The Alexandria Herald

EXECUTIONS AT NAPLES.

The Neapolitan Gazette contains an account of the manner in which Ferdinand III. has punished or pardoned his loving subjects for having established or supported a constitution, which he himself swore to maintain, and at the head of which his son remained till the Austrian standard appeared in sight of Naples. Thirty persons who had been concerned in the revolution of 1820, have been condemned to death, and 13 to 25 years imprisonment. The Gazette, however, is loud in its praises of royal clemency for having pardoned 28 out of these condemned, and for having commuted this punishment into imprisonment and hard labor for 50 years. Among those condemned to death is gen. Pepe, who it will be recollected, made his escape after the overrunning of his country by the Austrians, and is now at Madrid—some say in expectation of the command of a body of constitutional troops—which, however, is improbable as the constitution does not permit the grant of a military command to a foreigner. The only two unfortunate men, against whom sentence of death (for attempting to emancipate their country!) could be put in execution, were Morelli and Silvati. On Wednesday fortnight, says a private letter, these two were (according to the custom used with condemned persons) put in a capella, or little church, where they passed the night, surrounded by priests; the horrors of the place, and the near approach of death, made an impression on Silvati, who listened to the priests, confessed himself, and received the sacrament of the Catholic church. Morelli, however, remained obdurate; he expressed his disbelief of the doctrines of the church and his contempt of its ministers, and would not attend to their exhortations. About seven o'clock, on Thursday morning, they were conveyed to the place of execution, outside of the Porta Capuana, a few paces from the prison, as they were sentenced to suffer with the ultima ignominia, like parricides; their eyes were bound; their faces covered with black crape veils; a robe of coarse black stuff was thrown over their bodies, and their shoes and stockings were taken off. They walked firmly to the guillotine; a priest with a crucifix in his hand, walked by the side of each; when they ascended the scaffold, Silvati knelt down on the steps, listened to the instructions of his confessor, and acknowledged the justice of his sentence! but Morelli remained standing, firmly refusing to listen to the priest, saying, 'he wants to deceive me;' and when the confessor renewed his exhortations, with the words 'God is just,' Morelli answered 'God has not been just to me in this business; I have always been an honest man, and now I am to die like a villain.' Both the unfortunate men met their fate very resolutely and calmly. The body of Morelli was, in consequence of his impenitence refused Christian burial.