The Sun. — 1861-12-03 (London, England)

ITALY.  A communication from home has the following : " The following is an account of the last affair of Isoletta. The brigands crossed the Liri at Fontana, and though they were seen by four national guards, the latter, instead of giving an alarm, secreted themselves in a hut. The brigands were, consequently, able to reach Isoletta without striking a blow. The sentinel on duty there was a Neapolitan soldier, and though he was attacked by several of the brigands there, he defended himself bravely; he shot down one of them, and wounded, with his bayonet, some others, but he was at last killed himself. Before he expired he embraced a little flag which he had in his sentry box, and cried Long liveltaly !' Another sentinel and three other soldiers, were murdered before the fort of Isoletta. A sergeant, named Colelli, of Brescia, was in the fort with twelve men ; but as the building was not completed, and as the windows being open, afforded easy ingress to the assailants, he and his men took to flight by a back door, and crossed the bridge over the Liri under the fire of the brigands. When he was out of reach he had only six men, one having been murdered, another, who was wounded, having fallen into the Liri and been drowned, and the four others having been taken by the brigands and shot by order of their chief. This chief was not Chiavone, who did not take part in the affair, but a young man, about thirty years old, with fair hair, and of high stature, who was dressed in black, and wore a Calabrian hat, and was called the Major. It was afterwards ascertained that ho was a Belgian, the Marquis de Trafignies. He had by his side a notorious assassin named Mattel. After Isoletta the brigands ascended the mountains, and attacked San Giovanni Incarico. There were in that place only forty infantry soldiers, under the orders of Captain Tecchio, and they fell back towards Pico. Before they had gone far they met a company of the 43d Reg. hastening to the place and returned with them •to San Giovanni; the total force was 120 men. Although the brigands had only been half an hour in the village, they had burned down several of the principal houses. They had, it was stated, intended to destroy another, but had consented to spare it on the intercession of one of their band, an ex-Bourbonian lancer, who when in garrison in the village had been well treated by the owners of it. The brigands afterwards proceeded to pillage other houses, but on hearing the trumpet of the Italians they cried out Fly ! Fly !' and ran off as fast as they could. M. de Trafignies, who had commanded the pillage, and had threatened with a revolver of six barrels the woman who prayed that their houses might be spared, was, on the arrival of the Italians, in the house of one Santoro, where with great fury ho was breaking everything within his reach. He did not hear the Italian trumpet, and was captured. He was taken before Major Savini, who had arrived with reinforcements: and by his order, being tried by a Court Martial formed of the officers present, was condemned to death. Half an hour was allowed him to arrange his affairs, and confess to a priest ; but he could not at first believe that he was to be shot. He refused to address a letter to his family, as he was recommended to do, but he wrote in the pocket book of Captain Teccio, am Alfred de Trafignies, of Namur, cousin of the Marchesa Montalto, ambassadress of Italy in Belgium.' On searching him some papers relative to Chiavone's band, a letter from his sister, the portrait of a lady, and a lock of hair were found. When the time allowed him had expired he was placed against a wall. He turned round to speak to an officer who was near, but at the same moment the command ' Fire ! ' was given, and a ball struck him in the head, causing him to fall dead. The deceased was the nephew of Marshal St. Arnaud, and of M. de Merode. He had left Itome in a carriage, and ordered it to wait for him at Veroli."  Mr. and Mrs. Tollemache have been entertaining a succession of visitors during the last fortnight at Peekfort= Castle, Cheshire.