SIEGE OF AMANTEA.

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than half the proper force. He was put upon his trial and,hut for powerful interest, I am not prepared to say whatmight not have been his fate. He pleaded the having beendeceived by others.

I should very much like to give my readers an idea ofthe Calabrian war. It would enable them to judge how anyAustrian army of fifty thousand men, such as ostensiblyoverthrew the Neapolitan constitution in 1821, would everhave a chance of returning to eat sour krout in their nativeland, were the preservation of Neapolitan independenceleft to the physical force and courage of the inhabitants,instead of having been embroiled and paralysed by foreigndiplomatic treachery and intrigue, operating on partyfeelings, according to the old approved recipe of the oppres-sors, “ Divide et Impera.” My limits will not allow me togive even a consecutive sketch of the campaigns withoutbattles; the defeats without a flight, and the successes ofthe defendants, ending in their subjugation. As a sample,however, of the whole, I will only give the two sieges ofAmantea, and of Cotrone, the birth-place of Pythagoras , thephilosopher , and of Milo, the strong man, who could carrya yearling heifer on his shoulder, kill it with his fist, andeat it in a day.

Amantea is a sea coast town of Calabria , about thirtymiles north of St. Eufemia. It contained about three thou-sand inhabitants. It is built upon an elevated rock, thesteep precipices of which defend it on three of its sides.On the fourth side, towards the country, it is covered by anold wall between two weak bastions. The garrison con-sisted of not more than fifty soldiers, but numerous armedpeasants from the neighbourhood had joined the armedinhabitants. The whole were commanded by Colonel CountMirabelli, a rich native of the town, brave, honourable, andexperienced in arms. The only artillery consisted in three

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