124 General Sir Richard Church's Narrative of ihc £FebJ 



commands before I gave any military disposition whatever. All these 

 reflections, and rrtany more, passed through my mind with the rapidity 

 of lightning, and I determined to risk nothing but my own person ia 

 the effort for re-establishing order. The present seemed to me to be 

 one of those occasions where it was the duty of the general-in-chief to 

 present himself to the riotous soldiers, and to endeavour, by a sudden 

 appearance amongst them, to bring them to a sense of their duty ; at 

 the same time I well knew that, not being of their sect, I incurred great 

 personal danger from the soldiery, and perhaps still more from an im- 

 mense populace, in tlie delirium of dreams about independence and 

 wine. 



The town was brilliantly illuminated, and the mass of people in the 

 streets almost inconceivable. Determined, in spite of all personal risk, 

 to attempt the restoration of order, I left the senate-house, and, in de« 

 scending the gallery, told General Coglitore that I meant to go into the 

 Cassero, and order the military to retire to their quarters. General Co- 

 glitore seemed alarmed at this communication, and mentioned the danger 

 of doing so (the momentary feeling of something nearly akin to con- 

 tempt, which this reply produced in my mind, was unjust — for Coglitore 

 is worthy, and a brave man ; he knew the nature of a Palemiitan mob, 

 and, perhaps, other circumstances which he could not disclose). On 

 my answering, " It cannot be helped ; it is my duty to go," Coglitore re- 

 peated his observation ; and I silently and leisurely walked down into the 

 square, attended, besides General Coglitore, by my two aides-tle-canip, 

 Lieuts. Quandel and De Nitis, both brave and excellent young men. 

 General Coglitore's carriage, an open landau, was in the square, where 

 it remained at my request ; the footman, however, left the carriage, 

 and followed his master. In this manner the party walked gently into 

 the great street, the Cassero, and, turning to the left, took the direc- 

 tion of the King's palace, which the riotous military party had before 

 taken. When my companions and myself, on entering the Cassero, were 

 observed by the populace, the cries of " Viva F Independenza, became 

 boisterous. I proceeded regularly on towards my object, and the 

 people crowded round me as I advanced ; but still with some degree 

 of respect, repeating, however, the cries of " Independenza /" The pro- 

 cession of the military and populace was still proceeding through the 

 Cassero, stopping at every ten or twelve paces, and shouting out as 

 already desciibed. From all the windows people were waving hand- 

 kerchiefs to them. Towards these fanatics I was now gently approach- 

 ing, followed by numbers of people, when a priest accosted me in a most 

 impertinent manner, and desired me to cry " Viva l' IndejKndgnza !" 

 making use, at the same time, of violent gestures. To this man I merely 

 said, " AUontanateva Signore" — " go away," and kept walking quickly 

 on ; the officers and the general interfering to keep the priest from 

 farther impertinence. At length I overtook the non-commissioned 

 officers and soldiers already described. Here a moment's silence en- 

 sued, and when I accosted a non-commissioned officer, the man seemed 

 astonished and was i espectful ; this was the only one of the group of 

 non-commissioned officers who paid any attention to what I was saying i 

 the rest (all decorated with the Carbonari insignia) continued shouting 

 and acting as they had done before. I, therefore, desired this non- 

 commissioned officer to tell his comrades not to make so much noise — ^ 

 to conduct themselves with more regularity, and as soon as they had 



