Page 568 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo II

1208 XXXIX Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

29
stable, a small store and three prisons” .
For all the needs of the Station, the Carabinieri General Headquarters authorized
directly Cavedagni to prepare two lists, one of the furniture in the barracks and another
one about the other furniture the commander thinks useful in case of increasing the
30
strength of other three personnel .
Finally, speaking about the rule of law, it was underlined that Italians were under
the Italian current (at the moment) law and the natives that violates the rules inside the
colony specifically about the public order were arrested and detained in the barracks
31
prisons for some days and then expelled from the colony . Regarding this point the
Carabinieri Station commander was described as a “professional tyrant of natives” .
32
Some duties in Africa
In order to analyze the duties done in Africa, the General Commander wrote directly
to Assab station, on 25th July 1883: “Mr. Guastalla has the authorisation to the Assab
saline exploitation and asked to inform you that he will arrive with the ship […] that
33
leaves tomorrow from Naples” .
According to some letters between the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Carabinieri
General Headquarters, there were some small problems in the Assab colony such as
personal disagreement between two interpreters asking to inform it about the situation .
34
With the reply, the General Commander sent a report from the Assab Carabinieri
35
Station and sent the same report to War and, on the same date, to Interior Ministry (for
the Prime Minister).
It is clear that the Carabinieri presence in the colony from the beginning had the
mission to maintain a police control over the small area. Speaking about information
29 I carabinieri reali in Assab cit., p. 230. In Italian “in una vasta camera abitano i tre carabinieri, ciascuno
dei quali ha un letto con materasso e due guanciali ed una sedia; nella camera il maresciallo ha fatto
stabilire un lungo cassa-banco per collocarvi sopra ben coperti il corredo dei carabinieri che non entra
nella cassetta; vi è una rastrelliera d’armi, l’attaccapanni e due tavoli completano la mobilie. Una pic-
cola camera attigua serve d’ufficio e d’alloggio per il maresciallo. Vi ha inoltre la cucina con tutti gli
utensili occorrenti, una scuderia, un piccolo magazzino e tre prigioni”.
30 ASMSCC, fald. 110, fasc. 4, letter n. 14262 dated 3rd December 1883 Carabinieri General Headquar-
ters to Assab Carabinieri station, subject: Circa gli effetti di casermaggio occorrenti a codesta stazione.
31 I carabinieri reali in Assab cit., pp. 230.
32 PieTro felTer, La vicenda africana, 1895/1896, Brescia, Vannini, 1935, p. 129, quoted in a. del boca,
Gli Italiani in Africa Orientale, vol. 1. cit., p. 164. Del Boca called the warrant officer with the name of
Cavedagna.
33 ASMSCC, fald. 110, fasc. 4, letter n. 8538 dated 25th July 1883 to the Assab Carabinieri Station, sub-
ject: Si da avviso dell’arrivo costì del Sig. Guastalla concessionario delle saline di Assab. About the
Italians interested in Assab exploitation there were a “retired colonel, knight Begni and a retired captain,
as representative of an Italian factory society that was involved in the salina exploitation”, quoted in I
carabinieri reali in Assab cit., pp. 230-1. the retired captain could be Mr. Guastalla.
34 ASMSCC, fald. 110, fasc. 4, letter n. 643 classified dated 3rd November 1883 from Foreign Affairs
Ministry to Carabinieri General Commander, subject: “il registro Assab”.
35 ASMSCC, fald. 110, fasc. 4, letter n. 15304 dated 24th December 1883 Carabinieri General Head-
quarters to Foreign Affairs Ministry, subiect: Si trasmette in comunicazione la relazione ricevuta dal
Comandante la stazione di Assab.