LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1873. 



435 



author of "L'Esnle" died a believer in God 

 and in a republic. 



The death of Dall' Ongaro has caused a great 

 sensation in Italy. He was killed by persecu- 

 tion. He was Professor of Dramatic Litera- 

 ture in Fl orence ; every thing that could be done 

 to thwart him was done. He was appointed 

 professor at Naples; he was quite satisfied; 

 the students loved him and followed him ; an 

 abrupt ministerial decree ordered him back to 

 Florence. This was a blow he could not bear, 

 and he died before he could start on the jour- 

 ney. A, comic journal and official jealousies 

 brought about this catastrophe. A volume of 

 "Scritti d'Arte," by L)all' Ongaro, was col- 

 lected by his friend the critic, Joseph Monger! ; 

 and was published at Milan, by Hopli ; it was 

 prefaced by a carefully-written biographical 

 sketch; it contained only one inexact state- 

 ment, concerning the last moments of the 

 poet. M. Monger! seems to think that Dall' 

 Ongaro was alo,ne when he died, when the 

 fact is he expired in the arms of his sister, a 

 poor and heroic woman, on whom the Italian 

 Government, as a mark of gratitude for all the 

 services rendered by Dall' Ongaro to literature, 

 to art, and to the cause of independence and 

 liberty, has ventured to bestow the sum of 300 

 francs, not as an annuity, but once for all. 

 Dall' Ongaro was a freethinker. 



The critic and elegant Venetian litterateur, 

 Joseph lilanchetti, has also died in solitude, 

 but it was by his own choice. In proportion 

 as he was a man of the world in his glorious 

 youth, he became a misanthrope in his later 

 years, lie had been a member of the Senate 

 since the year 1866, but he had ceased to take 

 any share in politics. He died indifferent 

 about every thing, and his death has been re- 

 ceived with indifference. Blanchetti's chief 

 work is a book upon the " Scrittore Itnliano." 

 I must mention three volumes of biog- 

 raphies, which, nnder the title of " Illustri Ita- 

 lian!," has been published by the historian 

 (.'until, at Milan (Brigola, publisher). In this 

 work we find real literary monographs. 



Prof. G. 8. Perosino, of Turin, has made a 

 contribution to Italian literature, in a volume 

 of unpublished letters of Ugo Foscolo. These 

 letters are mostly addressed to members of his 

 own family; that is to say, especially to the 

 mother and to the sister of the poet. They 

 are real gems, which deserve to be translated 

 into every language, for it would be well that 

 people of all tongues should read words so 

 gentle, so tender, so simple and affectionate, 

 as are in these letters from a son to his moth- 

 er, from a brother to a brother, and from a 

 brother to his sister. 



I must mention, as one of the most interest- 

 ing publications of the year, a volume, printed 

 at Florence by Le Monnier, under the modest 

 title of " Stndii di Litteratnra e d'Arte di Tullo 

 Massarani." Massarani has one of those large, 

 sympathetic Lombard natures which both pos- 

 sesses and can communicate political life. A 



Neopolitan, M. N. Marselli, a staff-officer of 

 the Italian army, has, under the title of " Le 

 Fasi del Pensiero Storico," given us a sort of 

 philosophy of iiistory ; the author has not yet 

 quite attained to calm thought, but he ap- 

 proaches to it. Another Neopolitan, M. Vil- 

 lari, gives us a study upon education in relation 

 with the social question. A Genoese, Count 

 L. Caiupo Fregaso, has published an important 

 work in support of the "Primato Italiano sul 

 Meditterraneo.' 1 M. Pertile, Professor at the 

 University of Padua, is about to bring out a 

 learned and interesting work, "Storia del Di- 

 ritto Private Italiano." The eminent political 

 economist of Venice, G. Morpurgo, nnder the 

 title of " La Statistica e le Scienze Mornli " 

 (published by Le Monnier, at Florence), has 

 written a work filled with facts and important 

 observations. M. Tullio Martello gives us a 

 " Storia del Internazionale," written with 

 much knowledge ; together with this work the 

 reader may consult the three volumes of " Stra- 

 gi di Parigi," which is in reality a history of 

 the Paris Commune, published by B. E. Mai- 

 neri at Milan ; the title of it is somewhat star- 

 tling. The Marquis Carlo Alfieri, in a large 

 volume entitled "L'ltalia Liberale," discusses, 

 with much earnestness, the aspect of the reli- 

 gious question in Italy. I regret that I cannot 

 equally recommend the indiscreet work by 

 General La Marmora, which is called " Un 

 po' piii di Luce sngli Eventi Politici e Militari 

 dell' Anno 1866." 



In the matter of historical publications, I 

 must mention with honor the "Chronistoria 

 della Indipendenza Italiana," by C. Cantu 

 (Turin, Unione Tip. edit., 8 vols). Also the 

 "Statuti del Comune di Padova," edited at 

 Padua by a committee; the " Cronache e Sta- 

 tnti della Cittd di Viterbo," published with 

 much care by Prof. Ciampi, of Rome ; a " Sto- 

 ria delle Arti Belle," for the young, by Paolo 

 Tedeschi (Milan, Carrara); the "Storia della 

 Filosofia rispetto alia Conoscenza di Dio da 

 Talete fino, ai Giorni Nostri," by the Prof. 

 Rom. Bobba (Lecce) ; " La Filosofia della Sto- 

 ria nei Pensatori Italian! (Vico, Romagnosi, 

 Balbo, Campanella), by B. Fontana (Imola 

 Galeati) ; " I Gesuiti e la Repnblica di Vene- 

 zia," by Prof. Joseph Cnpelletti (Venice). 



Among publications which are purely liter- 

 ary, I must give the first place to the magnifi- 

 cent new edition of the ''Vita Nnova"of 

 Dante, under the superintendence of the 

 learned Prof. Alex. d'Ancona (published by 

 Nistri). This edition, 'which contains all the 

 various readings of the different MSS., is the 

 finest specimen of typography which has ap- 

 peared in Italy this year. The publisher, 

 Vigo, of Leghorn, seems, however, inclined to 

 set up a rivalry with his neighbors of Pisa. A 

 volume which has all the interest which at- 

 taches to the works which come from his 

 press, is called "Dante e i Novellatoriseeondo 

 fa Tradizione," by J. Papnnti. M. Stbrza, of 

 Lucca, has just published an extremely well- 



