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ENTRANCE OF GARIBALDI INTO
NAPLES.
The arrival of Garibaldi at Naples is thus de-
scribed in a letter dated September 7 :
"Garibaldi is among us-sooner by many
days than we had expected him. He marched,
as one of his followers said to me to-day, for
several days 45 miles consecutively. Well, he
arrived at Salerno yesterday, and had, I am
given to understand, a most brilliant reception.
' Perhaps he may come in for the Feast of Pie
di Grotta,' said some, but I was thunderstruck
at the information of a friend this morning that
he was to be here 'within the hour.' There was
no time to be lost, and so, through rather a
dull and forsaken-looking town, we drove to the
railway. There were no signs of preparation
on the road-a banner of the Madonna hung
across the street from the Church to the bar-
racks, but no Sardinian flag. There was no
hurry scurry in the streets, and I thought
that there might have been some mistake about
the matter, but nothing of the kind. At the
railway National Guards was stationed at all
the entrances, and flags were coming down in
rapid succession, for the arrival of the Dictator
was sudden, like everything he does, and peo-
ple were unprepared. The waiting-rooms
inside were full of the most eminent characters
of Naples, at least among the Liberals. There
were all the members of the Comitato which
has issued its mysterious commands for so many
months ; Azala, the new commander of the
National Guard ; Leopardi, the historian ; a great
many of our countrymen, Lord Llanover among
the number ; a few, but very few, ladies, as still
there was an impression that a row might take
place. I stood by a priest who was chief of the
Provisional Government of Lecce, and who
indulged in anecdotes of Garibaldi, whom he
knew well in Rome. But what delays the
Dictator? Half-past 10 o'clock, and he does
not make his appearance. At last a bell rings,
a train approaches, and there is a tremendous
burst of ' Vivas ;' but no, it is not the hero ;
it is a convoy of Bavarian soldiers who
have lately deserted and are joining the
winning cause. So we turn round again and talk
over the sufferings and persecutions of the last 12
years and point out all the remarkable men in the
room. At last 12 o'clock strikes and a bell sounds,
and from a distance a signal is made that Garibaldi
is approaching. " Viva Garibaldi !" rises from
a thousand voices, and the train stops ; a few
red jackets get out, and they are seized, hugged,
and kissed with that most unmerciful violence
which characterises Italian ardour. There was
one poor elderly man who by virtue of his white
beard was taken for Garibaldi, and was slob-
bered so that I thought he must have sunk un-
der the operation, but the great man had gone
round by another door, and so there was a rush
in all directions to intercept him. We
drove round by a side street to the
front of the Carmine and thus by a
knowing dodge we came in front of the Dic-
tator. There is no mistaking that face ; there
is the grandeur and the openness of nature's
nobleman expressed, and it does not say one
thing while plotting another ; it is marked by
a loyalty which in vain might be sought for in
that of many of the so-called great ones of the
earth. I was much struck with his calm self
possession and the extreme sweetness of his
smile. Ho was not in the carriage of the
French minister, though I believe it had been
placed at his disposal, but in one hired for the
occasion. Followed and accompanied by three
lines of carriages he went along the Marinella,
through the Basso Porto, surrounded by thou-
sands, and deafened by their greetings,
up tho Lago Castello, and so on by San
Carlo and the palace of the king, which
royalty left only a few hours before,
and entered the palace of reception for
foreign princes. The crowd waved backwards
and forwards, and looked up to the windows
and shouted for the appearauce of Garibaldi. -
First came one red coat, then another, and at
last the hero himself. What a cry of ' Viva'
there rose from the vast mass below ! When
last that balcony was occupied by a distinguished
personage it was by the Grand Duke of Tuscany,
but in answer to no calls, for there were only a
few of those idlers who always hang about the
palaces of princes. It was impossible to make
himself heard amid the noise and confusion,
and so Garibaldi leant over the iron railing and
gazed intently on the crowd. A wave of the
hand at last asked for silence, but in vain.
' Zitti, Zitti !' rose from all sides, and there was
a perfect silence. ' Neapolitans,' said a voice
as clear as a bell, and with an enunciation so
distinct that nothing could fail to reach the
ear.
This is a solemn, holy, and memorable day.
This day, from being subjects under the yoke
of tyranny, you have become a free people. I
thank you in the name of the whole of Italy.
You have performed a great work, not only for
Italy, but for all humanity, whose rights you
have vindicated. ' Hurrah for liberty ! so
much dearer to Italy inasmuch as she has
suffered so much more than other nations
' Long live Italy !'
" The cry was taken up by the thousands
assembled, and ' Viva Italia !' might have been
heard from one end of the city to the other.
There were curious spectacles to be witnessed in
the crowd-there were members of a legion of
Amazons to the number of 200, who, dressed in
tho Garibaldian uniform, had vowed to place
themselves in front of the National Guard
and of Garibaldi, in case the military
had interfered. There were priests with tri-
coloured scarfs over their shoulders and banners
in their hands, and bare-headed monks with
muskets on their shoulders. There were men
and women with unsheathed swords and dag-
gers, and swordsticks in their hands, which they
brandished in all the drunkenness of enthu
siasm. There were hundreds of Lazzaroni,
armed with pikes, which had been provided
for the defence of tho barricades had
the Bourbons driven the people to
such extremes. Such were some of the scenes to
be witnessed. I remarked that Garibaldi made
not the slightest allusion to the name of Victor
Emmanuel, and I remarked also that, with few
exceptions, tho only cries in the streets were
' Viva Garibaldi ! ' Viva Italia !' On enter
ing the palace and the room in which Garibaldi
was received I saw him giving audience to a de
putation of Venetians. ' We are all ready and
organised, general, and anxious to begin.' 'You
cannot be more anxious than I am,' was the re-
ply, and then he left the room to repose and:
take some refreshment.
Garibaldi at once formed a provisional go-
vernment at Naples. In a proclamation to the
Neapolitans he said that he would declare their
annexation to Piedmont from the top of the
Quirinal. He was visited by the English Ad
miral, and afterwards went on board the H. M. S.
Hannibal, the English minister being present.
There are now 7000 Garibaldini in the city
of Naples. More Piedmontese troops are ex-
pected from Gonoa, to whom will be confided
tho fortresses and castles. Tho official journal
has published some important degrees in its
number dated September 11. The most con-
spicuous are the following :-" 1. All political
prisoners are immediately set at liberty. 2.
All pawned property in tho Monte di Pieta, not
exceeding three ducats in value, is to be given
given baok to the owners. 3. All
customs and, custom house impositions
between Sicily and Naples are abolished. 4.
Retreats for orphans are to be formed in
various quarters of the city. 5. All secret

fund

money in each of the government ministries is
abolished. 6. The order of the Jesuits, and all
offices and powers belonging to this sect is
abolished throughout the continental domi-
nions. All their property of every descrip-
tion is declared henceforward to belong to
the nation." These decrees are signed by the
Dictator Garibaldi and headed " Vittorio Em
anuele red'Italia; Giuseppe Garibaldi Dittatore
delle due Sicillie."

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