The Battle of Marsala page 2

The convention which Garibaldi had signed declared the royal troops should be sent away from the city, with their arms, baggage, and material, receiving all the honours of war, as soon as a sufficient number of transports could be procured. On the 7th of June, therefore, 15,000 Neapolitan troops, infantry and cavalry, marched towards the Mole, to be in readiness for embarkation. The eldest son of Garibaldi, mounted on a black charger, took up a position in front of the principal barricade, and these vanquished hosts of disciplined men defiled before him. General Lanza and Garibaldi both cordially thanked Admiral Mundy for the services he had rendered. The latter was profuse in his expressions of gratitude for the magnanimous conduct of the admiral, which had been acknowledged and felt by all parties, and could never be forgotten. He repeated the expression of his feelings subsequently in a most affectionate letter, and concluded with a prayer that Providence might ever protect that noble vessel, her gallant crew, and the generous seaman who was her commander. On the 22nd of July he wrote a letter to the Queen of England, by an envoy, in the following terms: -

" Your Majesty, - Called, by my duty to my Italian fatherland, to defend its cause in Sicily, I have assumed the dictatorship of a generous people, who, after a long- continued struggle, wish for nothing but to participate in the national life and freedom under the sceptre of the magnanimous prince in whom Italy trusts. The envoy, who presents himself to your Majesty in the name of the Provisional Government which now rules the country, does not pretend to represent a special and distinct state; but he comes as the interpreter of the thoughts and sentiments of two millions and a half of Italians. By this title I beg your Majesty to deign to receive him, granting a kind audience and attention to what he may respectfully urge upon your Majesty in behalf of this most beautiful and noble part of Italy."

Garibaldi also wrote the following letter to the Countess of Shaftesbury: - "Dear and most gracious Lady, - Amongst the greatest fortunes of my life, the most surpassing assuredly is that of having secured for my country the sympathy of the most generous ladies of England. May I beg of you, most kind and courteous lady, to be the interpreter of my gratitude with those most valued and dear friends, to whom Italy owes so much? With all the feeling of my heart, I am, your most devoted servant, " G. Garibaldi."