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LIFE OF COLONEL MACERONI.

It is a very general error that attributes to the French pre-eminence in the use of the sword. In Italy there arethree distinct schools of fencing, all of which are farsuperior to the French, and the Neapolitan is superior tothem all. So attached are the Neapolitans to that nobleand invigorating exercise, that some years ago and evennow', some gentlemen “ of the old school,” would not hire afootman or a valet without first having proof of his profi-ciency with his foils. At Naples, the daily attendance ofthe fencing master or hired fencers called “ assaltanti,” isas common as that of the hairdresser used to be, whenpeople were wont to cover their heads with hogs’ lard andflour. Every Sunday some one or other of the wealthypatronisers of the art of fencing open their palaces to what,is called a fencing “ academia.” Here meet masters,professed “ assaltanti,” generals, colonels, lawyers, clerks,officers, non-commissioned officers, merchants, dukes, andprivate soldiers, provided they be any thing of “spcidicini.”At onetime Prince Canosa, of brigand-plotting notoriety was,perhaps, the best fencer in Naples ; but he was before mytime. At these “ academias,” the parties present fencetogether without any regard to rank—but the French of alldegrees soon found that they had no chance with the Neapoli-tans. One Frenchman, however, my intimate friend andcomrade, named Rambaud, was amongst the three or fourfirst-rate blades ; but then he had grafted on his previousstock of knowledge of that art, the arduous practice of fouryears’ work with Neapolitan masters and assaltanti. Icannot spare space for any disquisition on this subjectwhich used to be so delightful to me in practice, but I willonly remark that the French guard is more upright andexpository of the person than the Neapolitan. The French hold the sword pointed above the adversary’s head; theNeapolitans, directed to his eye. In a French “ set to,” one