40 I FEBRUARY 14, 2021 THE SUNDAY TIMES OF MALTA THE SUNDAY TIMES OF MALTA FEBRUARY 14, 2021 I 41 LIFEANDWELLBEING
Francesco Crispi - a turbulent Italian SIR WILLlA.M RlllI:i>, ...... ,. N<111•1llDM oJ'rift ~ ltOllt*AllUI ""* .,, '111• 11.\1\1, trlf.o:il&.IJI ni1«ll't'J•M1t'U.~oa\11U!Mt Ak11~•U 1 1i tilUP future priJDe-ininister expelled front Malta udVV'IUl;U.. l.U.fl'OIM'WAlll'to.lotl•l'nllUfMlll>......
passport valid for three months who he met in 1849, had fol was the issue revived in Malta 16 to travel to the US, and instead lowed him to Malta in May, and years after the scandal of the Governor Sir headed for Malta, then an unwel he married her in Floriana, bigamous marriage? And only a Henry Reid, who coming haven for ltalian patri where he was then living, on De couple of months after Crispi re expelled Crispi ots seeking refuge from the cember 27, 1854, only three days signed from his second term as from Malta, but GIOVANNI more or less despotic ancien before his forced expulsion from prime minister? secretly assisted BONELLO regimes. He arrived here on the island. The marriage certifi In the notarial archives may be him financially. March 26, by the vessel Orontes. cate, transcribed in the St Pub found a very far-ranging power In Malta, he gave free rein to his lius parish church registers, of attorney signed in Malta by politi€al activism, through his deserves a study on its own. Francesco Crispi, advocate from A leading political exile, later a two pro-Risorgimento newspa Padre Luigi Marchetti, a hyper Ribera, Agrigento, Sicily, in highly controversial and scan pers, La Valigia, and later La priest whose zeal sometimes favour of his father Tommaso, dal-weighted prime minister of Staffetta, and by organising sup landed him in trouble, married also from Ribera. Notary Giorgio united Italy over two periods, port for the Italian unification the couple; Giorgio Tamajo, a Domenico Page drew up the Francesco Crispi, twice prime minister of post-unification Italy. Right: The 1854 warrant by the governor had a tempestuous Malta inter cause. Throughout his entire leading patriot in his own right, procura, which mentions by which Francesco Crispi was expelled from Malta. COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES lude. Relentless turmoil marked Malta stay, he laboured under and the lesser known Luigi Crispi's mother, Giuseppina Gen his entire public and private life. dire financial difficulties, and Dario Depreti, witnessed. ova, on June 22, 1853, witnessed Some so-far unknown papers lived mostly on charity, tl1e sale of From their meeting onwards, by Robert Miller and V. Mamo. It the 96 issues of La Staffetta, in have emerged from three Mal his books and his wife's earnings. Rosalia maintained Crispi with may be telling that Crispi hired the hope of finding something to tese archives that throw fresh A humble Maltese benefactor her laundering and ironing, the services of ~otary Page, charge Crispi with, but in vain. light on the Malta stay of this from Tarxien offered him hospi promoted his ambitions and founder and editor of the ma Crispi asked whether the gover JN OUESTO PALAZZO high-profile politician, who inci tality in his home. Today, two con,tributed consistently to his sonic and anti-clerical paper The nor, or those who demanded his dentally retained some fondness houses in Tarxien compete for political growth. She was the Malta Observer, published just banishment, had ever read La ABITO CON IL CONSORTE FRANCESCO CR[SPI for the Maltese in spite of his the honour of having hosted only woman in Garibaldi's origi after Crispi left Malta. The Mal Staffetta - wholly innocuous ar misadventures on the island Crispi during his 21-month Mal nal Mille. She returned alone to tese accused Page of .being an ticles. Apart from the calumnies which he even referred to as tese exile. My father, a boy, re Malta in 1860 to urge the Italian agent provocateur in the pay of and falsehoods of some ROSE MONf MASSON scoglio ingrato. membered this benefactor, then exiles to join an imminent expe the British authorities. wretches sold to foreign anti The Sicilian lawyer Francesco an old beggar in Strada Reale, in dition to Sicily. British powers "whom I hold in Crispi, or Crispi-Genova as he tattered tail coat and top hat, Leaving Malta and with a now the utmost contempt'', every SBAllCAT A CON I MILLE A MARSALA preferred to call himself in which he studded with pins and flourishing political caree1; "Reid boasted that honest person had agreed with FU LA GEHEROSA IHFERMIERA ROSALIA Malta, a towering giant in the needles to avoid cruel urchins Crispi grew resentful of her 'political refugees Crispi's political tendencies, convoluted Italian politics of the constantly ramming it down tired looks and embarrassed wholly in line with newspapers DELLA GIORNATA 0 CALAT A IMI 19th century unification of the over his eyes. by her unglamorous origins, here understand in the UK. fragmented Italian peninsula, Crispi's Malta stay was to pro though even political divergen within a fortnight. Reid added Reid had personally slipped "Never would I have believed Crispi says he had been had to escape hurriedly from vide the background for one of cies took their toll: Crispi had they will not be £5.0.0. to Crispi on leaving that under the rule of your gov- scrupulous in avoiding contro that other foreigners might l' ASSOCJADJNE CULTURAL! SIOOJAi!Fll. BZE Italy after participating in the the several major scandals that switched from republican to allowed to make need to be expelled, but so far, in Malta "in order that he might ernment there would be a con- versy on local matters, promot failed uprising in Milan in Feb bedevilled his public and private . monarchist - unpardonably for three years, Crispi had been the not be entirely without money venient exception that entirely ing only issues of general t ea• ruary .1853. On March 14, he life. His partner, Rosalia Mont Rosalia. He started a new rela Malta a spot for second one he hadtargeted. on landing". Newcastle ordered contrasts with. English prac- interest, and those values with somehow obtained an American masson, a laundress from Savoy tionship with the very young The first was the secretary to a refund of this sum. tice." Hadn't the eccentric which Anglo-Saxon governance and noble Lina Barbagallo, who hatching the Hungarian revolutionary The prize find among these Baron Giuseppe Corvaja, sup- had graced civilisation and A commemorative tablet to Rosalia Montmasson in Florence. he married in the utmost se conspiracies against hero Lajos Kossuth, Adriano documents is a petition in Ital porter of the French, been al- achieved greatness . .Being an crecy in 1878, aged 60, when he Lemmi, later to become Grand ian, addressed to Governor Reid, lowed to publish newspapers exile from his native land, it was minister for the interior. governments in Master of Italian Freemasonry. handwritten by Crispi just be and books in Malta, without was the independence and free . Four years after his expulsion, was his enactment of the Legge News of this second bigamous friendly alliance Reid boasted that "the politi fore his forced departure. In punitive sanctions? A series of dom of Italy that urged him to Crispi re-entered the island clan Crispi in 1889, by which Italy marriage was leaked to the cal refugees here understand parts, it reads like a political circunistances had led Crispi to strive for the same conditions destinely, using a forged pass granted citizens of Malta (and .. Neapolitan 11 Piccolo and a huge with Great Britain''' that they will not be allowed to manifesto of the Italian Risorgi believe he would not be singled . which are the right of other port. He was caught and turned other 'Italians' outside Italy) 1·. .~.~.·1~~.;.·.~.•.r.~.~.·'4·r.•.:•f.,·:.~./'.<~.=.·.~h.r.~·~. .~ld~.~ :~.~ .~.··.,,.·~. ·.1··.•.7ft.,.H·:. ,.:··.,;:4~;#'7.··.•.:.=.~:·.·.?··. ~u~·.'~"''.'.'N~.i.~.r~· io -:·//£. .,-,..·~~f;~~.. : ~/'"~4 . ,,.z!,,, ~, national scandal empted. make Malta a spot for hatching mento. It is clothed in sadness, out for punishment provided peoples._ "These are the ideals back, though not prosecuted. some of the rights enjoyed by na ''..:'lfi~.:k·~.<., .·i{;:w"""""".f'.~~t·•""".it!s4· -4~~- ..., . .; .·~ -'~,. .., ;1:.n.: , ., , At first, Crispi denied every The National Archives in conspiracies against govern ·fraught with defiance, draped in he kept himself within the lim- that inspire this century and Crispi never forgot the hospi tive Italians. These benefits were ,;> ,'.£:' • ./,._ £:· •• ,, / '."/i ·IX,1 ,.g;....,,:.t ..k.~ .,-, . ' · · _,, . . . ~ • .,,_)j;;,,:,;;,:·A.-/f- ·~. :'i' >wi·~~ ;..Uv• . i::;;.W, ,..~~;~K '·· l~ -.;,-.,4;~ · /I,_ U,rf,> ~ · ~~ thing, lying through his teeth: Rabat yield the richest harvest ments in friendly alliance with indignation. He kicks off with a its of the 1839 Ordinance that that independent minds in tality and kindness he had re later extended to include rights '.;·~:r~~·tdy{;t}¥~#~~¥~ ·>r,~ .•.~ ,.: ;,... ~h.-o~~-< · 4~;~ ... "l am not the guilty one, I am of documents that throw fresh Great Britain". The file contains rebuke to the governor: on serv established freedom of the Great Britain continually pro ceived from the Maltese. My of Maltese for employment in r.·'iz!""' -4H:{''~*~-,: ..~~ --~~y·~ ~~.'~°"N""Y'". ~-k..., .... the persecuted one." Criminal light on Crispi's known expul~ a receipt by Crispi for one ice of the expulsion warrant, · press in Malta. claim to the admiration and ap- father Vincenzo recounted how the Italian public service, even ../ prosecution for bigamy was sion from Malta by the British month's subscription to La Crispi went personally to the Henry Lushington, Secretary plause of your compatriots. a tavern-keeper near the Public hinted at in the post-war consti ···}·°A''<..... ~.'.- ~. :· zft.-__• .·.•~ ...... If... ·. ·.· .... · __;. .-.~. -~ . ?.r___.....· .,~ --. ~._ :._.. ..-...__...~ ·. N[ff.-· ___... ", . "___.· ·.: ;:;1~;~/.. ..,..·. "'··....-~~ .-~:.·- . ~·_:.::_.•- .;,&.~ ... '7 ""f.,,·,,,... .: · -' M'"-· .._,... ,..,~k··.··"". ·· ·":.. .,-.··.•,,, .. -.··.~·.·~•." ,.•8.v. ,., :. 'f.::.:r~r.-..~,~;:;tt; .... - ~4 ;:~1A..,.,,:,,. _, :,?..... ,;.; .,..: ')f:-;;~;., d;:~;.... ; i'J!£. .;!:.; . started against the minister, authorities. The saga starts with Staffetta, paid by police inspec Palace on a Thursday, the open to Government, had informed They are only opposed by Library, Masu Borg, daily of tution. Thanks to Crispi, long be ~:;.;.· .. ~· & • • ' . . " ' • ,,,,,~ ""°? saw It "'""""'· ,/.,,~ .. .,.""~ ·;:,.,r .. ...,...... ,..!'/', . . ' . ... • . .. P' . ,. but a complacent judiciary a long confidential letter by Gov tor Vincenzo Caruana, as also day the governor anyone him that only British subjects despotic governments." was fered Crispi a cup of coffee on fore both countries joined the scandalously dismissed the ernor Sir William Reid to the the original office copy of the without prior appointment. could publish newspapers in natural, Crispi adds, that the the house. Many years later, EU, the Maltese could live, study, · <· ·· ·· ~·· ·· · ···,··· c · · .·· .· ·· ....~ ... ..•. ~ · . - .· ...~ ... ; ~ -...•..•:-f ~--4'~