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LIFE OF COLONEL MACERONI.

Daring some of King Joseph’s tours in the neighbourhoodof Naples , he visited the house of Tasso at Torrento, andfinding it neglected and falling to decay, he ordered asplendid monument to be erected on the spot to the cele-brated poet. So at Amalfi did he cause a perpetual pen-sion to be settled on the descendants of Gioja; the first ofEuropeans, to use the mariner’s compass. At Pompeii hepurchased all the land which covers the ruins so as greatlyto facilitate the excavations, both present and future. Hesubsequently extended his tour throughout the provinces;and by detecting many abuses of his officers, and doingmany things in reparation of injuries and to conciliate, hespread a better feeling throughout the land.

In my letter to the Chronicle, at page 284,1 have alludedto the blowing up of Salicetti , minister of police, in his houseat the Villa Reale. A few particulars are necessary. In themiddle of a dark night in January, 1807, the neighbourhoodof Salicetti ’s palace was alarmed by an explosion like thespringing of a mine; in fact, it was a mine. Salicetti , theminister of police, had rendered himself particularly ob-noxious to Queen Caroline and her aides-de-camp, for hisactivity in discovering their plots, and punishing the imme-diate agents. It was decided in these legitimate councils toget up another little “ infernal machine” plot, in imitationof their betters, the employers of Captain Wright; but Iwill first recount the event, and then the facts which werediscovered at the trials of the guilty, at which I was present.The house inhabited by Salicetti is well known to the Britishvisitors of Naples as the Palace Serracapriola, just at thegate of the Villa Reale, towards Posilipo . According toan unseemly and aukward custom in Italy , many of thefinest palaces have their ground floor, or a part of it, letout into shops. An apothecary, named Viscardi, had hisshop under the palace of Salicetti . Twenty-two rooms of