New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-10-13

TEE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA
Three Hundred and Seventy y-eighth
Anniversary.
e e..
PARADE OF THE r1Io Al BE RsAa1lo
The March Through the Streets
RECEPTION AT THE CITY HALL
SPEECHES OF THE DAY
COLLATION. at the Club Room

COLLATION. at the Club Room
just three hundred and seventy-eigh1
years ago yesterday, the adventurer o.
Genoa, with his three diminutive vessels
landed at St. Salvador, and opened to civil
zation and Christianity the vast continent
of America. Strange to say, these three
hundred and odd years have passed away
without any demonstration in honor of the
great navigator, until last year. Americans
have never yet displayed an intention Of
perpetuating the memory Of the man who
found country for them beyond the sim
pie acknowledgment they give of his ser.
vices in their school books, and in the
romantic and enhancing stories of the
Admiral to be found in such works as the
deeply interesting, and perhaps overture,
story of Washington Irving
As a people, we have celebrated the deeds
Of all our heroes, and have obtained noto.
riety for ovations, but our ovations have
never included tho first of all our heroes
the man who is responsible for our being
Americans, and he who was, undoubtedly,
the bravest, most dauntless man of his cen
tury, and perhaps of any other--the man
who stands first in civilized records a. the
hero who dared to lose sight Of land and
stretch out for days and weeks into an un-
known ocean, out of sight of land, and in
search of continent peopled by the super
stition of the age with gn0mee and evil
spirits of every description.
The "world-seeing Genoese," if he has
been frog0tten by the nations who have
sprung up, as consequence of his discovery,
has always been held in faithful remcm-
brance by the men Of Italy, and to the
Italians in this country are we indebted for
the two celebrations of the great event
which has established many NATIONS on the
American continent.
In our own city, while the feeling has
been strong in favor of the celebration, only
the Trio al Bersaglio have been found ready
and willing to demonstrate their interest in
the occasion by personal exertiOns and by
public demonstrations.
Their parade last year had been regarded
as a grand success, and they had intended
to have surpassed it yesterday. The para
phernalia of the procession had been ar
ranged regardless of expense, q nd o model
of a vessel of the fifteenth century, just
such as Columbus anchored off the BAHIA
mas, would have had its place in the line,
manned by sailors in the Spanish costume
of that age, were it not that sickness had
prostrated the active movers in the enter
prise.
In spite of this unfortunate drawback,
the Bersaglio were not intiIhidated, and, not
being able to carry the "ship T" in their pro-
cession, they supplied its place with costly
and tasty banner, representing the landing
of the great Italian, amid thrOng of In
dians, upon the shore of one of the Outposts
of the new world he had given to Europe.
The BersagliO are already well known to
our citizens. Their organization has always
been regarded as q solid one, and although
they were compelled to alone actively cele-
brate the day, the banquettes of the streets
which they travelled in their long march
were thrOnged with spectators.
The battalion, composed IF two COM
panies, and numbering about one hundred
men, formed in front Of theif armOry, on
house streets. After forming tho line, Colonel
Sansoni in command, the head bf the column
moved by the flank down Royal street in the
direction of Esplanade. They were headed
by Charles Jaegers brass band, numbering
twenty pieces. Their fine appearance at
tracted universal attention. A neater body
of soldiers never appeared on our streets,
their general appearance wOt aid give the
idea that they were all veterans. The men
wore the parade uniform of ItAlian soldiers,
the Italian blue blouse, tucked below the
belt, with red facings and the traditional
blue cord decorating the breast, blue pants,
with red cord, and the BersagliO hat,
with black feathers for the privates
and green for the officers Every man car
ried in the muzzle of his Enfield rifle nat
ural red rose, Offering fine contrast to the
glitter OF the saber bayonets An American
flag and the royal flag Of united Italy, bearing
the Cross and crown, figured in the process
sion. In the centre Of the column was car
ried a costly banner wrought on blue silk
ground, representing on the front the land
ing of Christopher Columbus on his first
voyage, and ON the diverse bearing the le-
gend "SOciete Italiana del Tirt al Bersaglio,
chartered March 10, 1862" This banner
was borne by band of Italian sailors in
holiday suit-white shirts with blue facings,
black pants and straw hats. The pioneers
after the sailors attracted particular atten-
tion. They were apparently men picked for
the occasion.
Following the rifsmen came long line
of carriages provided by the society for the
accommodation of ladies, the Italian and
Spanish and other foreign consuls, and other
invited guests.
The line of march was almost as long as
that which firemen are addicted to on the
fourth of March. The procession moved
down Royal street to Esplanade, through
Esplanade to Chartres, to Ursulines; to Front
Levee, to St. Louis, TO Chartres, across
Canal to Camp, Camp to Prytania, Prytania
to Josephine, Josephine to Magazine, down
to Julia, Julia to St. Charles and thence to
City Hall.
A considerable crowd had gathered at the
City Hall long before the procession arrived,
and when they reached tho front of the
building they found the steps crowded with
spectators. Unfortunately the Mayor, to
whom the society wished to pay its respects,
was absent, and they, consequently. met
only the Administrators. They drew up in
line in the hall way, and presented arms to
these representatives of the city government
while the band played the 60 Star Spangled
Banner" After which they marched to the |
Lyceum.
The Italian Consul, Mr.. Fabio Sanminia- |
tell, is president of the society, with A. |
PM, ESQ.,, vice president; Ulysse Bassetti,
ESQ.,, treasurer, and DR.. John dell 'OrtO, |
secretary. The officers of the rifle corps are: |
Colonel A. j. SansOni, commanding. The |
first company is under command of A.
Sidoti, first lieutenant; l.. Tore, second !
and Il. Trois, third lieutenant. |
The second company is under command of |
g. More, first lieutenant, with Y. Lamantia,
second lieutenant, and s. dAmico, third
lieutenant. Standard bearers: Sad. dAmicO !
and G.. Favaloro. Marshals: Chief mar
shall, Ulysse Bassetti assistants, Joseph