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Leader (1850-1860), 19th November 1859, Edition 1 of 2, Page 1276, Untitled Article

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    • ¦LITERATURE.
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      Untitled Article

      political difficulties shall have b . eo : i -eiibcted we do not doubt that the King -will again ardentl y as ever pursue his onward course , mindful only of the highest and best interests of ¦ bis subjects , and exposed to fewer impediments than heretofore from his Austrian and Papal neig hbours who , we will hope , will have learned from the past struggle And actual anxiety and disquietude that it is not their interest to interfere in the domestic concerns of a State-which has so manfully shown its determination to resist their menaces and attacks , whether military or spiritual . The amount of crime varies in different parts of Italy ., just m . proportion to the predominance of priestly influence , and the consequent , ignorance or instruction of the populations . The diminution . of criminal

      offences under comparatively ' enlightened rule , and their ex-cess where popular ignorance is most oross , abundantly p rove that want of education and crime go hand in hand in Italy as they are shown by statistics to do in other countries . _ Take , for instance , the crime of brigandage . It is most rife in those parts of Italy where the masses are most uneducated , and the southern states of the Church bein ° " almost wholly without the means of popular education , it follows that this portion of the Peninsula is most exposed to highway robberies' / . The attacks made upon travellers by banditti in _ . the ilomagna are exceptional and comparatively miniature ' affairs viewed beside those of the Campagiui Romaha , and the ¦ Fr ' osinonesoy because the state of education is hi"her in the former than in the latter ,

      The provinces of Bologna ami Picena which , until a comparatively recent period , had u separate government , have never suffered from brigands . But when you enter iip ' on the patrimony of St . Peter , down to the Neapolitan borders , the want of education is almost total , and there brigandage is at its height ; there primary schools and educational institutions for the people are unknown , and it is declared on competent authority that in this portion of the Pope ' s domains the number of those who can read and write , even imperfectly , is on the average , one in a thousand . 'The want of education involves the want of well-directed and intelligent industry . Though this is one of the richest and most charming districts of Italy , the soil is scarcely cultivated , and agriculture is in a perfectly barbarian state . Trade and manufactures do not

      exist , because it is against priestly interest to allow them . The population , being engaged neither in . agriculture , commerce , nor in any other way , to earn an honcsL livelihood , must of necessity steal to obtain the means of satisfying the wants of nature . But this is only one of the amenities and privileges appertainining to the good government of Pius IX ., so highly vaunted by orators of the Cullen school . W * c fully agree with the Kmperor of France , that it will bo n happy day for

      IiiUrop . e when the Powers feel with him that the temporal rule of the Pope offers no obstacle to the prosperity and progress of Italy . Only let his theory become a proved and incontestable fact , and we will cordially join him in felicitating Europe in general ,, and thy Italians in particului " , on the advantages and benefits isesulting ; , from the paternal rule of the Vatican . Meanwhile , wo think the people of Itomngrin , are doing well m making renewed efforts to , secure their permanent separation from the states of the Church .

      Untitled Article

      I AST Saturday Mr . Gladstone was elected by the i matriculated students to the important office of Rector of the University of Edinburgh , lie'hail a majority ol 11 C over his opponent , Lord Heaves , one of the judges of the Court of Session ; tiro numbers for the respective candidates being ; C 43 and 527 . The election of Lord Jiector of the University " Glasgow took place on Tuesday , when Lord Elgin was chosen by a majority of all the nations ; 'the total numbers being , Elgin , 55 . 3 ; Disraeli , 411 . The total number of residents in Cambridge University during the . present term . is 1 , 05 ^ , 1 , 097 of whom reside within college walls , 550 in lodgings , and five in Dr . Humphry's Hostel . Tlie nuinber ° matriculations this term was SOS , the uiutricukitions in 185 S . having been 3 f > 4 . Mr . Thackeray ' s circular to the' contributors'to ills forthcoming -shilling . monthly magazine , though , we believe , intended for the present tc > be as it is marked , a " private " paper , has found its war into

      the columns' of one ol our eonteinporuries . The new periodical is to be calhjd The ¦ Conilull Magazine . From the circular we learn that there is " hardly any subject " which will not be treated of in its pages . The magazine will start with the now year . Its staff of contributors . already engage ! includes Mr . Sala , Mr .. Ihmnay , Mr . . Thornbury , Mr . Hollirigshead , Mr . 3 Joy Thomas , nnd other . names familiar in the magazines . Its proposed scale of payment to contributor ' s ; is said to be liberal , in return for a complete renouncement of copyright . ' 1

      At the beginningof the year M . Magnet , the author , brought an action before the . Civil Tribunal against M . Alexundre Dumas to h : ivebini .-, e ! f declared the .-co-author of eighteen of tlie principal works bearing the naine of the latter gentleman , and as such entitled to lnt'f the sums which they have : realised or may reidi . se . ]> ut the Tribunal , after hearing what both parties had to say , came to the conclusion that though M . nquet had undoubtedly " collaborated " very largely in the works of Dumas , 3 et that he had voluntarily cut ere-. I into an engagement not to require , his name to be published as one of the author .- ' , and that he hud- entered into pecuniary arrangements with Dumas which prevented the latter purl of his application froi : i being granted . . ' . _ . socialist writer

      The death of Colin ? , the French , lias created a vacancy in the ranks of the champions of the weak against the strong . Col ins was a retired officer of cuvnlry , who hud left the service at an early age ,. disgusted with the falsehood of the military career , to devote himself exclusively to the search after truth in the great question of the rights and privileges of , the working classes . The energy and industry he displayed have left us their record more than forty volumes of manuscript . These aro not to bo published for some years to come , ( lie times not being rijio for the disclosures ho bus iniulo therein . An . Englishman has borne the expenses ol the previous publications issued bv Colin ' * , and is left eole legatee of hi a unpublished works . It J 3 generally thought that he will cause them to appear in English translations

      . .,,,., Professor Tjsolienjdorf , the Leipzig nwliolftr , hits , on the philological exploration of Asia Minor , onginatedvby the Kussinn Government , li ^ hteil upon a code * , \ vhitm by him and other compelei » t juUgca '"has bceft ' yacknowludged to be the oldest ol the JNow Testament in existence . The treasure tr >< ve wiu discovered in one of the Simiitic momi-Uincs . osc who have been fortunate enough to inspect the precious parchment are quite overwhelmed « 'U _ ' its importiineo for , the correction of tlie . most niutiiuieu text of holy writ . Professor Dowe , of Jiurlln , lms puhli . shexl a l > nmphlet on the use Hint may bo nuulo of tho tiU'roseono n

      in detecting commercial or liteniry furyom's . . Buys the professor , an original document- mid » copy of it , bo placed together in thu limtmmuiir , mo slightest variations will become instantly lunparcm . The tost is applicable to MHS ., lithographs , u » B """ Ings , printed books , bank-notes , and all win . ihir productions . Tho reflecting storoscopu of \ V m-iUstonu ia that which Professor Dowo rcoonunoiuln lor tl > o purpose . ., Tho following announcompnta appear in mu Critic : ~ "At tho time of his ttuntli , WhI » Jim" *»¦ collecting a complete and ftiml edition of hi * pootiuu works . Tho greater portion of tliom roccjvou » finishing touch only a month previously lolua uonm

      Untitled Article

      LETTERS FROM . IT ^ LY . [ FBOAI A SPECIAL OONTRUlUTOIt . ] . Flokk ^ cj-:, Nov ! 12 th , 1850 . bOMii six months had passed since I was last in Tyiscany . TVo were then , on tho eve of the revolution , and the ill-fated houso of Lorraine had only n few weeks more of misrule before them . Their tirna was short , nhcl they made tlie worst of it . Tho fact , which is hero , universally believed , of tho Grand J ) uko having given orders to bombard the city before his departure , seems to weigh more

      against him in popular eotimution than nil his previous years of petty despotism and Austrian satrapy . It was , indued , tho one unpardonable sin . Dante tellsfh his "Inferno , " thnl the sins ofFurinatu of tho " Ugliejtl" wore forgiven , because ho alone of tho Ghibolines opposed the demolition of Florence , after tho buttle of tho Arbia . The old Dante fooling still holds good , nnd fur heavier sins of tho Gran el Duke might bo forgiven more rcadiJy than tho wore imputation of having ; thought of injuring Florence .

      I much question whether n strangor of nn uu-Otosorvtint < jl » ftraotor would bo awnre , in passing tnpough TuHcwiy , that a , revolution had occurred

      or a great change passed over the country . Certainlv he would never fancy that the nation was going through a great crisis of their history—on tlie eve , perhaps , of a , civil war . At Leghorn , the boatmen bullied , the porlei-s cheated , and the beggars wlvinedmuch the same under a free government , as under a despotic . There was the same wearisome detention as of old , after we entered the'harbour undt ? r the same imaginary fear , that coming fx-om the west , we might be bringing the plague from the east , and if I do not wrong him , the same government official cheated me in exactly the same way as he diel six months ago , by giving me shortchange . However , if he had not learnt honesty , I had not learnt ¦ wisdom , and therefore have no cause to grumble .

      Leghorn itself presented one little difference . Ihe national tricolour floated over its walls in lieu of the Grand Ducal standard , and the ' Via Leopolda ' was re-baptised into the " Via Emmanuele . " Passing down the said street I noticed one small circumstance which struck me at once as very curious and painfully suggestive . A well-known hotel stands there , the name of which—• ' The Victoria "—was engraved in large letter on the wjill . Times ¦ change , and even the names of inns change with them . The . landlord of the '" Vittoria" resolved to take advantage " of popular feeling , and call his hotel the " Vittqrio Emmanuele . " A common man would have painted the old name out , but the landlord in question is evidently no common man . He luid a la rue " O . "

      painted on a board , and a little " Emmanuele"' on a smaller one . and lie nailed the former over the final "A" in " Vittoria , " and stuck the hitter in a corner beneath . The transforriiation is complete , and the advantage of tlie process is obvious . If things should change , five minutes' -work will suffice to pull , out the nails , restore the old name Vittoria , ami e ) bliterate all traces of his political frailty . Every contingency is foreseen and provided for . According to the fortunes of Italian liberty , the board will remain up or come down .

      At Florence itself the symptoms of the change are more , * apparent . On every house almost , out of the fashionable streets , one sees small woodcuts of Victor Emmanuel , with a moustache of preternatural length , and of the " Bombastes Furioso " character , beneath which are inscribed the words , "To Acclamo Vittore Emmanuele , " " Nostro Ke , " or some similar sentiment . The new arms of Tuscany , the White Cross of Savoy , or the tricolour , are stuck up everywhere , and some wag has painted them on the

      statue of the Lorraine Duke , which stands in the grand square of Florence . The shop windows are filled with patriotic prints , patriotic jmmphlets , and patriotic melodies . The cafes are crowded with young officers in uniforms of becoming cut auel painful . novelty . There is a perfect swarm of cheap papers hawked about tho streets , rather bare of news , certainly , and entircdy devoid of advertiselnents ; but , considering the excellent moral"and appropriate sentiments they contain , they would be cheap at any price .

      This , however , as far as I have seen , is all . I Have known something of "intelligent foreigners , " in our own country , and therefore attribute but little vtiluo to the correctness of a stranger ' s observations . All I can say is , that I have not seen what I hoped to see—that is any earnest and active preparation for the coming struggle . There may be , and probably is , uuich going on privutely , of which I have no idea . There arc not those outward signs of resolution and readiness for the battle which I observed in Piedmont before the outbreak of tho war . If good behaviour and generous feelings and logical demonstration are enough to "work out tho freedom of Central Italy , I have no doubt of the event ; but if something more , if hard fighting and stern resolution , are required , I confess that then 1 have my fears .

      The great political event of the ^ vock 'has boon , as you are by this time aware , thq nomination of " Prince Carignan" to tho ltcgonoy of Tuscany , Purma , and Modcna . Wo aro nil now waiting anxiously to learn whether tho Prince will accopt , or , moro truly speaking , bo allowed to accept , tho post . Tho step is one in the right direction ; but I own that I should have proforrod seeing tho Italians nominate , some one who took his ' Authority from thomsolvos alone . They soom to mo to roly too much on others . They trust in tho moral sgiiso of Eurono .

      In winch I have but little faith . They still boliovo Louis Napoleon will fmoriflooall othorconsiderations to an ' abstract smiso of justice , nnd they roly entirely on tho King of Hnrdinia , forgetful thnt ho is in duty bound to look first to tho intorosts of his own subjects . They look to everybody , in fact , bofore themselves . There was great exultation in tho papors hqrotnoothor day because a telugram reported that tl » 6 Partia , said tho Morning Post , Bald that tho French Govornmont would not , nrobnbly , oppose tho ( Sardinian cabinet , allowing Prlnoo Carignan to accept tlio rogbnoy . It tho Tuscan assembly had decreed that , in default of tho Prince's acceptance , tho regency should bo

      offered to Garibaldi , there would have been no need of this waiting upon telegrams . I trust that the re solution to stand or fall by themselves niav ari « n ere it be too late . J se

      ¦Literature.

      ¦ LITERATURE .

      Untitled Article

      LITERARY NOTES OF THE WEEK .

      Untitled Article

      V 276 THE LEADER . [ No . 504 . Nov . 19 , 1859 .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 19, 1859, page 1276, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2321/page/16/