New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-11-13
A Precedent.

The st. Louis Globe of the tenth, recalls
| to public recollection an important event
in the Italian war which has an important
| bearing on the case of the Virginius, re-
| Gently captured off the coast of Jamaica:
The position of the United States on this
subject, not only in the ground taken by
General Stephen A. Hurlbut. when our
minister to Colombia and the Eirginiusiwas
pursued into those neutral waters by the
PzarrO, but in other cases, one of the best
of which may be found i'll the diplomatic
correspondence of 1850 and 1861. the incl
dents of which occurred in connection with
the Sicilian expedition under General Carl
baldi. The circumstances were as fellows:
General Garibaldl left Genoa May q. 1860,
with the steamers Piedmont and lombard,
having on board exactly 1000 men, "the
thousand" as they are called in Italy.
After touching at Follonica, on the frontier
of Tuscany. Garibaldi steamed straight for
Marsala where he landed his men and am
munition safely. OFF the port of Marsala
there were four Neapolitan men of-war but
he dashed right through without receiving
any injury. Immediately after he had got
inside the harbOr the four men Of-war ran
in after him, and mOOring brOadslde to the
town, opened fire on GaIibaldi, but did no
serious damage, and they finally hauled off.
The Piedmont and lombard had been
seized by Garibaldi while lying at
anchor in Genoa harbor, and not being
his rightful property, had. therefore,
not the protection of any flag. Not
withstanding which he was not in any way
molested by two English men-of-war then
lying in Marsala roads. So far from doing
so, the senior commander actually pr0-
tested against the Neapolitan commodore
firing on Garibaldl after he landed, remon-
STRANGE which, after some few broadsides,
was respected. Nor did the NeaColitans
dare to capture the steamers after the expe-
dition was all ashore albeit the royal flag
was still flying over Marsala. The simple
ground put forth by the English commander
for his interference was that though an in
surrectiOn existed in Sicily, and through
Garibaldi, it was still fact that the island
had neither been put in state of blockade
nor blockade been enforced, consequently,
the NeapOlitan feet soon after steamed
away. After Garibaldi had marched
on and got possession of One-half of
Palermo, he found his 1000 men reduced
to 500, and dispatched his naval
aid camp, Captain (now AdmiraD
De Rohan. TO Genoa to bring down rein,
forcements. De Rohan procured three small
vessels for carrying to Sicily the 1000 men,
but when ust ready to move he learned
that large Neapolitan fleet was waiting
to capture him not far outside of Genoa
waters. He accordingly embarked 400 men
on the American ship Charles and Jane, of
Maine, under the command Of Major Corti,
and sent her out in tow OF small tug. The
ruse succeeded and the whole Neapolitan
squadron steamed for Malta with the prize,
and De Rohan, slipping out of Genoa few
hours after, arrived safely in Sicily with all
his men and arms. SO soon as Mr.. Chand
Ter, United States minister to Naples, heard
of the capture, he dem lnded the release OF
the ships and after a brief detention, ship,
men and arms were delivered up, intact,
and returned to Genoa, whence they again
sailed to Sicily, and twenty days after their
capture took part in the battle of Miazzo.
Both these cases seem to compare favor |
ably with that of the Virginius, there being
no effective blockade protecting the ports
of Cuba any more than than there was of
Sicily. and the tirglnius was no more a. !
pirate than were the ships commanded by |
Garabaldi and De Rohan. After De Rohan
had his first run down, his vessels continued |
going back and forth on similar errands, and |
were never molested by the NeapOlitan navy, |
though there were some thirty of their ships. |
Still more recently the DeerhOund was
taken by the Spaniards off the Basque
coast, after landing arms at Bilboa for the !
Carlists, but as she was not seen during he |
act or within the marine league, the English |
government compelled her release.
General Hurlbut, who protected the Vlr-
oirius last year, is member Of the coming
Congress, and, judging by his diplomatic
correspondence. holds decided opinions on
the duty of an American minister to protect
American citizens and interests. Those |
who know him well assert that he will be
likely to make himself h ard i'll the House,
and that unless Mr.. Fish acts more directly
than he has heretofore done on this issue.
he will prove a thorn in the side of the
State Department.