilization which must follow II, stind a9oFe il
temporary interests. Ii may very well be- tha Dur
dens are imposed before the shoulders are strong
enough to bear them but the tailings OF the ltith
Government arc Just those Tor when tho WlOIe
Italian people are Ia great measure Responsible =,
Yet after the first impression wears on, one dls-
covers that various kinds ot leaYen nave been WORK
ing. Florence TO less than Venice is now uhdergo-
ing certain disadvantages Of transition as the price
of the prosperity which the completed unity I'm
spirit rs in namel is expected to BRING Inc 1oI-
mer Grand-ducal GOyenment permitted few hDer,
ties; but, on the other hand, 10 enforced personal
security and its material burdens were very hght
The present regime is liberal almost to entre free
dom eXacts heavy taxes, and brings with IT, by It's
wider sphere Of operation. official corruption ana
loose careless administration of internal affairs.
The intelligent Italian patriot knows Whlch is DesJ'
whether the people sufficiently enlightened 10 DE
satisfied aln not able To say III Is certain that
they complain. -,
remark az OrvIctO. Probably no man living under
stands the character of his COunrymen better than
he OF more thoroughly dccSs that obsolete 1olm OF
pride which keeps so many OF them poor ana mao
lent. The number of useless young men VINO nahg
about the cafes stare nSOenty ut ladies', ana Keep
up a carefully patched elegance upon the SmaLtst
means. quite astonishing. There, the Government
employs several thousand more than is neeessaIy.-
.t,I', h., IoIe fo fhsae Yet
office the rule TO be. to 40 as little and bag as
much of the spOils as is possible: The same men who
if the need came, would brave DEATH or undergo eN
lie shrink from all forms of labor as involving dis
grace They can die like OrSnl-hve ike Mdzzlnl-
languish in dungeons like P1erO-but they cannot
work with their hands like G1Tbaldl. l make TINS
reproach the more freely because 1t which may,
to some extent, be applied to ourselves. The differ
ence is thar with us Labor has already built mp the
Nation while in Italy the naton-a nalne-ls waning
for the real existence which can only be given by
people willing TO work and wait. .....4;o
have no ldea oI now ntm{ any r,sv ever %
out without seeing one at the window OF an 0ld
house politely termed pata-zOl bargaining WIN
street hucster for lean chicken or bunch OF car
rots Ii is undigniiied for these people 70 go 10
market they have no servants toend IN thelr sIea
so they sit behind the gratngs WIN IneT
fraTm and wait until somebody comes 10 theln; as
for gentleman carrying package or a bundle OF
rnf,l found myself stared at for doing such thing
The migration of the italian Court to Florence has
foserad rather than diminished tnlS IaSon Ol hbtf
ing up appearances great deal OF money Is brought
TO the city bus it appears to md It's way INTO 10"
hands. ~ A. o;4ol ot
italy has gone by for the present thanks 10 the GOY
eminent of Victor Emmanuel You know the story,
from first 10 last but You can Scarcely lnaglnG ne"
Drofoundly il has stirred the better portion OF the
Italian pcople. The plize was within their grasp;
strong hand might have taken apd kept it in spite OF
France; vet il was given up even before the threat
camo. Napoleon III. we'll knew the yacillating,
irreSOlute stuff he had TO do with. Morally Italy Is
now bnt a satIapy of lTance-a fact intensely CALLING
TO the liberal and progressive party. Even had war
come-an unsuccessful war-it would have strength
ened the national feeling and planted the throne OF
Victor Emmanuel more firmly upon broad ltailan
base As il is the foundations Of the present King
dom of Italy are becoming shaky. The pride OF the
people has been touched in It's most sensitive point
This last humiliation; coming upon the heels OF Gus
tozZa and Lissa, and harder TO bear than ten such
defeats has produced that feeling of pain which
borders on evaporation.
Nevertheless the great failure of the Government
il in the Department of Finance The expenditures
appear TO be as reckless and illreguaed as the tax
alton is oppressive. large part OF the revenue IS
eaten M BIZ the expense of collecting 1t. An I'M
mcnse standing army and internal police are kept mp,
vet rObberies were never more frequent or Drlgan-
dage rampant. Fifteen hundred persons lso am
informed are employed as auditors, clerks, &C. IN
the NaYS Department and the nation possesses
scarcely one seryiceabe feet The King gets - UO-
900 year and has 600 horses in his stables, and the
country needs schools in every province The secu-
larzatiOn of the church property Will brng tenn
pOraTy relief but entire reform in the admins
tratIon of the finances can alone save the country
from ruin
hear gloomy predictions from intelligent foreign
ers who have lived here for sOlne years past-yet
there are many attendant circumstances 10 be con-
sjdered do not think the unity now so nearly at
tained after so many struggles and sacrifices will be
Gghflv relnquished. The old jealousy between diff
fcTenf porfions of the peninsula has already been
sapped by it-eyen the soldiers are mingling to-
gether the most diverse dialects and making com
mon Italian patOis. In this direction seemed the
grestesf dculty and much of II has been overcome.
There is nothing provincial in Italian patriotsm the
war-cries of the cities no longer heard Ihe ma
fiona feeling has struck deep rOot-tOo deep firmly
believe TO be ever torn from the feryid heart of the
people. If the material advantages OF the change
are less obvious. or are balanced py new burdens,
,af material Will