202 



Neapolitan Nobility and Carbonari. 



[April 



security of it. But witliont insisting 

 upon tlie general ntilitj^ of such a rank 

 as the nobilily, \\c must ob-;erve that 

 many of the first writers who have en- 

 lightened our nation upon subjects of 

 political economy, and constitutional 

 government, since (iiannone and the 

 Genovese, are to be fo\ind amongst our 

 nobles; and the names of a Cantalujio 

 and of a Caracciolo, with that of our 

 Filangieri, are now and will often be 

 repeated with emotions of grateful plea- 

 sure. Filangieri indeed stood fore- 

 most in ourl)at(le with despotic power, 

 and by unfolding the true principles of 

 legislation, contributed more than any 

 single writer to the complete overthrow 

 of arbitrarygovernraent. 



Were we to undertake the difficult 

 task of enumerating the names of 

 those who, in tlie last fivej'cais of (he 

 past century, fell the innocent victims 

 of jealous power, either mown down 

 like grass by its sweeping scythe, or 

 banished by its oppressions to a foreign 

 land, we should open a book of denlli 

 that would astonish even its authors. 

 We should sec that throughout Italy, 

 before the sparks of liberty had yet 

 burst into flame, (he history of Naples 

 only^ affords more instances of victims 

 and proscriptions among its nobles, 

 than any other of the principal cities, 

 however much they may have snfl'ercd 

 from the exterminating hand of abso- 

 lute power. This accounts for the 

 slight re-action from the influence of 

 the nobility against the riipid growth 

 of tile doctrines of the Carbonari, and 

 even for its co-operation with the gigan- 

 tic force, with which it possessed itself 

 of the opinion of the nation. And we 

 shall here say a few words respecting 

 the rise and progress of this political 

 association, which has succeeded so 

 happily in promoting a new and better 

 order of things amongst us. 



Through the secret exertions of a 

 few cautious, but en(erprizing men, 

 certain political doctrines of a liberal 

 tone, were pretty widely spread soon 

 after the year 1790, among a nume- 

 rous body of the Carbonari, or real 

 Charcoal-burners in Genoa, with a 

 view to deliver that noble city from 

 the thraldom of an oligarchy, and to 

 unite it to France. 



In the lapse of about ten years, the 

 same opinions were successfully propa- 

 gated, and gladly entertained, among 

 the chief portion of the Neajiolitan 

 people; while (he proselytes to the new 

 system adopted the same denomination 



of Carbonari, whicli in fact belonged, 

 as an occupation, to the Genoese, and 

 afterwards apjilied it figuratively to 

 signify a small landholder, a simple 

 husbandman, or an artizan, who have 

 no objection to a king — to which, in- 

 deed, they have been habituated for 

 many ages, but were now become de- 

 sirous of a constitutional one. 



Thus the Neapolitan •' CarbonA- 

 risnis, " or charcoal company, is sim- 

 ply a society, formed for the laudable 

 purpose of educating the lower classes, 

 and giving them proper ideas of con- 

 stitutional government. During the 

 last ten years such opinions have been 

 rapidly increasing throughout all the 

 provinces, but more especially in the 

 Abruzzi, where the number of the Car- 

 bonari is very great. They were, at 

 first but imperfectly organized, with- 

 out those forms and distinguishing 

 marks which characterise a sect, advo- 

 cating liberal sentiments, which have 

 been promulgated, fortified, aid ex- 

 tended in a very astonishing manner. 



After the restoration of the King, in 

 181.5, such free opinions would, how- 

 ever, gradually have subsided and died 

 away by ^^'ise and temperate measures 

 on the part of tyranny, had not one of 

 its narrow-minded and ferocious mi- 

 uisteis dared to rouse the sleeping lion 

 from his den, and put in motion that 

 spirit of associated freedom (cnlderaris- 

 mo) which it will not be found easy io 

 subdue. 



A certain bishop of the kingdom, 

 whom it is of no consequence to name, 

 thought proper, (unless it was indeed 

 suggested to him at Rome, whither he 

 had relired as an enemy to the French 

 government) to institute a sect in oppo- 

 sition to that of the Cffr6o«ar?, who were 

 at that time unjustly ranked among 

 the advocates of French despotism. 

 When returned to the kingdom, and 

 fixed in his seat, he began to collect 

 together many persons of the middle 

 and lower ranks : forming them into a 

 company, he gave them the name of 

 Calderari, for the pui-pose of resisting 

 and utterly consuming, if necessai-y, 

 the Carbonari, or poor Carbonites, like 

 iron pans and pots, resisting and con- 

 suming the coals, which waste their 

 strength while they burn away under 

 them. On such a notable plan, the 

 Calderari began to gather strength, 

 particularly after the flight of the un- 

 fortunate and ill-advised Murat ; and 

 the above-mentioned minister now re- 

 solved to avail himself of their assist- 



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