Extract of a Letter from M. Lacroix, <1> Consul d’Angleterre à Nice <2>
February 1837.
– young De Candia is now at St Laurent du Var, where he has been staying this last week & will leave it for Paris tomorrow. The way in which he performed his journey from Genoa, his numerous adventures, the hardships he had to undergo, are altogether so extraordinary & would make such a good roman that I cannot resist giving you an account of them, especially as the veracity of my authority is not to be doubted. It appears that pecuniary embarrassment was the primary cause of his escapade, – his Father once before had been obliged to pay his debts, & being called upon a second time to do so, refused. Upon which the Creditors having pressed their demands while the King was at Genoa an order was issued that Giovanico should immediately join the depôt of his regiment now in Sardinia, & remain there till his debts were paid. Furious at this, he suddenly disappeared the very Night he was to embark. In what manner he made his escape is not known, but it must have been through the agency of his friends & Brother officers by whom he is much beloved. For two whole months he wandered in the Country around Genoa, in different disguises, & from the house of one friend to another, pursued by Carabiniers & finding the greatest difficulty in procuring food. His friends provided him with Money & his fair friends contrived to render his exile as sweet as possible. But this kind of life could not last for ever, continual anxiety was not a pleasant companion for our young friend who never allowed a pair of pistols to get out of his reach. He made up his mind to embark for France & there to enjoy the privileges d’un païs libre. <3> In the disguise of a Sailor, he managed to elude the Genoa Police & to get on board a Spanish vessel bound to Marseilles. But his troubles were not yet at an end, delivered from his sufferings on land, he had to encounter fresh ones on the Sea, & for a whole fortenight <sic> he was tossing about in the most shocking weather. They were obliged to put in at Savona, where to avoid being detected by the Custom House officers, the Master of the Vessel contrived to hide him in the hold under some Sacks, in which situation he remained upwards of two hours, nearly smothered, but any thing was better than getting back into the power of the King, which he well knew would lead to Carcere duro <4> for life. After numerous difficulties of all kinds, they arrived at last at Marseilles, where was <sic> soon found out by some friends of his Father, who has been in the greatest distress of mind about him. His beau frère <5> Roy<ck?> went immediately to Marseilles & persuaded him to come to St Laurent du Var. Madame de Candia has been several times to see him, but of course his Father dare not. Many of his friends have been to see him & have well provided his purse. He cannot think of coming here as there is an order to arrest him dans tous les Etats Sardes. <6> He is going to Paris to study Music & to become an Artiste. There was some fear his voice had suffered from some damp under ground concealments where it was necessary de le tenir en cachette <7> several times during the day while he remained in the Genoese territory, but Gubernatis who has been to see him at St Laurent du Var, says that his voice never was finer & is daily improving, & that he has no doubt he will succeed in his pursuit. The Governor & Madame de Candia have at last made up their Minds to it, tho’ at first they were violently against it, but they have nothing better to propose – car il est exilé dans toute la force du terme <8> –. It is to be feared that his political offences will be visited upon the Governor & Madame his family by a Government which never forgives. He takes a good many Letters of Introduction to French families at Paris.” –
Notes:
1. P Lacroix, British Consulate, Nice.
2. British Consul at Nice.
3. Of a free country.
4. Harsh imprisonment.
5. Brother-in-law.
6. In all the Sardinian States (of which Nice was one at the time).
7. To keep him in hiding.
8. Because he is exiled in the full sense of the term.