456 



ITALY. 



and the cost of construction up to December 

 81, 1876, 2,392,131,300 lire. 



The length of telegraph lines in 1877 was 

 23,7*8 kilometres; of wires, 80,609; of sub- 

 marine cables, 178; and of government stations 

 in 1*77, 1/202. The number of dispatches in 

 1877 was 5,580,402, of which 5,047,335 were 

 private, 235,681 official, 105,594 service, and 

 1J 1.792 transit dispatches. 



The naval estimates for 1879 amount to 44,- 

 000,000 lire, of which 12,600,000 lire are to be 

 applied to the construction and completion of 

 new ships. According to the scheme for the 

 reorganization of the navy prepared by Admi- 

 ral Erin and sanctioned by the Chambers in 

 1877, the sea-going fleet is to consist eventu- 

 ally of 16 first-class men-of-war, 10 men-of- 

 war of the second class, 20 of the third class, 

 and a few smaller vessels, making in all 72 

 ships, costing a total sum of 275,000,000 lire. 

 The reorganization is to be completed in ten 

 years. 



Italy met with a serious loss by the death 

 of its first King, Victor Einanuel II., which oc- 

 curred on January 9th, after a short illness. 

 (See VICTOR EMANUEL.) His oldest son, Prince 

 Humbert, immediately issued a proclamation 

 to the people, announcing that he had ascend- 

 ed the throne as Humbert I. The Chambers 

 met on January 16th, and resolved to go into 

 mourning for six months. On the 19th King 

 Humbert took the oath of fidelity to the Con- 

 stitution before a large assemblage in the Par- 

 liament House. The oaths were then admin- 

 istered to the Senators and Deputies, after 

 which the King read the following address : 



The words which in the first moments of sorrow 

 I addressed to my people I come now to repeat to 

 their representatives. I feel encouraged in reassum- 

 ing the duties of life by seeing how the mourning 

 of my house has found a sincere echo in all parts of 

 our country, how the blessed memory of the Liber- 

 ator King has made of all Italian households one 

 family. So great a unanimity of feeling was also 

 very soothing to the heart of my beloved consort, 

 Queen Margaret, who will educate our well-beloved 

 Bon to follow the glorious example of his great grand- 

 father. Nor was it a minor consolation to us in our 

 sudden sorrow the sympathy of all Europe, the con- 

 course of august foreign princes and illustrious per- 

 sonages which lent a solemnity and significance to 

 e honors paid our first King in the capital of the 

 kingdom. These pledges of respect and sympathy 

 rbich reconsecrate Italian rights, and for which 'l 

 t express my profound gratitude, strengthen the 

 iction that free and united Italy is a guarantee 

 of pence and progress. It is for us to keep our coun- 

 l [y "Pto such high destinies. We are not new to 

 Hculties of public life. These last thirty years 

 our national history are summed up in alternate 

 ials of undeserved misfortunes and of well-pre- 

 ared successes. This is the thought which encour- 

 ntakineupthe duties imposed upon me. 

 ich wc-11 knew how to understand Victor 

 no!, proves to me to-day what my great father 

 i to tell me that the religious obser- 

 r live institutions is the best safeguard 

 offmmot ) all dangers. This is the faith of my house ; 

 e my strength ; and the Parliament, faith- 

 ful to the national will, will aid me in the first steps 

 my rein wuh that loyalty of intent which the 

 glonous King, whose memory all men celebrate, 



knew how to inspire, even amid the earnest emula- 

 lation of parties and in the inevitable conflict of cir- 

 cumstances. Sincerity of purpose and concord of 

 patriotic love will accompany me, I am sure, in the 

 arduous way which we are about to tread, at the end 

 of which I only aspire to deserve this praise : " He 

 was worthy of his father." 



The Chambers were then adjourned until 

 March 7th, when they were opened by King 

 Humbert in person. In his speech from the 

 throne he sketched the programme of legisla- 

 tion that he desired to effect. First in impor- 

 tance he placed the question of electoral reform, 

 which had been counseled by his father. He 

 also promised a transformation of the system 

 of taxation which would alleviate the burdens 

 of the poorer classes, and a bill to settle the 

 question of ecclesiastical property. Referring 

 to the Eastern question, he stated that his Gov- 

 ernment, while maintaining most friendly and 

 cordial relations with all foreign states, had 

 adhered to the religious observance of treaties, 

 and followed without suspicious precautions a 

 confident neutrality. The Government had, 

 therefore, consented to take part in a confer- 

 ence of the Powers, wishing to secure a per- 

 manent peace for Europe. " Our sincere im- 

 partiality," he said, " will add weight to our 

 counsels, and the example of our recent history 

 will avail us as an argument to uphold the 

 solutions most conformable to justice and to 

 the rights of humanity." He finally alluded to 

 the death of "the late lamented and venerated 

 Pope," after a pontificate of thirty -two years, 

 and the election of his successor, naming nei- 

 ther, but stating that the rites of the Conclave 

 were freely observed without disturbance to 

 the tranquillity of men's minds. 



The position of the Ministry at the opening 

 of Parliament was very precarious, owing 

 chiefly to the scandal afloat about Signer Crispi, 

 Minister of the Interior, to the effect that he 

 had virtually committed bigamy, without com- 

 ing within the pale of the law. When the 

 House elected Signor Cairoli, the leader of the 

 opposition, its President, the Ministry resigned, 

 and Cairoli was intrusted with the formation 

 of a new Cabinet, which was composed as fol- 

 lows: Cairoli, President, without portfolio; 

 Count Corti, Foreign Affairs; Zanardell 5 , In- 

 terior ; Seismit-Doda, Finance ; Conforti, Jus- 

 tice; Baccarini, Public Works; De Sanctis, 

 Public Instruction ; Bruzzo, War ; Brochetti, 

 Marine. On March 26th Signer Cairoli re- 

 ported the new Ministry to the Parliament, 

 and at the same time made a brief statement 

 of policy, in which he enumerated the bills the 

 Government intended to bring forward during 

 the session. He made few pledges, but en- 

 gaged to maintain the prestige of parliamenta- 

 ry government at home and respect neutrality 

 abroad, and to maintain the lately established 

 balance between revenue and expenditure. 

 The Government would propose an inquiry 

 into the condition of railways, bring in bills 

 for the provisional management of North Ital- 

 ian lines and for an electoral reform, and refer 



