4322.) 
then only Deconcilj led the movement 
at Avellno,-and even in a covert 
manner, whilst General Pepe was ob- 
structed in the. capital, hesitated more 
than.eyer to take any- part in those 
dangerous attempts at Foggia. Nay, 
marching. the rest. of the regiment 
ef horse out of the town, he teok a 
military position in the fields. These 
hostile demonstrations occasioned no 
small suspicion and alarm among the 
patriots.at Foggia, But Pisa, an un- 
daunted. character both in civil and 
military dangers, knowing that the 
perplexity of, the governor proceeded 
only froma doubt of success, hastened 
alone to Avellino: to cut short all the 
delays.of Deconcilj,, Halfway he met 
three oflicers of the staff, who, coming 
from Naples, had been discovered and 
arrested by the. country-people. that 
occupied in arms the roads from the 
capital into Apulia. -There were 
bearers of dispatches from the govern- 
ment to.the military governors of the 
three. provinces, Foggia, Bari, and 
Basilicata,. whereby, a. dictatorial 
power being conferred upon them, they 
were ordered to repel by the sword all 
popular movements, The militia, in- 
ecnsed at the discovery, were ready to 
fall upon those messengers of tyranny ; 
but Pisa saved them from the popular 
fury, and sent them back to Avellino 
under escort. The constitution had 
been alréady proclaimed at: this last 
place... Pisa had scarcely arrived 
there, when, from the opposite side, a 
herald from the camp.of General Car- 
rascosa presented himself, bearing a 
proclamation of the king, by which a 
constitution to be settled in cight days 
Was promised to the nation. ‘That 
yague, and, in some respect, ridiculous 
promise, hore too much the appearance 
of an expedient of state to be credited; 
80 DO answer was returned, except the 
focigmation itself torn into pieces. 
n aiter intelligence was brought, 
that General Pepe led to the constitu- 
tional, camp. two regiments. of horse 
aud.a_ battalion of, infantry,. with 
several superior officers. Pisa then 
hastened back to Foggia, and, prevailed 
at. last npon ithe governor to join the 
constitutionalists at Monteforte. But, 
on their arrival with the regiment of 
horse, they found ‘that the general, 
having been officially apprized that the 
constitution wished for was granted by 
the king, had raised the camp and 
marched to the capital. 
After the reyolution was accom- 
Montury Mac. No. 374, 
and the late Struggle for Liberty. 
329 
plished, Pisa did not cease labouring 
for his country, and giving her proofs 
of his civic virtue. ‘ihe great military 
shame incurred by ihe Neapolitans in 
making no defence for the best of causes, 
may be, safely ascribed to the dissen- 
sion of their military leaders. “ Private 
enyy, as much as public perfidy, has 
blasted the cause of that. unhappy 
people. , There was a minister at 
Naples, who eagerly coutended in the 
cabinet, that ali the troops, who had 
retired to the camp of Monteforte for 
the public cause, ought to be peculiarly 
rewarded with promotions, extra-pay, 
and decorations. Whilst tiis measure 
was urged upon both the regent and 
General Pepe himself, as highly expe- 
dient to the state, a spirit of discontent 
was insidiously promoted among that 
part of the army which was not entitled 
to any reward. These practices were 
carried on to create enemies in ihe 
army against Pepe; who, being then 
captain-general, was prevailed upon to 
appear in public as the instigator of 
such partial rewards, and was repre- 
sented to the disaffected officers as 
willing to trample upon the rights of 
service to gratify his private ambition. 
In effect, about six hundred officers, 
who felt themselves injured by the 
measure, metin arms one morning ina 
field near the capital, and, violently 
protesting against such partiality, had 
nearly raised a military sedition. Dut 
Pisa, who had been preferred, had 
already sect the example of civic disin- 
terestedness, by renouncing his own 
promotion and persuading his com- 
rades to imitate him, which they all 
did. The army, however, from that 
moment, conceived a strong aversion 
against Pepe, though he was the only 
trusi-worthy general among the patri- 
ots; and it was not now difficult for the 
agents of the court whoily to divert the 
nilitary from the public cause. 
Naples could not have been free and 
the rest of Italy remain under des- 
potism. ‘The liberty of Naples was 
either to bring about, within a short 
time, the independence of the whole 
peninsula, or perish itself for want of 
thatindependence, ‘The leaders of the 
revolution seemed not to be so well 
aware of this truth as the Austrian 
cabinet itself. Yet it being resolved 
by the provisional junta to send into 
Upper Italy an explorator, both of the 
disposition of the inhabitants, and of 
the number of Austrian forces then in 
Lombards, Pisa boldly offered himself 
Ou for 
