Men of the Time, eleventh edition/Cairoli, Benedetto

​CAIROLI, Benedetto, an Italian statesman, born in 1826 at Gropello, near Pavia. His father was a surgeon, who, in 1848, was elected by his fellow-citizens to rule their commune. While a student in the University of Pavia, Benedetto Cairoli, in, 1848, conspired and fought as a volunteer against the ​Austrians. In 1851 he became an exile in Piedmont, where he remained till 1859, in which year he again took up arms for the liberation of Italy as one of the "Cacciatori delle Alpi." He was also one of the "mille" in the expedition in 1860, when he was wounded in the leg at the siege of Palermo. In 1866 he fought in the Trentino, and in 1867 at Monterotondo and Mentana. Up to the time of the adyent of the Left to power in 1876, Cairoli had never explicitly declared himself to have left his old Republican tendencies behind him, and definitively accepted the Constitutional Monarchy of Italy. Since that time, however, perhaps led in some degree by his confidence in his friend Depretis, he accepted the Monarchy. Signor Cairoli has lived in an atmosphere of revolution, and has always breathed defiance to the Vatican and to the Church. In March, 1878, when a new Ministry was formed, shortly after the accession of King Humbert, Signer Cairoli was placed at the head of it, being appointed President of the Council, without portfolio. On Oct. 23, in the same year, all the Ministers resigned, and Signer Cairoli, the Premier, was entrusted with the task of forming a new Cabinet. Soon afterwards (Nov. 17), as King Humbert, in company with the Queen and Signer Cairoli, was driving into Naples, a man named Giovanni Passanante attempted to stab His Majesty with a poniard. The attempt was fortunately frustrated by Signor Cairoli, who received a severe wound, while the King escaped with a mere scratch. Signor Cairoli received from the Chambers and the Italian people the warmest congratulations, in which the Sovereigns and most distinguished statesmen of Europe joined, but these ovations could not avert a new ministerial crisis. In the Chamber of Deputies a motion of confidence in the internal policy of the Government was rejected by 257 against 183 votes (Dec. 11, 1878), and the Ministers thereupon resigned. The Depretis ministry which was then formed was overthrown after half a year's tenure of power, and was succeeded by a new combination of the Left under Signor Cairoli, who was in turn compelled (Nov., 1879) to reconstruct his administration and to bring in Signor Depretis as Minister of the Interior. On May 14, 1881, the Ministry resigned, after the French expedition to Tunis, as their policy in regard to it had rendered them highly unpopular.