ALABAMA CLAIMS. 19 
Graian Alps, and of the Gallic territory on both 
shores of Lake Leman, and at length to the possession 
of extensive Italian territories, denominated Piedmont 
by relation to the Alps and the Apennines, the 
nucleus of the present Kingdom of Italy. 
Tt needs to conceive and picture to the mind’s eye 
the Alpine‘cradle of this adventurous and martial, but 
cultivated race of Italianized Savoisian princes, nobles, 
and people—the fertile, but ravaged valleys of the 
Rhone, the Arve, the Albarine, the Arc, and the two 
Doras; the castellated heights of L’Ecluse, Mont- 
mélian, and La Brunnetta; the vine-clad hill‘sides and 
the lofty cols dominated by the giant peaks of Mont 
Blanc and Monte Rosa; the sepulchral monuments of 
Haute-Combe and of Brou, and the rich plains along 
the Italian foot of the Alps,—in order to comprehend 
the growth to greatness of sovereigns such as Vittorio 
Emanuele, supported by such generals as Menabrea 
and Cialdini, and statesmen and magistrates such as 
Azeglio, Balbo, Sclopis, and especially Cavour. 
Like his compatriot, the Marquis d’Azeglio, Count 
Sclopis is eminent as an author. Of his published 
writings, some are in French, such as “ Marie Louise 
Gabrielle de Savoie” and “Cardinal Morone.” But 
his most important works are in Italian; and above 
all, the learned “Storia della Legislazione Italiana,” 
the last edition of which, in five volumes, is a most in- 
teresting and instructive exhibition of the successive 
stages of the medieval and modern legislation of all 
the different States of Italy. 
Such was the eminent personage who presided. over 
