While in his lonely cell at Savona, in presence of "those symbols of the infinite, the sky and the sea," with a greenfinch for his sole companion, and having access to no books but "a Tacitus, a Byron, and a Bible," he had finally become aware of the great mission or "apostolate" (as he himself called it) of his life; and soon after his release his prison meditations took shape in the programme of the organization which was destined soon to become so famous throughout Europe, that of _La Giovine Italia_, or Young Italy. Its publicly avowed aims were to be the liberation of Italy both from foreign and domestic tyranny, and its unification under a republican form of government; the means to be used were education, and, where advisable, insurrection by guerrilla bands; the motto was to be "God and the people," and the banner was to bear on one side the words "Unity" and "Independence" and on the other "Liberty," "Equality," and "Humanity," to describe respectively the national and the international aims. In April 1831 Charles Albert, "the ex-Carbonaro conspirator of 1821," succeeded Charles Felix on the Sardinian throne, and towards the close of that year Mazzini, making himself, as he afterwards confessed, "the interpreter of a hope which he did not share," wrote the new king a letter, published at Marseilles, urging him to take the lead in the impending struggle for Italian independence. Clandestinely reprinted, and rapidly circulated all over Italy, its bold and outspoken words produced a great sensation, but so deep was the offence it gave to the Sardinian government that orders were issued for the immediate arrest and imprisonment of the author should he attempt to cross the frontier. Towards the end of the same year appeared the important Young Italy "Manifesto," the substance of which is given in the first volume of the _Life and Writings_ of Mazzini; and this was followed soon afterwards by the society's _Journal_, which, smuggled across the Italian frontier, had great success in the objects for which it was written, numerous "congregations" being formed at Genoa, Leghorn, and elsewhere. Representations were consequently made by the Sardinian to the French government, which issued in an order for Mazzini's withdrawal from Marseilles (Aug. 1832); he lingered for a few months in concealment, but ultimately found it necessary to retire into Switzerland.