20 AUGUST 1859, Page 16

GARIBALDI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY. * THE autcgraph memoirs of Giuseppe Garibaldi, which have

been translated by Mr. Dwight, were begun by the illustrious General during his long convalescence after the events of 1849, and were continued in 1850 during his residence in Staten Island, while he was engaged in daily labour in the candle factory of his country- man and friend Signor Meucci. He had declined the honours of a public reception in New York, and dissuaded his fellow exiles both by precept and example from accepting any pecuniary aid from others, so long as they were able to earn their bread by any labour, however severe or humble. The fatigue he felt after his regular day's work in the factory obliged him to desist from writing, and his subsequent occupations as a commander of mer- chant vessels in the Pacific, and as an agriculturist in a small island off the coast of Sardinia, prevented the further oontinua- tion of his memoirs. They come down, therefore, to no later a period than the defence a Montevideo in 1846, but some reference • The Life of General Garibaldi. Written by Himself. With his Sketches of Iii, Companions in Anne. Translated by his Friend and Admirer, Theodore Dwight, Author of " A Tour in Italy in 1821," "The Roman Republic of 1849," &c. &c. Published by Sampson Low, Sou, and Co.

is made to subsequent events in the author's sketches of his "Companions in Arms" ; and the translator has added a chapter on Garibaldi's career in Italy in 1848 and 1849, founded partly on the General's own descriptions of actions fought by him,- and partly on official documents.

Garibaldi is the son and the grandson of a sailor. His father gave him the best education he could afford in Nice, his native city, and afterwards taught him seamanship. His mother "was a model for mothers ; and in saying this," adds her noble son, "I have said all that can be said." From her he imbibed that tenderness of feeling which he blends in equal measure with heroic grandeur of soul. Among the incidents of his childhood that which seems to have made the deepest impression on his me- mory was the grief he felt when, having caught a grasshopper and taken it home for a plaything, he accidentally broke its leg. Shocked with the thought of the pain he had caused the harmless insect, he shut himself up in his room, and wept bitterly for several hours. As a boy he was fonder of play than of books, and this was what prompted him to his first maritime expedition. Disgusted with the confinement of school, he says— "I one day proposed to several of my companions to make our escape, and seek our fortune. No sooner said than done. We got possession of a boat, put some provisions on board, with fishing tackle, and sailed for the Levant. But we had not gone as far as Monaco, when we were pursued and overtaken by a Corsair,' commanded by my good father. We were cap- tured without bloodshed, and taken back to our homes, exceedingly mor- tified by the failure of our enterprise, and disgusted with an Abbe who had betrayed our flight. Two of my companions on that occasion were Cesare Tanoli and Raffaele Deandreis."

Having adopted the nautical life, Garibaldi made several voyages to the Levant and the Black Sea, in one of which he was made partially acquainted with the plans of the Italian patriots ; and "surely Columbus did not enjoy so much satisfaction on the discovery of America," as he did on hearing that the redemption of his country was meditated. But-

" The speedy consequence of my entire devotion to the cause of Italy was, that on the 5th of February, 1834, I was passing out of the gate of Lanterna, of Genoa, at seven o'clock in the evening, in the disguise of a peasant—a proseript. At that time my public life commenced ; and a few days after I saw my name, for the first time, in a newspaper, but it was in a sentence of death."

He escaped to Marseilles, and after one or two more Medi- terranean voyages, set sail for Rio Janeiro, and engaged in com- merce in company with Rosetti, another Italian exile ; but a short experience convinced the partners that neither of them was born for a merchant. It suited them better to take up arms in aid of the province of Rio Grande, which had risen against Brazil, and Garibaldi took the command of a small cruiser with a crew of twenty men. On board this vessel he fought his first battle, beating two launches with thirty men, and received his first wound from a musket ball which struck him in the neck. The victors were kindly received at Gualguay, but Milian, the com- mandant of the town, was a confederate of Rosas, the traitor of Buenos Ayres, and Garibaldi found himself in reality a prisoner at large. When his wound was healed he endeavoured to escape, but was overtaken and brought back with his hands bound behind

"When brought into the presence of Milieu, who was waiting for me at the door of the prison' he asked me who had furnished me with the means of escape. When he found that he could draw no information from me on that subject, he began to beat me most brutally with a club which he had in his hand. He then put a rope over a beam in the prison, and hung me up in the air by my hands, bound together as they were. For two hours the wretch kept me suspended in that manner. My whole body was thrown into a high, feverish heat. I felt as if burning in a furnace. I frequently swallowed water, which was allowed me but without being able to quench my raging thirst. The sufferings which I endured after being unbound were indescribable : yet I did not complain. I Jay like a dead man ; and it is easy to believe that I must have suffered ex- tremely. I had first travelled fifty-four miles through a marshy country, where the insects are insufferable at that season of the year, and then I had returned the same distance, with my hands and feet bound, and entirely ex- posed to the terrible stings of the =gam, or mosquito, which assailed me with vigour; and, after all this, I had to undergo the tortures of Milan, who had the heart of an assassin."

Being liberated by the Governor of the province, Garibaldi again joined his friend Rosetti, and rode with him to Rio Grande, where they were soon engaged in directing the operations of the Republican flotilla, which were then limited to a few cruises in the Lagoon. Here Garibaldi was near being cut off with the whole of his band in a surprise made in a masterly style by Maringue, a dashing leader of the Imperialists. One morning when the launches were drawn up on shore, the crews dispersed to cut wood, and Garibaldi was sitting by the fire where breakfast was cooking, near the Galpon or farm-building which served them as an arsenal— "All on a sudden, and as if just over my head, I heard a tremendous volley of firearms, accompanied by a yell, and saw a company of the enemy's horsemen marching on. I had hardly time to rise and take my stand at the door of the Galpon, for at that instant one of the enemy's lances made a hole through my poncho. It was our good fortune to have our arms all loaded, as I have before mentioned, and placed in the Galpon, in consequence of our having been in a state of alarm all night. They were placed inside of the building, against the wall, ready and convenient for use. I immediately began to seize the muskets and discharge them in turn, and shot down many of the enemy. Ignacio Bilbao, a brave Biscayan, and Lorenzo N., a courageous Genoese, were at my side in a moment; and then Eduardo Mntru, a native of the country, Rafaele and Procopio, one a mulatto and the other a black, and Francisco. I wish I could remember the names of all my bold companions, who, to the number of thirteen, assembled around me, and fought a hundred and fifty enemies, from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon, killing and wounding many of them, and finally forcing them to retreat.

" Among our assailants were eighty Germans, in the infantry, who were accustomed to accompany Maringue At such expeditions, and were skilful soldiers, both on foot and on horseback. . . . If, instead of taking positions, the enemy had advanced upon the Galpon, and attacked us resolutely, we should have been entirely lost, without the power to resist their first attack And we were more exposed than we might ordinarily have been in any other building, because, to allow the frequent passage of carts, the sides of the magazine were left open. " In vain did they attempt to press us more closely, and assemble against the end walls. In vain did they get upon the roofs, break them up and throw upon our heads the fragments and burningthatch. They were driven away by our muskets and lances. Through loop-holes, which I made through the walls, many were killed and many wounded. Then, pretend- ing to be a numerous body in the building, we sang the republican hymn of Rio Grande, raising our voices as loud aspossible, and appeared at the doors, flourishing our lances, and by every device endeavouring to make our num- bers appear multiplied. " About three o'clock in the afternoon the enemy retired, having many wounded, among whom was their chief. They left six dead near the Gal- pon, and several others at some distance. 11 e had eight wounded out of fourteen. Rosetti, and our other comrades, who were separated from us, had not been able to join us. Some of them were obliged to cross the river by swimming ; others ran into the forest ; and one only, found by the enemy, was killed. That battle, with so many dangers, and with so bril- liant a result, gave much confidence to our troops and to the inhabitants of that coast, who had been for a long time exposed to the inroads of that adroit and enterprising enemy, Maringue."

The outlet of the Lagoon being commanded by the Imperialists, the vessels of the Republican squadron were placed on strong wheels, drawn by two hundred oxen, and navigated across the fields a distance of fifty-four miles to the Atlantic. Soon after they were launched the vessel commanded by Garibaldi was wrecked in the terrible breakers of that coast, with the loss of sixteen of the crew. "In vain," he says, "I looked among those who were saved to discover any Italian faces. All my country- men were dead." The survivors went on board the sloop Ituparica, carrying seven guns, and aided in achieving important successes over the Imperialists, who had not counted upon the overland expedition which had been suddenly sent against them. The loss of his shipwrecked friends, and of the society of Rosetti, who had been appointed Secretary of the Government, had left a void in Garibaldi's heart which only a woman's love could fill, and this treasure he was now bent on finding.

"I one day cast a casual glance at a house in the Burrs (the eastern part of the entrance of the Jayuna), and there observed a young female whose appearance struck me as having something very extraordinary. So power- ful was the impression made upon me at the moment, though from some cause which I was not able fully to ascertain, that I gave orders and was transported towards the house. But then I knew of no one to whom I could apply for an introduction. I soon, however, met with a person, an inha- bitant of the town, who had been acquainted with me from the time of arrival. I soon received an invitation to take coffee with his family, and the first person who entered was the lady whose appearance had so myste- riously but irresistibly drawn me to the place. I saluted her, we were soon acquainted ; and I found that the hidden treasure which I had dis- covered was of rare and inestimable worth. But I have since reproached myself for removing her from her peaceful native retirement to scenes of danger, toil, and suffering. I felt most deeply self-reproach on that day when, at the mouth of the Po, having landed, in our retreat from an Aus- trian squadron, while still hoping to restore her to life, on taking her pulse I found her a corpse, and sang the hymn of despair. I prayed for forgive- ness, for I thought of the sin of taking her from her home."

Soon after the marriage Anna stood by her husband's side when his three small vessels were attacked by a fleet of two and twenty sail, and he was the only officer left alive on board. Iler hand fired the first shot, and to her exertions was due the saving of the ammunition when the republican vessels were abandoned and set on fire. Garibaldi now took the command of the infantry on shore, and still his wife was the companion of his toils and dangers. Once she fell into the hands of the enemy, and escaped by a flight of sixty miles through the forests of the Sierra de Espinasso along a route beset with ambuscades.

"Anna passed that dangerous way by night; and, such was her boldness, that the assassins fled at the sight of her, declaring that they had been pur- sued by an extraordinary being. And, indeed, they spoke the truth ; for that courageous woman, mounted on a fiery horse, which she had asked for and obtained at a house on her way where it would have been difficult for a traveller to hire one, she galloped, in a tempestuous night, among broken, rocky ground, by the flashes of lightning. Four of the enemy's cavalry, who were posted on guard at the river Canvas, when they saw her ap- proaching, were overwhelmed with fear, supposing it to be a vision, and fled. When she reached the bank of that stream, which was swollen by the rains to a dangerous mountain torrent, she did not stop or attempt to cross it in a canoe, as she had done when passing it a few days before in my company, but dismounting, she seized fast hold of the tail of her horse, and, encouraging him with her voice, he dashed into the water and swam, struggling through the foaming waves, dragging her with him. The dis- tance which she had thus to pass was not less than five hundred paces, but they reached the opposite shore in safety. A glass of coffee was the only nourishment taken by the lonely traveller in four days."

It was in the midst of the horrors and privations of a disas- trous campaign that Garibaldi's first child was born. The infant was three months old when the famished Republicans had to exe- cute a most perilous retreat of nine days. In the most difficult parts of the road, and in crossing rivers, the father carried his poor little child in a handkerchief tied round his neck, and con- trived to keep it warm with his breath. The boy thus early ac- quainted with the hardships of war survives with a brother to so- lace the widower's heart. After the close of the campaign Gari- baldi withdrew to Montevideo to make some provision for his family.

"And here I took up the business of a cattle-drover, or trappiere. In an Estancia, called the Corral del Piedras, under the authority of the Minister of Finance, I succeeded in collecting, in about twenty days, about nine hundred cattle, after indescribable fatigue. With a still greater degree of labour and weariness they were driven towards Montevideo. Thither, however, I did not succeed in driving them. Insuperable obstacles pre-

sented themselves on the way, and, more than all, the Rio Negro, which crossed it, and in which I nearly lost all this capital. From that river, from the effects of my inexperience, and from the tricks of some of my hired assistants for managmg the drove of animals, I saved about five hundred of the cattle, which, by the long journey, scarcity of food, and accidents in crossing streams, were thought unfit to go to Montevideo. I therefore de- cided to mercer' or 'leather' them,—that is, to kill them for their hides ; and this was done. In fact, after having passed through indescribable fatigue and troubles, for about fifty days, I arrived at Montevideo with a few hides, the only remains of my nine hundred oxen. These I sold for only a few hundred dollars, which served but scantily to clothe my little family."

Next he engaged in two occupations of small profit, but enough to afford him a subsistence. They were those of a broker and a teacher of mathematics, and he continued them until he entered the service of the Oriental Republic, in which he was engaged till shortly before his departure for Italy in 1848. It was in that service that he formed and led the Italian Legion, -which bore the heaviest brunt of the war, and never was beaten, and many survivors of which afterwards took part in his efforts for the li- beration of their native land.

Mr. Dwight gives from his notes the following description of Garibaldi's appearance on his first arrival in New -York in 1850. "He has a broad and round forehead ; a straight and almost per- pendicular nose, not too small, but of a delicate form ; heavy brown mous- taches and beard, which conceal the lower part of his face ; a full, round chest ; free and athletic movements, notwithstanding ill health, and a rheumatism which disables his right arm ; a full, dark eye, steady, pene- trating, and pensive, but mild and friendly; an easy, natural, frank, and unassuming carriage, with a courteous nod and a ready grasp of the hand, as a recognition of one introduced by his friend, Foresti. Such was Gari- baldi, as he appeared at the first glance, and before he had time to speak. His first words were uttered in a tone corresponding with the courtesy of his movements and the glance of his eye; while the freedom of his utter- ance, and the propriety and beauty of his language, drew all my attention from his form and features, to the sentiments he expressed and the facts he mentioned. To my surprise, 1 found my thoughts turned, in part, from the fields of battles, the siege of Rome, and the sortie of San Marino, to the principles of the Italian Revolution, and the true doctrines of Christianity, perverted by the enemies of Italian liberty. The cruelties of Popery—its degrading tendency—its duplicity, hypocrisy, idolatry, and atrocities—its history, desperate condition, and inevitable ruin—were treated by him in rapid succession, with the clearness of a theologian and a statesman com- bined, and in language which united, in a peculiar degree, propriety, beauty, and force. And all this was done without an appearance of the slightest effort. He did not hesitate for an instant, for an idea or for a word ; and it was self-evident that he spoke under the combined influence of feelings fully decided, a clear judgment fully convinced, and both in per- fect harmony. No man, I thought, could listen to him, even for a few moments, without the certain conviction, not only that he spoke in accord- ance with his convictions, but under the direct, imperative, and solemn direction of his conscience."