The National Register.
London, England, 1819-11-21 00:00:00

INSURRECTION AT SANTA ALIUII.4.

Extract of a lettcr.d.t'ctl Corfu, October 7
" The systeils of taxation which now prevails in
these islands, and which is becoming daily more
burdensome, has for some time been a subject of
serious aprreii,nsion with those w'm are acquainted
1. • ith their atl:tirs, aod know :he nature and extent

of their resource.. The extraordinary expences at-
tending various *mkt-takings, such as tha election
of a new u•;: t;n. the Lord High Commissioner,
the exo:ldtant salaries I.,,ranted to the munbers of
the sets,te and the legislative body, together with
the new appointments created by Sir Thomas
so greatly exceed the regular revenues of these
buttes, tittt it has become neccssiry to devise extra-
ordinary i»eastires for supplying the deficiency. The

new conhtit talon having given Sir 'FhoinaA Niaithind
n direA influence and control in the nomination of
;he print rtl foncticriaries, the propositions emana-
tmg from his Excellency exix.rience but little re-
f:stance on the part of the legislative assembly, dim-
imsed; WI the deputies obvionkly arc, to .support all
jarojeets tendi.g to fill the public chest from whence
tileir ivilaries are derived.

" Iv. addition to the ordinary sources of revenue,
the Government daily resort to new taxis. In Sep-

tetuber last, an impost was laid on the flocks and
herds, which are very numerous in the mountain-
ous parts of Santa MAIIII, Cephalonia, anti Zante.
'Fite experiment of. this finoocial. measure having
becn mule on the 4.1 rs t of these islands, the country-

people remonstrated with the local authorities; but
before redress could be obtained, an insurrection
began in the village of Sfachiotes, and soon spread
through the rest of the island ; the people opposed
the collectors of customs, whose chief, Sig. Siciliano,
was.killed.: Military force having been sent from
the garrison, the non contents on the 3d inst. pro-
ceeded towartl3 the city. Major Stovin, the M-
ush Commandant, with part of the garrison. took
up a position on the hill that commandsu the main
road, with a view to protect the town ; and on the
approach of the enemy, a regulars action took
place, in which it is said that 13 men were killed,
and several wounded on both sides. Major Stovin
having. retired with his detachment to the fortress,
in order to secure it, the country-people entered the
town, and assailed and burnt- the houses of those
persons who were known to have supported the
new tax. Sir Thomas Maitland being absent fri.m
the islands when the news of the affair reached Cor-
fu, Sir Frederick Adam sent 330 men, with artil-
lery, to Santa Maura. This reinforcement not
proving sufficient, a second was sent in haste, and
hopes are entertained that with its-assistance the
insurrection will be:quelled. •
There- are some apprehensions that the same
spirit may manifest itself in other islands, particu-
larly in Zante and Cephalonia, the inhabitants -of
which might make a stand in their mountains for a•
long titre. 16 that case our situation-would become
very critical, as the British forces are as present
hardly adequate to the garrison duty of this and the
other fortified places in the island: and .in conse-
quence•of the existing system of administratitin in
this country the majority of the natives can no lon-
ger be-depended on."