The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-18 00:00:00

THE CASE OF THE MADIAI.

Mr. KINNARD then rose tc; bring forward his motion :
" That her Majesty will be graciously pleased to take
such steps as her Majesty may deem most fitting for bringing
under the notice of his Imperial Highness, the Grand
Duke of Tuscany, the strong feeling prevailing among a
large number of her Majesty's subjects, in consequence of
the persecution now actively begun in Tuscany, of those
who secretly or openly profess principles held by her Majesty
in common with the majority of her Majesty's subjects in
the United Kingdom, which persecution appears likely to
increase in intensity, through the decree lately promul-
gated, which re-enacts the penalty of death against the
so-called ' depravers of the religion of the state.' "
The house would recollect that in the course of last year a
cruel and brutal sentence had been passed by the Tuscan
government, and was now in course of execution, against
two individuals, of an humble position in life, it was true,
but still of unimpeachable character, on account of their
religion, the tidings of which had given rise to feelings of
sorrow and indignation, not only in England, but in every
protestant state of Europe. Across the Atlantic, too, the
American people had expressed, in unmistakeable language,
their sympathy in the cause of the Medial ; and if he was
rightly informed, the President and the Minister for Foreign
Affairs of the United States had addressed a despatch to the
Grand Duke of Tuscany, asking for the release of those un-
fortunate persons, and offering to send a vessel to receive
them, and provide an asylum for them in the states. He
proposed to show that the ease of the Medial was no iso-
lated one, bat that it arose from ecclesiastical reaction and
a systematic determination, on the part of the Ronxish
hierarchy, to pat down protestantisin wherever the civil
power could be induced to aia them in doing so. It was
this ground, then, that he called upon the government of
this country to invite the other protestant powers of Eu-
rope, as the Kings of Prussia and Holland, te
unite with them, and acting in concert, in the name of
humanity and religion, firmly, tut without menace, ener-
getically remonstrate against this gross net of tyranny.
(Hear.) For a long time, and until • very recent period,
Tuscany had stood out in happy contrast from the other
Italian states in its liberality end tolerance, which he attri-
buted to the fact that it had had rulers who wisely fol-
lowed in the steps of Peter Leopold, who, towards the close
of the last century, effected very great reforms in t'o laws
of that country, by which a larger amount of civil and reli-
gious liberty was secured to It than existed in any of the
neighbouring states. The Inquisition was tablished
or recognised in Tuscany, nor was the canon law ever held
to be supreme there. Yet these unfortunate people—the
Medial—had been convicted under those very laws which
had been passed for the purpose of securing to Tuscan sub.
jests liberty of conscience. In 1848 • constitution was
granted to Tuscany, by the first article of which ant only
were all existing forms of religion tolerated, but worship
according to those forms was permitted. And, in conse-
quence, in the protestant churches connected with the
Prussian and English embassies, divine service according to
the protestant faith was regularly performed in Italian,
and was as regularly attended by large numbers of Tuscan
subjects, without interrupti n orkindrance. It was inJanu-
ary, 1851, that the Tuscan government for the first time
interfered to prevent its subjects from Mending these
places of worship. Police agents were then placed at the
doors of these churches, and any citizens who ventured to
attend for the purpose of worshipping God according to
their consciences were from that time forward marked
men ; and shortly afterwards 400 notices were issued to as
many individuals, warning them that if they continued to
worship according to the forms of the protestant religion
they would subject themselves to imprisonment for a period
varying from eight to sixty days. In the next month, Fe-
bruary, Count Guieciarehni, a friend of his (Mr. Kin-
naird's), a man of the highest character and the most ine-
proschable conduct, was summoned by the police autho-
rities, and informed that a decree had been passed forbidding
him, on pain of imprisonment, to enter • protestant church,
and on the Zed of March, finding that he bad not abstained
from worshipping God as a protestant lie was again sent for,
and it having been found that there was no law ander
which he could be convicted, it was proposed to him that
if he would give up his right to attend the service of the
protestant church, he might hold meetings of four or five
persons in his own house for the purpose of reading the
Scriptures. Count Ouicciardiui, however, did what might
have been expected of him, and what be (Mr. Kinaaird) or
any other man of honour and principle would have
done, stood upon his right as • citizen—the right
which had been secured to him by the constitution—
and declined to accept a privilege which was denied to
others who were in a more humble position in life, and
finding that he was rendering himself the object of perse-
cution and of punishment on this amount, he resolved to
banish himself, and quit a country where be was not per-
mitted to worship God as his conscience dictated. On the
26th of April, a law passed giving powers to the yiice
authorities to apprehend and punish by imprisonment or •
year persons guilty ot religious or political offences. In
May, the government issued a decree forbidding the count
to leave the country. This was on the 7th, and on the
same evening Count Guiccisrdini having called upon a
friend in whose house he met some other gentlemen, pro-
testants like himself, it was proposed that a chapter of
the Bible should he read before leaving. This was done;
and while it was being read, fifteen armed police entered
the house, arrested the gentlemen, and placed them all in
the common gaol, and it was only by favour that Count
Ouicciardini was afterwards allowed to banish himself from
'ruscany. Since then, the count had resided in this country,
and within the last few days had received news of the death
of his mother, ro whom he was sincerely attached, and
whose last moments ho had been prevented by the tyranny
of the Tuscan government the privilege of attending. Be-
tween slny and the ddth of August, several arrests were