The Nuncio probably knew in what Pio Nono'a boasted patriotism
would result ; and he had no desire to see in his Holiness' army men,
who, wben the hour of reaction came, would have proved a great embar
raasment. Hence, he sent Garibaldi a flattering but evasive answer, in
which stated that he had forwarded the letter to Rome. It was notin
GaribaMi's nature to remain inactive, and long before any answer could
be recei1red from Rome, he had left; South America. The warlike tone
of the Italian papers, the in1lamed language of private letters, showed
him that his r.ountry was on the eve of a great :O.ational uprising, preached
by the priests and monks as a new crusade, and to which the Pope him
self was supposed to be favorable. This was more than sufficient to
rekindle the hopes of so many generous men whom the loss of liberty
and hatred of foreign rule had sent into exile. The Italians, established
at Monto Video, determined on starting at once, and a subscription was
promptly raised. A. Genoese, Stefano Antonini, sent Garibaldi £2000 ;
several others exceeded that sum ; he received considerable amounts from
Leghorn and Genoa, so that he was soon enabled to equip one hundred
horsemen , chosen from the bravest of his legion, and provide for their
passage to Italy. He then freighted a vessel, L'Eaperan::a, his chief
conditiOIIL being that it should hoist the Italian tricolor.
The corps of volunteers was placed under Garibaldi's command. The
valorous phalanx claimed its share in the perils of the war of indepen
dence, whose speedy outbreak everything announced. But the Monte
Videan government saw with great dislike the departure of a man who
had done it such serv ices, and whose assistance might still be so
useful to it. The foreign merchants, on their side, could not make up
their minds to the loss of such a powerful protector. The incredible
efforts made to keep him produced delays on delays. In nin did Gari
baldi try to remove the obstacles, but they grew up incessantly around
him. He became desperate, and at each loss of time was heard to exclaim,
"we shall arrive too late, when there will be nothing left for us to do."
But all the tricks and intrigues were eventually foiled, and in April, 1818,
the expedition, consisting of about one hundred men, was enabled to set
sail. In the following month of June the little band and their chief dis
embarked at Nice.
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