from their country, in order the better to secure its peace and happiness. Nevertheless, Santa-Rosa abstained from signing the declaration of the junta, not wishing to separate himself from his political friends; but he frankly communicated his opinion to them, and informed Count Mocenigo of it, at the same time declaring to him, in the most positive manner, that he would not cease employing his efforts to defend the constitutional government against its enemies, until the issue of the negociations.

The arrival of Marentini at Alexandria created a great sensation in that place. The people and the army knew not all the distress of our situation, and a transaction which had not preserved the integrity of the Spanish constitution in Piedmont, appeared to them a cowardly condescension. Ansaldi and the other constitutional chiefs would not allow themselves to be discouraged by the fear of losing their popularity: they listened tranquilly to Marentini, and gave him a written reply, which was not hostile to an honorable negociation, but which was very far from fulfilling the views of Count Mocenigo. However the negociation was not broken off; it was, in fine, easy to perceive that the Russian minister, whose intentions appeared straight forward and benevolent, found himself curtailed by the dispositions of Charles Felix, who had thrown himself into the arms of the Austrians, and sufficiently announced his design rather of avenging absolute royalty, than of softening it.

If the news of the fall of Naples had destroyed the hopes of the authors of the revolution of Piedmont, we may believe that the effect was not less sensible on the mass of the citizens. The menacing declarations of King Charles Felix, the defection of Prince Carignan, and the disaster of the Neapolitans, presented a powerful aid to the feeble Piedmontese minority, who regretted the absolute royalty, and now became strong, owing to the fears of the majority, and their persuasion of the impossibility of resisting the exterior enemies of the constitution. We shall now see whether the counter-revolutionary party had the power or the talent to profit by its advantages; and it will also be easy for us to recognise, by the bad success of its efforts in Piedmont, how much a government, betrayed, menaced and harassed on all sides, is, notwithstanding, difficult to be overthrown, when the liberality of its principles and conduct have conciliated the esteem of the people.

In Savoy, the Count Andezeno had effected the counter-revolution, quite at his ease, after the departure of the brigade of Alexandria. The Savoyards, (the order of nobility excepted) were attached to the cause of liberty, but the moment of pronouncing in its favor seemed too difficult for them, when they looked at the almost despairing situation of Piedmont. They were

besides certain, that if they re-established themselves beyond the Alps, the Piedmontese would soon extend a friendly hand towards them.

The Chevalier Annibal de Saluces, governor of Nice, declared against the Constitutional system as soon as prudence permitted him. He did not imitate the governor of Genoa in his eagerness to publish the declarations of King Charles Felix, but only resorted to this step at the moment when the misfortunes of the liberal party had intimidated public opinion. He disbanded at the same time, the national guard of Nice, whom he mistrusted, and held always under his control the regiment of chasseur guards which composed all his force. Thus when the Count de la Tour desired him to march this regiment into Piedmont to second his operations, the governor of Nice refused, alleging for his motive, the safety of King Victor-Emmanuel. The Chevalier de Saluces, who pretty well knew the state of affairs and the spirit of Piedmont, looked upon the prompt assistance of a foreign power, as the only way to put an end to the revolution. Every thing else appeared to him useless, and he did not fail writing to that effect to Count de la Tour, in a dispatch which was intercepted by the Constitutional authorities.

The Chevalier San-Severino, governor of the division of Coni, had great designs in view: he wished to send to the Count de la Tour the contingents of the brigade of Coni, which was organising at Mondovi, and prepared to act in concert with the army of Novaro, in its movement on Turin. The Chevalier Morra, commanding the Royal Carbineers, a warm partisan of absolute monarchy, seconded the governor with all his means. They succeeded in publishing the declarations of Charles Felix, in the greater part of the cities in their district; but their success was carried no farther. The depôt of the light-horse of Savoy, in garrison at Savigliano, placed a young patriot at its head, viz. Count Pavia; nearly all of the soldiers of the brigade of Coni retired to their homes; the few who remained assembled together obeyed the orders of the minister of war, and the Chevalier SanSeverino, being unable to maintain himself longer in his Government, repaired to Novaro.

The Count de la Tour, who wished to effect the counterrevolution by his own forces, found his hopes greatly diminished, and his position become much more difficult from the time that he could no longer reckon on the active concurrence of the governors of Coni and Nice; but his plan was not entirely disconcerted until

1 Victor Emmanuel was everywhere in safety, among his ancient subjects, but it was necessary to state a reason which would permit of no objection.

the arrival of the regiment from Alexandria at Turin, and by the event of the 1st of April, which deprived him of the means of deriving advantage from his correspondence in the citadel.

I have already said at what a precarious point the Constitutional Government found itself in the very heart of the capital. The minister of war knew that the Royal Carbineers, far from observing the parole given by their chief, of confining himself to the service of the interior police,' acted always in a sense counterrevolutionary, and kept up a correspondence with Count de la Tour. They might have done more: they might have carried off the ministers, the principal members of the junta, and the money belonging to the treasury: they only required one night for the purpose, and audacity. On the arrival of the regiment from Alexandria, the minister of war having resolved to put an end to that state of affairs which he had too long been obliged to suffer, sent their dismissal to the colonel and two superior officers of the Royal Carbineers. The brigade of Alexandria received at the same time an order to repair to the square of St. Charles, in order to be within the reach of watching the movements of the Carbineers, whose barracks were at no great distance. The latter took the alarm; two companies set out on horseback, directing their steps towards the Pô gate; some of the cavalry ran through the streets, sword in hand. The regiment of Alexandria stationed itself in the square of the castle, the better to secure the public tranquillity at this critical moment, and formed itself into a square. The place was covered with people, and night was approaching; it was then that a detachment of Carbineers gallopped at full speed towards the regiment, shouting the cry of Long live the Constitution, and were received by a discharge of musketry. The

Colonel Cavasanti took this engagement with the Marquis of Roddi, Knight of the Order of the Annunciada, and Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard of Turin, in order to put an end to the apprehensions which the Royal Carbineers had given to the garrison of the Citadel.

M. de Beauchamp speaks of an organised attempt to carry off the chests of the Royal Treasury, in the night of the 30th March; but from whence originated this attempt? This is what M. de Beauchamp does not choose to inform us. The fact was as follows: a rumour suddenly circulated that the Royal Carbineers wished to carry off the public money; in consequence, the national guard flew to arms; a host of citizens armed themselves and surrounded the hotel of the government. A strong detachment of Carbineers arrived; I know not what were their real intentions; but it is certain that if they were bad, they were completely foiled by the vigilance and activity of the inhabitants of the capital.

This regiment set out from Chambery under the orders of the Chevalier Righini. On the route grave suspicions were excited against him; the regiment took to arms and arrested the colonel. Pacchierotti and Cappi, brave officers and loyal patriots, were placed at the head of the corps. NO. XXXVII. E

VOL. XIX.

Pam.

varo, on the intelligence received of the defection of General de la Tour. General Ciravegna was directed to support General Bellotti with his forces and with his influence, and to take the command of a body of troops of Novaro. General Bussolino was sent to Verceil to co-operate with Ansaldi, whom the Minister charged with the command of Alexandria. General Ison, commanding the troops at Genoa, was at the same time charged with the command of the division in room of Count Desgeneys.

The whole of these dispositions sufficiently show that the design of the minister was promptly to assemble all the disposable forces on the frontiers of Lombardy, in order to get the start of the enemy in commencing the war, being the only way which might present a chance of success, and make a diversion in favor of the Neapolitans, whose first reverses were already known, but who were still believed to be vigorously determined to maintain the war. By these measures, Savoy was almost entirely drained of troops, and the Constitutional party remained there, deprived of its principal force, by the removal of the regiment of Alexandria, devoted to the glory of its country; but Santa-Rosa thought it his duty to sacrifice this grave consideration to the pressing necessity of acting on the Italian frontier. I know not whether he acted wisely; but that which appears clear to every honest man is, that the Constitutional chiefs had no kind of intelligence with the enemies of the Bourbon Government, that they were strangers to the troubles of Grenoble, as well as to every other revolutionary movement in France. Had they wished to connect the Piedmontese revolution with the troubles of France, would they have delivered Savoy to the Count Andezeno? I defy any reply to this, any fact which can be alleged to contradict what I have now established.

As for the rest, the Minister of War did not flatter himself that his orders would be executed on all points. He gave them in a very positive manner, and they were received without any apparent hesitation; but he had not forgotten that the execution of them might be prevented, eluded, or retarded by the governors and chiefs of the army whom the Regent had left in office, notwithstanding their known opposition to constitutional royalty. He did not expect, however, to find the first examples of such conduct in Bellotti, Ciravegna, and Bussolino; he did not believe these three general officers capable of betraying or abandoning their country, at the very instant in which its destiny depended in a great measure on their courageous devotion. Bellotti, a Pied

1

Gifflenga had retired to his country-seat, not far from Verceil, from whence he afterwards repaired to Novaro, very near the epoch at which Charles Albert set out from Turin.

montese, and an ancient general of brigade in the service of Italy, and proscribed by the Austrian government, had been drawn from his retreat by the Constitutional government, and named MajorGeneral: the desertion of the Prince of Carignan was followed by his own. He made no answer to the dispatches of Santa-Rosa, held himself, during several days in an almost doubtful position, and finished by submitting himself entirely to the orders of Count de la Tour. Ciravegna, whose constitutional spirit was strongly displayed on the 13th of March, and who continued to make a great deal of noise in his speeches, refused to obey the reiterated orders of the minister, made an evasive reply, appeared for some time to hesitate between his duties towards his country, and the care of his fortune, and finished like Bellotti, only with a little more remorse. Bussolino did not fulfil his mission, and disappeared. It may easily be conceived what influence the conduct of these three men produced on the events, and on public opinion, and how much easier it enabled the Count de la Tour to execute his designs.

The Prince of Carignan did not put himself at the head of the counter-revolution ; he acted wrong. Why not finish a treason so well begun, and rapidly destroy a work which originated under his auspices, and was undertaken at his signal? He brought sufficient forces to Count de la Tour, to have entitled him to take the command, and it only required a very steady attitude to remove the hatred and mistrust which he had inspired among the servants of absolute royalty assembled at Novaro. But this feeble and unfortunate Prince knew not even how to take the sole resolution which might save him from a moral and political annihilation. He passed the Tesino, that river which he had so often promised to cross at the head of an army, in order to commence the Italian war; he passed it as a deserter on his way to an Austrian governor! The Count Bubna, amidst the forms of that politeness, the shades of which he so well knew, poured down humiliations upon him they were only the prelude to those which awaited him at Modena., The King, who had already dismissed the court of the Prince, refused to see him, and Charles Albert set out for Florence.

He received, during his journey from Turin to Novaro, a dispatch from the junta, who complained of having been abandoned, and demanded instructions from him as Regent of the kingdom. The Prince replied that he renounced the Regency, submitted himself without restriction to the orders of the King, and that he pledged himself to the junta to do as much for it. Thus returned

There is the King of Italy!" said Count Bubna to his officers-showing to them the Prince of Carignan, who was obliged to hear, and to suffer, such contumely.