a insurgents,
reinforced by about three thousand others from Romagna, were to enter
Bologna by the San Felice gate. Another group would enter the arsenal,
the doors of which would be opened by two non-commissioned officers, and
take possession of the arms and ammunition, carrying them to the Church
of Santa Annunziata, where all the guns should be stored. At certain
places in the city material was already gathered with which to improvise
barricades. One hundred republicans had promised to take part in the
movement, not as a group, but individually. On the 7th copies of the
proclamation of the Italian Committee for the Social Revolution were
distributed throughout the city, calling the masses to arms and urging
the soldiers to make common cause with the people. During the nights of
the 7th and 8th, groups from Bologna assembled at the appointed places
of meeting outside the walls, but the Romagna comrades did not come, or
at least came in very small numbers. Those from Imola were surrounded in
their march, some being arrested and others being forced to retreat. At
dawn the insurgents who had gathered under the walls of Bologna
dispersed, some taking refuge in the mountains. Bakounin had been alone
during the night, and became convinced that the insurrection had failed.
He was trying to make up his mind to commit suicide, when his friend,
Silvio, arrived and told him that all was not lost and that perhaps
other attempts might yet be made. The following day Bakounin was removed
to another retreat of greater safety, as numerous arrests had been made
at Bologna, Imola, Romagna, the Marches, as well as in Florence, Rome,
and other parts of Italy.

About the same time a conspiracy similar to that undertaken at Bologna
was launched by Enrico Malatesta and some friends in Apulia. A heavy
chest of guns had been dispatched from Tarentum to a station in the
province of Bari, from which it was carried on a cart to the old
chateau of _Castel del Monte_, which had been chosen as the rendezvous.
"Many hundreds of conspirators," Malatesta recounts, "had promised to
meet at _Castel del Monte_. I arrived, but of all those who had sworn to
be there we found ourselves six. No matter. We opened the box of arms
and found it was filled with old percussion guns, but that made no
difference. We armed ourselves and declared war on the Italian army. We
roamed the country for some days, trying to gain over the peasants, but
meeting with no response