The Statesman. — London, England, 1821-06-22 00:00:00

~' 9 ~~ f *tweed with moth ! ' gotten, five years after that bat' happened to which If referred, and that tee at it period when Airily. from eireentstances which were a• pelmet but imperfectly known in this country. was afloat to nndergo another organisation.—Tkether the change would be for the better or the worse, he could not determine. As far as he nederstuod it, he believed that it appromtbed to that system which the Noble Lord seemed to *onside, as vastly superior to that which had for some years been acted nym, as It pre Sicily a Government independent of that of Naples. Ile did not mean to say that those advantages necessarily grew out of independence which some Gentlemen were in the habit of connect ing with it, bit Whether independence was a good or an eel!, he believed that it was about to be restored to Sicily, and therefor* the Noble Lord wool I Lave h.rneght forward his motion more felicitously at the period when the breach of the Sicilian Constitution was gild to have taken place by its being' united to Naples, than now when its separation from that c..untre was node:stood to he determined upon. The -uhieet metier the consideration of the House resolved it-elf into two questions; first, as to the course of moasnres adopted while the British Government were io the military occupation of Sicily, and the nature cf the relations growing oat of the connection then e-tahlished : and secondly, the situation in which we were placed after leaving that island from the duties growing out of those relations, and the declarations ciade on the part of this country. Under the first head. the House would take into consideration the circum stances ender which Sicily had been occupied. They 'mild see, that to oppose that gigantic power which was then over-running the world, that it was t'le object of this country to make a diversion against tL.e enemy in l•aly. This made the occupation of ' - Rile desirable, but it was necessary to make suck ilecisrations as should Jo away the idea that it was -tended f welitly to retain it by military force. When Aro occupied Sicily. the Sicilians were found oc c :pied with discussions on the form of their Govern ment. Snhseqiently considerable progress was made I , these discussions, and a constitution was formed, as nearly resembling that of England as they could ?rake it; an l the Sicilians had flattered themselves e- it they would enjoy the same fruits, from the adop tion of one Constitution, which it had produced in ti s country. But certainly, while the British army eras there, its intervention was frequently found neces gory, to enable the (forerun:rot to go on at all. This fi..ca•ne indispensable, not to promote any sinister !e'er of our own, hat to protect the King's interest, fi". I to preserve all that bad been done from being un done. So far as his experience went, and be (the Marquess of Londonderry) had been in official cow ry: unica.lon with the Noble Lord, during the latter part of the time he was in Sicily, he (the 31:trquess of Londonderry) had never seen a Constitution that ap peared, to jade from its workings, less suited to the !f ettles of tbe people for whom it was intended, or less a:Tlimbie to the actual circumstances of the country then that which had been given to Sicily. So tho rough had the conviction been that that Constitution not stand, that all were determined that a fun. da:nental change ought to take place. It was true, that in 1614, when it was thought necessary to with draw onr army, that Sir W. A'Court (then Mr. A'Conri) had put forth a statement to open the eyes of the Sicilians as to the real motives of this country. and had explained to them the intention of the British Government with respect to the army. which it was ' proposed to withdraw is the course of a few month*. a; soon as they could be replaced by the troops of the tiieg of Naples. In consequence of this, an attempt a: a reform wan made by the Parliament, but, after proceeding in the work for many months. they at last came to a deed stop, and they, therefore, to pat a stop to the evil, call on the King to appoint a Royal Com toission to reform the Constitution. A Royal Com mission was then formed, which made some progress la the work assigned to it. bat did sot ultimately suc ceed ; and at last it fell to the King to meet the et genoy of the cue, by forming some sort of Govern ment. It was proper to remark, that the instructions sent to Sir W. A'Coort were not sent at the time we evacuated the island. It was is Slay 1815 that we evocuateil Sicily; but the instructions were not sent out till September in the following year. i t was not supposed when we left Sicily that we were booed to leak to its Constitution. The last thing that we ought to do was to make a Constitittion for any coun try it we were not obliged by our own Constitution to govern. if we were to do this, inconyetcnt as we must he to dolt well, he was of opinion that such con duct would make the English name as odious through out gurer as It was respectable at this day. No in stractions had been give"' to Sir IV. A'Court to con vey to the Neapolitan Bovernment the ideas of ibis Goverumeot as to the change which ought to take place in their system ; bat these circunistancrs had been tested under which this Uovernment might eon ceiie itself booed tr interfere. It wos intimated that if any thing like a re-action. directed against those who bad acted in conformity with the views of the British should take Sem that then it witoW be their duty to interfere in behalf of the parties. But be was not aware that in the six years which had passed since the change in the Governeseut took place. that any complaints had been received from those who were this' circumstanced. The Noble Lord bad said that he had brought forward this question on his own view of thesubject. without having had any commentate *tion respective it from any Sicilian. bat to hint it seemed rather late to bring forward after six years bad passed away a charge against this Ilovernmeat for **- Oneness is not interfering to save Sicily from thn evil, which had fallen on her throagh her union viii Is!apies. It was a little late to bring forward such a urge at a moment when it was aaderstood that the meats*, were again separated. The 86461100- wet had never bound itself to interfere in the of It had rather &milled itself to make which should justify luterferenee la the _ their being called upon io do se. Noble Lori had dressed up the foe wet Wefts of Wily in the most gorgeous habits that lie supply, amid he had given his own picture of the Government. From his description of the it would appear that nothing amid be more . then the amiss* Goverament of Sicily. But 7 were to look at the papers which could be abed us this subject. it weal(' be seen, even room Noble Lord's owe dispeeehee, it would appear that Govern:neat was act always considered to be so tharge at two coast wermaent faits of fli & Cleft I event of The Nobl meat of cook! auja resell 4) former. it retest tb if they wi !vanished toe Nobi : 4' that tier I • $ THE STA'r •ecellent. • Trite It Will that it had a Parliament's bake that Parliament seldom met, and had no power bet Ns impose taxes, and • to make conditions—(Hear, hear) —when they were granted. If any doubt rensainid on this sehjewt..s periled of documents furnished by the. Noble Lord himself, would soon dimipate dip il lusion, and it would be seen that the Constitution of Sicily, inch at it had existed up to 1813, we , sot inch, bit it would mind' of a very tolerable semi tute being found for it. We had only claimed a right to interfere with the internal policy of Sicily so far as to prevent the lust of any of their former privileges from being associated with the occupation of their Island by the British.. Whatever had been dope or attempted sines 1816, he must protest against its being supposed that Sicily had ever been so placed under the snperintenlance of England as to make this coun try in any way responsible for all the changes which had taken place. The instructions sent out to our Mi nister at Naples the Noble LIM had been pleased to en dorse, and to say that In his judgment better home lions could not have been devised. These had been acted ups' by a Minister of great ability (and he knew of no inelividoal in the line more competent to the discharge of functions like thase with which be had been charted than Sir W. A'Court), and in his jedg ment he hail aeteil on them with perfect propriety. That in lividnal had been called upon not in hid pub lic character. but in his private capacity, by tbe On verument of Naples, so give his opinion on the changes which they were about to make In the Government, and in particular to warn theta of any thing which might give this country a claim to interfere with their internal policy. In this he (the Marquess of London derry) could see nothing that was wrong. He bad never thought it the province of this country to look at the arrangements in that minute way which the Noble Lord seemed to consider had become its duty. He held that this Government was as incapable of mi nutely judging of their system, as it was of framing a Constitntion exactly suited to their wants. Ile would now call on the House to look at the way in which Sir W. A'Court had expressed himself with respect to the projected change in the Sicilian Government, at the period when it was abort to take play —[this Lord chip Isere real a letter from Sir W. A'Court, in which he described every person of note who hail taken part with the English to he nominate., t I places of trust and importance under the new Government.)—Theis at least relieved the English Government from all dread of a re-action--frem all fears, that those who had been attached to th?en would become objects of perste cntion. The system then laid down had been acted upon in such a spirit of mildness, that in the course of six years not one complaint haul been heard on the subject within those walls, always excepting that of Capt. Romeo. hooking at the general system, he could not see any thing that inade against the inhabitants of Sicily, or against the general prosperity of the island. —lf not to have objected to the Union was a fault, he must plead guilty to it and own that he had not taken fire at that which the Noble Lord might consider the principal subject of complaint. The union he regarded as tending to elevate Sicily. The principle on which the union with Scotland lead been affected was this, that Scotland should retain for hesself whatever belonged to Scotland ; but 'that her natives should be entitled to as match as they could find in any other part of the empire. So it was in this ease. Every thing in_ Sicily wsa. L.l belong exclusively to Sicily. There was to he no Neapo litan Bishop of Palermo. No native of Naples might shew his face in Sicily as a candidate for any of the great offices there. All these were to he retained hr the Sici lians. They were thus to here a nice little freehold of their own in Sicily, while they were at liberty to seek at Naples whatever they might wish for on the other side of flee water. He aid not know but the Parliament would meet as often as it lead been accustomed to meet. Heretofore it bad never been called tvgether but when the King was in want of money, and there was as good a chance of his wanting money under the new system, as there ever hail been tinder the old one. The feudal sys tem, which had so long been the subject of complaint, had been done away. so that the conditions of the Sici- Baas instead of being rendered worse than formerly, had actually been improved, as it appeared to him, and err. tainly nothing tsanspired that he could view as jus tifying interference between the Government and the people on tloe part of Great Britain.—lised Mi nisters carried their interference further than they had carried it, he was persuaded that the Hon. and Learned Gentleman opposite would have male him feel the weight of his arguments against such a coarse, and have pressed bins more severely .on that subject than he apprehended he should be pressed this night, for adopting that line of policy which Minis ters had thought it their duty to prefer. Mach more would have been urged against their coniluet, if, in stead of abstaining from unnecessary interfere nee. they hail takes upon themselves to regulate the affair. of Sicily, to determine what should be its form of leaver 00000 Pelt, and what the amount of .taxation in that island. The absence of complaint furnished a pear. deal proof that no serious grievances had been expe rienced. No ground whatever for our interference had been TA& our, and consequently — me ground for the present motion had been, laid,. which* c.elled for at all, bar' been brought foiWard 'ltillicifelf"too late, at a moment when the very system against which the Nobly lewd raised his voice was, as he believed. com• pletely al an end. Sir J. MACKINTOSH would argue the question on' the pretends which the Noble Marquess had stated were those on which it ought to be argued, nut taking a very. I seisms. or microscopic view of the subject, Met sapport ing the motion because it appeared to loim that this Go vernment haul deviated from the principles laid. down ita its dispatches and public papers, and hail neglected those duties to the Sicilians which it bad solemnly hound it self to perform. Hs expressed surprise at hearing the' emboli of then three kingdoms compared with the an nexation of Sicily to Naples. and sheered that the rases wen different. He maintained that the Nolde lord was Justified in bringing forward his motion now and not before, as it was but recently that lee lead become ac quainted with the pledge given by this county; to main tain the ancient condition of Sicily. • The instructions Predated, bad not been aontwat to Sir W. AVourt till eighteen months after the change bad taken place in flee Uoveranseat. He could wish to sae the origival instruc tions sent oat to Sir W. A'Const. as he thought it almost impossible tihat lnattruetioas should not have been tent sat at an eiklier 'period ; and. he , thenglet it probable that a reellssih dieeOrdaece would be Mind between the tone held daring the war in ISM and that assumed Asia the Mika bad ifisunpheel in lisl6. The Noble Lord had *Wed himself to shats airst„yhat individuals cad not ett*red trout their wearsection with Englated ; end ?ereendly; that the -not cosuplalited er nar noLideirferfag ia their' *l4 IL . With respect - o the first, it teas mild that nu( a sitrgie alifb•plaiess • cad been made but that of Capt. 'tome*. Could this /fleece arise from the universal satishetion which had been 'aspired by the cominet of the flovernment ? No ! —the universality of silence proved to him the exitence of distrust, fear. and despair—A dread of the resent ment of their own Ooverninent if they in ide a tom: plaint, ant a fear that nothing that England would do could console them under the persecution to which, acting curb a part, they wnnlil expose themselves.— That sort of assoraace on which the Noble Lord re lied, we might obtain from Algiers, Morocco, or Siberia. He would argue the question on three grounds—Ant, be would enquire whether there was any evident* before the House, or before Europe. to prove that it was impracticable to reform the constitution established under the auspices of the Noble Lord. Secondly, if there was, whether the ancient Constitution of Sicily, whirls was to have been restored. bad not been destroyed ; and, thirdly, whether the change now made by the King of Naples, which bad re-opened the question, was not a departure for the worse from the sys:em of Government established in 1816, in which this country bad acquiesced; and on all these points be would contend that the motion of the Noble Lord was entitled to the support of the House. In the first -place be was surprised that the Noble Marquess should treat with ridicule the reverential attempt which had been made to imitate the forms of Cie British Consti ttstion, by a people new to legislation. He wished to know where the Address to the King of Sicily to de visee new form of Government was to be found. He had read the proceedings of the Sicilian Parliament but found nothing of the kind, and he understood that many of the leading members were of opinion that no site+ measure was necessary, and were satisfied that the Parliament was capable of reforming itself. The Marquess Circello and Sir Wiliiam A'Court did indeed speak of the difficulty of elTecting any sllutary change in the old constitution. But how did they speak of it? It was merely alluded to in a parenthesis, whereas it ought to have been so clear that nothing could be more satisfactory to a man's conscience and smiler standing. He believed that the only difficulty of et fecting a reformation was the objection of the Parlia ment to submit to an absolute monarchy. l'he Minis ters of the King of Naples thought otherwise. They were anxious to bring into operation the political maxims upon which their own despotic lioyernment was founded. Daring all our negociattons with the Court of Naples, the treaty which she had entered into with the other tyrannical Powers of Europe, bad been kept entirely out of our sight. It had been con cealed by her, even from her closest Ally, and scot even the Noble Lord, or Sir William Aleourt were aware of its existence. Bound, as she was, by that nefarious ar ticle to establish a despotism throughout all the states of the King of Naples, it was easy to account for her eagerness to rivet the chains of the Sicilians. Were they then to take the evidence of this lloyern 'tient, determined and bound as it thus was to destroy the very Cimstitntion which it denied the possibility of reforming, and after it had descended so far as to de ceive its own most intimate Ally ? The Noble Lord said that they found many conspiracies on foot, and that was a reason for dismem bering . the ancient Constitu tion. Ile wished to tread lightly upon the ashes of the dead, and to speak with the strictest delicacy where the female name and Anne were implicated. itnt he would call upon the Noble Lord to say, whether it was in the Parliament of the Two Manes, or whether it was not in the Capital, in the Court. in the family of the King of Naples ? The people of Sicily clung fast in their vene ration and lore to this country, because it was the an cient seat, the classic ground of liberty. They looked to England, not because she was Engla . nd, but because she was a free country. They never ex pelled that an English Minister would declare the practical abolition of their Parliament as a trifling matter, and which required a microscopic eye to deter mine whether or not there was a violation of Constitu tional principal. The English Bovernment bad holiml itself not only to restore the antient llovernment of Si cily, but at the came time to protect the growth of new institutions and of mproved principles of legislation. The Noble Lord said he could draw no comparison between; the two( ioyernments. The fact was that the present was as simple as any Government could be—it was, as he haul be fore stated, what our forefathers called alit mple espoti sou To she King was given the right, if lie choir to exert it, of altering the taxes, by taking off some, and izu • posing others in their stead. Stippot•ing, by the exer cise of this power, the taxes of the people were to be raised to treble their original amount. What was to i detect such practices, if the Parliament never could as- : seeable but at the pleasure of the King, and the pee ple were left without a Parliatueut to contronl the sop.; ply? Where was the budget? And where was their • lion. Member far Aberdeen to detect its fallacies, and to point out and curb its estravaganer ? It was said that the Sicilians were not tit for political liberty, and that personal liberty and protection to their lives sod property, were all that they were formed to enjoy. He wondered that they were not quite to be reduced to ass Asiatic sublimity of liberty. But he would challenge any of these sublime philosophers to show in what period of history, in what region of the world civil liberty was ever long in exiyeare without political liberty to support it; in Englawil, if they looked backwards,and saw the King, Lords, and Cousins of this country divided against each other, bow much pretext would there have been for their saying also that the people of England were not it to enjoy political liberty. The cues were the same, and no distisetion could be drawn betwixt them. This goverament in Sicily was tried hut for two years. and then it wet decided that an ab solute monarchy alone retold govern the people. 11 the &Elisio Constitution had been tried in a situ'. lan manner at many persons during its infancy, it must have met the same fate. He called upon that House, which had risen from small beginnings to be the greatest Representative Assembly that the world ever saw, to vomiter into the circumstances which could jainity the abolition of a free Uovernmeat after a trial of two years. This Oacereneent had bees abo lished' by the oaken of the two Itiopheens. besause it gave the King the power of raising his revenue with , out the sonseet of Parliamest, whit'. I. consequence was delver likely to be called together. The only tie which we held in this country spas the Sovereign for the mumbling of Parliament was. the Necessity ut haying. the Supplies voted. This mast be dome yearly. and Parliaseest was arcordiagly compelled ta ameneblr once diming every year. Under the old. Uovenement of Melly the Supplies wemgralied as he had before -said (queekonnially l ), amid& based a guarantee foe "rorresponellax eassilker of that Parliament. But al though Nit V. Alison had laramoily ponied 'galas abrogating en ParXonsoot ahogetiree. yet by tsldOiN away this cheek, ticy had in fact abeogated the tight ~.Ikl.-.. soil liberties of the people. The Councils whirl weer now established did not go to transfer the rights of the old Parliament so mach as to destroy them situ. ;ether. These Councils were not necessarily tern. posed of the Nobles of Sicily, oste of Members o f learned and respectable professions. The most ols. score proprietor in the islands was eligible, and they were most likely to be compose-1 of such persons ; they being the description of men eh's*, lle the obselnion s slaves of a despotic Uoverniesent. The lime was sew arrived when this despotism most be established, sal 10,000 troops were said to be en the point to debark upon the shores of Sicily. These mercenaries were to force an upstart despotism, not these weeks old, Spi n the miserable people who had bona promised the pr o . teciiun of this country. There was a passage is the l)ecrec of this new liovernmeat of Naples, which seed in pri va t e , h a d exc i te d i n hi s oiled the deepest in4 l ./. nation. When he saw this despotism o f three woks growth, threatening to send amongst a peopl e !origi n( to be free, WWII mercenary troops,and caddie, t h at people that althongh debased from the enjoyment nt the rights of It.tropean citizens, almost to the condi tion of Asi stir slaves, they had, according to the law guage of the decree, as mach isdopeadenco as was good for them, Ise could set but tiled with wormier, indignation, and abhorrence.—(Heer, hear.) The HunsediriZed—For the oration, 33—Ag a i air it, 63—:1Ipjurity against it, 34. LAYS ACE CIRCULAR. tle v eeUll a l i ed , ° , :.nb a ani n t eit.dticalhlectVerkwo°e consid e red ef h :t i .ap c th.rold h einela: h nEdti a iY i st l eriii: e wae v ara e oao r sotja h sowit e sini e dtthl n ortiatcfnis o hosige u nhihn r eersgu b hAn o twahld a die s ei ? d a e is: vealf(h4Phdwile": ; l r rswe le teo. . b At the breaking up of the late Congress, held at Lap 'melt, a Circular was keeled from the Courts of At m. trio, Russia, and Preside, to their respective Wasters at Foreign Courts, which, after reprobating the Ho adotions which had taken place, proceeded to state their views of the conditions under which any sable. 'pent reform might to be allowed. The Rea. ile:a• her th-n read the passages from the Circular above alluded to, and contended, that it went to say. that no reform whatever should hereafter take place, bat what emanated from that power which lied had readered responsible; namely, the Monarchs of the differeat nations. Now, he would ask the Hulse of Commons, ' if this had been recognisAl as the public law, whether this country would ever have arrived at the system of !Platy which it now enjoyed? On the rostrata, every thing which we possessed bad been obtained from our Sovereigns by the force of arcs.—•(Hear, hear, hear.)—He sisould not hare felt it necessary le bring forward the present motion, if the Allied Me. reigns had thought proper to apply their doctrine ta their own States. Mut when they laid it down as the public law of Europe, with a view to prevent all reform, however salutary it might be, he thought it became the duty of this cootutry to renounce it altogether, as eppli cable to herself. Ile had said upon a former occasion, and he still felt, that the late revolution at Naples did not emanate from the people as a hotly, but from a par tienlar party. But then Austria did not march epos Naples to protect its people, bat to pat dews the revolu tion upon the principles laid down in this Circular, that no reform should be effected at all. Irises the twee' riots first took place, there were several moodiest quiet, during which the King certainly appeared to agree is the then existing order of things. This armadas* he took to be a sufficient reams; why the Austria's had no longer a right to interfere. The revolution which afterwards took place in Piedmont was also brooght Awn by a particular party in the State, sad tint a very small one. From all the circnusstances which at. teude.l it, he contrived that dotage to have bees prep nano with danger to the existing power of Austria, sod upon that ground she lambi have been justified in islet termite. lint she did nut interfere upon that grated She chose again to avow that her interference went upon the principle that no revolution, no refer. should be allowed which did not proceed from the will of a sovereign. He mast again oliject to this prioelph as an Englishman. because he felt it to he founded is a spirit of intolerance, and to he directly opposed to all the doctrines of public law associated with the practice of the English constitution. if ewer the armies of foreign powers who acted upon each priori plea could have made their way to this country, it world never have been in the enjoyment of its motet blessings. Spain would at this moment have bees orer•rnn with troops as Naples is, if there had Ni likewise existed the difficulty of conveying troop that country. Although that nation was now in meth a state that no man email look at it wit!) any deeo of elitist scsion, yet it wattld have been still wawa by being in the power of foreigners, which WISH bare been the ease, if they toned by any mesas Nih reached it. Ile hoped he should be led to say Seth‘ef personally harsh towards the Allied Sovereiglat he must observe, that if they atterapal to crest de m. selves into a Court for the goveramont sad distal* of Europe, they must not be surprised if they Mod things said in a free country, which world not be jo► tilled under other circumstances. Notwithdamilag the document to which be referral had been published in the newspapers of the day, it was possible that it might nut be faitblnlly translated, sod he ANA therefore, only move upon the present °resell*, le address fur copies of the antheatic decontrols. " 111+s . they might know decisively what were the ree l p ril ! ciples upon which these power* were acting. If ha Noble Friend had any official reasons why the puller- Lion of these papers would be improper, be elessi . l certainly not press his motion. Ile had kit I l i da u e ; duty to call the attea4.l Of the House to that he was apprehensive most be Watt* the l iberties of the people of Europe, and coneeqaently to time* of the peo ple of England.--(Hear.)--The Hee. Member eluded by seated to his Majesty, praying that w be laid before this House Copies of the Cireelar.ills 'moving ' , that an bumble k_ addradi al amf be Of p ro at tme c d h tLah ad e t y l u r b es oaver sed hn:si t i o ; t ut h ht e s nfo r . Ami re sa i st g rr n rih lll ac l iK n o i n st .2l e i. rs a. d aaaju s e b .. le vuuriarepie. ._ A of a Declaration issued by the some Powers. see bearing the same date." .b time to the mallow before the Hoollt_ be agreed e r ia ce ri M d end a w b it s lu h l: s v air er o y f a L in a :ur t N l 0. 7 a. sw, anyhual t t l ie l l a i ngoi 4 o t aeir tes eelliat his t: . jetted lett upon !rum' priseiflasb as g at a. We r ari At tii i• Mn M • ill m '0 t I • a a 1