The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-03 00:00:00

NEAPOLITAN REFORMS.

We give the remainder of the ordonnancee of the
King of Naples.
Founru ORDONNANCI.—FERDINAND ll.—Art. 1. We
name the Prince Royal Count cl'Aquila, our well-beloved
brother, our Lieutenant-General in Sicily.
Art. 2. We name as his minister, the councillor' Minister
of State, Antonio Luertimi Patti, Prince of Campo Franco.
Art. 3. We name Director of the Interior, of Foreign
Affairs, of Agriculture and Commerce, and of Public Works,
the Duke of Montalto, on whom we confer the rank and
dignity of minister.
Art. 4. We name Director of the Finances and of Eccle-
siastical Affairs, the Advocate General of the High Court of
Accounts, Joseph Bisangiardiaco.
Art. G. We name Director of Grace and Justice and of the
Police, the Councillor Giovanni Cassisi.
Art. G. The directors above-named will receive the same
pay and salary as they now enjoy.—Naples, Jan. 13, 1848.
(Signed) FERDINAND.
The decrees which have been just read were published on
the first day. The following decrees relative to the amnesty
and to censorship, did not appear, as we said above, till the
19th.
" His Majesty, obeying the generous impulse of his royal
mind, has vouchsafed to ordain that the Ministers of Grace
and Justice, and of the General Police, should present to
him without delay the names of the persons condemned or
imprisoned for political crimes, in order that be may extend
to them his royal clemency. His Majesty has further
ordained that the measures the most proper to establish
public tranquillity be immediately adopted.
ORDONNANCE.—FERDINAND 11., by the grace of God,
King of the Two Sicilies, of Jerusalem, Duke of Parma, of
Piacenza, Castro, &c. &c., Grand l'rince Hereditary of Tus-
cany, &c. desiring to establish throughout his kingdom a
complete and uniform system of censorship, as well for the
writings printed in the kingdom as for those coming from
foreign countries; and likewise • censorship upon engrav-
ings, or other similar works, and theatrical productions of
every kind desiring, moreover, to put aside all arbitrary
tendencies which time may have introduced into the prac-
tices observed up to the present day: desiring, finally, to en-
trust a new system of censorship to committees composed of
illustrious and distinguished men of letters, and by these
means to facilitate the progress of the useful labours of intel-
ligence : after having read the decrees and regulations
which have emanated at sundry epochs on this subject;
considering the labour relative to this matter, and the opinion
of the council of the kingdom ; having finally heard our or-
dinary council of state,—we have resolved to sanction, and do
sanction, the following law:
Art. 1. A superior committee shall be formed at Naples,
under the immediate dependence of our Secretary of State to
the Department of Agriculture and of Commerce, entrusted
with public instruction, to examine preventively the publi.
cation of every species of writings which may appear in our
states, or which might be brought into them from abroad, :as
well as drawings. &c., and all sorts of theatrical productions.
The said committee shall be composed of 20 members, cen-
sors (reoisori), chosen either among the clergy or laity, and
presided by the director (il presideiste) of public instruction.
At Palermo there will also be formed an especial committee,
composed of 12 censors, ecclesiastics, or of the laity, likewise
presided by the director ( preridente) of public instruction.
Besides, in every province of our states, on either side of the
Straits, there will be formed, in every chief place, a commit-
tee, depending on the two superior committees, and corn-
posed of five censors, ecclesiastics, or of the laity, with an
ecclesiastical member, who is to be the vice-president of the
committee, which is to be presided by the prefect (intendenle).
Art. 2. In order to hold deliberations in these committees
the ballet least of the members who compose them must be
present—that is to say, ten in the superior committee of
Naples and six in that of Palermo. In the provincial com-
mittees three members at least must be present for the de-

—...„.
liberations to be held.
Art. 3. All memoirs (nsemorie) relative to the affairs now
pending before the general council and before the judiciary
and administrative courts of the kingdom are excepted from
the censorship of the committees. (Consequently the system
in vigour up to the present time shall be maintained.) Two
or more persons shall be adjoined to the prescribed number
of the censors of the two committees for the periodical cen-
sorship of journals, both home and foreign, as well as for the
publication of any manifesto whatever, or other printed
Paper,.
Art. 4. The censors, as well those of the superior commit-
tees of Naples and of Palermo as those of the committees
established in the chief places of the provinces, shall be
named by us, on the proposal of our minister, Secretary of
State, of agriculture and commerce, entrusted with public
inetruction. For the censorship of the theatres there shall
be an especial committee (delegazione), and the censors who
compose it are held obliged to attend all first theatrical
performances. No play which is not allowed tobe performed
en the capital can be represented in *provincial theatre, and
no theatrical production can be there represented without
having been previously examined by the censors of the ca-
pital.
Art. 5. The duration of the office of censor shall at first be
limited to two years, at the expiration of which time the cen-
sor can, however, be maintained in office.
Art. 6. The publication of every article shall be allowed
(without excepting such as may treat on matters of public
administration), providing it has been previously authorised
by the authority entrusted with the office of censorship. The
authorisation of publishing shall be granted to all such
whose works or writings contain no offence—neither to reli-
gion, nor to her ministers, nor to public morals, nor to the
rights and prerogatives of the sovereign, nor to the govern-
ment, to the form of government and to its functionaries,
nor to the dignity of reigning persons, nor to their families
and representatives, nor to the honour of private individuals
as well as to the works and writings, which will in nowise
injure the regular march of government, whether in its in-
ternal or external relations.

Art. 7. The acts of government cannot be published pre-
vious to their official publication.
The article 8 and following (the ordonniume comprises 28
articles) contain dispositions relative to the creation of
journals and periodical collections, which cannot appear
without the authorisation of the Minister of Public Instruc-
tion. Finally, the last articles of this ordonnance, in which
has been carefulli imitated whatever bee been done in the
already reformed states of Italy, refer to the bail, to the
obligations laid upon the manager (girant), to the manner
in which the censors are to proceed in the examination of
writings intended for publicity, and to the divers penalties
Incumbent on transgressors.

THE REFORMS OF THE POPE.
The following despatch from M. Onizot to M. Rossi
was read by the former during the debate in the Chamber
of Deputies on Monday last
Pasts, Dec. 1,1847.—1 f I understand correctly what is
minim in Rome, and what you told me in your despatch and
pnvate letter of November 18, the Pope, as well as our-
*elves, has approached a critical and decisive moment, when
it is absolutely necessary to me clearly and to act decisively,
or else either to incur danger, or to arrive at a negative re-
sult. I congratulate myself and you on the order which
reigned dunag the installation of the Consults, and on the
attitude which the Roman government has Mimi to insure
its continuance. Amidst what is passing in Italy we must
take into account the extreme vivacity of the people and the
necessity
.which they are under of indulging and venting
their passions. The government must show that it en-
courages and sympathises with the newly awakened national
sentiments, taking care, however, of two things.
1. That it does not create in its popular manifestations
habits and practices incompatible with the order and peace
of the country.
2. That the government make itself manifest in this popu-
lar movement, and that its rights, its function*, and its
action is net suppressed or usurped by irregular powers.
Either of these circumstances would be an immense evil, end
would give rise to difficulties which would cost much trouble
to surmount. There are many reasons, on divers points, from
what is passing in Italy, and even iu Rome, for dreading
such an evil.
The Pope sad the Cardinal Ferretti effected a great benefit
both for themselves, and for their cou.itry, in departing from
that path at the time of the installation of the Consults, and
have shown all the foresight and firmness which you describe.
The Consults consolidated the principal reforms which the
Pope proposes to carry into the condition and general
forms of his government; into the civic guard, the muni-
cipality, '
and the consults. There are certainly still in
the legislation, the administration, the Judicature, and the
finances of the Roman states many reforms and improvements
to be made, which the Pope no doubt foresees. And he
has created institutions, by the aid of which he will doubt-
less accomplish them. He has determined on their nature
and their limits. He has distinctly expressed his intention
of amelioratiog more and more the government of his states
and the condition of his people. But he at the same time
firmly declared that he will maintain entire the pontifical
sovereignty. He invited the members of the Cousuita to
give him their confident support in his work of reform but
he cautions them against allowing themselves to be ruled by
perturbators,whom he intends to repress—or seduced by mu-
taken utopian notions, which he does not intend to follow
out. It is said that the impression produced by
this allocation was not one of unmixed satisfaction.
It has been more especially considered that there is
visible in it a determined design not to admit laymen into
the itoman government, but to maintain exclusive possession
thereof for the ecclesiastics. I can discover nothing of the
kind in the language of the Pope. He declares that he will
not share the pontifical government with any one. But he
does not say that he will not admit all classes, laymen as
well as ecclesiastics, into the government, whether it be into
its superior councils or into its various functions. lie not
only says nothing to lead to this supposition, but he proves
that such is not his intention. For what is the Consults it-
self but an amembly. of laymen called to take part in the
government ? It is true the Pope announces that he will
not share it with any of them. But neither does he intend to
share it with the ecclesiastics. The cardinals, the Sacred
College, is thus merely a government council—a council
needful in certain cases—never a collateral and sovereign
power in its own right. Most assuredly if the Pope inclined
to limit the executive government to the ecclesiastics, if
he wished to place none but ecclesiastics in his' cabinet,
and in high offices. he would in our opinion, commit a gross
error, and would incur great danger ; he would put himself
in open opposition to the spirit of the time ; he would de-
prive himself of his most necessary support. The good un•
derstanding between enlightened laymen and ecclesiastics is
not too much to resist the advance of radical theories and
passions. The Pope, in all departments and in all grades of
government, under his own immediate view, as well as in
the provinces, must oppose his sovereignty against all the
elements of revolutionary and anarchical spirit, without ap-
pearing to favour either the laity or the ecclesiastics. Unless
he bring about this work of order, I much fear that he will
soon find himself too weak for the struggle which he is
called upon to maintain, and with which this allocation
proves him to be already such occupied.