1822.] 
was elected by them president of the 
Junta itself, and afterwards of the Par- 
liament. But harrassed by the conti- 
nual vicissitudes of our times, and 
already sinking under ill-health, Galdi 
behaved more like a philosopher than 
a statesman. He wanted, especially, 
that vigour of mind which was requi- 
site for not being lulled into security 
by the fallacious compliances, with 
which the old absolute government 
seemed to acquiesce in the new liberty 
of Naples. The very first words of 
the President breathed nothing but 
peace and moderation. ‘The nation 
of the two Sicilies (said he,) will can- 
vince every other nation of the earth 
that she knows how to be free. By 
virtae and justice she will dissipate 
those malignant clouds which seem to 
ebscure the propitious star of liberty 
now rising on our horizon.” Justice 
and moderation were fully practised ; 
bat of this favourable prediction no- 
thing proyed to be prophetic but the 
lofty expressions it was conveyed in. 
At the first opening of the Parlia- 
ment, held the Ist of October, 1820, 
at Naples, in the magnificent church 
of Spirito-Santo, amidst an immense 
concourse of people, the President 
Galdi received the oath then solemnly 
renewed by King Ferdinand, to the 
constitution of the state. Oh! how 
august was that ceremony ; but, alas! 
it was nothing but a ceremony! The 
King was seated on the throne: the 
President Galdi stood on his right side, 
holding in his hand the Gospel; two 
secretaries of the Parliament tendered 
to the King the written form of the 
constitutional oath. The King then 
rose, and, placing his right hand on 
the Gospel, repeated that oath, which 
was applauded by all the spectators, 
with loud cries of ‘ Long live the 
King and Constitution.” An oath 
heard by a whole nation, and by all 
Europe; and which neither the Aus- 
trian bayonets, nor military courts, 
can easily efface from the memory of 
the Neapolitans. The President Galdi 
then addressed the King in a compli- 
mentary discourse, as required by the 
Constitution... This speech was de- 
servedly taxed with pedantic redun- 
dancy. It was derived too much ab 
ovo. It began with “the eternal laws 
by which Providence ordered and re- 
gulates the system of the universe ;” 
went on with “seas and lakes dried 
up, and new continents arising from 
the bosom of the waves :” then followed 
Montury Mac. No. 369. 
Account of Matteo Galdi, the Neapolitan Patriot. 
521 
“mountains lowered, and generations 
swept away and renewed, over the 
face of the globe;” and many other 
cosmological truisms, a little out of 
place. Nor were forgotten “the sen- 
sibility of man, his sociability, the fa- 
mily, the city, and the state.” He 
then added, “that from the end of the 
last century, affairs in Europe had 
come to such a point, that it became 
necessary to recompose the compacts 
of society.” And finally, ‘‘that the 
constitution of the Cortez is the fruit 
of long experience, and of whatever 
had been best taught by politicians for 
seventy years.” ‘The Holy Alliance, 
however, was, and will ever be, of a 
different opinion: so much learning 
was given to the winds, or rather only 
served to make princely impatience 
sooner weary of parliamentary speeches 
and acts. But what was indeed shock- 
ing was the declaration of the Presi- 
dent Galdi, ‘that it was impossible to 
add or take away a single corner- 
stone of the Constitution, without 
spoiling or even destroying the whole.” 
The Constitution of the Cortez had 
been granted to the nation, excepting 
such modifications as its representa- 
tives should resolve upon and decree, 
in order to adapt it to the kingdom of 
the two Sicilies. Such had been the 
apparent motive of these reforms; but 
that fair pretence covered a deter- 
mined design of increasing as much as 
possible the power of the crown, by. 
means of a timid or servile Parliament. 
Now at these words of the President 
Galdi, every sanguine hope 
SSeS ee oO 
Cheat the deluded people with a show 
Of hberty,* 
began to fail, and was soon completely 
counteracted by the patriotism of the 
Parliament. Foreigners ought to judge 
with indulgence of this speech of the 
President Galdi; which, besides being 
the first of the kind at Naples, pro- 
ceeded from a man already enfeebled 
in mind, and too learned to-speak on 
that dazzling ceremony with the so- 
briety of a statesman. He could not 
even keep himself to general terms, as‘ 
he was bound to de. The King hav- 
ing recommended “that nothing should 
be altered in the public administra- 
tion, dr in the system of judicature, 
and that no religion but the Roman 
Catholic should be tolerated in the 
kingdom ;” the President Galdi hurried 
* Venice Preserved, 
3U to 
