SOME BOOKS ' OF THE WEER.
(Nita is WI solemn does not meneseity prelude rsbseyuant mains.] L'IftgAillerra nal Riaorgimento Italians. Di Adolfo Colombo. (Milan : Casa Editrice Risorgimento. 1 lira 50.)—The part that Great Britain played in the Union of Italy is admirably described in this little book. Signor Colombo does justice to Palmerston, Glad- stone, and Russell, and to the Italians living in England, like Lacaita and Panimi, who lent valuable unofficial aid to the movement. It was,a.s the author sees, at the demand of the British public that a somewhat hesitating Government threw its weight on the side of Italian freedom, and abandoned its diplomatic schemes for check- mating Napoleon III. without yielding overmuch to Austria. Gari- baldi at Palermo had invaluable moral support from British war- ships, which deterred the Neapolitan Navy from bombarding the city. When Napoleon III. was trying to obtain British approval for a scheme to prevent Garibaldi from crossing to the mainland, Lacaita, at Cavour's instance, had a dramatic interview with Lord John Russell and persuaded him to reject the proposal. The way was left clear for Garibaldi to invade the Bourbon Kingdom and occupy it. Signor Colombo given facsimiles of some of Palmeraton's and Gladstone's letters and several portraits. His little book shows a true appreciation of our disinterested efforts on behalf of Italy sixtyycars ago--efforts which we are renewingat the present moment,
Previous page
