'I think I had acquainted you of the completion of the armistice and terms, signed by all parties, for surrendering and accepting the surrender of the town. Having therefore seen the deputation of the town off for Turin, my next most anxious endeavour was to cause the battle to cease, which had been carried on at the advanced posts with great smartness. I therefore once more took to my boat to begin the arduous duty of separating the combatants. General La Marmora sent aide-de-camps, but it took time before they could reach all points from which cannon were firing, not on the town but all the points of attack. The first stop I put on the firing was by landing on the mole and taking a 32 lb. gun that was being worked against the Doria Palace. I landed with my six gigs, and they drove them with their swords from the gun, which I ordered to be drawn and all the ammunition to be thrown into the sea. But my coxswain thought the powder too good, and when I again got into the boat I found it all stowed away in her. Of course a body of muskets mustered against us to drive us away, in turn, with fixed bayonets. I walked quietly up to them, and after being informed how the case stood, with a little grumbling they went quietly away.
'From hence I went to the naval arsenal; here I was warned at the entrance, by sentry, to take care, for the houses that commanded the basin and storehouses were full of armed men, placed there in readiness to attack the arsenal with a view to release the galley slaves. I went in, however, and saw the Commander of the Bagnio, and looked at the means of defence that might be offered if attacked; he told me he was quite deserted, but if matters came to the worst he would make an attempt to defend the prison. From the Arsenal I went directly to the headquarters of the rebel General. Here elbowing my way amid a host of armed brigands and people of the lower and lowest class of Genoese I found the general, Avezzana, seated at a table in a moderate sized room. As soon as I was offered a seat at his table, a crowd of armed folk filled the room and pressed hard upon us. He was haughty and distant in his manner; I said that I had just seen the deputation off for Turin and that as an armistice was agreed on for forty-eight hours I begged he would at once do all in his power to cease the firing on his side; he was out of humour and said: "When General La Marmora does!" He then charged me with being a partisan. I said I feared I was, and belonged to a party in the world that loved order and government. "Oh ah!" said he, "but you have taken on you and thrown the ammunition of the people into the sea"—on which there was a shout as he raised his voice in finishing his sentence. I saw my ground was critical and that much depended on myself, so I quietly but audibly said, "Yes, I did so, and shall do the same whenever I find the like; I have not toiled for two nights and days to save the property of the poor, the widow from affliction, and the orphan from wretchedness (I might have said more) and now for the sake of a few cartridges to allow more blood to be shed, when you have signed a peace." This was a blow he did not expect, for he had not told the people he had signed, but on the contrary went out and harangued at the barricades talking stuff about liberty, death, patriotism and all other fine things. He quietly listened though, and began to question me as to many things he said I had done against the people. On this I rose, took up my hat and in a haughty tone said, "I don't come here to be questioned, but to make peace, so I wish you good morning."
'There was a murmur, and then a civil speech from those about me to pray I would be seated, when suddenly the tone of questioning was taken up by a young man in a blue and red uniform, standing close to the General in a most intemperate manner. To him I civilly said I would not be questioned, and rose, took my hat and departed. They made a lane for me; the young man followed me and grasping my hand said, "I beg your pardon, I know I was very hot, but I have had two horses killed under me this morning." I said I thought that ought to make him cool, on which he laughed and said, "I am not a Genoese, I am a Frenchman." He then told me he was sent by the Republicans in France to aid the cause of liberty in Italy.
'I said, "Well, if you wish to see me, come on board to-morrow at 9." I never saw him again.
'I remained on shore visiting several points where the fire had been most active, and about 3 P.M. all was silent, the battle was over, and I came on board to my crowd of women and children. You may suppose I was well tired. I had not had my clothes off for 3 nights, and only a plank and an hour or two the nights previous to the last. I, however, took the head of my table at 6 o'clock; it was a beautiful evening, and with the Genoese ladies and Captain Tarlton to take care of me I sat out in the stern gallery till 10 P.M., when Tarlton told me he had a bed made for me in a spare cabin below. In this I got a good night's rest in spite of the diabolical witlow; the witlow is so unromantic a wound that I shall leave it out of the narrative for the future. The next morning I was with General La Marmora at daylight and from him I went to the municipality. I found them in a sad plight, full of terror. The Syndic, or Mayor had been threatened in the night. Albertini, a leader of the revolt, one of the worst of ruffians I am told, entered his bedchamber at midnight with money orders and proclamations ready drawn out, and with a pistol to his head forced him to sign them. I had a long conversation with them on the state of affairs, I found that the Red Republicans had shown themselves in reality.
'I advised them to send out confidential emissaries to all the National Guards of a respectable character that could be found, to come to the ducal palace; to get the mob on pretences of various kinds out of it, and at once begin to endeavour to rally the better spirits within the town. They promised me they would do so. They then showed me an excellent paper they had drawn up, containing the truth in regard to the armistice and present position of affairs. They were afraid to publish it, for Avezzana had told another story. I suggested that such a paper, published with the signatures of all the European Consuls, would have an excellent effect. They thought it the best, but again were afraid of being thought the authors; so I then offered that it should be mine and I could at once try and get the consuls to sign it. You can hardly conceive the relief even this small act, and truth having a chance of being told, seemed to give them. I went straight to the French Consul and found him at home, showed him the paper which he seemed to approve, said I might leave it to him and he would summon the Consuls and do the needful. He did nothing. Leon Le Favre, brother to Jules Le Favre, editor of the Nationale, Red Republican; but more of him by and bye.
'I now went on board to breakfast, having the day previous had a letter from Sir William Abercromby, our Minister at Turin, begging me to do all I could for the King of Sardinia in his distress; and the letter containing a positive request that I would prevent all the Sardinian vessels from entering Genoa, as they are bringing more Reds and Lombards to assist the revolt; and having had one of my cutters fired on with grape in relieving guard the evening before, I determined to move the Vengeance into the inner mole, where I could work the ship effectually, if I chose, to prevent the entrance of anything into the harbour for disembarkation. While in the act of moving the ship I received the serious news from the Municipality, that it was the intention of the Reds, with Albertini and Campanelli at their head, to at once open the Bagnio and let loose the galley slaves; begging at the same time that I would take it on myself to prevent this, as it could only be in contemplation for purposes easily conceived, though dreadful to contemplate.
'I now placed the ship in a position to command with her guns the dockyard and houses opposite to it. She had opposed to her a 20-gun battery in the dock-yard and Bagnio, and a 20-gun battery on the opposite side to the dockyard, one of 15 guns on the bow, and various small masked batteries on various heights about the ship; not naming the great forts on the heights. But be it remembered that these works were ill-manned, and none provided with trained artillery men. Having secured the ship and got her ready for action, not loading guns, I never loaded a gun while at Genoa, I went on shore and found that the Governor of the prison had received his summons to open the doors, and had refused. He was glad to see me, we now settled his plan of defence as far as he was able, and to my astonishment he struck chains off fifty forçats and put a musket into their hands. He made excellent arrangements for defence, and assured me he could rely on these men. I had them drawn up and found they all understood the weapon. I told them if they behaved well, &c. &c. &c. I now informed him that at the first report of a musket fired from a point agreed on, I should land with 150 marines, and my gun boats would enter the mole and would sweep with grape the houses and wharfs, while the ship could do as she pleased. I am praised in a public letter from Sir William Parker for this, the only act that was not neutral and that would, had the Reds acted, have brought the Vengeance into the whole affair. To end the affair at once these acts of mine stopped the whole thing, and broke up the Red gang in Genoa.
'It also had another effect; it cleared my ship of every soul. As soon as we anchored and prepared for battle, every soul fled the ship and got away through Marmora's army to St. Pierre de la Regina, where they were quite safe.
'Just after the sun had set this evening and it was growing dark enough not to know green from blue, a steamer at full speed was seen entering the port, and to my horror La Marmora's nineteen gun battery at the lighthouse, while she was passing close under Vengeance's bows, opened fire upon her, putting two 30 lb. shots through her hull. In an instant all the batteries opened on him, I thought all my efforts in a moment destroyed. In a fit I jumped into the first boat, and shoved on board the Frenchman, sending an officer to La Marmora's batteries to beg them to leave off firing. To end this story, the officer at La Marmora's battery had mistaken the French for the Sardinian flag, and fired on it. The mistake cleared up, to my joy the volcano ceased vomiting, but here was more fat in the fire. I sat down to my dinner at six once more in peace and tête-à-tête with Tarlton talking over our affairs with the gusto given by a superior appetite to a shocking bad dinner, when in burst the two French captains, one of the Tonnerre a frigate in the port, and the other the captain of the packet.