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3 (1836) The British cyclopædia of arts and sciences, manufactures, commerce, literature, history, geography, politics, biography, natural history, biblical criticism and theology : on the basis of the german conversations-lexicon
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sulphur, in various colours, on the wild rocks, increasethe terrific appearance of this region. On leaving it,and turning towards Pozzuoli, all the charms ofsouthern flowers, and the prospect of the sea, greetthe eye. We approach Pozzuoli over the remainsof an ancient road, admiring, on the way, the relicsof former splendour, particularly the ruins of a Piscina(commonly called a labyrinth), of a great amphi-theatre, and of the therm®, or warm baths. Theold Via Campana is studded, on both sides, withthe picturesque ruins of ancient tombs, consistingmainly of columbaria, and still exhibiting traces ofpainting.

While the country arountk Naples resembles aflourishing garden, the sea is also adorned with themost beautiful scenes. A sail in the bay of Naples,along the coast, or the islands, is one of the greatestpleasures in the whole tour of Italy. Vineyards, gar-dens, groves, - and villages alternate in charmingvariety, in Ischia; in their midst rises majestically tothe height of 2356 feet Mt. Epomeo, or St. Nicola,formerly a volcano; but, since 1302, it has not dis-turbed the tranquillity' of the beautiful island. Thesick derive benefit from the cold mineral springs there.

Having concluded this account of the city and itsenvirons, we must refer our readers to the articleSicilies, for the history of the kingdom of Naples,and proceed to give a brief view of the revolutionwhich took place in 1820 and 1821, which forms themost distinguishing feature of its modern history.

The civil condition of Italy had contained, forcenturies, the seeds of political revoltion. TheFrench revolution matured and unfolded them. InNaples and Palermo, new causes of discontent arose,which ended in an insurrection. The king, beforehe returned to Naples, had abolished, in 1814, theconstitution established in Sicily by lord WilliamBentinck, in 1812, on the model of our own.The reforms introduced by the minister Medici werecarried into effect too slowly to satisfy the people;and the Neapolitan officers, who had served underMurat, could not endure the humiliations inflicted ontheir national pride by the Austrian field-marshal,count Nugent, commander-in-chief of the army ofthe Two Sicilies, and minister of war. When countNugent abolished the French organisation of thearmy, and introduced the Austrian; when the policemade use of the Calderari to suppress the Carbonari;when Medici raised the land tax to thirty-five percent, on the income, and, in consequence of theconcordate with the pope, re-established forty-twomonasteries; and the success of the Spanish consti-tution appeared to favour the plans of the Carbonari,who then numbered 642,000 members,—MichaelMorelli, lieutenant of a troop of horse, and the priestLouis Minichini, ventured to commence an insur-rection, with the view of obtaining a representativeconstitution. July 2, 1820, Morelli induced his squa-dron to raise the cry, “ God, the king, and theconstitution!” The insurgents increased, embracingboth militia and regular troops, and, a day or twolater, intrenched themselves in Monteforte. Severalcities, as Salerno, now declared themselves for thecause of the constitution, and the soldiers refused tofight against their comrades. On the evening of the6th, general William Pepe placed himself at the headof a regiment of dragoons in Naples, and united withthe insurgents, who declared him their leader. Onthe following day, another regiment in Naples, which

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guarded the royal palace, and the civic guard, sentdeputies to the king, with a petition that he wouldcomply with the wish of the nation. On the 6th, theking issued a proclamation, declaring that he would,within eight days, present the plan of a constitution.At the same time he appointed a new ministry. Thetroops were ordered to retire into their quarters;but they demanded that the king, within twenty-fourhours, should accept the constitution of the Spanishcortes of 1812. Ferdinand I. resigned the royalpower to the crown-prince, as alter ego, and thelatter promised the introduction of the Spanish con-stitution. The king confirmed this, and promisedhis approbation of all the future doings of the alterego, who now established a provisional junta, towhich the lieutenant-general Florestan Pepe andbaron David Winspeare belonged. W. Pepe, havingbeen nominated by the vicar-general commander-in-chief of the army, entered Naples, on the 9th, at thehead of the insurgents, and, on the 13th, the king andcrown-prince entered the hall of the junta, to swearto observe the Spanish constitution, with certainmodifications. Thus the revolution appeared to havebeen completed without bloodshed.

In Sicily, the revolution took an unexpected direc-tion. When information of the revolution in Naplesreached Palermo, thepeople immediately'expressed awish for the adoption of the Spanish constitution. Ithappened that, on the festival of St. Rosalia, the com-mander of the place, general Church, an Englishman,having insulted the popular badges — the yellowcockade and the Sicilian eagle—a tumult ensued.The general saved himself by flight : all measurestaken for the public tranquillity were fruitless : thepeople possessed themselves of the arms in the forts,broke open the prisons, murdered the prince Catolica,together with other distinguished men, and com-mitted the wildest extravagances. A Franciscanmonk, Joachim di Vaglica, placed himself at thehead of the furious multitude, and put to flight theNeapolitan troops. The Neapolitans who had escapedslaughter, to the number of about 6000, were treatedas prisoners. At length, a junta, established by themunicipality and the heads of the communities,restored order, by instituting a guard of citizens,among whom the most distinguished persons, as wellas priests and monks, performed service. The personswho had been put in confinement, were sent out ofthe city without arms, and an amnesty was proclaimed.The junta summoned deputies from the Siciliancities, to meet in a national assembly at Palermo;but Messina and Catania refused to send any. Thejunta, at the same time, sent deputies to the govern-ment at Naples, to treat concerning the independenceof Sicily', and an alliance between the two nations ; buton the receipt of this information all the Sicilians inNaples were declared prisoners of war, to protect themfrom the fury of the people; aiid it was determinedto reduce Palermo by force, where the junta, thoughthey had concluded to acknowledge king Ferdinand,still insisted on a separate parliament for Sicily.

In the mean time, a civil and guerilla war hadbroken out in Sicily, because particular towns, asMessina and Trepani, opposed the cause of indepen-dence. After general Florestan Pepe, with 4000 men,bad landed in Sicily, other cities likewise declaredfor Naples, and the troops of Palermo were almosteverywhere beaten. At length, a capitulation tookplace, according to which a majority of the Sicilians