The Statesman. — London, England, 1812-10-10 00:00:00

SICILY. •no .•••' lITRACT (be A LETTER FROM PALERMO, Aua.9.6.,1812. 66 I suppose you in England will be much elevated at the nee s of the British Constitution being esta blished in Sicily, but that you may not be deceived by Clio piece of mummery, I shall endeavour, as briedy as possible, to explain the whole fallacy to you. No doubt the Resolutions voted by the Par liament will have been made public, but lest you shoved not have seen them, I herewith inclose you a co " The first object that will strike you in these Resolutions, is the true revolutionary spirit which they breathe throughout: not one word of any of the fundamental maxims of the state, nor of the laws which have hitherto existed; congenial to French reform, they tend to pull down every established law and custom, while they reserve for a future pe. riod the regulations they propose to substitute. You will perceive by the tenth article, that the whole ju. dicial and penal laws are virtually abolished, while a new code is promised, on which every thing in fn. tute is to d : Pend. Here, then, in one moment is overturned the whole fabric of an ancient Govern. went, which has existed nearly ten centuries without opening one of its records, nor examining the founda tion on which it rested, and with the same precipi. tation it is voted that the British Gonstitution is to be adopted. 64 You are no doubt sensible, that to adopt any system of Government it is necessary that the change' made should be introduced by degrees, and that the effect of one new ordination should be well ascertained before it be followed up by atiother ; also that the operation of these laws and .regulations should produce the same effect on the society to be reformed as was observed to result in the State we took for our model. To copy a law verbatim, and to apply it to a people in totally different circum stances, is to counteract and spoil the very effect we Intended. In order to elucidate this proposition I must endeavour to shew, from the Resolutions of Parliament, that instead Of the British Constitution, Pie Government of Sicily, as it now stands on paper, is purely Republican, and that the King is as com pletely dethroned as Lewis XVI. was by the Consti tution of 1792. 66 By the first article the Legislative power is dc eared to belong exclusively to Parliament, and the Executive to the King. " By the ninth article, the nation, as they style themselees (a very revoletiOnary phrase in the man t. merit is there applied), begin by depriving the Crown of all its !ended property and revenoee, which they gay belong to tee nation, and then give to the Crown a provis'on fOitin.annuity on their own word. This' is not all; for after having declared the executive power to &lone eeclyiitely to the King, the Perlin rent asst fie the administration of the revenues, and declare that Levy will pay them Into the hands of the ; lqinister of Finance„ to be employed sicording to ' their will and please* Thus virtually all power it centred in the two Houses,. legislative, executive, ' hod administrative; the King it apensioned pageant ;kithout functions, or influence, or patronage. " The. depriving the 'Crown of its demesnes IS a dangeious violation of property, for if it be examie ped by what title thine lands were held, it will be found that at the Norttlitn Conquest Roger de Ilau.l tavitlu as.i s ned them to the Crewe, as he did the bets held by the nobility td the present day. If, therefore, the nation consider themselies as having& tight to take them from the crown, the mote right of resuming the lands of the nobility holds good ; and Why should poi the nobility thus be turned out of Oeir estates ? " It will most probably be considered by the ge nerality of the people in England, that the nobility, In destroying all fetulality in the tenures of their hods, have most virtuously sacrificed their pi ivi leges to the public good; we, who know the Sici lians, ere, however, not to be duped by such arti fices. It must he remembered, th - at the only title them hold their lauds by, is the obligation of mili tary se• vice, afterward? commuted into a tribute, in dependent of the other tributes they were also bound to pay, as appears from the -120 capitol° promul gated by King Alphonse', of Arragon, at the peti tion of the Parliament :—`. 4 Item supplica lo dicto s Regno, the ntilla citta, terra, sire loco, of Burhni, • sive prelato sia exempto deb' pagamento debt pre • senti collect. edonativo.' 46 The Nobles of Sicily, by thus sanctioning the plunder of the crown lands, and emancipating them selves from the Obligation of military Service, have no other end in view then to exempt themselves froni the commutation which they would otherwise be obliged to submit to on that separate Militant • by agreeing to the plunder of the crown lands, bet are net aware that they tacitly admit the princi ple, that as they hold el the mown, they Mtiy also so their turn be obliged to restore their awn estates to the nation, which tsars on the Wry same plea, no Jame thew Tat &name Funo.—An able writer in that eles! " The, the gloried, Revel:sties of Salo has al.oelieet Mismihtny; the Moil% Magazine, of Alit ready overturned the civil and Molina as*s of this current month, deinonstratel, what hitherto has only country before they re Hiked e new a* it has been surmised , that a Sinking rand can never pdy established a precedee - t el 2ruetive of themmuity- Of iJ a National Debt. He shows also that our ex. landed properri staing ; it has irrostsirfrois th• Crown tba peuditure, which, in tl has risen nom 15 to tight of admi the reamirees of ?be State, and , .H 0 millions, will, in 1818, be 138 millions ; in 1820, has put it into Mellen& it the Consoling, ; it has tat 200 millions; in 11124; 240 millions; and in telo, dint every established pel and it has the I. 3bo millions,if by any possible management, or good pudence to call itself the British tattoo. ifortune, Such a system an be machete go ouzo long! When it is remembered that this ekes inlittHOß The obosting trait of henevolenCe, settler *enured of revolutionary French legislation is predated. by a , a awl time since, reflects as mach honour on the British nobleman, commanding a Selfish linen?, ens ' pone debtors in Newgite, as ie serves to show the ; Is naturally filled with astonishment and indiguitice,' want df feeling of the inbeesiti being *bete Conduit add is it is impossible to conceive it to be the result called forth their generous exertions. An interest. I of a wicked or mischievous mind s bet frees the best ing female, with an Infant at her breast,. whose only intentions, which every one here will de him the prottetor is svprisoner of war in France, was taking justice to allow, it follows of course that Lord Wm. home some 'seethe week in the evening, for which Bentinck, iu allowing seeh resolutions to be formed,: she was to hews received a single shilling, When She so subversive of all order and good geverament, has was seized by Ws me* and with her infant at her proved himself ignorant in the entree* en two ma.; breast, shown into a coach, and conveyed to New: terial points, v i a . Th e Sicilian Govetnmetit, which gate for a debt of Its. which the had Contracted; a he has overturned with a view of reftirmin t and was doable to pay. The &Mors ithinediately opena' the British Constitution, which he thinks be has a aubicription, and each one etuttributing his mite; been estat lishing ; for how Can it be said that the they raised sufficient to piy the debt, and the tuna English Constitution is established where the patrons evening cheered the poot creature into liberty. It age of the State belong to any body but the King ? is to be hoped that such a trait of humanity will hilt " In England, you know, the Commons propose be overlooked by their more happy country,istatte all money bills, bat in England these Possess im- enjoy the blessings of of The cseetlemes of niense riches, as well as extensive knowledge and re- the Transport Office have set on foot a sobseripdon hoed educatioui What are the cosuneat of Sicily fbr the relief of the tiotottestatii fedialth l og Iney opot . of the same to individuals on their own ,domain..... These rights they have refused.to give up :glees th e y are bought of them at twenty years' purcha:ie by the nation, and charged on the townships. 31," abusive rights are called drati oppresstee rights, and are expressly prohibited by the 38th Capilolo of the kingdom, passed in the reign of Frederic 111. This usurpation they have refused to I abandon without an equivalent, although they cam only pretend to it as a feodal right. Thus they de. ; dare the abolition of these rights, when it is to ex. i ' empt themselves from the conditions of their tenure,. and yet pretend to hold them when it is to op. pm* the -people.. ,These are the lamentable effects of • overturning Governments without knowing what they really are, and renouncing the authority of laws, which, from theii antiquity, the Nobles them , selves must respett. " This, you see, is the picture of the English Con stitution as established in Sicily; ; - . that is, the Mo. march) , is overturned, and the pont+ v,Vholly en . grossed by Prince Ventimiglia and his creatures, who has had the ability to make Lord William Beniiiick his dupe; the thing is so palpable at Palermo; that the former, among his nearest coufidents, laughs most heartily at him, and holds him very cheap: 64 This, my friend, Is the deplorable state of this country ; all men of discernment, in silence; laniek the prospect ; they see an Oligarchy carrying every thing according to their caprice; ander the specious title of a British form of Goternment; they have as sumed all power, which they must, of course, use ati they ratty think fit, because they have declared the old lens null, while they have established no neer ones on which to regulate their conduct, and every thing must go into confusion. The intention of an amelioration of the affairs of Sicily is now en. I tirely defeated; for the consequence of all this ab. surdity on one side, and dupery on the other, has already made men, who see the danger of such vio. !cot measures, regret the old order of things, and yoU may fcst assured, that the Court Party will, from henceforward, gain strength eget . ) , day. " llow mortifying a reflection to see a British Minister employed in copying the system of Prenth Legislators, and all the while imagine he IS imitating 1 that of his native country, of which he proves to all Europn his total ignorance. " Before I dole this lone letter, I must point out to it, another consequence of these measures. As t:.e Oligarchy it Palermo hale assumed all power, the Messiuese, who were, from the first, attached to the British, which the Palereiitans have never been find they haie only changed masters; their distils. pointment is ilreitly beginning to discover itself, `and their esteem of us is daily decreasing; When be consider the vicinity of Messina to the Italian ' there, and the Opportunities that a disalfeCted city so situated must command to correspond with the enemy, the danger of Such a disposition, in a place of such consequence to our interest and our safety, must be obvious to you. I think you will not blame me for expressing my anxiety, that Govern. Meat in England will not be too suptue on a matter of such importante. " Two motives onlyian be assigned for the inter. i ference of the British n the internal goiernment of this kingdom ; the one from a principle of justice, to alleviate the miseries of the people; the other, that *e might have a greater influence thin we had dor. ing the old regime. You see by the decisioo of the Peers, in the case of the drilti angarid, is'above, that the people will he just as ill off as ever; and as for Our influence, that mu!t inevitably diminish.— Lord iYilliant had he had the free use of his facul ties, might have seen, that it is much easier to go. Simi a etsuntty through a Minister, than by the Milano of an useably which he can never manage, and which it already beginning to give him cause to ' repint of his rashnes and presumption, id pretending • to legislate for a people of whose history, customs, biws, and even language,_he Witt totally igntirant." TIC STATISMAN A bed,' of men for the most part both poor and ig- . To rms EDITOR or THE STATESMAN. norant ; i atmong them the most energetic are a &w, i ---.1.-- who a little while since were distinguished by the; Slll,—Having seen your Address to the Public in true revolutionary French principles. These are the the Examiner of Sunday, I w as f orc ibl y s t ruc k w ith men who are ti% frame taxes ; those who h ave nothing the extraordinary circumstances therein stated ; and are to tax those who have every thing; and those - who have every thing are to throw out these Bills, have little doubt but that every man i n t eres t e d f or and throw them back again on the labouring poor, the liberties of his country, or a li ve t o th e f ee li ngs who have nothing. In the meantime the old taxes on of humanity, must sincelrely sympathize with your bread and othercommutablesareabolished,andnonew great and unmerited sufferings in the cause of our system of revenue res . oli.ed on, and the consequence . common freedom; a train of events like those de must be, that in a few ;tyonths the revenue of the tailed in the above document, would, at any, time, be country will totally fail, and.the Treasury of White- i ffi ' nt to rouse public attention ; but at the time su me White hall must be drawn on to stiPply the deficiency.— Bravo, my Lord! lof a General Election, *hen it is once more gi v en " ka abuse had crept in iisr ' , many years past, I to Englishmen to chuse between virtue and carrup quite contrary to the laws of Sicily : it consisted of tion, oppression and reform, it carries with it a ten a right usurped by the Nobles on,their estates, to , fold claim to notice ; and while the most prejudiced' prevent the free sale of the produce of : the soil, either cannot but see the excessive hardship of your case, with a view of selling their own produce exclusively , i unexampled, I should hope, in the annals of British or of extorti; mon by the sale 4 tho monopoly 1 of Eir . , • - • jurisprudence, I trust the whole community wil l be impressed with an additional sense of that important duty they are now called npitp io perform ; a duty, upon the just fulfilment or which depomis the fu ture happiness or misery of the United Kingdom. There are, it is true, d number of hireling riters amongst us who daily feed upon the ere ity of this ill-fated count r y ; me n w h o d e li g ht i n i• L i stilting,the voice of suffering humanity, and are glad to (4 Within the broken reed *".-yet, this is no °till nerzAeriodistinatiopal calamity—a Royal Family aoltatectbrdontestic fends—the preponderance of an oterbetiihn; oligarchy, ai unopular Administration, exhausted finances, and i t dissatisfied people, i Serve to fill np the,catalogne of our domestic troubles ! While abroad, the waste of blood and treasure In the cause of unitateful Allies, an impolitic war in the Western hemisilhore, and the fearful progress : of BONAPARTE, who may, at length; threaten our de, 'traction, are objects ominously alarming, and ought surely to awaken in the people some feeling of their impending danger. The progress of the Poll is the City, in favour of Messrs. COWIE, WAITiI• NAN, and Wooo—together With the Resolutions passed at the Crown and Anchor tavern, on Mon 'day, are events infinitely more importatit than the surrender of Gen. RuLL's army, or fall of Burgos.— the latter may afford temporary triumph to Ministers, but it will be to efforts, like the former, that the viii tion must look for final salvation. It is hilly area . . fyil tr hile the hydra of tying to pereeive, that while the hydra , cotrdption is stalking over the land and polluting our shorei, so much virtue should be manifested by the people . —it augurs well, and should the blaze of patriotism elicited in the capital, extend its benign info: enee to the larte provincial towns, who knows but the allwise Pro4idence may have verified the proverb, 41 out of evil conieth good,"—and destined our pre sent Rulers to be the unwilling instrument of poli tical emancipationl--things of a more extraordinary nature have come tb pass ; and althbugh so highly Illepeobehle, let us at least cherish a hype of its being realised, at Present. Those who are unbiassed by selfish motives, end coolly view the situation of public afkirs , think ) I and ) in my opinions With reason, that ere another opportunity of exercising the elective franchise Is aftbrded to the people, ere may be reduced td such a state of ruin, that their utmost efforts cannot have the effect of saving us—the ptecious moment should not, therefore, be lost. Asise, men of talents ) virtue, and eloquence, rally round the standard of Reform, and restore the purity of that Constitution given to you by your forefathers! shetild the ensuing I Parliament unhappily be composed of a majority in savour of the pteient Ministry (dr of Materials like the last), I venture to say, that the *iv:it amongst us, will relinquish all their foruler hopes in the amelioration of our condition, and that many will shrink from any future exertions in the cause df a people se Insensible to their own interests. Good God 1 is it possible to contemplate the cheerless and ' dreary prospect beitire nS, without being agitated by a thousand alaitning tlitioghts as to the future; and, can an enlightened people, like those of England, stith such sad examples before them, suffer a repetition of former evils, the inevitable consequences of not asserting their Constitutional tight of election now.---4low. long, Sir, will It he necessary td remind our countrymen, that there is nothing to hope for from thi3 or that Adminlstra• lion, without Parliamentary Reform ;—is it not freth in their recollection, that from Mr. Pyre to i I CitAazzs Fox, all bur public men have been carried away Mith the stream of venality • I confess it is alwer desirable to have men or talent gtilding the helm of the itate--they must, however, be kept in Check by an uncorrupted louse of Commons ; with • out that, believe me; we shall never ettain the ob. 1 • ject of our wishes; and that the only source of fd tore safety or happiness for England, will be found in.a free, nnAhackled Representation of the People 1 . Without a Reform in Parliament, it will be Id vain i to congratulate ourselies on abundant harvests, dr . greet victories ;—our evils of every kind must Ws crease—and if the Pedple wish to See the blessings of petite return, commerce revive; and their civil liberties secured, they can only look fdr the ettain- Ment of seth desirable and necessatr objedts la PARLIAMENTARY REFORM. While regret that you should have been singled out as the object of perseiution amongst those who Appear to have been infinitely more culpable, I trdst ; hii Majesty's Government *ill not persevere in adit ing to the accumulated weight of sufferings yr/a have ' already experienced. They Cannot do so with agy. i she* of justice i and I am eten led to beliefs, that i thtttee it* then amongst them already ccintrinceci of tli‘ extreme Irrerity with which ybu hate been treated : k. the tery ides of throwing one man into a loathienii ' prison; for merely following the nipple of ottani: otivers, who ere suffered to 40 unpuwisheth If on* of (be inatniersble evllti arising ffdm q•• his! IWined. I ire, Sir, &c. Ostelosi& • simorg • E.I.ECTIONS. CITT OP LONDON.—At terday, the numbers were 'tee elm of tho Poll yet, Alderman Co•be Alderman Atkins 2911 Sir Wm. Curtis jai I kl7:Yria iF/3 • • Sir James Shaw 3231 Alderman Wood Irld6 Mr. Alderman Comer returned thanks, and ex. .pressed a hope that by the exertions of hi, friends he should he continued in the same honourable situation he now held on the Poll. Sir WILLIAM CL grid, Sir J 4 MES SHAW, and Mr. Alderman Ames, after signiheautly pointing to , the Poll, retired. Mr. WAITHMAN then stepped forward, and was received with loud acclamations. Whenever he at tempted to address the crowd assembled in front of the hustings, however, a confused murmur was raised, which for some time completely drowned all his efforts. He persevered, nevertheless, in his determination to be heard, and informed the assem. bly that he was in no hurry, and would wait till they were quiet. lie perceived that persons had been [Attica there to prevent him from being heard; but he Assured them, that no interruption should in timightte him from persevering till he had stated all that he had to say. The longer the interruption, thelonget should be his speech. This attempt to prqpnt him from being heard, indeed, made him setikible of the impertaeee of his addressing them, as it showed that his adversaries we r e afraid of the effect which he might produce. This gave him a higher idea, than he, hid yet ventured to enter.. Vein of bisjself : for it was a cosivinciug proof that his adtersiries dreaded his harangues. The three worth` , Aldermen who bad ,last pre s e n ted themselves, had mirk use of an expressive kind of dumb eloquknce, pointing to the Poll, as if the state of it was highly triumphant to them. Ile, on the other hand, was of opinion, that it was ,highly triumphant to the Indepeudent Livery of the City of London. •He west an humble individual, tin.. supported by any powerful interest, who stood forth 'WON the suffrages of the Livery purely on inde pendent grounds. Was it not then a triumphant thing, that its the midst of the corruption of this great city t ort the influence of the India House —of the Bali —of the South Sea House--of the --111 Post Ofbce—o the Custom House—of the Excise 11—and ill the 'either powerful interests to which pub., 1 lic corruption and an immense taxation gave birth,— ' there were to be found so large a tidniber as 1900 Independent Liverymen 1 It was to be observed, 1 •• that there was sdch a marked difference of opinion between him and the three Candidates next immedi ately above him on the poll, that any electors who ' polled both for him and for theni, must have polled for the one from principle and for the other from in terest or compulsion.—lt was against him, as he had already said, that all the interest had been exerted; the votes which he had obtained, therefore, must have been given from principle; and if his opponents were to deduct from their poll, all sigh votes as were in this situation of voting for him - from principle, • and for them from Influence, he should be glad to knot where would then be their present apparent majorities. Had the election been by ballot, he felt confident that the Majority in his favour would have been aS i Arse to °nen There were still unpolled a Lumber ' iof Liverymen More than adequate, even ,iitivr, to turn the scale. lie (Mr. Waithman) should do his duty by keepidg the poll open to the last • it remain& ed for the Livery to do theirs. H' they did so, he, even at this advanced state of the election, enters tamed no fears as to the result. Mr. Alderman Wools thought his friend, Mr. WI uhderstated the Independent Livery, in estimating them at MO, the number who had polled for him self, as there might be about two or three hundred among his (Mr. Wood's) voters, who had not polled for MF Waithman, and this would increase the nom& her to trout 2200 to 2300—a number which he hoped to see doubled on Monday's poll. • StitiTHWARI t Finn DAY.--At the close of the Poll yesterday the numbers were— Calvert 90;0 I Thornton t 695 I Burdett 480 Mr. 'NoiseTow returned thanks, and alluded td the question of the right of the Inhabitants df the Clink Liberty and Christ Church parish to vote; hey as much as any man, wished they should enjoy that privilege if they had a claim to it, and he was con' tent to leave the question entirely to the decision of the High Bailiff, convinced that he could not appeal to a more honourable tribunal.--[Applauses.] Mr. CALYIRT also returned thatiks, expressed his confidence of success, and declared, he also waS ready to abide by the decision of the High Bailiff as respected the inhabitants of the Clink Liberty and Christ Church Parish. Mr. KEMMISII, on the part of Mr. Burdett's Coma mittee, made the same declaration ; if the decisioe of the High Bailiff should be favourable to the claim of the Clink and Christ Church VOteg no doiibt could radio of Mr. Bardett's success; but should it be the 'antral, still there *as no reason to despair. We hidr, that Mr. FuLLAst, a domediiii ofgreet celebrity bnthe Dublin stage, ii engaged at one of our Theatted, and will Very shdrtly make his &but. Coaoxst 4 ll Itioverr.-4A pugilistic Combat took place on Wednesday on Handhelth, two of three miles from POttersbar, betivist Geo,* iiiinkey, a waggoner, and Halmes, i navigator, when, after one bear and tvienty minutes hard fljtitigg, !lankily recited a fall and never Spoke aftet4 The quarrel originated at a neighbodring house , and the combs. ' tenth stilled out to dekt by mutual conse,tr A sum. plea, who was called in, ettribited the cause of death to be from a fall, father than by ati , low ; but the sat was hi defianal of the public peace, and 11 verdict of Manslaughler was returnede • his AT DALIMITH.-011 Saturday, the 'sd inst. about four o'clock in the eftertiden, t fire broke out in that large teneniebt, situate In the south-west 'end of the town, *adopted by Mr. Peter Moffat inns keeper. the houses being dovered with thatch, and by an unfortunate coincidence, a strong westerly approaeldng #reit to a turridane, blowing at 4heAbne to less thee 16 nrAnutes the fire comment& cilkd itself to that extensive range of boatel tielatied by Mr. R. Charles, stabler, and others iodises • flatlet the whole *eta Wiapt in one shift .44 0 *, . thieuidtaltlt hum . . . ' I $0