We begin today the publication in instalments of an essay indited by Giuseppe (Pippo) Scianò, an historical figure of the movement for Sicilian independence. His book ‘ s title is already emblematical: “And in the month of May 1860 Sicily became a colony” (Pitti edizioni , Palermo, euri 18.50 ), a title which synthetizes in an efficacious guise the history of a disgraceful swindle passed off as a great epic undertaking : forsooth , as ye will read in this volume – rich in original quotations and in feats or deeds concealed by the official historiography – in the undertaking , not of Garibaldi , but of the British , who supported him and imparted orders to him , there’ s not even a whit of heroic.
We do not want to anticipate what ye are going to peruse, forsooth with interest also( eek ) amusing yourself, because in the shameful work of the thousand did not lack tragicomical features.
Notwithstanding there are two things which we want to tell in advance. The first thing is that, indeed, what has passed into history as the undertaking of the thousand was, indeed, an operation of huge, enormous moral and economical corruption.
Without the corruption operated by the British and by the Piedmontese and, above all without the betrayal of generals, admirals and high officers of the Kingdom of the two Sicilies Garibaldi and his thousand would not even ever have set foot on the Sicilian soil.
The second thing – it , too( eek it) , connected with the corruption – is the role played by the organized criminality of the South . In this volume Scianò deals only with Sicily and , as far as criminals are concerned with Sicilian mafia , at that ( thilke ) time already active, albeit bound to the fief. In Scianò ‘s essay the aforementioned subject is dealt with in a thoroughly detailed guise , which is highly important, because it is only by examining carefully the history of those days – when , as the writer expresses himself, begins the conquest of Sicily – that one begins to understand why Italy is today to such ( swiche ) a degree loathsome .
After all, the self –same Indro Montanelli – who of the thousand ‘s undertaking recounted (related,narrated, reported) little or nothing – admits owes ) that the glue with which in the Risorgimento Italy was held together was a very weak and feeble one .
In fact – he adds – the Risorgimento was something which concerned few wights , leaving outside the people , who did not but suffer the unity of Italy .
At length , let us say a few words about the editor of this volume, who kindly gives us the opportunity of presenting our readers with the real history – we reiterate this concept -of mean , ludicrous representation ; an editor who is telling us the denied historical truth : honour be to such an editor . We exhort all Sicilians and , broadly speaking , all South – Italians to purchase this book .
Yet now let us talk Giuseppe Scianò in person (by Giulio Ambosetti)
by Giuseppe Scianò
translation from Italian in to English by professor Giovanni Albanese (giovannilbns@gmail.com)
As we already explained in other publications, in 1860 amongst the other occurrences which characterize the politics and the international equipoises, above all makes itself felt the quick and even precipitate execution of the farsighted (far- seeing ) unification , yea unity of Italy. In the time going from 1849 till 1860, indeed not few are the big or the little antiunitarian states which willy – nilly, with the underhand help of Great Britain, in a way or in another, directly or indirectly, have finished under the sway of Vittorio Emanuele king of Savoy and king of Sardinia ( read : Piedmont ).
England has become , meanwhile , all the more reason , thoroughly opposite to any hypothesis of independence of Sicily. This, however, was a hypothesis, on which some doubt has been cast in the course of the independentist revolution in 1848. Notwithstanding, it has been, since some years cylinder – block Italian state which has to be constituted.
This is true also for the whole Kingdom of the two Sicilies, which was still a free independent State . Paradoxically the only hypothesis of a Sicilian sovereign, independent state – exactly for the strategical position of Sicily in the Mediterrenean – is seen with distrust and disappointment by the British Government , notwithstanding the traditional friendship and the substantially philobritish mentality of sundry independentists , Sicily is regarded by the Cabinet of London as a cause of unsteadiness and of danger or jeopardy for the ‘pax Britannica’: that‘s to say for that greater project of a new order which England, then the greatest power in the world, wants to establish in the Mediterranean and in Europe. The conquest of Sicily becomes therefore the chief and paramount goal to attain, without giving it a way out and obviously causing it to be conglobated into Vittorio Emanuele’s sardo – piedmontese State. Everything concerning such a goal must of course be done without respecting the will nor the aspirations of the Sicilian people.
The English Premier , Lord Palmerston, leader of the Whigs, certainly strengthened by a recent electoral success, has been evermore a supporter of such a sort of an Italian State, which has to be built, making extend it from the Alps up to the centre of the Mediterranean, andwhich should become strong phagocytizing twain most important states: the papal State and the Kingdom of the twain Sicilies. To be added to the other geopolitical realities of central and northern Italy, which we, with respect, allow ourselves to label as minor, above all in relation to the great imperialist strategy of Great Britain.
The British Government has its own definite programme, which it intends to carry out ( to accomplish ) as soon as possible. In fact it dreads that that (thilke , that self – same) easy – going Napoleon the third, Emperor of the French, sooner or later grows aware of the intricate plight into which he has got . And it fears eek the Austro Hungarian Empire and Russia, lest they both form an alliance in order to launch an attack. Wherefore it was necessary to act ere long and to bestow upon the whole operation an appearance of revolutionary lawfulness inside the Kingdom of the two Sicilies, in order to better beguile the international public opinion.
It was required to furnish to the various diplomacies, which wanted neither to behold nor to hearken, a justification in order t go on precisely neither to behold nor to hearken . the comedy of the unity of Italy could , on such conditions, go on stage. The actors in Italy aren’t lacking nor do the boys of the Choir lack. Some of them are even very high – ranking persons (wights ). As far as the script is concerned, it finds itself in Palmerston‘s pocket. It is by no means of manner secret, above all in London and ‘tis shared by most British politicians, including the self- same Queen Victoria. However, it is necessary to renovate the programs and to organize and carry into execution a new and categorical anti – borbon and philo- Italian revolution in Sicily . Those thousand strong and unblemished volunteers will have to light the fuse of the boasted revolution , who from Genua will go and succor the Sicilian rebel people and soon afterwards proceed towards the mainland, in order to help the Neapolitan rebels.
Such preambles made , we shall illustrate the remaining contents of the script, following, henceforward ( henceforth ), step by step, its being put into practice, comparing the testimonies and the descriptions of the enterprise made, under its multiple points of view, the first part of the script prescribes, as we know, that the expedition of the volunteers commanded by Garibaldi should sail from Liguria towards Sicily. The declared end is supporting the imagined and imaginary very great revolution, which is taking place in Sicily, and wherewith the international press has been acquainted. And it will go on being informed and involved, with great skill ( ability ). Obviously everything will have to chance without officially compromising the Piedmontese Government – which, nevertheless, will collaborate therewith actively and full – time ).
First of all two big steamers will have to be procured or, to express it better, to be caught – pretending to purloin hem ( them ), the Lombard and the Piedmont, which belonged to the navigation society Rubattino at Genoa, and to be brought unto the departure point of the expedition, which will be the nautical Genoese village of Quarto. Garibaldi‘s followers will have to make a stop at Thelamon, where with a mock ( sham ) masterstroke ( smart action )they will pick up the weapons. Such farces, albeit of a very bad quality will turn out useful in order to convince international public opinion of the spontaneity of Garibaldi‘s action, who, notwithstanding, will be supplied with weapons in Sicily. Furthermore, from Telamone detaching itself from the bulk, a small contingent of Garibaldi‘s supporters will feign to make an assault onto the papal State.
This will serve to continue beguiling international public opinion about the goal of the enterprise of the thousand .And at length the ships of the heroes can direct their stems toward Sicily, where everydeel ( read “everything “) is ready for the surprise; nevertheless people won’t go at random.
The chosen (selected ) goal is Marsala, the townlet where dwell most English wights. Noteworthy is the presence of great contractors, who have invested capitals and energies in the aromatic wine called precisely Marsala and who can vaunt both in the city and in the whole of Sicily commercial and financial leadership. In Marsala‘s port there‘s a continuous bustle ( coming and going ) of British commercial ships, which has grown of late in a suspicious manner. In order that Garibaldi‘s men mightn‘t run any risk or suffer any harm, it has been established that sundry Piedmontese war ships should follow hem ( them ) without ever losing sight of hem( them).
The declared end will be pursuing meanwhile the pirates who will have purloined the two steamers. Obviously the escort ( the convoy ) will have to maintain itself at a suitable distance, so that it won’t overtake them, yet at the same time to be in a condition to intervene, in case any ship of the military marine of the Kingdom of the two Sicilies should intercept them and attempt to arrest the expedition. Everything was taken care of, including the support of the Hungarian mercenary army ,which will land in Sicily some weeks later.
In conclusion, the recital will take place upon the mighty main but eek (also) on earth. In Sicily and in Naples ,meanwhile, the freemasonry, the mafia (1), the meritorious brotherhoods of carbonara tradition , but also the ‘ndrangheta and the camorra have been mobilized by the secret services of Her British Majesty, in order to render everything easier to the hero of the two worlds. Notwithstanding let us proceed little by little, not to spoil the spectacle, not devoid of comical features, which nonetheless won’t make us laugh, since it portends mischances, yea it is the chief cause of one of the most atrocious traumata which the Sicilian people has ever experienced (2).
The script lays down that the fall of the Kingdom of the two Sicilies and its subsequent annexation to the Kingdom of Savoy be presented as revolutionary facts, inherent to the self – same Kingdom of the two Sicilies. A subtle covering, yet not to be undervalued (minimized) . To realize the conquest of Sicily, the British have arranged in advance the engagement and the exploitation of foreign, mercenary troops, amongst which the strongest is the Hungarian legion, about which we shall ere long talk more widely. The mercenaries will be numerous and, obviously, set to the service of Garibaldi, with large reward and ample opportunities of pillage.
Notwithstanding, they will appear as volunteers and liberal benefactors, all of a sudden enlightened, they, too, by the ideal of carrying into execution the unity of Italy, with chief, as King, that honorable man of Vittorio Emanuele , King of Savoy . In conclusion : everybody Italian and everybody ready to help and to aid . . . Sicily and its imaginary revolution. Of course with the obligation of freeing Naples, too, ( eek ) that is the continental part of the Kingdom of the two Sicilies.
Footnotes .
( 1 ) We anticipate here some observations on the mafia, a protagonist which we shall meet with often on our way. Ere 1848 or before 1860 it practically did not exist or ,if it existed, it was solely at the borders of ( at the edge of ) Sicilian society that it existed . The word “mafia “ (or , better , “maffia” as it was written and said up to the half of the XX th century ), as a real , illegal organization did not yet exist in the official documents nor in the literary tongue. Its role and its might would enormously augment thanks to the British design to create the unity of Italy. The lads of mafia, their team, attending ruthless noblemen, who dreaded the reforms that the independentist Government of 1848 had put before, act as supporters of unitary politics and particularly of Garibaldi‘s enterprise of 1860. These reactionaries (Tories ) dreaded eek the reforms which the kingdom of the two Sicilies would enact , in case things came back to normalcy . Hence the choice of accepting the offerings and the compromises which the Unitarians offered. Already since 1849 the teams of youngsters seem to have been regularly paid, but in 1860 takes place the promotion to a higher quality of the turncoats and of the phenomenon called mafia. It will enter into the structure and into the system of the new Unitarian state which will be in need thereof in order to reduce more easily to a colony to be exploited. The aim of mafia, which plagues public life and economi in Sicily, consists above all in contrasting nationalism. Mafia, whether ere or after 1860, will be the instrument of the conquest of Sicily and will collaborate with the main parties, in order to perpetuate Sicily‘s subservience to the interests of centre and northern Italy. It will never act with and for the Sicilian people yet aye and evermore for oneself and even counter to the Sicilian people and its vital interests, its worth and its right to freedom.
( 2 ) The consequences of that conquest are still today to be perceptible in the degradation of public life, in the extinction of the economy, in the destruction of all culture, in the complicated everyday life, in the subordination, well-nigh entire, to the northern interests, in the dearths of every kind and in the tendency of not few amongst the chief parties and their men in Sicily, to purchase and sell the goods of the Sicilian people.
Translation from Italian into English by professor Giovanni Albanese. E- mail: giovannilbns@gmail.com
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