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belled against their " rebellious leader ; " and all that Pepe ' s own partizans could bring into the Venetian territory was a battalion ofrifl . es , who did good service during the siege of the Lagoons . The willingness of the Neapolitan soldiery to comply with their King ' s good pleasure is easily accounted for . The example was given by the Twelfth of the Line , " which was chiefly formed of Sicilians taken from the galleys , and of pardoned highwaymen , who knowing themselves to be invidious to their countrymen , had placed all their hopes on the King ' s kindness . "
From this time Pepe ' s own narrative ceases to belong to the great melancholy epic of Italian nat ionality , and is confined to its noblest episode—the siege of "Venice . That backward move of the Neapolitans dashed all Italian hopes to the ground . Pius IX ., who acted with even more consummate perfidy and duplicity than Ferdinand , by whom , there is every
reason to believe , the Neapolitan despot himself received the first hint of the conduct to be pursued , equally hastened to give the signal of retreat . ( He , however , it is consoling to reflect , paid for his apostacy by an ignominious flight , and a long season of humiliation and chagrin . ) The Venetian provinces were overrun ; and Charles Albert , who was slumbering in treacherous security , found himself exposed on all sides .
Pepe shut himself up in Venice on the 13 th of June ; only five days after the Roman forces had been , after a splendid fight , compelled to surrender at Vicenza . During the whole of that and all the following month the Austrians , masters of all the Venetian terra firma , did not seriously think of investing Venice . Highly interesting as the events of the siege must prove to the reader , we must refer him to the General ' s own account for particulars . It was a fight
against all odds : what is more , a fight against hope . Hardly anything could turn up to avert the ultimate fate of Venice . Charles Albert was twice defeated ; Piedmont laid at the conqueror ' s mercy . Naples walked more and more boldly in the way of dishonour . Rome and Tuscany plunged into their inevitable abys 9 of impotent anarchy . France herself led the van of reaction . Germany was lost in stunning amazement . Hungary twice prostrate on the field . Venice held on to the last . The defence
of Malgheva , the frequent spirited sallies , the magnanimous endurance of all within , constitute a page of history such as Italy cannot boast of since the equally miraculous siege of Padua by all the imperial might of Maximilian of Austria , during the wars of the League of Combrai . Without the Republican movement of Rome and Florence , there is every reason to believe that France , and perhaps England , would not have suffered Venice
to fall into the hands of Austria without wresting fair terms in behalf of the conquered ; though what arrangement might be made in favour of Venice , save only by uniting it to an independent Italian kingdom , we are at a loss to conceive . As a free city , cut off from all intercourse with Lombardy , she could not subsist for three months : subjected to Austria , she is only undergoing a slow death , crushed by the paramount importance of her insolent rival , the upstart Trieste .
As late as September , 1818 , the French contemplated an expedition to Venice , as we may see from the following : — " Tho French republic had determined on sending 4000 noon to Venice , as will appear from a letter of the Duke d'llarcourt , which I transcribe : — " ' Romo , 9 t . h September , 1818 . '" Dkar Gbnkual , —I wrote to you two days ago ; to-day 1 will tell you that we are very discontented with the bad faith of the Austrians in the negotiations , and there is reason to believe that they are broken off . " ' Several ships of war , and 4000 men are being sent from I once to be disembarked at Venice .
"' Hold firm till their arrival ; it is through you perhaps , at least I hope it , that the salvation of Italy will be effected . " ' Your devoted , " ' IlAltCOl / JtT . ' " The arrival of the above-named troops would have changed the aspect of affairs in all Italy , and connequently in all Germany , but fortune was not with us . " Only a few months later the French armament received orders to start , we all know too well , on what errand .
Pope ' s narrative is wound up by a profession of faith , which is sufficiently striking and important , coming us it does from a man of unimpoached honesty and straightforwardness . He loudly proclaims
himself a Republican , as every Italian , we verily believe , is , at heart , and must be , if he draws his inspirations from the historical associations of his country . But , although gifted with anything but deep perceptive faculties , the General repeatedly bows to the necessity of compromise and transitional measures . " In the midst of apparent contradictions , " says he , " my aim has ever been Italian independence . " It equally was , and is , every man ' s aim throughout that country . Not one of Italy ' s sons , during the late vicissitudes , has played false to the national cause , except from erroneous impressions . This is not a little to be said in honour of a trampled and scattered
. The whole distance between Pepe and the Neapolitan rioters of the 15 th of May—the whole difference between D'Azeglio and Mazzini—is simply this , that the former hope to march to their goal by gradual and practical progress , the latter will carry it at one stroke and by storm . Those think it expedient to take the world as it is ,
to work with such materials as are at hand , to reconcile all parties , all ranks , and bring them to cooperate to an object of common interest : these mistrust and detest , and insist upon the demolition of all that exists—they place their faith in God and the people , and rely upon a strength of will that is to rise superior to all obstacles . It is matter of expediency on the one side , of consistency on the other .
It seems difficult not to see that success can only be secured by the submission of one principle to the other . Either could save Italy , were it only acted upon with one mind and heart throughout the country . * ' In reference to past events , I blame those , " the General concludes , ' * who , instead of encouraging Charles Albert , deserted him on inopportune pretexts . I blame the patriots in Naples who ran to arms on the 15 th of May . But towards each I should add that where their intentions were right , my blame is that of a brother . "
We say amen from our own heart , and upon intimate convictions that the gravity of circumstances , the suddenness and multiplicity of events were such as to bewilder the coolest and clearest heads . Those who love Italy , no matter what party they belong to , will have sufficient reason for disappointment and deep sorrow , sufficient reason to mistrust the soundness of their judgment and to deplore the results of their blindness and obstinacy . All , perhaps , have erred , would they only acknowledge it ;
they all pay a common penalty , ail involved in one common doom . Let them profit by the bitter experiment . Let them learn mutual indulgence and forbearance , and let them give an earnest of their readiness to sacrifice gold and blood for their country by a prompt denial of self-love , and abatement of all exaggerated and bigoted opinions . Nothing in human politics can be plainer than the to-be-or-not-to-be cause of Italian nationality . It has ever been lost by a fatal association with other idle and complicate questions .
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YOUNG RUSSIA . The Tumulus . Travelling Impressions of Young Russia . By Count Sollojjub . With Eight Illustrations , ' chapman and Hall . Amusing but slight ; the work of a foreigner who writes English well , but without the ease and felicity of a native . We notice the style because the texture is so slight ; were the matter more substantial we should care less for the form . Travellers—English , French , and German—have told us more about Russia than Count Sollogub seems disposed to communicate ; nor does he add anything to their information . As a satire his work is deficient
in point ; as a picture of Russian life it wants fulness . Nevertheless it reads pleasantly enough , and does raise the veil in one or two places , as in this description of
A RUSSIAN WKDDINO . " But in St . Petersburg , friend , a wedding is a halfway to bankruptcy , I think there is in the whole world not another place except St . Petersburg where , approaching to happiness , you beforehand try wilfully to spoil happiness , and , preparing yourself for ease , you betimes annihilate all possibility of being at your ease . In St . Petersburg custom is law ; however absurd the grneral custom is , " you must follow it . We have for everything conventional rules as stringent as visiting and bowing . In this manner , then , a bridegroom takes upon himself to imitate the universal ridiculous extravagance without regarding his means . In tho first place come the usual presents : his portrait by Sokoluw , * a diamond bracelet ,
a sentimental bracelet , a Turkey shawl , * a diamond trinket , besides innumerable glittering costly trifles from . the English magazine ; then the bridegroom is obliged to furnish anew , from garret to cellar , a house which is not his own ; to fill it with costly shrubs and flowers , lent on hire ; to set up elegant carriages , thorough-bred horses , and solid silver harness ; he must dress his whole household in new gold-laced liveries ; must buy new plate , new bronzes , new china ; must prepare himself to give gorgeous banquets , and , scarcely married , he remarks that he has nothing left to pay for the banquets . As for the bride ' s father , he furnishes the bedroom of the newlymarried couple in such a princely style as to give to the bridegroom an example for the folly he has to pursue ; and trunks and
besides , he fills chests of drawers presses , boxes , with all kinds of frippery , which , under the name of the dowry , sweeps away an enormous sura , and , having done all this , he presents the bridegroom the next day after the wedding with—his entire confidence : he avows with the utmost candour that life in St . Petersburg is very expensive ; that his French cook ruins him ; that he has bad luck at cards , and concludes his confession ¦ with the remark that the newly-married couple must wait his decease before they can enjoy the promised annuity- Rather disappointed by such an unexpected revelation , the son-in-law , on his part , likewise acknowledges the bad position of his circumstances , and before a week has past quarrels for ever with his new relatives . "
Here is glimpse of life not peculiar to Russia : — " It is a dreadful confession , friend , but in the present state of St . Petersburg life it is not only impossible to uphold your dignity , but even , strictly taken , it is almost impossible to remain an honest man : above everything , and at any cost , you must obtain money and spend it for rubbish . You are dancing in the evening , and in the morning your ante - room is crowded with creditors , usurers , and other visitors of the same class ; you mortgage , you sell , you borrow ; you put your name to bills of exchange and notes of hand ; you sell trinkets , horses , plate , shawls : you curse your existence and want to lay violent hands upon it ; you are in despair and tempted to send a ball through your brains ; and amidst all these tortures you still remain laced , and scented , and curled , you bow , pay and receive visits , whilst you are firmly persuaded that no one likes you , and that every body is laughing at you . "
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newman ' s phases of faith . Phases of Faith ; or , Passages from the History of my Creed . By Francis William Newman . John Chapman . ( Fourth Notice . ) To the fifth period in this strange and painful evolution Mr . Newman assigns the title of " Faith at Second Hand found to be Vain . " He had lost his faith in the Letter ; he had seen the error of " historical evidences ; " he was now to see that the faith which we repose in men who profess to have received the divine command at first hand is open to manifest difficulties , and will not bear examination . He asked himself whether he ought to receive moral truth in obedience to a miracle , or , conversely , was he to believe in miracles because they recommend some moral truth : — " I found in the Bible itself , —and even in the very same book , as in the Gospel of John , —great uncertainty and inconsistency on this question . In one place , Jesus reproves the demand of a miracle , and blesses those who believe without miracles ; in another , he requires that they will receive his doctrine ( and submit to it as little children ) because of his miracles . Now thiR is intelligible , if blind external obedience is the end of religion , and not Truth and inward Righteousness . An ambitious and unscrupulous Church , that desires , by fair means or foul , to make men ' s minds bow down to her , may say , " Only believe , and all is right . The end being
gained—Obedience to us—we do not care about your reasons" But God cannot speak thus to man ; and to a divine teacher we should peculiarly look for aid in Betting clear views of the grounds of faith ; because it is by a knowledge of these that we shall both be rooted on the true basis , and saved from the danger of false beliefs . " It therefore peculiarly vexed me to find so total a deficiency of clear and sound instruction in the New Testament , and eminently in the Gospel of John , on so vital a question . The more I considered it , the more
it appeared as if Jesus were solely anxious to have people believe in Him without caring on what grounds they believed , although that is obviously the main point . When to this was added the threat of ' damnation' those who did not believe , the case became far worse : for I felt that if such a threat were allowed to operate , I might become a Mohammedan or a Roman Catholic . Could I in any case rationally assign this as a ground for believing in Christ— ' because I am frightened by his threats ?'"
Nay more , it became quite clear that if we are to allow tho propagator of a new creed to dictate our logic , there would be no reasonable objection to be made to Islamism or Hindooism ; and it further seemed necessary to know if we are to accept results at second hand from Paul and John ;—? ' I Vhat was the sort of evidence which convinced them ? The moment thin question is put we see the essential defect to which we are exposed , in not . being able to cross-examine them . Paul says that ' Christ appeared
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Junb 15 , 1850 . ] © 1 ) 0 & £ && *?» 381
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* An eminent portrait-painter to the Imperial I ' amily .
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• A lurkny shawl i > considered as an inclinpensiible article in tho irousHuau of a young lady who has the least pretence to fashion . Its price varies , and often is as high as £ 300 or Jfc' 400 sterling .
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Leader (1850-1860), June 15, 1850, page 281, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1842/page/17/
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