ITALY. 



387 



The following table shows the commercial 

 intercourse of Italy with those countries which 



are chiefly interested in its commerce during the 

 years 1871 and 1872 : 



The aggregate length of railroads in opera- 

 tion, 1872, was 6,690 kilometres; the aggre- 

 gate length of telegraph-lines is 19,369 kilo- 

 metres; the average length of wires, 55,191. 



On April 80th the ministry offered its resig- 

 nation in consequence of adifference of opinion 

 with the majority of the Chamber of Deputies 

 on the erection of an arsenal for the seaport of 

 Tarent. The Government demanded an ap- 

 propriation of 6,500,000 lire, while the com- 

 mittee of the Chamber demanded that 23,000,- 

 000 should be expended for it. As Ratazzi, the 

 leader of the opposition, refused to form a new 

 ministry, the prime-minister, Lanza, was pre- 

 vailed upon to remain. 



One of the most interesting discussions in 

 the Italian Parliament took place on the mo- 

 tion to extend the law passed in 1866, for the 

 suppression of convents in Italy, to the prov- 

 ince and city of Rome, where thus far they had 

 been allowed to exist. The bill proposed by 

 the ministry desired to save from the general 

 suppression those houses which served as the 

 residences of the generals and heads of monas- 

 tic orders. The Left, public opinion in Rome, 

 and also part of the Right, opposed this excep- 

 tion, while Minghetti, who is charged by his 

 opponents with a wish to found a new Catho- 

 lic Conservative party, rigorously supported the 

 ministerial plan, which he insisted was in 

 accordanca with Cavonr's principle of a free 

 church in a free state. The Minister of For- 

 eign Affairs referred to the fact that Italy, 

 which had in its midst the grand institution of 

 the Pontificate, had guaranteed to the Pope 

 the exercise of his spiritual power, and that 

 the offices of the generals of monastic orders 

 were an important part of the hierarchical sys- 

 tem. Prince Emmanuel Rnspoli, a deputy of 

 Rome, demanded that all the vestiges of theo- 

 cratic rule should be extinguished in Rome ; 

 he was proud of claiming the name of a popu- 

 lar tribune in opposition to the pretorians of 

 the Government. The violent debates in the 

 Chamber of Deputies were followed on May 

 llth by riots in Rome, where large crowds of 

 people cheered Prince Ruspoli, insulted Min- 

 ghetti, ami brought on bloody conflicts with 

 the police. The Chamber finally adopted an 



amendment moved by Ricasoli, according to 

 which 400,000 lire are annually to be paid to 

 the Pope for the support of the generals of 

 the orders. As long as the Papal See does 

 not draw this sum, the Government shall 

 place it at the disposal of the generals of the 

 orders. On May 27th the Chamber of Depu- 

 ties adopted the convent bill by 196 against 46 

 votes; and on June 17th the Senate adopted 

 it almost without debate, by 60 against 20 

 votes. Although the superiors of the con vents 

 protested against the law as unconstitutional, 

 its execution encountered no serious difficul- 

 ties. The property was delivered into the 

 hands of the Government, and the monks and 

 nuns, in return, accepted their pensions. At 

 the convent of the Roman College, the rector 

 read to the delegates of the committee a pro- 

 test, drawn up by the Society of Jesus, declar- 

 ing that the college was a papal institution, 

 possessing an international character. The 

 rectors of the foreign colleges presented a col- 

 lective protest. The delegates received these 

 protests, and subsequently handed to each of 

 the Jesuits a certificate for the income to be 

 paid them. At the head convent of the Gesu, 

 the rector also tendered a formal protest, as- 

 serting the rights of the society over the prop- 

 erty. The delegates here also handed to the 

 Jesuits certificates of income. At the head 

 house of the Franciscan Fathers, the delegates 

 were very courteously received. The General 

 of the Franciscans simply protested in brief 

 terms according to ecclesiastical laws. The 

 American and Portuguese consuls presented to 

 the delegates a protest against the seizure of 

 certain portions of this convent which belong 

 to their respective nations. The delegates re- 

 ceived the protest, and delivered the certifi- 

 cates. In the other three convents protests 

 were tendered by the rectors, and certificates 

 of income were given by the delegates. The 

 proceedings were carried out with scrupulous 

 regularity. 



A new ministerial crisis arose when the 

 Minister of Finance, Sella, on June 14th, /de- 

 manded that the Chamber should vote two 

 bills on the increase of special taxes before 

 disposing of the general budget. The Cham- 



