ITALY. 



411 



which was carried by 184 to 162 votes. Never- 

 theless, in the sitting on December 16th, Signer 

 Depretis announced that, in consequence of the 

 present position of parties, the ministers had 

 tendered their resignation to the King, who had 

 accepted them, and that Signer Depretis had 

 been charged with the formation of a new cabi- 

 net. On December 28th, the King announced 

 the following cabinet to the Senate : Depretis, 

 President of the Council of Ministers and Min- 

 ister of Foreign Affairs ; Crispi, Minister of the 

 Interior ; Magliano, Minister of Finance ; Man- 

 cini, Minister of Justice and Worship ; Mezza- 

 capo, Minister of War ; Brin, Minister of the 

 Navy; Coppino, Minister of Education; Perez, 

 Minister of Public Works; Bargoni, Minister 

 of the Treasury. The Chamber was prorogued 

 on December 19th, and the Senate adjourned 

 on December 29th. 

 The Minister of the Interior, Signor Nico- 



tera, was engaged in a bitter quarrel with the 

 opposition during 1877. On November 2, 

 1876, three days before the election for depu- 

 ties, the Gazzetta d'ltalia published an article 

 entitled, " The Hero of Sapri," the autobiog- 

 raphy of Giovanni Nicotera. In this article it 

 gave a documentary history of the rising of 

 Sapri in 1857, and the trial of the participants 

 in it, all the records of the trial being signed 

 by Nicotera himself. From this article it ap- 

 peared that Nicotera, who had taken part in 

 this rising, betrayed his confederates, and, 

 while professing to be a Kepublican, assumed 

 the title of Baron, without having any right to 

 it. In consequence of this article, Nicotera 

 sued the proprietors of the paper for libel. 

 During the trial, however, a large number of 

 damaging facts were produced against the min- 

 ister, and the general result was so unfavorable 

 to him, that the state-attorney did not uphold 



BRIDGE AND CASTLE OF 8ANT' ANQELO, WITH ST. PETER'S IN THE DISTANCE, ROME. 



the charge in its original form, but asked for a 

 comparatively mild sentence. On January 

 25th, the trial came to an end, and the proprie- 

 tors of the paper were sentenced to three 

 months' imprisonment, to pay a fine of 500 lire, 

 and the expenses of the plaintiff. 



A numismatic discovery, unparalleled in ex- 

 tent, was made near Verona in January. Two 

 large amphora? were found, containing no less 

 than two quintals, or about 600 English pounds 

 weight, of coins of the Emperor Gallienus, and 

 his successors within the 100 years following his 

 reign. The number of coins was estimated at 

 between 50,000 and 55,000. Of those of the 

 Emperor Probus, there were more than 4,000. 

 The majority were of bronze, but there were 

 some of silver and others of bronze silvered. 



They were all in the finest state of preserva- 

 tion, and, with the exception of those of Gal- 

 lienus, which were a little worn, they were so 

 fresh from the mint as to make it evident they 

 were never put into circulation. The discovery 

 was considered of sufficient importance for the 

 Minister of Public Instruction to dispatch Si- 

 gnor Pigorini specially to Verona to report upon 

 it. All the finest examples were to be placed 

 in the Museum of Verona, and the remainder 

 either exchanged in sets with other museums 

 or sold, as might be decided upon. 



On June 3d, the 50th anniversary of tho 

 Episcopal consecration of Pius IX., and the 80th 

 of the promulgation of the Italian Constitution, 

 were celebrated with all possible solemnity 

 both at the Quirinal and at the Vatican. 



