embarked at Genoa, and steered my course towards Florence.

At Leghorn a telegraphic despatch informed us that the Grand-Duke, deceiving Montanielli by a feigned illness, had just escaped from Sienna, and taken refuge at Porto Ferrajo. Guerazzi immediately ordered the national guard of Leghorn to embark, pursue the Duke, and arrest him. As he was signing the order, he was informed I had just arrived at Livorno: "Offer him the command of the expedition," said Guerazzi, "and press him to accept it." As may be supposed, I did not require much pressing, but placed myself immediately at the orders of the provisional government. We embarked on board the Giglio, and set sail for the isle of Elba.

We were scarcely out at sea when a steam frigate came in sight. We had no means of telling whether it was French, English, or Austrian, but prudence told us we should not approach too near to it. I therefore ordered the Giglio to shift her course, and instead of landing directly at Porto Longone, I landed at Golfo di Campo, crossed the island as quickly as possible, and arrived at Porto Ferrajo. The Grand-Duke had not been seen or heard of!—the expedition was ended!

I returned to Florence, and there was allowed freely to organize the wreck of my column, which I reinforced with fresh volunteers, for all who took refuge in Florence were anxious to join me. During my stay here two efforts at reaction were made, both of which I suppressed. One morning a report prevailed that the Austrians were entering by the Modena frontier. I hastened thither with my men, but it was a false alarm. A third attempt at reaction, however, succeeded. The government of the Grand-Duke was re-established, and I, who had been sent to arrest him, was naturally constrained to depart from his dominions.

Besides my legion there was in Florence a Polish legion, perfectly organized. I made the proposal to

them, and they followed me. I crossed the Apennines, and descended at Bologna. I was badly received there by the republican government, which treated me as a deserter. General Mezzo Capo was forming a division at Bologna-a division intended to march to the assistance of Rome. He passed us in review, became convinced that we were not deserters, and made us his vanguard. We followed the route of Foligno, Narni, and Civita Castellana. When we arrived there we inclined towards Sabina, to avoid the French, and entered Rome by the gate of San Giovanni.

Let us see how things were going on in Rome.

CHAPTER LI.

FRENCH INTERVENTION.

On the morning of the 21st of April, the advanced guard of the French division had arrived before the port of Civita Vecchia, and an aide-de-camp of General Oudinot landed to confer with Manucci, the prefect of the Roman republic. He told him, “that the object of the French intervention was to protect the material interests and morals of the Romish population; that France, enemy as she was to despotism and anarchy, was desirous of assuring to Italy a wise liberty; that she hoped to find in the Romish people the ancient sympathy which had united them with French people; but in the meanwhile, as the fleet could not keep the sea without danger, a prompt permission to land was necessary. In case that permission should be refused, the French general, to his great regret, would be compelled to employ force. In addition to this, he thought it necessary to warn the city of Civita Vecchia that if a single gun were fired, a fine of a million would be laid upon it. After saying this, without waiting for the reply of the Roman Government-to which Manucci wished to

the

refer him-General Oudinot disarmed the Metara battalion, occupied the fort, closed the printing-offices of the city, placed a sentinel at the door of it, and opposed the landing of a corps of five hundred Lombards.

These five hundred Lombards were the battalion of the Bersaglieri, commanded by Manara, who, driven from his own country and repulsed by Piedmont, came to seek a grave at Rome. This battalion was composed of the Lombard aristocracy, and had just joined the defenders of the republic. Dandolo himself thus describes them in his book-"Volunteers and Bersaglieri, not from any sympathy with their cause, but because they knew not of any other place in the world where they could ask an asylum."

They arrived two days after General Oudinot. It was the general who then gave the permission to land which he himself had dispensed with.

Henry Dandolo, the historian, a descendant of the doge of that name, bearing, like the celebrated conqueror of Constantinople, the name of Henry, landed twice to ask this permission of the general. Not only was it brutally refused, but he was ordered to go back. He reported this reply to Manara, who landed in his turn, to see if he should be more fortunate than his lieutenant. But Manara met with the same reception as Henry Dandolo.

"Are you a Lombard ?" asked the general.

"There is no doubt of that," replied Manara.

"Well, then," rejoined the general, "whence comes it that, being a Lombard, you want to interfere with the affairs of Rome?"

"You interfere with them rather strongly, and you are a Frenchman,” replied Manara; and turning his back upon the general, he regained his ship. When it was known on board that the French general would not allow them to land, the exasperation came to its height. They had suffered much from a bad sea and being crowded on board. The Bersaglieri and the volun

teers wanted to throw themselves into the water, and swim to shore, at the risk of whatever might happen.

When Manara saw that his men were determined to have recourse to this extremity, he returned a second time to General Oudinot, and, with much entreaty, obtained permission for the battalion to land at Porto d'Ango. The French general at first required Manara to keep at a distance from Rome, and to remain neuter till the 4th of May; a period, he said, at which all would be ended. But Manara refused.

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General," replied he, "I am but a major in the service of the Roman Republic, myself subordinate to the minister and to my general. Being dependent upon them, I cannot enter into such an engagement."

Manucci then thought best, in the name of the Minister of War, to agree to the conditions of General Oudinot; and, according to that promise, the voluteers and the Bersaglieri Lombards were able the next day, April 27th, to land in the morning at Porte d'Ango. They departed on the 28th for Albano, and bivouacked in the Campagna of Rome.

In the course of the night an order arrived from General Joseph Avanzana, Minister of War, which, whether he was ignorant of the engagement made by Manara, or whether he took no account of it, ordered the Bersaglieri to set forward instantly on their march to Rome.

On the morning of the 29th, amidst the acclamations of an immense crowd, they made their entrance into Rome. When intelligence was received of the arrival of the French at Civita Vecchia, the Roman assembly declared itself "in permanence." And then this serious question arose-" Shall the gates be opened to the French, or shall force be repelled by force?"

The triumvir, Armellini, and several others, were of opinion that the French should be received as friends; Mazzini, Cernuschi, Herbini, and the majority, were decidedly of opinion that they should defend themselves energetically and to the last extremity.

"Honour," they said, "must be considered before everything." The Assembly did not hesitate; on the 26th of April, at two o'clock in the afternoon, the following decree was voted amidst the applauses of all Rome:

"IN THE NAME OF GOD AND THE PEOPLE.

"The Assembly, after the communication received by the Triumvir, places in his hands the honour of the republic, and charges him to repel force by force."

Resistance being decreed, Cernuschi, who had made the barricades of Milan, was named inspector of the barricades of Rome; the elevated points were provided with cannon, and the people in breathless anxiety awaited a great event.

It was then the providential man appeared. Suddenly a great cry resounded through the streets of Rome of "Garibaldi! Garibaldi !" And an immense crowd cried as they preceded him, throwing their caps in the air, and waving their handkerchiefs-" Here he is! here he is!"

It is impossible to describe the enthusiasm which took possession of the population at the sight of him. He might have been thought to be the protecting God of the republic, who hastened to the defence of Rome. The courage of the people increased with their confidence, and it appeared as if the Assembly had not only decreed defence, but victory.

A few lines of the history of the Roman Revolution, by Biagio Miraglia, will give an idea of this enthusiasm: "This mysterious conqueror, surrounded by such a brilliant halo of glory, who, a stranger to the discussions of the Assembly, and ignorant of them, entered Rome on the eve of the very day on which the republic was about to be attacked, was, in the minds of the Roman people, the only man capable of maintaining the decree of resistance; therefore the multitudes, on the very instant, united themselves with the man who personified the wants of the moment, and who was the hope of all."