Unique document on France's military espionage in the military facilities of La Spezia La Spezia. "Resenseignements sur La Spezia". French manuscript on paper and borderline map of the port arsenal. 2 Bl. 31 x 19 cm and approx. 22 x 22 cm. France around 1870. Klandestin of a French spy probably made for the government under Napoleon III. handwritten description of the military installations of the Arsenal of La Spezia in the Italian Liguria on the Mediterranean. After Napoleon Bonaparte had annexed the strategic port city, which was enormously important because of its deep bay, in 1805 as part of Liguria directly to the First French Empire, La Spezia became Italian only in March 1861 with the founding of the Kingdom of Italy again and "officially". As early as 1857, the architect and general Domenico Chiodo (1823-1870) was commissioned by the Piedmontese Prime Minister Cavour to create plans for a naval base in La Spezia. He then designed the monumental military arsenal of La Spezia ("Arsenale Militare Marittimo"), with which the young kingdom also manifested its self-confidence towards the France of Napoleon III. During this time, he had close diplomatic and military contacts with Italy. French engineers, spies and naval officers closely observed the construction of the strategically extremely important deep water port in the so-called "Golfo dei Poeti". Thus, the meticulously drawn plan shows the bay of La Spezia, the offshore island of Terrizzo, the coastal profile and the hinterland with all the facilities relevant for defence such as mountains (M. Castellazo, "M. Parodi" etc.) with bastions and observation points, the railway line ("chemin de fer du littoral"), the fortresses ("Fort Muzzerone"), the Military facilities "Arsenal", the famous dike "Diga foranea" for defense and locking ("Digue a fleur d'eau") and much more. The informant describes in detail the institutions in tabular form on the attached sheet "Reenseignements sur La Spezia": "Inauguration de l'Arsenal":"L'arsenal a été inauguré le 28 Août 1869. A coûté environ 70 millions sans compter les 60 millions nécessites par la digue et les forts" (in blue added: "Prix = 130 millions). The following are exact information on the number and dimensions of the shipyards ("Darses"), the dry docks ("Bassins de radoub"), the cranes ("Grue ... possède une grue de 160 tones", the shipbuilding helpers ("Cales de Construction"), the coal reserves ("Dépôts de charbon"), the reinforcement with weapons ("Artillerie - L'Artillerrie est établie à San-Vito") and the exact information about "Les poudres se trouvent à Panigaglia et dans le Val de Lochi" ("Les poudres s trouvvent à Paniganlia et dan s le Val De Lochi"). The storage of the shooting cotton necessary for ignition is also historically well mentioned ("Le fulmi-coton est a Ferrazzola"). The tables contain a "List of forts, batteries redoutés, ouvrages avancés etc.", which is listed in particularly tiny, but well-readable manuscripts, classified by "défendant la passe", "contre un barbardement du large", "Contre Uneattaque de l'Est" and "conte une attack de NO". To the left of the same page, the dam ("Digue") is described in detail in its location, its dimensions and its placement with cannons etc.: "Digue [...] Sera défendue par les cannoniers 'Castor et Pollux' armées chacune de 2 Canons de 120 K. et par le cuirassé 'Roma' [...]". – A little tanned, the iron galllustinte only on the silk paper with small cracks due to small Ink grisse, but without loss of image or text. - Impressive document of the French espionage in Risorgimento.