Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Volume VII, Number 20, 16 May 1868 — FOREIGN NEWS. [ARTICLE]

FOREIGN NEWS.

T«ul or B*si.f.tta CrLf« ts Few io Inty th«? that were comrnm<p*i at Bir*ett« m the mnr/,h of Marcb. 1556. when th? bvindeii md b'£n*ed rr~ n pl« of that to«m nnde an 3tsack on (he Eraogelici, #nd c«mmrne«J atr»*<sties wh»ch even now few ean think of without a shudder. Twenty m«»nths fas#ed by. and stil! thcrc was no notice of those who h*d g«itiy of fh« dreadfu! h»rb»riurs ■een brought totri»i. Many persons imagjned that. throogh the intervention of the priests and their fi»llowers, the matter had beeo ho?hed up, and that the criminals would In thisaffair, hnweTer. the Govero* pben( has acted with stnct itnpartin!ity. In the month of November 1567 the trial ofth«s prisoners, to the numb<*r of sixty-two, eonimenced. The trial lnsted a!mo?t s»x weeks. "fwenty.two of <hose who were placed at tbe bar were iiberated, ashaving nireftdy undrrgonc sufficienf punishment; ten were condemned to eightepn years of forced hbf>ur. fourteen to ten years, six to eight yejir.«. five to se?en years; one \vas cond« enined t'> seven years* imprisonincnt, two to* fiv? ycars. a woiuan to three years, and one to one year. Afr>on£j those who wcre condernned to e»ghteen vears at the g»iieys ore P. Vito Maria, ihe C:ipuchin monk who, by his fierce denunciations against the Prntes« tanf«. excited the peopie to the aUnek; and the Canon R;jggero Posriglione, who pinnned and heiped to carry it into effVct. This sentence c:»used gre;»t astonishment at Barietta. The advocates who dtfended the priests had nssured the peopie that there was not the siightest doubt but that they wou!d be !ibernted. Ab iinmense crowd of b ! go«s had eoliected in ord*r to n»eet tlieso worthy pfiests on their retur» from Trani, where the trial w«s hf-ld, and conduct tiiem in triumph into the city. Su».pti>ous dinners were prepared, nnd every preparation made to give th?m a nght hearty weieome. At h;»if-past two a carriage was seen approaching the to\tfh A< onee the crowd eame to the coriclusion that it contained those priests who hnd giv*»n them such a wonderful examp!e of what w; s meant by the Gospe! of Peaee. Inste»d, thry found that it contained a messenger who hnd been sent froin Trani to tell them that tht-sp whom they had expected to wei* eome had been sontenced to eighteen years' labour in irons at thc gal!e)*s. Their jny w«s turned into sorrow. Some foamed with rage, und others burst into tears. To the Evangelici it has given the ass»ir.mce thiit justice wili be done to them m their tria!, and that the G»»vernment intend to preserve reiigious liberty Papal Misgovf.rn&ient— Fro?i badto worse. A correspondent to the writing frot:i Rome a few days ago, affirms that Antonellrs answer now in 18t>8 is the same as it was in 1860—that he wou!d not refuse to grant certain reforms, etc., but t!iat first of al! the wholo of the ancient Papal proviuc s, even as f >r as the Po, must bc restored to the Pope. Under such circuuistances. the Pope is thus propped upon his thronc with the assuranco that he will be maintained there by the French> wiiatever his eonduct may be. Who ean te!l how far this wiii inAuenee his future proceedings ? The ft>iio\ving edict show that there is littie prospect of any improvement. Gregory XiV. passed n iaw by whieh the proper"ty of ail J>risoners of the St»te was confiscated. This law was, however, not nut into executionexcept in very rare cases, and had almost been forgotten. Pius IX. hss not on!y.again eailed it into force, but has even gooe further. According to a circular issued by Ds VVitten, the Pope's Minister of the Interi»r ( not oniy nre the goods of aii wiio are fotind guilty of any po!itica! crime confiscated, but the property of those who, although innocent, are suspccted of any such breach of the law, is taken pussession of, and not restored tii! aftcr the cose is decided ! Thus every Koimin is at the mcrcy of\a poliee agent or any enemy that he may have. A hiot of treasoti or other polit>cal crim« tnny throw a inun into prison ; und tiil his c.ise has been tried and decidcd, no one ein take any charge of his possessions or business. Thb Premiek's Policy. Notwitbstandmg ali that has lately taken plaee, and the fa*ct that the possession of Kome ns tbe capital of ltaly seems asd.stant as ever, the ltalians have not given up hope that this will yet be ACCoinphshed. When Menaba i a, whose ieaoings werc all be)ieved to be in f«vour ol the priestiy parly, eame into pnwcr, this event was hai!ed \vith gl«d--ne&s by a!) those wbo favoured the pretensions of the Pope. In ail his speeches how* ever, he has dwelt strong!y upon the neces* sity of obtaining posses?ion of Kome, whieh he charac»erises as a plaee where p!ots are constant!y beiog formed ngainstthe kingdora of lta]y. The means by whieh be wou!d accotnplish this are by coming to some agreement with the Pope—ll proposal whieh is looked upon w»tb the gravest suspicion by aii who de.Mre to soe the spread of the Gospel in this )and, for it i« »hnost cert«in that this cuuld not be eflTected without certain imped»ments being pUced in the way of evan» gelistic iabours. While this pmpo&i) is iooked upon witb 9ttspicton by friends of tbe Gospel, it is r**garded \vith equ»l disfavour by the priests„ The eleiieal newspapers have criticised Menabrea's speechet with the great?st s?verity. and show themselves decidedly opposed to his plan of actioo. The l»te e!ection of a Prrsident for Pariiament pn>vcs that he lws a inajoritv <rf members on

h'* si3k. bit js citrerHe:y Joubrfai wherhcr h* wtH be a&e to \r\ In ca«e of hts rssigrnt!oo. the P&Hmmem must e : ther be dis?oirrd ora new Mia»«ry fonii«d. The Kiog ts be»iere<J to be dec»d®dty oy»?x»ed fo the hr?t step, aod it w reported ihal M»n?try īs in r?admess $hooid Men»brea 6r»d it imp€v<sible t«? on.