THE ROYAL TROOPS CROSS THE FRONTIER. I4I

to hîs ministers ; ‘ think only of saving Italy by any measures possible. Do what you esteem best ; I will bear the conséquences.’

In spite of the ill-regulated zeal of the volunteers and their disobedience to his authority, Victor Emmanuel had a great tendemess for those misguided youths ; and he had eamestly hoped that his proclamation would hâve recalled them to a sense of their duty as citizens and subjects. In the hope of winning them over to join the ranks of the royal army, the Italian troops were ordered to cross the papal frontier.

This précaution was interpreted in a hostile sense by the Pontifical authorities, who loudly proclaimed that the King of Italy had violated the convention. It was well for them, however, that Victor Emmanuel stood between them and the seething fury of the nation at that moment ; if he had slackened the reins of govemment and let the storm take its course, guided by the republican leaders, history would hâve had a different story to tell than the defeat of the volunteers at Mentana. Whoever has read Garibaldi’s book, The Rule of the Monk, will be able to form an idea of how the clei^ were regarded by the Republican party, and the fate that would hâve been allotted to the dignitaries of the Church had they corne into power. Happily for humanity and civilisation, a wise, firm, and tolérant prince was at the head of the state, who, in order to maintain his treaty in the spirit, sacrificed the letter.

But matters had gone too far with the Romans and their sympathisera outside to admit of a peaceable

termination. Ménotti Garibaldi, at the head of the volunteers, had entered the State of the Church, and the inhabitants rose as one man to welcome them and join their ranks. In each town their forces were augmented ; they passed through the country defeating the papal troops everywhere, and marched on the Eternal City. It had been pre-arranged that the conspirators in the city were to admit the invading forces by the gâte of St. Paul ; but the government having discovered a great quantity of firearms concealed near this gâte, the plot miscarried. The rebels, surprised, made a desperate résistance, but were overcome and eut down with great havoc; those outside, attempting an entrance, also fell victims to the well-armed and welldisciplined Swiss Guards. The leader of the rebel band was the brother of the late prime minister of Italy,

Carioli, who won so much renown, in November last, by J

saving his king’s life almost with the sacrifice of his own. Young Carioli fell mortally wounded, and expired crying, Viva Rotna! Deeds of great brutality were afterwards committed by the papal soldiers, but were disowned by the government when they came to be publicly known.

The Roman Consulta, or senate, presented a pétition '

to the Pope, signed by 12,000 citizens, entreating him to ^

call Victor Emmanuel’s army to Rome, as the only means of restoring order and peace. But that was the last course which Pius would hâve thought of adopting.

Meantime Garibaldi, having escaped from Caprera, took the field once more, and met with a decided