Rassegna storica del Risorgimento

Lettere d Mazzini
549
We know not whether the Czar of democracy biniseli' wished ihiB Ietler lo be patent. for tbe tcrror of ali politicai evil-doers, or whether a secret of State bas been betrayed by some unfaithful member of bis councils. As a mailer of judgmeni, we sbouid ibink that so explicit a dee tarali on of bis policy is not very ìvise. Of course tbe Powers of Europe, already sufficienily alive to the inconvenience of a democralic propaganda, wiib ila head-quarters in London, and ila correspondents ali over Europe, will now feel themselves arni ed wilb fresh reasons against that progress in wbicb Mazzini foresees the speedy down fall of ali monarcbical and oligarchical pretensions . ) L'agitatore reagì subito, in­viando al Tùnes una lettera in inglese, in cui affermava di non essere l'autore del documento politico in questione. Questa smentita di Mazzini fu tradotta in italiano e pubblicata nell7to7i e Popolo da cui fu poi tratta per essere ristam­pata nell'Edizione Nazionale. Ritengo comunque opportuno riprodurre il testo inglese della lettera mazziniana, quale apparve nel Times:
2, Sidney Place, Bromptòn, May 25 2) To the Editor of the Times. Sir,
fimi in The Times of tliis day (May 15) a long tepori a of Mr. Mazzini to the Central Committee of London on the situaiion of Continental Europe . The report is declared to he a secret one; bui. of course, the a Central Committee ha ve no secreta from your correspondent. As, however, it happens that the report was a secret from myself until I chanced to see it in your columns, perhaps you will oblige me with inserling these few additional lines, stating not only that the reporl is not mine, bui that it could not be mine; my views about a pcrmanent provideutial Frcncb initialive national ten-ilencics of the Picdmontese monareby the way I li mugli wbicb we ought, and hope to overthrow the Austrian empire Prussian hislorieal mission and oUier thiogs, dilfering in loto from the views contained in the report.
Yours, with ali due respecl,
Joseph Mazzini
A questa fase dell'esistenza di Mazzini appartiene ima sua lèttera inedita, indirizzata al pastore presbiteriano statunitense George Dod Armstrong, di cui si conserva una copia nella Boston Public Library:
Copy
of a note
from M. MAZZINI
to G. Armstrong
Thursday Cromarli] Lodge Old Bromptòn Dear Sor, 1 bave transmiltcd your bitter, handed over town hy Mr. Aahurst, to Kossutb. 'Whether he will or not acknowlfidge it, is a mailer of lime; bui X feel suro that once a way from your ahores and at resi ou tho wide sea, he will think of its contcnis, and profit by them (?!H).
I avail myself of the opportunily to Ilunik you for the hook wbicb you were so kind UH to send me a copy of. We ore moving on the sanie patii, and cndeavouring to relink
t) The Times, Londra, giovedì 15 maggio 1851, p. 4.
2) Ibidem, Londra venerdì 16 maggio 1851, p. a. Cfr. S.L, XLV (Epistolario, XXIV), pp. 264-265.