ORSINI, Felice (1819-1858), Italian patriot, was born in December 1819 at a small town in the Roman states not far from Forlι. He was educated for the church, but soon abandoned that career, and joined Mazzini’s Young Italy Society in 1838. For engaging in revolutionary projects he was arrested 1st May 1844, and sentenced at Rome to the galleys for life, but by the amnesty proclaimed on the accession of Pius IX. he was restored to liberty. In 1848 he became leader of a band of youthful Romagnoli, distinguishing himself greatly at Vicenza and Treviso; and in 1849 he was chosen a deputy to the Roman parliament. After the suppression of the revolution he became one of the most active agents of Mazzini, and while engaged in a mission to Hungary he was in December 1854 arrested at Hermannstadt and imprisoned at Mantua. A few months afterwards ho made his escape by sawing through the bars of his cell, and in 1856 he published a narrative of his prison experiences under the title Austrian Dungeons in Italy. Some time after a rupture with Mazzini he went to Paris with the determination to assassinate Napoleon III., whom he regarded as the chief stumbling-block in the way of Italian independence, and the principal cause of the anti-liberal reaction in Europe. While the emperor and empress were returning from the opera on the evening of January 14, 1858, bombs were exploded at their carriage, but without inflicting any injury on either. In the attempt Orsini had three associates, Pieri, Rudio, and Gomez. Gomez was pardoned, the sentence against Rudio was commuted on the scaffold, but Orsini and Pieri were executed 13th March 1858. Orsini, whose action had an important influence in precipitating the campaign of 1859 (see vol. ix. p. 624), met his fate with great dignity and ...