ITALY. 



363 



776. According to official calculations, the total 

 population was in January, 1869, 25,527,915 ; in 

 1.868, 25,404,723 ; in 1867, 24,273,776. The in- 

 terest of the public debt amounted, in 1869, to 

 359,167,030 lire (nominal value of capital). The 

 number of war-vessels was, in January, 1869, 

 96, armed with 948 guns. The number of iron- 

 clads was 22, armed with 266 guns. The official 

 value of the special commerce in 1867 was as 

 follows: imports, 830,800,000 lire; exports, 

 520,500,000 lire; transit, 77,700,000 lire. The 

 movement of shipping, including coasting ves- 

 sels, was, in 1866, as follows: 



Vessels. Tonnage. 



Entered 117,828 9,506,573 



Cleared 115,869 8,923,018 



The merchant navy, in 1867, consisted of 

 17,786 vessels, having an aggregate tonnage of 

 815,521. 



The financial question offered serious diffi- 

 culties, and gave rise to great agitation, both 

 in Parliament and through the nation. On 

 April 21, 1869, Count Cambray-Digny, the 

 Finance Minister, laid his budget before the 

 Chamber of Deputies, according to which the 

 total deficit to be provided for was 788,000,000 

 lire (1 lira = 1 franc). This sum included the 

 amount necessary to pay the debt due to the 

 National Bank, and to abolish the forced cur- 

 rency. He proposed financial operations by 

 which he expected to obtain 794,000,000 lire. 

 He further demonstrated that there had been 

 a steady increase in the ordinary revenue and 

 decrease in the expenditure since 1867. In 

 future years, he anticipated that there would 

 be a reduction of the ordinary expenditure to 

 360,000,000 lire, and of the extraordinary to 

 60,000,000 lire. The minister, moreover, antici- 

 pates a balance of the revenue and expenditure 

 in 1875. No new taxes are proposed, but bills 

 are to be introduced for reorganizing the 

 system without increasing the amount of the 

 direct taxes, and also for regulating the pro- 

 vision-tax. Public works will be vigorously 

 prosecuted, without fresh burdens being im- 

 posed upon the treasury. The expense of re- 

 organizing the army and navy will be spread 

 over a long series of years. In 1870 the revenue 

 from the grist-tax will reach its normal amount. 

 The National Bank will receive 180,000,000 lire 

 of its debt in 1870 out of the revenue of the fol- 

 lowing two years, and the forced currency 

 will be abolished in 1873. The ecclesiastical 

 property affords an available resource of 500,- 

 000,000, not including about 80,000,000 lire, the 

 value of the Church property in the seculari- 

 zation bill now in litigation. The revenue 

 from the customs duties of 1869 shows an in- 

 crease of 2,500,000 lire over that of 1868. The 

 lottery revenue has increased 4,000,000 lire. 

 The estimated revenue for 1870 is 914,000,000 

 lire, and the expenditure 1,030,000,000 lire, 

 showing a deficit of 116,000,000, reducible to 

 94,000,000 by the reception of payments be- 

 longing to 1869, but not receivable until 1870. 



The grist-tax proved to be the most odious, 



but was considered necessary to enable the 

 Government to make the required expenditure 

 without new loans, so that the Chamber sanc- 

 tioned the tax. But the people vetoed it in 

 a very serious manner. Revolts of peasants 

 raged through the central provinces ; the ene- 

 mies of the present regime helped to increase 

 the feverish agitation. The troops, accom- 

 panied by mobilized National Guards and gen- 

 darmes, marched all over the country. An 

 official report spoke of 257 killed, 1,099 

 wounded, and 3,288 arrested. Ferrari, sup- 

 ported by 80 deputies of the Left, moved in 

 the Chamber that the ministry had arbitrarily 

 violated the law and the rights of citizens 

 guaranteed by the Constitution. Excited de- 

 bates lasted five hours, but the Government 

 remained firm and obtained a decisive victory, 

 the Chamber tabling the motion by 207 votes 

 against 157. 



The uncertain state of affairs induced the 

 ministers to tender their resignation to the 

 King, on May 5th. Menabrea, president of the 

 ministers, undertook to form a new Cabinet, 

 but soon retired in favor of Count Cambray- 

 Digny. On May 13th the crisis ended by the 

 formation of the following ministry : General 

 Menabrea, President of the Council and Min- 

 ister of Foreign Affairs ; Signor Ferrari, Min- 

 ister of the Interior ; Signor A. Mordani, Min- 

 ister of Public Works; Signor Bargoni, Minister 

 of Public Instruction ; Signor Minghetti, Min- 

 ister of Commerce and Agriculture; the Min- 

 istries of Finance, "War, and Marine, remaining 

 unaltered. The reconstruction of the Cabinet 

 was, however, instantly followed by a fresh 

 ministerial crisis, the financial measures of 

 Cainbray-Digny, which had received the sanc- 

 tion of the Chamber before, being voted on 

 again and lost. The crisis passed over, and 

 the Government carried through its measures. 

 The grist-tax was brought into operation every- 

 where, and did not meet with any further 

 serious opposition. All illegal resistance hav- 

 ing ceased, a great number of mills were re- 

 opened by the order of the Government. In 

 November, 58,527 mills had taken out licenses 

 and were in full working order; 14,926 paying 

 the entire tax, 18,955 a large portion of it, 

 while 24,626, being burdened with numerous 

 arrears, did not yet pay any thing into the 

 treasury. A new ministerial crisis took place 

 in December. General Cialdini was summoned 

 by the King to form a new ministry, but 

 neither he nor Sella succeeded. Lanza under- 

 took the task, on the condition that the former 

 ministers Menabrea and Cambray-Digny should 

 leave, and the military budget be reduced by 

 30,000, 000 lire. The ministry, formed December 

 13th, consists of: Lanza, President of the Min- 

 istry andMinister of the Interior; Sella, Minister 

 of Finance ; Yiscomte Venosta, Minister of For- 

 eign Affairs ; Gorone; Minister of War ; Baeli, 

 Minister of Justice ; Biancheri, Minister of the 

 Navy; Luzzati, Minister of Commerce. It is a 

 ministry of the Eight Centre. Sella's financial 



