Italy.
* Rome, 1 July. The debate on the draft address continues in the Chamber. Yesterday Ciccognani moved for the reform of all branches of administration, but especially for the reform of the judiciary. The establishment of a supervisory ministry, charged with the strict observance of the laws and the publicity of court proceedings, was urgent. In addition, the frightfully high court costs must be significantly lowered, so that the rich man no longer has the poor man in his hand as hitherto. Armellini puts a sub-amendment: abolition of all exceptional courts and introduction of juries, especially in press offences. Both the one and the other are adopted almost unanimously. Farini moves the abolition of the death penalty in political cases. Bonaparte extends the motion to the effect that the death penalty be abolished altogether. Adopted. Finally, it is also resolved to mention the abolition of confiscation in the address, and the sitting is adjourned until today.
Reggio, 24 June. Every locality in the province has sent its contingents of men to Casalnuovo. By yesterday 4,000 armed men had arrived there. To these are added 1,000 Sicilians with several pieces of heavy artillery. At their head are: Ribotti, Nesci and Longo. On the heights of Aspromonte a further 800 men are posted, and in the plain of Corono over 1,000 men. From Casalnuovo the troops are to advance tomorrow in various attack columns against Nunziante, to whom now only the road to Pizzo remains open, unless the Calabrians first occupy the heights commanding that road. Three Neapolitan steamers left here for Pizzo in all haste the day before yesterday, to help Nunziante to flee in case he is defeated. The telegraph line is interrupted, as is all communication by land routes. News has arrived that the island of Procida has revolted. A steamer with troops has departed thither.
* Milan, 1 July. The headquarters of the Sardinian king is now at Roverbello; it appears that Mantua is to be isolated. Almost all roads leading thither are blocked. The Italian army is now said to number 80,000 men. In Mantua there is a garrison of about 9,000 men, of whom 4,000 are in the hospitals.
Turin, 2 July. “The despicable system of the old Austrian policy” – so begins an article in No. 155 of “La Concordia” – “which has been rejected on all sides with cries of execration, has retreated behind the printer’s flag into the dark backshops of the ‘Augsburger Allgemeine’. A more shameless trafficking in word and conscience has never been carried on. And Germany, so jealous of its honour, so proud of its proverbial loyalty, does not see that both the one and the other are most vilely soiled by the infamous traffic carried on in its bosom and, as it were, in its name.
One of the richest sources which fertilise the (in their calumnies against Italy) tireless columns of the ‘Augsburgerin’ has been revealed. The citizens of Milan can, whenever they wish, read the original drafts of any article fabricated by the forger Torresani, ex-director of the Milan police, in the said paper. The journal ‘Der 22. März’ has so far published a letter from that individual, in which those abominable manoeuvres are openly admitted. Those notorious sources have, however, neither dried up nor changed their direction. One of the satellites of the old Austrian police writes from the foot of the Brenner as follows: ‘Among the motives cited by Admiral Albini for the blockade of Triest, etc.’”
(One should look up the passage in the clean “Augsburger” itself; it concerns the utterly vulgar slander printed by the Augsburgerin, to the effect that the Italians had murdered Austrian wounded in the hospital at Castelfranco.) “La Concordia” continues: “Where can more infamous lies be found than those spread by the ‘Augsburgerin’? Where can a clearer proof of its black perfidy be sought? This arch‑venal paper has hastened greatly to publish General Welden’s proclamation, in which he swore to annihilate the alleged murderers of the wounded at Castelfranco. But it has not hastened to communicate also the other proclamation of that same general, in which he later had to acknowledge the entire falsehood of his own accusation as a slander.
However, we will not concern ourselves further with this. We are convinced that no one knows the real purpose of the Austrians in relation to the Italians better than the very editors of the ‘Augsburgerin’ themselves. For in order deliberately to falsify the truth as they do, one must first know the truth.”
Naples, 1 July. Today, it is almost laughable to say so, the Neapolitan Parliament was opened by Duke Serra Capriola reading a royal speech from the throne! As was foreseen, His bombarding Majesty did not have the courage to leave the palace and deliver his speech himself. This speech from the throne is again so full of hypocritical phrases, so full of smooth deceit, as we are accustomed to from the crowned hangman and coward. Moreover, it contains the same talk of calm, order and moderation, of wise progress, etc., as one now again hears and sees by the dozen in Germany.
News has arrived that Nunziante has been completely defeated. The Calabrians are said finally to have come to a veritable butt-end fight with the soldiers. The Calabrians have captured the whole of the artillery; 500 soldiers, who were cut off from the main corps, saved themselves on board the steamer Archimedes.