Lll'B OJ' G.lBIB.lLDI,
CHAPTER IV.
The State of Italy-Charles .Albert and the Auatria.ns-Garibaldi's Services De
clined-The Condition of Rome-French Intervention-Gallant Defence of
the City-Buapension of Fighting-The French send Reinforcements.
WHBN Garibaldi, after an absence of fourteen yea\s, once again stepped
on his native shore, the narration of what had occurred during the last
three months struck him with astonishment-the establishment of the
French Repul•lic: con:titutions granted where only despotism had hitherto
prevailed-in11nrrectionary movements at Berlin-Vienna in revolt-the
Austrians expelled from Milan-Charles Albert crossing the Ticino to
to tho appeal of Lombardy-Tuscany and Rome sending thou
sands of volunteers to the Holy War-Ferdinand of Naples himself
compelled, by the pressure of public opinion, to co-operate in the
national struggle : never would the Guerillero have ventured to conceive
such prodigies. Yes, there were spots on the brilliant picture : Pio
N ono, who had blessed the warriors of liberty, as they defiled before the
Quirinal, sprc!ad consternation through the Peninsula by his mournful
encyclical of April 29th. The Romans were in a state of profound .
agitation; even the Sardinian and Tuscan ministers protested against the
papal declaratron, but it was of no avail. When La Farina, the Sicilian
representative, tried to make the Pope see the injury his words would
cause Italy, Pio Nono answered him," I am more Italian than you; but
you will not distinguish in ·me the Italian from the pontiff." La Farina
1 bowed his and said to himself, " He is right; the man must be a
mania c who that a Pope can be an Italian."
After a marvellous career of succeBB, Charles Albert threw away all
his chances by sitting down to invest Mantua, and it was at this fatal
moment of in&ction that Garibaldi presented himself at the head-quarters
of the king of Piedmont. With that promptitude which marks all his
movements, Garibaldi h&d no sooner gained a general idea of the poeition
of Italian aft'ain, than, leaving his wife and children to the care of his
mother at he embarked with his comrades of the" Eaperanza," and
sailed for GeliLoa. On arriving there, he hastened up to Turin, and,
c