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MUNIFICENCE OF MURAT.

433

he left substantial proofs of his liberality, amongstwhich — a sum of five hundred pounds to the nationalschool, five hundred to the town hospital, and the likesum for the repair of the principal church and thecurate’s dwelling. Further, about thirteen hundred poundssterling for repairs and improvements to the little pier andharbdur. Five short years after this, and in the very samemonth of October, at this very same town of Pizzo, wasMurat, by the same inhabitants whom we have just heardcheering him, insulted, hooted and also cheered ,—on thesounding of his death knell!

My friend Rambaud, whose misadventure with MadamCataneo I have just recited, accompanied this army ofostensible invasion, in the quality of paymaster-general. Agreat many others of my intimate friends and constantcompanions were also attached to the various arms—cavalry,artillery, navy—but especially to the personal staff of theKing, who himself had previously honoured me with his noticeon several occasions. Under these circumstances I was in-duced to accompany the army as an amateur spectator, beingprincipally the guest of Rambaud, but as frequently diningat the table of the King’s staff. It would too far exceedthe limits of this work were I to add any further details tothose I have already sketched of this pageant-like demon-stration. The daily and hourly combats between batteries,frigates, ships of the line, gunboats, gallies,—the attacks byboarding, the long shots of the gallies and batteries, theconstant flight of shells, one party retiring, then reinforced,again pressing forwards; the war and smoke, at one timeclose upon Charybdis, in a few minutes again transferred tothe opposite Scylla . On one side could be seen, as clearlyas are the actors on a stage, the flashing in the sunshine ofbright blades, accompanied by the cracking of small armsin some boarding attempt upon a British galley or gunboat

Yon. i. 2 f