ara, and
on the Presents he received at that memorable Period_. In the
following year--that is, in 1839--Count Alberti sold the
remainder of his manuscripts to Signor Giusta, a bookseller of
Lucca, who published them under the title of _The real Causes
of the Imprisonment and Liberation of Torquato Tasso proved by
History and authentic Documents_. Now came the unpleasant part
of the affair to the noble owner of the mysterious manuscripts.
No sooner was this second book announced in the papers, than
Signor Mazzaroni brought an action against the count for having
sold him forged documents and autographs. On this charge
Alberti was arrested, and in due time a commission was named by
the tribunal to examine the documents in question. In
consequence of the slowness which characterizes all judicial
proceedings beyond the Alps, it was not until September, 1844,
that this commission gave its opinion, declaring the said
documents to be forgeries. Alberti was accordingly condemned to
seven years' imprisonment. He appealed against the sentence,
and demanded that the whole case might be re-examined from the
beginning. Thereupon, a second commission was named, with
larger powers; and before this body the count laid the proofs
of authenticity which he possessed. He proved to their
satisfaction that the manuscripts in question had been left by
the Abbe Maranetonio to Prince Ottavio Falconieri, from whose
library they had come to him. The Court admitted his evidence,
quashed the former sentence, and ordered the prisoner to be set
at liberty. The cream, however, of the affair is, that the
second Commission took nearly seven years to arrive at this
conclusion,--so that the Count's imprisonment had about expired
by efflux of time when the Sacra Consulta declared it to be
unmerited."

* * * * *

MR. BANCROFT is about publishing a history of the American Revolution in
three volumes. It is announced by Bentley in London, and will be brought
out here by Little & Brown, of Boston, the publishers of his History of
the United States. The present book is altogether distinct from that
history, upon which the author is still busily engaged. During the years
of his foreign residence, MR. BANCROFT has been storing the richest
materials for his great work; and the public