A lieutenant in the Royal Navy who served in South America, the Crimea and China, Charles Stuart Forbes (1829-76) was one of the many Englishmen who volunteered to support Giuseppe Garibaldi during the Risorgimento. Garibaldi (1807-82) was an immensely popular figure in England, often being identified with English heroes of the past. Streets, food and clothing were named in his honour, while Queen Victoria commented that he was 'honest, disinterested and brave'. Published in 1861, Forbes' work tells, mostly through letters, of the progress of the last territorial conquest before the creation of the Kingdom of Italy. From Forbes we learn something of the messianic character attributed to Garibaldi: 'I have many times been told, in all sincerity by the peasants, that he is the brother of the Redeemer.' This remains a valuable first-hand account of some of the most important events in the founding of modern Italy.
