“A Piedmontese physician, who, in 1794, after two years’ imprisonment in Piedmont, for his warm support of the principles of the French Revolution, made his escape (Heaven knows how!) to France, and was employed in his professional capacity in the French army. When this army entered Piedmont, Botta fought with it against the King and his country. He went to Corfu in the capacity of army physician. The King of Piedmont having been obliged to abdicate, the French General, Joubert, appointed a provisional government, which the historian, of course, mentions with high eulogium, inasmuch as of this very government Signor Botta was a worthy member.”
As to his diction, the reviewer says:—“We wish not to criticize minutely Signor Botta’s style.... The Italian edition, however, we have read, and, save only school-boy themes and college exercises, more coldness, stiffness, and affectation is scarcely to be found.”
Apart, however, from the historical blunders and style of the work, another cause existed to call forth the hostile criticism of Panizzi. This will appear from the opening passage of the review, which runs thus:—“The name of Carlo Botta has long been known as that of an historian. While yet a member of the legislative body, during the reign of Napoleon, he published at Paris a ‘History of American Independence.’ Whether it so happened that his notions on liberty have been since wonderfully revolutionized, or his bitter vituperations of England and laudatory tropes in favour of America, propitiated the then rancorous hatred of the French towards this nation we know not, but his work was eminently successful.”
Undoubtedly it was Botta’s ill-feeling towards England, more than the demerits of the work itself, which called for such severe and scathing comments. The review was translated into Italian, and circulated amongst Botta’s compatriots.
Other articles on various subjects appeared in the same journal up to the year 1830.
The new college, though happily inaugurated, did not attract so many students to the lessons in the Italian language and literature as might have been anticipated, and the expected emoluments of the Professor fell proportionately short; nevertheless his reputation as a sound scholar and acute critic increased daily, and his circle of friends widely extended. Mr. Brougham, who assiduously cultivated his society, lost no opportunity of introducing him to the leading literary personages of the period, and to the most prominent members of the Liberal party. Among the former was Lady Dacre, whose translations from Petrarch were highly valued, yet not beyond their merit, by some of the ablest critics of the time. To her Panizzi was introduced in the following note from Brougham:—