Year: 1859




"A gentleman iately returned from tour In
Switzerland, has sent to the London Times an
account OF visit he paid, with some friends
TO General Garbaldi ut Como. The most In
teresting portion Of the letter is as follows:


We drove through quiet streets ,,rowdad
Win armed men to the Albergo del Angelo
ana We're received and shown rooms iust As
v we % snouia Ia nave been year ago, only there was
guard In the gateway, and we passed a room
iuIi oi omcers writing, for the General had
mere taken up his headquarters We did not
consider that 1t would be q serious breach of
tue neutrality of the nation il we naid our
respects to the Garibaldi who f,efendSS Roma
and who, amid all the binnders and disasters
OF ~, showed that only time and opportunity
W., we're wanting TO develop in the Italians sim
sie-iniHueu nerolsm and constancy worthy of
ancient Rome. After lunch we sent in our
CARDS, ana message came from the aid de-
camp saying that the General was asleep but
us soon as he awoke he would present f5e,n
ana had no doubt he would he hanny tn rocai,o
US. After an hours saunter among the yoIun
teers we wereinformed that the G eneral would
be happy TO wait upon the ladies' and in a
snort time ne was shown in. He proved az
different from what we expected as was the
state of the town from that reported


From MS portraits and warlike exploits
had ctured to myself a very tall. large man
OF sailow complexion, with long black hair
and beard, with something Of the roman tic air
of those Spanish guerilla chiefs, who sang
their own songs to the guitar or killed people
i
scarcely believe that the quiet unaffected, gem
tieinanly man, who entered and sat down
with us, was Garibaidi. He is of middle
height, not more than feet or inches,
should think; is n square -shouldered, deep
chested, powerful man, without being at all
heavy. lie has a healthy Ell glish complexion,
with brown hair and beard, rather light, both
slightly touched with grey, and cut very
short. His head shows very fine develop
ment, mental as we'll as moral, and his face is
good though not remarkable TO casual OBJ
server-nuthing to show the man who could
form and carry ont such plans as the retreat
rom Rome or the capture OF Como; but when
lie spoke OF the oppression and suffering OF MS
couutry, the lip and eye told the deep feeling
long suppressed and the steadiast daring char
acter of the man. A child would stop him In
the street TO ask him what O'Clock it was, but
the man condemned TO be shot in half an hour,
would never, after n look OF that calm deter
mined face, waste time in asking mercy upon
earth. During our long interview he spoke
much of passing events excepting his own
share) but without southern gesticulation.
lie has the calm manner and appearance of
the English gentleman and officer it was only
when he spoke of the generous sympathy OF
the people OF England with the sufferings OF
Italy, that his SaIon-like calmDesS gave way;
then as he assured us again and again how
thoroughly it was appreciated by Italians of
every class and how grateful they were for II,
he showed that the warm blood of Italy burn
ed in his veins. MY impression had been that
his operations were more the result of rash
impulse than military calculations; but it was
paipabe that, strong ms may be his impulses,
they are thoroughly under control. Bold and
enterprising, even TO apparent rashneSS, he IS,
no doubt, but he is also cool and calculating;
and as l watched him on the opposite side OF
the table, telling the ladies of his voyages to
China and the antipodes, as pleasantly and
calmly as if in q London drawing room, while
at any moment he might be interrupted by the
fire Of an oyerpowering Austrian force brought
by railway to his outpost, felt no doubt that
in case of the very worst he had arranged ex-
actly what TO do, and would do it. But what
impressed me most, was the mental ealibre of
the man; met him with the idea that he WAS
little more than dashing popular military
leader-4I parted from him With the conyic-
ton that bis warlike career is mere episode
in his history, and that his rrne greatness will
be seen in the political regeneration and gov
ernment of his country.