LII'B OF GABIB.lLDJ.
decline bhe office, and explained his moth·e in the following proclama
tion:-
" To TB!il ITALIANS.
"S u mmoned by some of my friends to attempt the character of con
ciliator, amid the factions of the liberal Italian party, I wa.s invited to
nccPpt the presidency of a society called the 'Armed Nation.'
"llut, a.s the armed Italian nation is a fact which terrifies all thst ia
disloyal , corrupting, and tyrannical, both within and without Italy, the
crowd of modern Jesuits ha.s been alarmed, and shouted 'Anathema!•
" The government of the Galantuomc has been importuned by the
alarmists, and in order not to compromise it, I have decided on giving
up tlw office with which I was honoured.
" In perfect agreement with all the members, I, therefore, declare the
Society of the 'Armed Nation' ilissolved, and invite every Italian who
loves his country to aid in the pur chase of the million muskets.
"J f , with the aid ofa million guns, Italy, in the presence of the stranger,
is unable to arm a million soldiers, we should have to despair of
humanity. Let Italy arm, and she will be free.
"G. GatB.&..LDI.
" Turin, January 14th, 1860. 5p.m."
On January 26th, Garibaldi left Turin, but it wa.s not as at first stated,
to molbilize the national guard of the kingdom. A law to that effect was
v ot e d . but the project was never carried out, and it wa.s asserted that its
was reserved for the general. The diplomatists, seeing in
Garibaldi's name, more than in the measure itself, a signal of war, gre'v
alanned, and c\·erything was set to work to prevent the mobilization,
whid1 in all probability will never take place.
A rather revolutionary document had already foretold this check. It
was a from to the of Paira, which the French
Uni v fr8 was the only j ournal thnt puhlishcd. The Italian clergy were
sharp l y criticised in thP lettl'r, nnd a canon took up their defence. In a
}pttcr from nd,lrcssed to General Garibaldi, M . .Ambros<>li
complained that the Lclluhard clergy were calumniated, and dccle.red
himself ready, if the general would recal his accusation, to aid him by
w o rd nnd sacrifices.
Th e Kubscription for the million muskets was going round the world.
A r eached Gibraltar having on bonrd 23,500 guns, sent to Garibaldi
by the American patriots, whose sympathies were gained for the noble
u. • zedbyGooglc