New-York tribune., 1899-05-07

Company.
General Della Rocca was a faithful couruer
and q brave soldier. BY the circumstances OF
his birth he was destined sooner or later 10 pe
thrown into the service of the house OF savoy
He grew up in Turin. the Piedmontese capital
In 1914 he saw Victor Emanuel | enter the
city, mounted Sandman galloway
dressed in his old uniform of 1893 blue. with
broad red facings. a long waistcoat white
breeches and big jackboots Prussian hat. and
a wig with bobtail which hung down his back.
Della Rocca was at court when the King abdi-
Gated He attached himself to Charles Albert,
and when that Prince. in his turn. abdicated.
our author continued his military career under
Victor Emanuel II. His recollectiOns close with
the transfer under that ruler Of the Italian
Government. now homogeneous. from Florence
to Rome in 1911 1t will be seen that his record
embraces the period during which Italy de-
yeoped from a congeries Of States into single
strong nation. He deals with the events and
the chief actors involved in that historic transit
ton. Writing of political as well as of military
matters, he nevertheless remains the soldier
throughout His style has often the naive SIM
plicity characteristic of military veteran ana
he is always disclosing a tenacious loyalty to
the army 1t was the army, he tacitly declares,
that did all the work. The labors of the think
ers. writers and agitators. which counted so
heavily in the balance he passes over with
bland unconsciousness. The name of MaZZini
stirs him to eulOgy. He retained until the
end apparently the feeling of suspicion which
the great patriot provoked in him early IN the
struggle Bat it is impossible to bear the gall
liant soldier any ill-wl He was not By nature
a diplomat though he went more than one
embassy and acquitted himself successfully. IL
was his destiny simply to love and serve the
house of Savoy, to which he owed everything
and the fact that he did not sympathze with
all those who were seeking to unity the Italian
States does not lessen the value of his mar
rative He was a clever and useful soldier
We can forgive him for sneering at war cor
respondents as purveyors of falsehoods and then
complacently printing in a footnote the not un-
amiabe things that one of them said about
him; this means merely that General Della
Rocca was a simple hearted and candid old
man.
Furthermore. the absence of broad historical
surveys from this volume is atoned for by the
presence of some admirable notes on important
men and things 1t is extremely interesting to
get from writer devoted heart and soul to the
Savoyard dynasty a description of the situa-
Immediately after the Kings return he re-
stored things to the condition they were in
before the departure Of Charles Emanuel ".
Sixteen years of exile spent among the bare
rocks of his island-often badly informed about
the course of events. and therefore incapable OF
understanding their importance-had seemed to
him dream. a cruel and oppressive nightmare
Awaking amidst the joyous demonstrations of
L.. h. f.i4 INN IN
trace of these sad years and to restore the old
condition of mutual love between people and
king. He did not perceive that all was changed
that individuals and ideas had progressed and
could not turn back A kind and excellent man.
he was wanting in .discernment. He imme-
diatey recalled not only the faithful adherents
of the monarchy. but. consulting old almanacs
of the years preceding the abdication, he rein
stated all the old functOnares. 1t was absurd
and at the same time sad to hear of dead men
being gazetted to their old posts. All this caused
considerable dissatisfaction. particularly in the
army. where officers retrograded in rank and
lost the steps they had gained under the
French Government"
This gives a good key to subsequent events
We see Victor Emanuel l returned from Sar-
dnia to new world and adapting himself to
its conditions with an i'll grace The times are
ripenng for abdcations constitutions. revolu-
tions, the principles Of 1S4S, for everything
that is novel and subversiye of the order to
which the King was by his very blood accus-
toned General Della ROcca sketches In quick,
vivid touches the figures Of that restless, chang
ing period He shows us his cousin. La Mar
mora, dogmatic. dctatorial. but calculated to
use even his defects to good purpose In the
cause OF q new Italy. Cavour, our authors
at the Academy. Is described as re-
cha riSlics which