438

LIFE OF COLONEL MACERONI,

respected. This man’s name was Man to, and I knowseveral persons who spoke with him after his fortunateescape through the spontaneous benignity of Murat.

Upwards of three thousand brigands had been landed bythe British allies of the dark despot Bourbons. The bandsformed by these numerous parties necessarily had increased,partly by seduction, and partly by intimidation. Travellingwas at an end throughout the greater portion of the pro-vinces. Detachments of some hundreds -of soldiers, nowindispensable for the conveyance of government moneyand stores, and even of the authorities and travellers, wereattacked, and oftentimes plundered by unions of somehundreds of Anglo-Sicilian robbers. The evil was no longertolerable; the ordinary tribunals and police establishmentswere utterly inadequate to the contention. What was to bedone ? The king named General Manlies military and civilcommander of the Calabrias, with full power to supersede allother law in matters of “ brigandage,” and to act accordingto his own military and arbitrary mandates. Terrible issuch a visitation of power to any people; but we must useour reasoning faculties to decide which of the two is themost painful scourge,—the dominion of rapine, murder,wholesale devastation, or the brief prevalence of dictatorialpower, absolutely necessary to subdue the other evils. Thissystem set the brother against the brother, the fatheragainst the son; society was shaken to its foundations; buta violent remedy was necessary. General Manhes, aFrenchman, of unimpeachable character for probity andsincerity, was chosen by the king for this important service.He was invested with supreme power in the Calabrias.

So soon as the country was bare of leaves and fruits,Manhes published his plans and orders. In every communea list was exhibited of the names of the brigands, whom itwas made the imperative duty of the inhabitants to kill or