418 



ITALY. 



it. Signer Depretis, Minister-President and 

 "Minister of Finance, had held the financial 

 portfolio under Kicasoli, and had been a mem- 

 ber of Parliament steadily since 1848. Signor 

 Coppino, Minister of Public Instruction, held 

 the same office nnder Ratazzi in 1867. Signor 

 Mancini, Minister of Justice, was one of the 

 most distinguished Italian advocates. Signor 

 Melegari, Minister of Foreign Affairs, had been 

 long in the service of the Government. He 

 was in his youth an intimate friend of Mazzini, 

 and had been Eatazzi's collaborator on sev- 

 eral occasions. Signor Mezzacapo, Minister of 

 War, came to office from the command of the 

 army corps at Florence. Signor Majorana, Min- 

 ister of Agriculture, was Professor of Political 

 Economy in the University of Catania. Signor 

 Brin, Minister of the Marine, had been direc- 

 tor of naval construction for several years. 



Signor Nicotera, Minister of the Interior, was 

 one of the defenders of Rome in 1849. When 

 he first entered Parliament, in 1860, he ex- 

 pressed the most extreme radicalism in his 

 views; since then his political principles had 

 been much modified, and he was regarded at 

 the time of his appointment as a sincere sup- 

 porter of the constitutional monarchy. Signor 

 Zanardelli, Minister of Public Works, was a 

 distinguished advocate, was attached to tlie 

 extreme parliamentary Left, and was the only 

 member of the new cabinet holding with that 

 wing. The programme of the new ministry 

 was announced by Signor Depretis to the Cham- 

 bers, March 29th. It promised a reform of the 

 electoral laws, so as to give real freedom ; the 

 restoration of the independence of the magis- 

 tracy ; the codification of the laws ; a bill to 

 establish compulsory education; and on com- 



ALESSANDEIA. 



mercial questions a policy favorable to free 

 trade. With respect to the Church, the Gov- 

 ernment would be neither aggressive nor hos- 

 tile, but would " hold aloof from any idea of 

 conciliation." The foreign policy of the pre- 

 ceding ministry would be continued, and no 

 change was proposed with regard to the army 

 and navy. Measures would be introduced rel- 

 ative to the railway convention, aiming at the 

 separation of the Italian and Austrian systems, 

 and the purchase of the Upper Italian lines. 

 The cabinet, however, were opposed to the 

 working of the railways by the Government, 

 except temporarily. The great improvement 

 in the financial condition of the country was 

 admitted, but the forced currency, it was sug- 

 gested, still existed, and presented a danger 

 upon the removal of which the ministry would 

 concentrate its attention. At the last sitting 



of the Chamber of Deputies previous to its 

 recess, Signor Biancheri, the president, offered 

 his resignation. The ministers stated that 

 they had full confidence in the president, and 

 hoped that his resignation would not be ac- 

 cepted. The Chamber unanimously refused 

 to accept it. March 29th the Chamber ad- 

 journed till the 25th of April, in order to en- 

 able the new ministry to examine the bills 

 which had been introduced by their prede- 

 cessors. 



On the appointment of the new ministry, 

 the prefects of several cities, including those 

 of Rome, Milan, Turin, Palermo, and Naples, 

 resigned their offices, because they objected to 

 serving under the party of the Left. All the 

 members of the ministry were reflected to the 

 Chamber of Deputies from their respective 

 constituencies, without receiving serious oppo- 



