Neapolitan NoUiliiy and Carbonari. 



1821.] 



ance to extirpate tlie sect of Carbonari, 

 whom he still cousidered as suspicious 

 characters, adhering to the French in- 

 terest. But ill f.ict, tlie Carbonari 

 neither admired Murat nor his govern- 

 ment, but required the constitution 

 which he had promised to them. This is 

 so well known, that after tlie barbarous 

 and cruel executious conunilted by 

 Mankes, in Calabria, and by Montigui 

 in the Abruzzi, against the Carbonari 

 (who in the absence of Murat had open- 

 ly declared themselves in favour of a 

 constitutional goveriunent,with arms in 

 their hands,) this politic admiration of 

 him was at once changed into hatred ; 

 and to this disapprobation of his mea- 

 sures we are toattiibute the utter de- 

 sertion in which he was left by the na- 

 tion, when, on the l.lth of May, he re- 

 turned into his kingdom, defeated and 

 disgraced, withoiu' e^er having been 

 enabled to employ the resources of the 

 couutiy against his enemies.* 



Although our minister was egregi- 

 ously mistaken in his calculations, he 

 resolved to arm and increase the num- 

 ber of the Calderari (or gridirons) 

 until they amounted to 60,000, con- 

 sisting of desperate and abandoned 

 wretches, prepared to fall,at a moment's 

 notice, upon the Carbonari, and renew 

 the Parisian slaughter of St. Bartholo- 

 mew. But the Carbonari were on the 

 watch, and soon discovered the atrocious 

 design meditated against tliem. They 

 only united more resolutely together, 

 resolving to act ou the defensive, and 

 resist to the \ery utmost. At this pe- 

 riod theCavaliere dialed ici, perceiving 

 the imminent danger iu winch the na- 

 tion was placed, happily saved it from 

 the horrors of a worse than civil war, 

 by prevailing on the good sense of the 

 king to banish his atrocious minister, 

 and disarm the rulfians ; while the 

 Carbonari, having joined together for 

 the common safety of their country, 

 continued to associate their cause with 

 that of a constitutional government, 

 and entered into more solemn engage- 

 -ments than before, respecting their 



* The only actions of any importance 

 in which he was engaged during liis unac- 

 countable retreat, occurred on the 1st and 

 2d of May, between Maeerata aud Tolen- 

 tioo. lu the first, the division commanded 

 by General Ambrosio, greatly distinguished 

 itBcIf ; aud, iu the second, the guard under 

 General Pignatelli, shewed that Germans 

 can be conquered by Neapolitan soldiers. 

 But Murat suffered himself to be betrayed 

 by hi* own I'carK. 



203 



course of proceed ings, and the language, 

 oaths, and institutions, which they 

 should adopt. In three years after 

 this, the influence of the opposite sect 

 of the Calderaii was entirely destroyed, 

 and the whole body of the people were 

 simultaneously disposed to require a 

 new constitution. 



From this it will appear, that the 

 spirit of Carbonarism, which is in- 

 deed that of rigiit liberty, had been 

 strongly manifested for more than ten 

 years, though in a manner which led 

 the people rather to desire than promise 

 themselves a constitution ; aud we 

 have yet to explaiu that great political 

 phenomenon, how, in a period of three 

 years, from 1817 until 1820, five or six 

 millions of men could have so nobly 

 associated themselves for the purpose of 

 emancipation, and exhibited the impos- 

 ing and beautiful example of one entire 

 family, peactfully prefi^rring its wishes 

 before a commou father, and offering 

 the means by which they might be 

 granted. Perfect unanimity was requi- 

 site to produce such harmony of feeling 

 and identity of objects, in the petition- 

 ers. We are not, howevei , to suppose 

 that, during the three years in which 

 such associations were forming throngh- 

 out the provinces, and every day be- 

 coming more manifest, there existed 

 no class of persons to whom they were 

 highly disagreeable, as being opposed 

 to their selfish interests, and arbitrary 

 privileges. There was, indeed, an 

 order of men, by no means insignificant 

 on account of wealth and property, 

 as well as for the number of their de- 

 pendents, who, we might naturally 

 suppose, Mould decidedly oppose 

 the growth of doctrines subver- 

 sive of their own power and privi- 

 leges. But we shall scarcelj' be lie- 

 lieved, Avhen we assert that tisis par- 

 ticular order neither awakened slothful 

 ministers nor informed the king, pur- 

 posely imposed upon by the flattery 

 and imprudence of his courtiers I But 

 we observed that not a single individual 

 among the old nobles of the kingdom 

 offered the least resistance, or betrayed 

 any feelings of disgust on the quiet and 

 imexpected change ; much less did 

 they blame the authors of it. The ma- 

 jority, on the other hand, freely ex- 

 pressed their approbation of it. Nor 

 ought we to be surprised at this, when 

 we reflect that the barons had already 

 enteied into the class of otlier proprie- 

 tors, and had thus identified their own 

 interests with those of the hesi and 

 soundest portion of the community. 



And, 



