black and dark, with a ceiling so low as to
be easily touched with the hand. The prisoners
were about sixty in number, the greater part of
them being, like myself, confined for political
offences. Six cesspools were placed along the
passage, about three yards apart. There were
three windows, but the rays of the sun could only
be seen at noon, and then only for one hour,
upon the frame of one window which was
opposite the door. After having been assigned
a place in the darkest corner of the room, I
went in search of some friends whom I
suspected to be here. In order to reach the
upper floor, which was on a level with the
surface of the island, I had to ascend about
fifty steps. Scarcely had I ascended the last
when I was arrested by the rattling of chains,
the noise of irons grating, or doors clashing,
screams, and the rushing about of prisoners.
I remained fixed to the spot, when a man,
after taking a few tottering steps forward,
supported himself with his right hand against
the wall, while he endeavoured with his left
to stanch the blood which flowed from at
least sixteen or seventeen wounds in different
parts of his body; in a moment or two he
sank dead in a pool of his own blood upon
the floor. The prisoners who had not taken
any part in this riot, stood, white and motionless,
leaning against the wall, with their widely
opened eyes fixed on the murdered man, and
on the stream of blood which ran along the
corridor; while about twenty-four ruffians
stood by the corpse with long poniards in
their hands, sneering contemptuously at the
butchered wretch. In half an hour the prison
door was opened, the body was removed to the
hospital, and the murderer received fifty lashes,
under the infliction of which he was uttering
the most fearful cries, and after which he was
removed to a cell, to await a court-martial. The
final penalty for such a murder was, however, so
light, that I myself know of wretches who have
offered to assassinate a fellow-prisoner for the
reward of two pounds weight of maccaroni.

When night approached, the captain and
turnkeys went through the routine I had
witnessed at Nisida. The political prisoners
shut up with me here were almost all
Neapolitan lazzaroni, who had no education, and
who spoke loudly and sternly to every one.
The noise among us was increased by a smith
who, when the prison gate was shut and he felt
sure that no superior officer was likely to watch
him, drew a hammer out of a hiding-place, and
kindling a large fire of charcoal, proceeded to
make poniards out of some files, which he kept
concealed. The floor, being a flagged one, was
a sufficiently convenient anvil. A part of the
painful sensation caused by this constant
hammering of steel was the exhalation from the
charcoal. This was sometimes so powerful as to make
us feel as though we had running knots round
our necks, and caused us to fly to the windows.

When I was at Nisida, the ring on my leg was
so loose that, by a small effort, I could easily
slip my foot through it; but, as it was difficult
to replace it, I had never tried to free my
limb from its manacle. But at Procida I availed
myself of the opportunity which chance afforded
me, and, slipping off the ring, found my foot free.
I could not sleep for joy when I thought that I
should now manage to rest without my fetters
every night. But my triumph was short. Early
in the morning, the drawbridge was lowered, but
the Bagnio was not opened until later, when the
captain and four secondini came straight to our
room to search for poniards and inspect the
chains. My chains were unfortunately still off.
Being told the object of the captain's visit, I
endeavoured in vain to replace the ring on my
ankle. I was caught. The penalty for such
an offence was fifty lashes. The captain coldly
ordered me to be taken to the governor for punishment.
The governor, when the captain spoke of
the ring being slipped off without any attempt at
tampering with the fetter itself, merely remarked
that it was not I but the captain who deserved
punishment, and dismissed me. The captain
determined to incur no more blame of the same
kind, placed a new ring on my ankle, which was
so tight as scarcely to leave room for my sock
between the iron and the flesh. In a few hours
my leg became frightfully swollen and purple.
Pain and indignation actually forced tears from
my eyes. The companion whom I now had, was
very kind; he could not bear to see me in
such torture, and advised me to complain without
delay to the governor. When I found I
could not lay the sole of my fettered foot on
the ground, I resolved to be guided by him,
and found the governor merciful. He ordered the
ring to be changed at once, and I got another,
larger than that which I had had at Nisida. The
captain bit his lips when I told him this, and from
that hour he watched for, and never let slip, an
opportunity of doing me an injury.

As I have said, the governor was a kind-hearted
man. Although he was watched and
could not do as he would, he passed over in
silence many things that were in open
contravention of the prison rules, and we consequently
enjoyed some privileges which were calculated
to render our moral position less oppressive than
it hitherto had been. But among the political
prisoners were some who were Bourbonists in
heart and soul, and who had been thrown into
prison either through mistake or through private
enmity. These men, in order to give proofs of
their loyalty, began to watch the others, and report
to the officials at Naples. The consequence of
these reports was, that a commissary of police
was sent to search us in the prison, and seize
everything we had. We had been scarcely three
months in our present abode when this commissary
(Signor Campagna) entered the Bagnio,
attended by policemen, gendarmes, masons,
soldiers, turnkey, the comiti, and the governor,
who, poor man, looked very much as if he
wished to warn us of our coming misfortune.
We were in bed when they arrived, and they
called for us to get up and go out, leaving
the keys of our boxes that they might be
searched. After some hours our visitors withdrew,