sly the defence of the violated law of
nations, met at Warsaw; and Napoleon III. presented to them a memorandum
by which he engaged to abandon Piedmont in the event of her attacking
Venice. But "he presupposed that the German Powers would also confine
themselves to an attitude of abstention, and would avoid furnishing a
pretext for an Italian attack of Austria." At length, the Piedmontese
fleet, under Admiral Persano, succeeded in demolishing the more important
portion of the fortifications of Ancona. A white flag was now displayed on
the citadel and all the lesser forts; and Major Mauri was sent on board
the admiral's ship to negotiate a capitulation. The firing ceased on both
sides. But now occurred a circumstance which stigmatizes to all time the
character of the Piedmontese generals, Fanti and Cialdini. M. de
Quatrebarbes relates, "that whilst the conditions of capitulation were
under discussion, the land army, furious at having been repelled, and at
having done nothing that could contribute towards the taking of the city,
recommenced firing along the whole line. The bombardment and cannonade
continued from nine o'clock in the evening of the 28th until nine in the
morning of the 29th, and that, although negotiators had been sent, and
bells had been rung, announcing the cessation of hostilities, in defiance
even of a very pressing letter of the admiral, who would not participate
in such an infamous proceeding. He also recalled on board his ships the
marine who served a land battery. All this time not a single cannon was
fired from the city. Thus the Piedmontese army bombarded incessantly for
twelve hours a defenceless town, in violation of the law of nations, and
all sentiments of honor and humanity. Admiral Persano himself reported at
Turin the refusal of the land army to cease firing. Such a fact must
excite the indignation of all right-thinking people." The revolution was
highly offended when compared to Islamism. Are the regular troops of Islam
accused of such barbarities? The Bashi-Bazouks could not have done worse.

When the capitulation was signed at two o'clock in the afternoon of the
29th, the small Pontifical army had ceased to exist, and the Piedmontese,
now free to follow out their plans, could go to join the bands of
Garibaldi, under the walls of Gaeta, and, together with him, complete "the
extirpation of the Papal cancer," or, as one of their school, Pinelli,
said, "Crush the sacerdotal vampire." But alth