Charles Philip Yorke, Fourth Earl of Hardwicke, Vice Admiral R.N. by Lady Biddulph of Ledbury

L >> Lady Biddulph of Ledbury >> Charles Philip Yorke, Fourth Earl of Hardwicke, Vice Admiral R.N.

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'For some time past (as you will have learnt from my previous
correspondence) matters in the city had been drawing towards that point
on which decisive measures are forced on both parties. What was believed
by some good citizens in Genoa to be _buffonata_, was in reality
working up the public mind to revolutionary feelings against all law and
authority. A national or civic guard existed in the town under the new
Constitution of Sardinia (for they had a constitution and free
institutions) composed of the citizens of all grades and numbering about
8000 men.

'The municipal council with the Syndic or Mayor at their head, together
with the General of the Civic Guard carried on the Government of the
town, and put themselves at the head of a movement, which had for its
pretence the support of the King in a war against Austria, and a
preparation of the City of Genoa for defence against the common foe.

'After the defeat of the King of Novara by the Austrians and the
conclusion of an armistice, the articles of a Treaty became known which
the Genoese thought disgraceful. There was now the sacred pretence for
keeping up and augmenting a spirit of disaffection towards the
Government, and a demand was made by the municipality on General Asarta
(who commanded for the King here with a garrison of about 5000 men) to
give up the forts and defences of Genoa to the Civic Guard, and serve
out arms to the people; this was said to be for the purpose of resisting
all who joined in the aforesaid Treaty, and to defend the city against
the Austrians. General Asarta appears throughout the whole of this
affair to have conducted himself with great weakness. He gave up Bigota
and Specola, the two most important forts, to the National Guard and
distributed to the people 1400 muskets.

'This was about the state of affairs when I began to interest myself in
the state of Genoa. Seeing the populace in large numbers armed and
giving up their work, the National Guard assuming an air of more
importance, and constant drumming and parading and reviewing going on, I
saw clearly what all this was fast coming to. And on calling on La
Palavacini I seriously spoke of the prospects of Genoa, she laughed and
called it _Buffonata_; but as you will see in the sequel the laugh
of the lady was shortly changed, as were all smiling faces in Genoa.

'On the morning after, I paid a visit to my friend the old Admiral (who
is a Genoese), and on enquiring "What news have you to-day?" he answered
with a gloomy look that it was bad; that the acts of the General were
great faults, and he feared much that having once dealt with the
insurrectionists on terms of equality, they would acquire confidence,
&c. On the following morning the British Consul came on board to me and
begged me in the name of General Asarta and the Intendente Generale, or
Civil Governor of the Dukedom of Genoa, to come at once to the ducal
palace to consult with them on the state of affairs. (By the bye I have
omitted to mention that the day previously the National Guard had seized
the Civil Governor and General Fenetti, the second in Command, in the
streets and cast them into prison, but a few hours after, released the
Civil Governor.)

'I am of opinion that the advice of a foreigner is always offensive even
if asked for, and not likely to be taken; I therefore determined to give
no advice, but to go to them, and state, that I held them responsible
for the security and peace of the town.

'Before, however, going I determined to see the old Admiral (whom I had
a good opinion of, but I found I was in error). I told him what I
thought of advice by a foreigner on such occasions and that my English
ideas were decided in such a case, to defend all the property of the
Crown to the last, and make no further concessions.

'He said, "Go for God's sake." I went and gave no advice, but formally
stated to the King's officer that I held them responsible; they begged
me to put down in writing what I said, which I did.

'That very afternoon General Asarta fled from the ducal palace to the
military arsenal, and withdrew his troops from the outposts and
concentrated his fire in and around the arsenal, leaving his wife and
three daughters in the hands of the Municipality.

'On the following morning I went on shore, and on landing at the
dockyard I met the old Admiral, he was very low in spirits and informed
me that he had information that an attack was intended (immediately) on
the dockyard for the purpose of getting hold of the shot and cannon and
instruments of war. I expressed a hope that he had made all necessary
arrangements for defence of the dockyard, and that he was prepared to
defend it to the last. He answered that he was ready and would do his
duty, he was then dressed _en bourgeois_. After leaving the
dockyard I went to visit General Asarta at the military arsenal. I found
him with 2000 men in and about the building, and two howitzers mounted
on a terrace which overlooks the street leading to the dockyard.

'He told me that he had thought it better to concentrate his forces, and
that as the arsenal contained a large quantity of arms, he had made it
his headquarters, that concession had gone to its limit, and that he was
determined if attacked to defend his position, but that he would do
nothing to provoke an attack.

'I, considering the present position of affairs, commended the course he
proposed, more particularly as General La Marmora with 20,000 men was
advancing on the City; and that he with his advanced guard was not more
than twenty-four hours' march from Genoa.

'From this time matters took a more serious and determined course. The
Genoese had by degrees screwed themselves up to do something, but they
did not know what. The mob, now armed, soon began to feel that they must
either work or plunder, and as they had arms in their hands, with the
municipality and the General of the Guards committed to revolt against
the authority of the Crown, they were easily worked on to begin the
affair. Whilst reading the newspapers at the public room, I was roused
from my ease by the _generale_ being beat through the streets. I
took my way to the dockyard, where, on arriving, I found a fieldpiece
brought up against the gate. At this moment the gates were opened and
the mob rushed in, a few muskets were fired, I have since found by
people looking out of the windows, and the pillage of arms and shot
began. I met the Admiral, still out of uniform. I was ashamed to look at
him; I put my hands before my face and passed him without speaking.

'I went on board the ship and from her deck witnessed the attack of the
National Guards and mob on General Asarta's headquarters. Their easy
victory over the Admiral stimulated them to act against the General; a
fire of musketry and cannon was opened from both sides and was
maintained for nearly an hour, when the city party retreated leaving the
guns in the hands of the General and twenty-one men dead--how many women
was never known.

'The General lost two killed and three women. Among the killed was a
colonel of one of his own regiments. The city was now fairly up, the
tocsin was rung, everybody took up arms, barricades were thrown up
everywhere, and troops bivouacked in the streets. Sentinels, both male
and female, stood at the barricades, and priests in their proper
garments shouldered the musket. This evening a barbarous murder of a
Colonel of Carbineers was committed by the armed populace; he after the
attack on the arsenal put on a plain coat, and walked out to see his
wife who was alone at his home in the town. He was recognised by the
people, they led him to a church where twenty-one bodies of the slain
were laid out, they ordered him to count the bodies audibly. He did so.
They then said, "We want twenty-two and you shall be the twenty-second."
With that he was pierced with bayonets and shot at. From this mode of
treatment he was an hour and a half before death released his
sufferings. His wife was hunted from house to house till she found
shelter on board the _Vengeance_.

'There have been, of course, a number of similar and even more revolting
crimes committed, but I shall not speak of this more. General La Marmora
has shot all his men that have taken the lead in plunder or rapine, and
imprisoned the remainder, and I hope and believe that nothing of this
sort now goes on.

'In this state of affairs I next morning went to visit General Asarta,
having previously called at the ducal palace to see his wife and
children. I got access to them, but found her carefully guarded, and, in
fact, a hostage in the hands of the mob for the conduct of her husband.
It was a painful interview, the manner of her guards towards her was in
my presence respectful, but cold and severe; she and her children have
escaped all personal injury but have been plundered of all they possess.

'I was met at the gate of the arsenal by Captain Cortener, an artillery
man that I knew, in tears; from him I learnt the disgraceful surrender
of the troops, and that the General with 5000 men was to evacuate the
town in 24 hours. I found the General had lost his head, he hardly knew
me, and so I rendered him the last service in Genoa, that of sending a
carriage to take him the first stage to Turin, leaving his wife and
three daughters in the hands of General Avezzana, the head of the
revolt.

'Every preparation was now made by the Municipality and National Guards
for the defence of the place against the King's Forces, approaching
under the command of a young and energetic General. I amused myself with
visiting all their posts, and observed that in the affairs of war, there
were very few among them who knew anything about it.

'Great importance was given to barricades--the word seemed to be ominous
of security--they reconstructed them now, building them of the fine
paving stones of the Place, with sand filled between the stones. They
had embrasures in them in which they mounted one or two heavy pieces of
ordnance; but all this time they were neglecting the forts and walls of
the town--their real defence; and I saw what would happen, and it did
happen, viz. that the town wall was carried easily by escalade.

'The man now holding the military command was one General Avezzana, a
Piedmontese, of low origin I should think; he was an adventurer, had
been concerned in former revolutionary affairs in Italy, and had about
twenty years ago gone to America, where he married a Miss Plowden, an
Irish emigrant in New York. He seems, between the two avocations of a
military and a commercial life, to have made some money. Last year when
Italy and France began this revolutionary concord, he, loving troubled
waters, came over to Genoa and by some means got the King of Sardinia to
give him the appointment of General of the _Guardia Civica_ of
Genoa, a force of nearly 10,000 men of all arms, having cavalry and
artillery included in the force. This force included the noble, the
shop-keeper, and the small trader, and even people having no stake in
the town beyond the occupation of a lodging. It was under the orders,
constitutionally, of the Crown in the first place, and then of the
Mayor, or Syndic, and his council.

'Genoa now stood alone with its own Government and its own army, at war
with its legitimate Monarch the King of Sardinia. They hoisted the
Sardinian flag nevertheless, but without the Royal Arms in the centre.

'In addition to this force there were in the town persons who had been
by degrees arriving for a long time past, people who form the _Guardia
Mobile_ of Italy, and have gone from town to town exciting
discontent, about 2000 in number of all nations, under officers French
and Poles. In addition, about 30,000 muskets with ammunition in
abundance had fallen into the hands of the Genoese on the taking of the
arsenal, so that women and boys were armed. This was the state of things
early on the morning of the 3rd of April; during the 2nd, a Provisional
Government had been formed for the Duchy of Genoa and the Genoese flag
paraded through the streets. This Government consisted of Albertini, a
scoundrel and a blackguard, Reta, and Avezzana.

'I contemplated the state of things with deep interest. On the afternoon
of the 3rd, as I was walking slowly from post to post towards the Porta
della Lanterna I heard the crack of a musket, followed by eight or nine
in rapid succession; there was great stir in the streets immediately and
the _generale_ was beat, and the tocsin began to sound. I passed on
rapidly towards the Porta della Lanterna from which point the firing had
now become rapid, and meeting a man who had received a musket ball flesh
wound, I asked him the news; he said that La Marmora's
_bersaglieri_ or light troops, had got over the wall.

'I now turned back towards the town and was much questioned at the first
barricade by the people; when I told them that General La Marmora had
got into the suburb, there was a universal flight from the barricade,
which made me laugh exceedingly, and did not give me a very high opinion
of the valour of the Genoese insurrectionary troops, but it was only the
first panic, and they recovered from it.

'At this moment a gun was fired from the head of the old Mole, and as
its direction was towards the _Vengeance_, I went on board.

'Now to give you an idea of the powers I had as a spectator of the
coming conflict, I must tell you that the Mole of Genoa is semicircular,
all the land rises in hills and terraces from the water, and the ship
lay in that part of the semicircle next the Porta della Lanterna, and
not above 300 to 400 yards from the whole field of battle. You will see
what a good view I had of all the affair, and that all the shot from the
opposing batteries passed over, or round the ship.

'On arriving on board, I saw that the light troops of General La Marmora
were carefully and slowly descending from the heights, and driving in
the outposts of the citizens; it was very pretty to see the way in which
these men conducted the proceedings. First of all, they are very
picturesque troops, having on their heads a hat which has a long flowing
feather (which is a gamecock's tail dyed green); figure to yourself the
rifle men in the _Freischutz_, and you have the men before you.
Singly and silently did these men advance, peeping over every wall,
making every bank a cover, and killing or wounding at almost every shot;
while the citizens were crouching in confused groups, and as a man of
the group fell from the unseen shot, the rest ran away, fired on from
ten to twelve points, and thus dispersed. On all this I looked as upon a
map. The consequence of all this was, that in about three hours 120
light troops, the general, La Marmora in person, which was all of his
army that had arrived, took possession of the suburb of Genoa up to the
first barricade of the town; but behind, and cut off, was the fortress
of the gate, the key of Genoa, which the National Guards still held.

'About this time as the troops of La Marmora were seen on the heights,
the town battery on the Mole had opened its fire, but no reply could be
made to it; as yet La Marmora had no guns over the wall.

'About 1 o'clock P.M. three cheers and a shot from a gun showed that he
had mounted his first piece of ordnance on the height above the gate.
During the night the fire was kept up between this one gun and the guns
on the town mole head.

'I must now pause to let you know that many refugees were on board, and
as the fight thickened, I had no doubt that the morrow would fill the
ship with folks of all nations and both sexes.

'During the night a portion of La Marmora's advanced guard had arrived,
and a battalion of light troops as well as one of infantry had got over
the wall. He now made his attack on the gate, which was soon taken; some
few escaped to the seaside and hid themselves in the rocks, but the
greater part were killed. He also pressed forward along the road towards
the city's first strong position, but his men got on but slowly, for the
houses and points that afforded cover were well contested, and he lost
many men.

'However, now he had got possession of the batteries of the Lanterna,
mounting 19 guns, 68- and 32-pounders, with which he began to thunder
away about 1 o'clock on the town. Before dark La Marmora had possession
of all between the Lanterna and the Doria Palace, but here his
difficulties increased; the fighting was severe during the whole of this
day, and for the last five hours General La Marmora did not advance a
foot. At about two o'clock in the afternoon General La Marmora sent an
aide-de-camp to me, to beg to see me.

'I was on shore at the time looking at how the rebels got on at their
advanced post, but as soon as I was informed I went to him. He was out
on horseback at his attacking point, so asking for a horse, I mounted
and rode towards his post of attack. I met him returning. We were very
well fired on with round shot on our return, but as he and I rode
together two shots struck on each side of us, which led me to remark to
him that they fired well; he told me that that battery was commanded by
a deserter from their artillery.

'In this ride back with him I got at all his intentions with regard to
the city.

'He told me he had 25,000 men coming up, that there was no mode of
warfare that he would not visit on the city, shot, shell, night attack,
and I added, "What say you to pillage," he replied, "I cannot guarantee
the contrary."

'After dismounting at his headquarters, a room in the gateway, he begged
me to look out for the Sardinian fleet expected, and to deliver to the
Admiral two letters.

'I then, after visiting his batteries, went on board. Whilst standing in
the battery of the Lanterna his men, after begging me to bob under the
parapet and then trying to pull me down, were surprised to hear that on
board ship, bobbing was tabooed to me, and therefore we were not
accustomed to do so, but, as I told them, I had not the least objection
to their doing so. Both sides fired very well and with great rapidity,
and at this time La Marmora had thirty guns and mortars bearing on the
town, to which the town was replying with about forty, so there was a
very respectable cannonade carried on.

'At about 6 P.M. he took the Doria Palace, the fire from his artillery
forcing the city people to leave it. He now established his advanced
posts for the night in the Doria Palace. This day had put more than 120
refugees on board the ship, but she was not so comfortable as we
expected. I was full; and for three nights never pulled off my clothes,
indeed I could not find a square foot to rest on, in either cabin.

'I really, my dear, must leave out all the interesting details of my
arrangements and difficulties with your sex, the state of things such as
this beggars description! I was anxious to give shelter to all, and in
the afternoon, before I saw the General, it began to grow rather warm in
Genoa. I called at the house of my Genoese lady friends, and such as had
not already fled I induced to take shelter on board. At one lady's house
the fair owner was in such a state of indecision I could bring her to no
resolution, as a shell passed or fell near her house she would wring her
hands and cry out, "What shall I do? My beautiful furniture! My
beautiful house!" but she never said one word about her husband who was
in a fort above the town, which fort I knew must soon be attacked, or
her infant child who was with her. At last on my telling her I must go,
as I had much to do, she came and was taken on board; but I must leave
this part of the play to be told _viva voce_.

'At about half-past eight this evening, having served the poor
frightened refugees with the best fare I could give them, finding that
La Marmora's fire was very serious against the city, and that to-morrow
it would be twice as severe, seeing the wretched state of the poor
Genoese women on board, and the more dreadful state in prospect for them
in the town, I took the resolution of, at all hazards to myself and
without consulting anyone, to try and stop this state of things; I
ordered my gig to be manned.

'I must here, my love, break off my narrative till next post; the
steamer will wait no longer and my dispatches must go on board.

'Adieu, my love.

'I am, ever your devoted

'CHARLES.'

* * * * *

GENOA: April 20, 1849.

'MY BELOVED S.,

'I have no sooner dispatched my letter to you this afternoon than I
again take up my pen to carry on the narrative of the recent events
here.

'I left off at the point where I determined to interfere and start for
the shore in my boat. It was fortunately a fine night, a few low light
clouds floated in the atmosphere, the roar of artillery, so close that
the ship shook at every discharge, the roaring hiss of the shot, the
beautiful bright fuse of the bomb-shell, as it formed its parabola in
the air, sometimes obscured as it passed through a cloud and again
emerged, gave an active and anxious feeling to my mind. I could not but
feel that I had a great and a good work in hand, I was soon on shore,
the only gate in the city that was guaranteed to be open I pulled for;
it was directly under the fire of the Boys' Home, two round shots struck
the ground as I landed passing close over our heads. Desiring my
coxswain to pull the boat back among the shipping and out of the line of
fire, I walked to the gate and beat against it with the butt end of my
sword; it was opened by one of the few officers of the Civic Guard who
now wore his uniform. Saying a few civil words to him I passed on up the
street to the ducal palace. This city was at this moment worth
contemplating.

'Usually crowded with both sexes in rapid motion and gay laughing
conversation, it now was like the city of the dead, its silence only
disturbed by the explosion of the shells or a wall struck by shot, and
the occasional reports of musketry in quick succession.

'I had to pass three barricades before reaching the Palace, the two
first were deserted, on passing the third a bayonet was presented to my
breast. On looking up I found the other end was in the hands of a pretty
delicate woman. I pushed the weapon aside and giving her a military
salute, passed on. I got easy access to the Municipal Body.

'It is not easy to give in writing a perfect idea of this night's
scenes. You must carry in your head the state of Genoa; the people who
formed the municipality were persons who had only read of war, they had
never seen its terrors before; they were fathers and husbands, men of
property, all within the city walls; they were the heads of the revolts
in the first instance, about soon to become the followers or slaves of
the armed rebel, or die.

'The present state of things favoured my plan. I was received by four of
the good people who sat quietly waiting for others, and about twenty
people, among whom was the Bishop of Genoa, were soon in the room. I
opened my mission to them and drew as strong a picture as I was able,
obliged to speak French, of the position, and then asked them if they
agreed to my view of that part of this case. They concurred in all I
said.

'It was to the effect that the military power was outside and inside.
That the one inside was most to be feared, and that no question existed
at this moment to warrant a resistance which would destroy the city,
give the wives and children to rapine, and their homes to pillage,
without a chance of success on their side.

'I next put before them their duty, which was at once to set a good
example; to rally the respectable people, and people of property in the
town, and separate themselves from foreigners and niggards; next, to
surrender the city to the King's general, and not to sit to see it
destroyed without a struggle to save themselves from ruin and disgrace.
To all this they gave a ready assent; but how to act was the question.

'I said, "If you have confidence in me let us act together," and moving
to the table I took up a pen and began to write on a sheet of paper,
when lo! a visitor made his appearance that aided me much in my
intentions. A shell knocked off the top of the chimney and perforated
the wall, exploding in the chimney of the ante-room to the one we were
in. The effect was great, but I coolly said, "Oh pooh, only a shell--let
us go on," and the fear and excitement which had for a moment prevailed
subsided, my words and manner restoring confidence and stopping
observations. La Marmora's messenger did me good service, for on
finishing my draft of a treaty it was generally approved of; but they
added an additional clause giving an amnesty to all for recent offences.
This clause I objected to, but being in haste to see what General La
Marmora would say to me, I deferred all discussion till my return.

'I got quickly down to my boat and pulled across the mole to the Porta
della Lanterna, and found no interruption from the sea to the works
above, till I came to the gate; here of course I had to wait till all
the forms were gone through which state of war required. I found the
General had gone to St. Pierre de la Regina, two miles off for the
night; no wonder, for nineteen 68- and 32-pounders were firing from the
lantern battery, and a fire of ten or twelve guns returning the salute
from the town on this point alone.

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