Garibaldi attacked and
occupied Palermo, and having established his ascendency in the island,
invaded the Neapolitan territory on the mainland. The Sardinian
Government, for diplomatic reasons, disavowed the expedition, but gave
a retrospective assent to it later in the year.

The French Emperor's policy in Syria added to the distrust with which
he was regarded. The Maronites, a Christian tribe, had been attacked
and massacred by the Druses, and the Emperor had proposed to send
troops to restore order. This step was eventually taken, after a
European conference had been held; but the Emperor's proposal was
so severely criticised that he wrote a long letter to the French
Ambassador in London, reviewing and justifying his policy in Italy and
elsewhere, since the Peace of Villafranca.

Garibaldi had ignored the instructions of Victor Emmanuel to abstain
from further operations against Naples, until the two Sicilies had
voted for absorption into United Italy; King Francis fled to Gaeta,
and Garibaldi entered the capital. At the same time, Cavour, in spite
of a French protest, determined upon the invasion of the Papal States,
and acted so promptly that in three weeks all effective opposition to
the Italian cause in that territory was put down, and Umbria and the
Marches were conquered. In October, the Piedmontese Parliament voted
for the annexation of such of the southern Italian provinces as should
declare themselves in favour of it; the Two Sicilies having accepted
the offer by overwhelming majorities, the King and Garibaldi joined
hands at Teano, and finally defeated the Bourbon army, afterwards
entering Naples. The Marches and Umbria also declared for
incorporation in the new Kingdom.

In July, the Prince of Wales, accompanied by the Duke of Newcastle,
left England for a tour in Canada, where he was welcomed with
unbounded enthusiasm; he afterwards proceeded to the United States,
visiting New York, Chicago, and other great cities, being received
by President Buchanan at Washington. The Prince returned home in the
course of November.

The Abolitionist troubles, which for some time had been acute in the
States, came to a crisis in the last days of the year, South Carolina
adopting autonomous ordinances, declaring her own independence and
sovereignty as a State, and her secession from the Union.

The refusal of the Chinese Government to ratify the Treaty of
Tien-tsin, and an unwarranted attack on certain British ship