having only to encounter the
naval and military forces of Francis II, crossed the Straits of Messina,
landed in Calabria, and marched on Reggio. On August 21st the town was
occupied, and the citadel, with its commander and soldiers, capitulated.
Another victory was gained on the 23d, dispersing the forces of the
Neapolitan Generals Melendez and Briganti. Some of their soldiers joined
Garibaldi; the rest returned to their homes and increased both his real
and his legendary fame by their account of his victories. The
insurrection against the Bourbon dynasty was now rapidly spreading.

At Cosenza in Calabria, and at Potenza in the Basilicata, provisional
governments were proclaimed and were hailing with delight the progress
of Garibaldi. The forces of Francis were disappearing from those
provinces and leaving the road to Naples unprotected. The fleet was as
little to be counted on as the army.

In Naples itself all was confusion and contradiction in the Government.
None of its members trusted the others or believed in the duration of
the Bourbon dynasty. Years of corruption, tyranny, falsehood, and
cruelty had undermined the whole system, and it fell before the storm as
if by magic. Francis II determined to leave his capital. When he ordered
the troops which still remained faithful to him to retreat upon Capua
and Gaeta, two-thirds of the staff sent in their resignation, as did
many of the officers of the Neapolitan fleet. The King addressed a
protest to the foreign powers in which he declared he only quitted his
capital to save it from the horrors of a siege. He issued a proclamation
to his people in which he expressed his wishes for their happiness, and
declared that when restored to his throne it would be all the more
splendid from the institutions he had now irrevocably given. On
September 6, 1860, he left the capital on board a steamer accompanied by
two Spanish frigates, and was taken to Gaeta. On September 7th Garibaldi
entered Naples at midday in an open carriage, accompanied by some of his
staff. For long hours he received a welcome such as has seldom if ever
been given to any other man. Again and again he had to appear on the
balcony of the Palazzo d'Angri, where he had taken up his quarters, to
receive the applause of the multitude. At eight o'clock that evening it
was at length announced that, worn out with fatigue and emotion, he had
retired to rest. A sudden quiet fell upon the vast crowds, and repeating
to