Italy. September 16, 1848
Italy.
With the steamer “Tancred”, news from Messina arrived in Marseille on the 8th inst., according to which the Messinese are said to be resolved to blow up their city, which is undermined, rather than surrender to the Neapolitans. The bombardment was still continuing on 4 September. Ferdinand’s eighteen gunboats had to withdraw before the fire of the city with considerable loss. They proceeded further south, where the Sicilian volunteers had set up a battery on the shore. The volunteers pretended to retreat out of fear of the gunboats, spiked their guns and hurried away. Immediately the boats landed 5-600 Swiss. Then the volunteers suddenly came up and not one of the Swiss escaped; most were cut down on the spot and a small remnant were taken prisoner. In Messina itself, severed Swiss heads are being carried around on poles. Many houses are on fire. It is said that the English and French envoys in Naples have demanded the immediate cessation of the fighting in Messina from the ministry. King Ferdinand is furious with his Chamber of Deputies. It has dared, on Poerio’s motion, to express the severest censure, in the name of the people, against Nunziante for his arbitrary proceedings in the two Calabrias. A vote was taken by name and it thus became apparent that many who had previously sat on the Left did not have the courage to vote against Nunziante. Nevertheless, Poerio’s motion was carried by a large majority.
– In Leghorn the people are in control. The troops in the forts have capitulated. Partly they had no provisions and would have starved, partly they also declared outright that they would never fight against the people again. The forts are now by soldiers, civic guards and