The Italian Prime Minister, Agostino Depretis, expired in the evening
of yesterday week, so that his Cabinet came to an end. He was a Piedmontese, born in 1811. He was a lawyer, and was early made Governor of Brescia, and in 1850 was elected to the Piedmontese Chamber of Deputies. In 1861 he was sent to Sicily by Count Cavour as pro-Dictator. After the death of Cavour, he was in Rattazzi's Cabinet, and then in Baron Ricasoli's ; he became leader of the Opposition after Rattazzi's death, and overthrew Minghetti in 1876, and then himself formed a Ministry ; since which, though twice overthrown, be has generally been at the head, and almost always in the Ministry, and its most influential mind. His chief characteristic has been his extremely prudent Radicalism, so that be has been given credit for governing as a Conservative on principles of advanced Radicalism. Indeed, there was perhaps more of skilful tactics in his statesmanship than of large and generous principle ; he was more of a manceuvrcr and a tactician than a statesman. He made himself "indispensable" by his complete mastery of all the motives which govern Parliamentary combinations, and his skill in manipulating the various groups. He was buried at his native place, Stradella, on Thursday. The ablest member of his Cabinet, Signor Crispi, the Secretary of the Interior,— a man of much larger and more comprehensive political calibre than Depretis, though not characterised by the severe Pied- montese self-control of Depretis,—will probably succeed him.
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