THE NEAPOLITAN EXILES.
(Fr'Pta the ' Times.*)
We have this^day-to' announce'tiial Poevio, Set-j tembrini,.arid tjbie;rfes4;df tjhe Neapolitan gaJl^y.-sJ^Vies I —it is a >most 5 (hdnoiiralple distinctionrrr-W'ho i j transported to N<k'feh";^merica by the order fof'their | dying butjUni'ep'entHn^J^ing, have setfhiaimercy'atj defiance;; ijr|d'',"wiffi;;|ingular blindness^arid; ia-l gratitnoe,' Jiav'e.aetu^y ideclined to accept' 'paiucp-; upon the'ifir^SrwJ^L^Kiiig Ferdinand proposed.; For ten y^^^is^io^irch.had j^^&jjLjb/jae^gs^tiy? to (^ttJgngpj^c^n.jyn'jsbjins in the m^^tV^iiseii^ej durigeonsr^^hinntkii^nowleclge o^ ; jh^.-.p^qli)pe,Jan| undergr.Qti*didens,and.exposed to fee.liorr^'.pfla! most fingeiingldealthi) ibut Death wo.uld ,nofc .come! ■when ithey. «olicitedihis stroke. They ihad, been con-! demned, not^Seet without a form of; trial; ;t»uti after a 4r|al- ;y?Kicli r'J^ad aroused |he; jYonder Europe, sotunblUjßhm'g^was the perjury, so scatid^l-; ous were thy'prdceeMJigs, so resolved we^r,e !itHe| judges ta,«i's^fe'.^ Condemnation. TlVe.r,tes'timpny| of the txovgr^nieat ,'ijpiJßS, the prod'^ption i>f :the| forged lettejrj, '^b^ftl^ned afterwards" even' by . jthe' Neapolitan; ;4t|<orneyriGHneral, are there :^ppn ;recprd to show how and r wby iljese men are,;Qondemnejl.i There is, no-;36ubt;:a;n'England a vague Linear-that; Poerio was>the victim'-bi his Soye>eigh;ibut itf ninej cases outof-te^i'thisia^i^es fromtbe'lact'thatjin'the' year 1851 Mr^Crlaclstpsap visited Napifes;'and -Wrote; certain-letters1, u^bir'ihe state of the -Ifeapbiitan prisons. ,Wha£t^English people do not'uijiderstapd. is the ; p;rprp ( Tiud','tr^c^iery of the Neapolitan 'jSover-^ eign fewai'ds ,'tKese'^unfortunate eentl^meh',' and theretore.hpw^sepiy^jaey are entitled:tp pur.j.sym-; pathy—we tdare-inpt. say to our conftmisei-atlonr--now'that fortune, mdi their own happy,;juda^ijty; have cast thSm upevnijuir shores.-. I , .-r--r,':,■■?■.•'■■■'■■ \
First, r tite fact of how they came uppn tjie coasts of "-the^ritish' Islands, sincey h^they are. PoeriOj .^e.ttemb)^ .and their. cO&j^njbnS were confined fo^'^en'iye^i;s;ip the Neapolitanidun^|6jns in.defian^fi;bf-|aWj^td|vistice. 4t)lepgiH%eqii4|ly: contrary to iaw'^and^jiptice—thpVEn£ ; Whether instigated by'the shsirp pangs of .•a/deathrJ».edse'| pentance, or underithe; impression that.Europs was about tOvrise'aintd 'bring him and his MnWto 'reason, resolved-to'transpbipt these men to the New-Worlds and this heij.c^led;^ remission of their <Se^.tence---f mercy! wejre conveyed r to Ga^z^and ;th:4re a passage,'^vHs tik|in (for thfe itf'aC^merip^n ship. There' j^erer sl^ty-nine in all" of tthpe ltrai)sf ported mei^^|npi^,/jtthem a Bishop".'.an^'jge^Bn priests. Tbey/weje.lbirust on board by;jth'e^ruet mercy of the'-Kingji the-ship; got-unjier'.ways and the refugees, who jfar outnumbered .the.eMew!, rosp and: overpowered; them. We will .readily believe that tKe<?rew| did not make a very- stubborn resistance.':^h'e/refugees insisted"that^he Captaii ' t should'st^W;^ta;jgh};,*or Cork Harbour, aridij'asl'hJß ' refused, they gavjethte command tothe Sec6hd;Mate. j On 1 morning last , about '7 d'clook) they ; reacted '.jihe.lrish .sb'ore, and were.free. Wb cannot enterfcajiri ,a .doubt as to the reception ithese' gentlemen .wijti-meetwith in these islands,,fpr. i in. honouring/them u we honour ourselves, i Ijheyiare ' noi vulgar: conspirators—they have nothing toi do with nthe; 'backstair routine .of- - Italian f conspiracy; -whehi Europe*was-convulsed by|a movement'which they had not provoked, at' the ;re-" quest of their 'JCihg/they assisted him to inaugurate a constitutjohal system of government at Naples. 4in fthe|mbst solemn Way, and with tlje most awful words which a human being may us^, the King invoked eternal perdition .upon his hesid , if he proved false _io .his_pledged word ; but after the 15t.1i: of .May he blew all : these promises to the" .four wiridsi -iThese unfortunate, gentlemen }vvhom we are-iiqwjproud^o welcome to our shores had realjy; been guilty-of no more heinous crime than that of believing in itheir Sovereign's word. - For,; this crime—and it :was one which no. man:»vjll repeat—'theyi were condemned to ten years :df suqh misery as :few menhave endured, and survived \,o' tell the;tale.?/ . ; ; . ' ? '; ■■• ;-- !
We are sick of Leicester-square patriots, but no man can impeach the patriotism'of MM. Poe.no, Settembririi, arid their companions. These gentlemen are indeed deserving of the sympafcliy of i a free people. When' we supposed that'they would disembark upon khe Chores of the North American Union, we v'entured.:toibespeak the good offices !of our; Transatlantic friends in their behalf; and, now that they have found ;their way to qiir own shores, we may, without presumption,' 7 address the same exhortation to our own countrymen. The more their story is inquired - into .the more it will be found-that these gentlemen have really and truly suffered indescribable torments during. ; the last ten years, because they, were foolish enough; to r^ly upon the word of-their perjured King, and to take share in a system of government which he had sworn to maintain. The' breath of' 6alurnriy lias never passed upon their fair and honourable reputed They have never impelled others! to.'.'rus'lijtito'ldanger which they avoided themselves. They have never been accused, even by the foul voices of the. Neapolitan Crown officers, of peculation.,. ~We know notj, indeed, of any suggestion of evil which attaches to any one of tlieir number. The event of 1848. occurred without any provocation on their part. King Ferdinand, of the two Sicilies, in order to seive his throne and his neck, made a rusl\at a constitu-! tipri. He fiolicited earnestly, and personal \'y', the chiefs of thepe1 refugees to take part and to bear office under his new system; They did so. A few months; or weeks, passed avray, and he found himself in a: position to set his. promises and engagements at defiance. He turned the cannon, upon his subjects, and at his leisure trumpod up ah miserable charge of conspiracy which had no foundation in fact against the statesmen who liad lont him tlieir aid to preserve his throne in the hour of his dire distress. The victims'-of his tyranny and fiiithlefssriess are now among us. ■ Tliere is ,aii Sinstinct;strongerthan all political calculation Which calls on us. to do honour to these men.
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Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 696, 9 July 1859, Page 3
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875THE NEAPOLITAN EXILES. Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 696, 9 July 1859, Page 3
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