ITALY. 



411 



notes to the amount of 300,000,000 lire in five 

 years, on condition that the Chamber shall de- . 

 termine each year the portion of this amount 

 that is to be issued. The committee agrees that 

 the proceeds of the sale of ecclesiastical prop- 

 erty bonds shall be paid into the treasury for the 

 next five years. It postpones for a later period 

 the consideration of the manner in which the 

 duties of the treasury are to be performed. It 

 assents to the voluntary conversion of the na- 

 tional loan into consolidated stock, at the rate 

 of 5.40, and for that portion of the loan which 

 is not exchangeable by the holders. It ac- 

 cepts the contract with the bank with this 

 modification, namely, that the profit and loss 

 shall be equally divided. It agrees to the 

 proposal for doubling the capital of the bank 

 without increasing its paper circulation. It 

 approves the increase of the tax on petroleum, 

 and partially also the tax on coffee. It rejects 

 the tax on tissues as proposed, and approves 

 the other secondary administrative proposi- 

 tions. The report also stated that Signor Sella, 

 the Minister of Finance, agreed to the com- 

 mittee^ conclusions, excepting the postpone- 

 ment of the question respecting the service of 

 the treasury. Signor Sella, on March 18th, 

 defended the proposals which he had brought 

 forward. He agreed to postpone the question 

 of taxing textile fabrics, and, after demonstrat- 

 ing the utility of confiding the service of the 

 treasury to the bank, he announced his readi- 

 ness nevertheless to accept also the postpone- 

 ment of this question. He said an equilibrium 

 had, in consequence of political events, not 

 been attained. He defended the increase in 

 the circulation of bank-notes and the other 

 proposals of his budget, entering into various 

 calculations in support of his views. He also 

 defended the conversion of the loan. The 

 minister added that he especially trusted to the 

 Right and Eight Centre to support him. He 

 contested the accuracy of Signor Rattazzi's as- 

 sertion that the ministry had not got to Rome 

 entirely by moral means, and in conclusion he 

 called upon the Chamber to declare whether 

 the Government did or did not possess its con- 

 fidence. Signor Rattazzi, in making a personal 

 explanation, defended his conduct at the period 

 of Mentana. He said the policy he pursued 

 vras daring and perilous, but was necessary to 

 avoid still greater dangers. On March 23d 

 the Chamber adopted the whole of the finan- 

 cial projects of the Government by 208 votes 

 against 160 ; on April 18th they passed the 

 Senate by 72 votes against 2. The proposi- 

 tions of the Government for putting a stop to 

 smuggling, suppressing the free port of Civita 

 Vecchia from the 1st of January, 1874, and 

 converting the free port of Genoa in three 

 years into a general harbor, were also adopted. 

 In May the Minister of Public Instruction, 

 Signor Correnti, tendered his resignation be- 

 cause his colleagues decided to withdraw a bill 

 he drew up some two years previously, regu- 

 lating the salaries, etc., of teachers in second- 



ary schools, etc. In conformity with the 

 policy adopted by the Italian Government 

 since its arrival in Rome, and which has 

 been applauded by the majority, the minis- 

 try resolved to withdraw the bill. Signor 

 Correnti, egged on by the Left, to which he 

 formerly belonged, urged his measure. Ap- 

 plauded by the opposition press, and cheered 

 on by the bitterest opponents of the party 

 from which his colleagues proceed, he would 

 not give way. On May 16th, M. Sella an- 

 nounced that 6ignor Lanza, the President of 

 the Council, had left for Naples to take the 

 king's commands. On May 18th the Presi- 

 dent of the Council read the royal decree ac- 

 cepting the resignation of the Minister of 

 Public Instruction, and appointing M. Sella 

 temporarily to assume his functions ; also 

 another decree authorizing the withdrawal of 

 the bill concerning the proposed improve- 

 ments in the position of the masters of sec- 

 ondary schools. From the explanations that 

 ensued, it appeared that Signor Correnti had 

 accepted the suppression of the first article of 

 the bill abolishing the spiritual directors 

 (chaplains) of the schools in question, but had 

 thought it inconsistent with his dignity to 

 agree to the withdrawal of the whole bill, 

 which his colleagues, on the contrary, consid- 

 ered indispensable, although proposing to 

 bring it forward again at a future date, when 

 the questions relating to religious instruction 

 should have been settled. At the present 

 period of the session the Government thought 

 the long discussion was inopportune, which 

 the measure would certainly provoke, and 

 they had endeavored to postpone it by giving 

 precedence to the budget ; but the Opposition 

 thwarted them in this, and they had no choice 

 but to withdraw the bill, the more so as it 

 was perfectly well understood that, if it came 

 to a debate, the omitted article would be re- 

 proposed in the form of an amendment by 

 members of the committee which had re- 

 ported on it. The Chamber ultimately, by 

 175 votes against 114, rejected an order of the 

 day stating that the House did not consider 

 the explanation given by Signor Lanza satis- 

 factory. 



The Italian Chambers reassembled on No- 

 vember 20th, without a speech from the 

 throne or other ceremonies, and without re- 

 election of the Board. The President of the 

 ministry, in reply to a question, detailed the 

 measures which the Government had adopted 

 with regard to the damage caused by the in- 

 undations. In answer to Signor Oliva, the 

 minister declared that the condition of public 

 safety had improved, especially as regards acts 

 of violence. The Minister of Justice then in- 

 troduced the bill for the suppression of reli- 

 gious corporations, which, it was generally ex- 

 pected, would become the most exciting topic 

 of debate. The bill declared that the laws of 

 1866, 1867, 1868, and 1870, relative to the sup- 

 pression of religious corporations and the con- 



