i 8 '2 3. ] Memoirs of Bm 



Ihat despotism may be unliko itself 

 in its means, but never in its ends. 

 Capobianco, the truest friend to his 

 country, was liimself deceived into this 

 opinion about llie new government, 

 and fjell a mart3r to it. When the 

 whole cpiKtinent was crushed by tlie 

 military powerol'France, the Calabrese 

 malcontents alone dared to revolt 

 against the invaders ; and, strugsrling 

 with an unyielding obstinacy among 

 their mountains, they supported tliem- 

 selves in a state of independence for 

 more than two years, destroying many 

 thousands of those old Frencli Uoops, 

 the conquerors of Europe, and snatch- 

 ing from Massena himself tlKit victory 

 supposed to await upon him. Ibis 

 state of insurrection lasted in Calabria 

 from the beginning of 1 80G to the mid- 

 dle of 1809. But so many sajcrifices 

 Avere not undergone by tlie Calabrese 

 for political liberty. They only re- 

 sisted the new goveroment from a 

 romantic idea of loyalty towards tlie 

 reigning dynasty of Siciiy, and still 

 jnore from a blind aversion to the 

 Prench. One half, therefore, of the 

 iuhiibitants of Calabria, indeed the 

 most respectable both for property 

 and education, fought on the side of 

 the new government, against the other. 

 Capobianco was among the first. Hold- 

 ing then a command in the militia, 

 which had just been established in 

 tliose provinces, he rendered signal 

 services to the French government, 

 and powerfully contributed by his in- 

 terest aiid military achievements to 

 <jueH that desperate insurrection. But 

 Me soon had reason to undeceive him- 

 «elf, AS to his expectations of public 

 liberty being established at Naples by 

 the French. Joseph Bonaparte had, 

 in the very moment he renounced the 

 Jtingdom to his successor, granted a 

 mpc^ constitution to the nation, which 

 was ^-enerally regarded as a wanton 

 ^n?ult by the Neapolitans. Murat 

 hkewise promised a constitution in the 

 act of assuming the cro«n, but never 

 cared afterwards to fullil his word. 

 Nay, a most violent persecution being 

 entered into by hisgovernmentagainst 

 the patriotic party, under tiie c<4our of 

 abolishing Carl>oneria, juu nvorc dojubt.s 

 were left but Murat was determined 

 to reign only by the sword. Capobianco 

 had sincerely lielievc-d till then in the 

 j)roniises of public liberty, lavished by 

 the new princes and by their partisans ; 

 but no sooner did he perceive a barer 

 ifaet'd military despolisni e:ne^ipls«(J by 



on Capobianco. S3t 



foreigners over his country, than he 

 firmly determined to shake it oft". 

 The times seemed to be highly fa- 

 vourable to this daring enterprise. 

 Bonaparte was then reduced to dis- 

 pute the very fort of France against 

 ills enemies. The allies (not .then 

 holy) by dexterously turning against 

 him the same democratic opinions 

 which they had at first combated in 

 vain, seemed to countenance tlie 

 popular cause. Murat himself had 

 marched his army out of the kingdom, 

 to help Austria to chase the FreneU 

 from Upper Italy. Capobianco, after 

 Laving assembled some fcw militia, 

 chiefly composed of his dependents, 

 dared to unfurl tiie constitutioruiJ baur 

 Jier, trusting that the patriots of the 

 Abbruzzi would soon imitate his ex- 

 ample, as they efl'ectually did, but too 

 late, Alurat made tiien Bologna his 

 head-quarters, April, 1814. Prompted 

 by his own despotic temper, as well as 

 by the advices of his prime minister, 

 Count Zurlo, than whom there never 

 was a fiercer enemy to any restrictions 

 on absolute power, proscribed to ex- 

 termination the Carbonaris with a san- 

 guinary decree, not unlike those by 

 wliich unhappy Italy is at present 

 desolated. To carry into effect this 

 proscription in Calabria, the military 

 government of those provinces was 

 again trusted to Mauk^s, a most fe- 

 rocious virinin, who had nearly de- 

 stroyed them by his savage cruelties at 

 the time of the first insurrection : of 

 this governor it may safely foe s^id 

 with Tacitus, that — ubi solUudinem /<sr 

 cerat, pacem appellabaXur. U the Ca- 

 labrese had so gallantly fought for two 

 years, only to serv« the government of 

 Sicily, what could not they have done 

 now, assisted as they were by the name 

 of libeity, by the tottering fortunes of 

 Murat, and by the general support 

 of Carboneria? Some towns in the 

 Abbxuzzi had already risen in arms. 

 Mank^s thought he ought to lose no 

 time in putting down Capobianco, be- 

 fore that flame could spread itself all 

 over the kingdom. But Capobianco 

 had, in several rencounters, repelled 

 with his few partisans the forces sent 

 against him ; and had judiciously se- 

 lected his positions in the mountains, 

 where there was no jirospect of spee- 

 dily subduing him. Mankes, there- 

 fore, despairing of open farce, had re- 

 course to fraud, and sent nu'ssagj^s 

 repeatedly lo Capobianco, infornijp;;- 

 him that King Murat hud :>} I,ast 

 granted 



