CHAPTER X.

1802-1803.

Shipwreck in the Bay of Fiumicino, near Rome-I proceed to that capital-I devise a conspiracy, and hasten to Calabria—I return to Messina, and from thence to Naples-I am arrested and condemned to pass the remainder of my days in the Fossa del Maritimo-I am loaded with chains and conducted to the place of my destination.

THE wind was favourable, and the ship on board of which I had embarked, towards evening came in sight of the heights of Capri. On the following morning, May the 15th, the sea became rough and finally blew a hurricane. The Captain told me that during his forty years sea-life he had never known such a storm. As the vessel was heavily freighted with oil, the crew proposed to lighten her by casting as much as possible overboard; but the violence of the storm was such that it was impossible to get at the greater part, which was stowed away in the hold. Observing the difficulty of executing such a scheme, I perceived that little chance of safety remained to us. On revolving these thoughts, I found myself possessed of more philosophy than I had hitherto given myself credit for. I reflected upon the uncertainty of human affairs, without any overwhelming grief

or terror at the prospect of being compelled so early to leave them. I could not help thinking that, were youth divested of all the human follies which so greatly embitter that period of life, it would be pleasant enough; at all events I came to the conclusion that were it my fortune to escape the peril in which I found myself, I would make a better use of my youth than I had hitherto done. Experience would have detected the shallowness of these juvenile speculations.

The demeanour of the Captain was courageous, and firm, and he prepared to meet the impending danger with coolness; but this was far from being the case with his crew. Some, downcast and dispirited, were reciting Latin litanies of which they did not understand a word; others lamented their wives; others wept for the children they were to behold no more, and many were absorbed by the contemplation of their own imminent danger. Whilst I stood silently regarding them, a loud cry announced that we were in sight of Civita Vecchia. The hope this intelligence excited was soon dispelled by the violence of the enormous waves which seemed to sweep us with more fearful rapidity towards the fatal shore. On beholding the inevitable doom which seemed to await us, it was decided to hoist as much sail as we could, that we might be carried as far as possible towards the shore, for we hoped to strike upon the sand not far from terra firma. After some time we struck, and the vessel would no longer obey the helm. There was no standing on the deck, for the sides of the ship were alternately plunged into the sea, and elevated far above it, in atldition to which the oil which had been spilt rendered it so slippery that it was impossible to keep one's footing, as was proved by two sailors going overboard. Not knowing what course to pursue in such a

predicament, I seized hold of the mainmast, and clinging to it exposed myself to all the violence of the waves which dashed impetuously against me, as well as of the shrouds of the ship, which struck against my bare head and naked shoulders. Who would believe it? but it was from reading Telemachus some years before that I conceived the idea of clinging to the mainmast.

The Captain and the remainder of the crew, more experienced than myself, had sought a refuge near the helm, and called out to me that I could not withstand the danger of the perilous situation in which I had placed myself for more than a quarter of an hour. Although to quit the spot I had chosen was an undertaking of hazard and difficulty, still, seeing no other chance of safety, I sprang resolutely from it, and seizing hold of that side of the vessel which was out of the water glided along as best I could, until I reached my companions in danger. My first thought was to inquire of them what was our chance of safety; they replied, that as the ship was new and strongly built we might hope that she would be able to live out the tempest, which was driving her more and more towards the land. We passed the whole night in this peculiar situation, but as soon as day dawned, when the storm began to abate, we perceived that people had assembled on the shore, who were making signs of encouragement, one of whom hailed us through a speaking-trumpet. After about two hours we decided that by clinging to ropes firmly attached to the vessel we might attempt to get on shore.

As I was unable to swim I feared that I must perish in the experiment, but the Captain encouraged me, saying that there was no necessity for swimming,

and that I had only to hoid by the rope as tight as possible and endeavour to make for the shore. I seized hold of the cord immediately and followed him, but I did not look upon myself as safe until my feet touched the land. The shore on which we landed was called Fiumicino, and was situated about twenty miles from Rome.

an

Not only had I lost all my luggage, which had been washed away, but the clothes I had on were saturated with oil. Fortunately I had taken the precaution of converting my father's check upon a banker at Messina into Spanish doubloons, which I wore wrapped in a leathern belt about me. I had been led to change my cheque, having been informed that I might lose by the exchanges, and it proved lucky for me that I did so. After having breakfasted most voraciously at abominable tavern, I hired a horse and proceeded towards Rome. On my arrival there, I found more than one bath necessary to cleanse me from the oil in which I had been steeped. Another essential matter was to provide myself with clothes and linen. As is often the case with young men, I not only procured necessaries but superfluities, and even objects of luxury; amongst the latter a gold watch, chain and seals, which tended greatly to decrease my finances.

Such folly, which was not however inherent in my nature, was followed by a still more imprudent step. I suffered myself to be persuaded to return to Naples, instead of proceeding to Milan. It was Placido Sanseverino, to whom I owed my liberty from the Papal Government in the previous year, who now urged me in the most strenuous manner to take this course, and he succeeded in prevailing upon me to accompany him to Naples. I was most cordially received on my

arrival at the house of my brother, Giovanni Batista, who was rejoiced at my escape from the wreck, and wrote to communicate the particulars to my father, informing him at the same time that I was again without money. Under the impulse of youthful vanity, I myself wrote to several of my friends relating what had occurred to me. I learnt afterwards that some of them did not give entire credit to my narrative. Not so my own family, for they were fully aware that the cargo of oil had been shipped by the Chevalier Marincola of Catanzaro.

So great had been the moral shock effected by this shipwreck, that it entirely dispelled all my former bitterness of soul. My brother led a gay and happy life, and was accordingly surrounded by numerous adherents and friends. Nor had I any difficulty in finding persons who shared and sympathized with my prevailing opinions. The well educated, with very few exceptions, were strong advocates of a republic, and even the mass of the people seemed to blush at the horrors which had been perpetrated by royalty some years before. The conduct of Cardinal Ruffo in 1799, in exciting the people to pillage and slaughter, had done more harm to the cause of the King of Naples, than Robespierre to the French Republic. The errors committed by the latter were to a certain extent excusable, from the necessity of repressing innumerable enemies that threatened both at home and abroad to overpower France. But how justify or even excuse the horrors perpetrated by Cardinal Ruffo? His enemies were few, he was amply furnished with money and arms by several powers, and the French were about to evacuate the kingdom!

This same year Buonaparte caused himself to be