The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-28 00:00:00

I all conceive that such an expedition was likely to be
planned in Corfu, and conceived it to be merely some
idle report in the town. He, however, desired the di-
rector of police in the island to investigate the matt, r.
Before however Lord Seaton had received the report of the
director of police, the several consuls of Austria, Na-
ples, and the Pontifical States returned to his Lordship, at
half-past eleven, and requested him to dispatch the
Medea steamer to bring back the refugees. His Lord-
ship replied that the Medea could not be used for that
purpose, for he did not conceive that such a number of
persons could meditate any serious design on the Neapo-
litan Government, but that a boat might be sent to
Otranto with information of the intended descent, and
that that information might be transmitted to Naples by
telegraph. There were bitter complaints against Lord
Seaton, for the sea at the time was calm, and the steamer
might without any difficulty have overtaken thee mis-
guided men. For his own part he (Lord Aberdeen)
deeply regretted that Lord Seaton had not complied
with the request which had been made to him, for if he
had dispatched the steamer there was littledoubt but that
it would have brought back the persons who had gone on
this cape& tion. Now, with respect to the parts which it
was said other Governments had had in this unhappy
transaction, he thou!ht that there would be no difficulty
in proving that they had had none. At any rate, he felt
assured that this was the case with respect to the Nea-
politan Government. The Bandieras and their party
sailed on the evening of the 12th of June ; they were
three days at sea, and landed, on the 16th, at Otranto.
Was it reasonable to suppose that, if the Neapolitan
Government had had any intimation of the descent, they
would have suffered these men to be three days at sea,and
then have suffered them to land on the coast, without any
interruption from their troops? Net only was this the
case, but that Government had absolutely no troops in
the neighbourhood, and the only opposition the party
who raised the insurrection met with, was from the people
of the country. For three days after landing they ad-
vanced through a thinly peopled country, withoutopposi-
tion, but on the 19th they were encountered by a party of
persons who had gathered together from the surround-
ing country—a kind of rural police. By these persons,
who acted without any definite plan, they were opposed,
but ineffectively, for over them the Bandieras and their
party obtained the advantage, and killed their leader and
one or two of the rural police. The promoters of the
insurrection then proceeded to Osenza, and the same
night a great number of persons collected and advanced
to attack the party. Mr. Temple, in a letter which
had been received at the Foreign-office, confirms these
facts. He says that the insurrectionists advanced to
Osenza on the 16th, and were there met by a consider-
able number of the country people, who were joined by
one of the civic guard and three gendarmes. A conflict
ensued, and the result was that one of the gendarmes
was killed, but the people on behalf of the Go-
vernmen had the advantage. Their efforts were
attended with comple.e success, and they killed or
took as prisoners the whole number of the expedition,
with the exception of five who fled. The result of this
attempt was exceedingly satisfactory to the Government,
because it was put down by the people themselves, with-
out the intervention of any troops ; for the fact was, that
there were no troops nearer to the place where the con-
flict took place than the city of Naples itself. Now it
was a strange mode of proceeding for a Government
who were privy to such an undertaking as this, to have
no troops to put down the insurrection, and he did think
that it vi as quite clear that the Neapolitan Government
had not any other part in this insurrection than to sup-
press it. He (Lord Aberdeen) could not say that he
saw any reason to suppose that the Government had any
part in these transactions, from the different sentences
passed upon the prisoners. Of these, nine were shot,
seven were condemned to death, and one was sentenced
to five years' imprisonment. What argument was to be
founded on this result he could not understand, for this
was no light sentence, and was put into rigorous execu-
tion. The person on whom this sentence was passed was
a Corsican, and was in no collusion with the Government
in Naples. That he was suffering a severe punishment
was evident from the fact that, whilst incarcerated, he
had written to Mr. Temple for pecuniary assistance, and
to request that gentleman's interference with the
Neapolitan Government for the remission or alleviation
of his sentence, on the ground of his being a British
subject. The fact was, that it appeared on investiga-
tion that his father and his family had formerly en-
joyed the protection of the British authorities in some
place abroad. Mr. Temple replied that he did net see
how it was his business to interfere with the punishment
of a person engaged in such an enterprise as that
against a State with which the British Government
was at the time holding friendly relations. But though
he (Lord Aberdeen) fully exonerated the Neapolitan
Government from any collusion in this matter, he did
not mean to say that there had been no treachery, for
he believed that there had been, but where the
treachery originated, and how far it extended, he was
not prepared to say. All he could say was, that he
believed the Neapolitan Government to be free from it,
for so strongly was the Neapolitan Minister urged to
remonstrate with the British Government, that his
charge amounted to something more than imputative
co lusion, and in his complaint he was strongly inclined
to charge the British Government with negligence at
least. With respect to treachery, it was a most
extraordinary circumstance that one of the conspirators
was not taken with his (Lord Aberdeen's) passport in
his pocket. The principal person connected with this
conspiracy was not either of the Bandieras, who were
young, thoughtless, and enthusiastic men ; but a certain
Colonel Ricciotti, a man who had been frequently engaged
in affairs of this sort, and was well known on the Conti-
nent. Colonel Ricciotti came to the Foreign-office to
demand a passport ; but, as Noble Lords knew, it was
not the custom of the Foreign-office to grant passports
to foreigners without a recommendation. Colonel Ric-
ciotti represented himself to be a native of Gibraltar, a
merchant, who wanted to go to his residence. On being
refused the passport, on the ground of his being a fo-
reigner, he came back recommended by a London trades-
man. He was again refused, because the re-
commendation was not sufficient ; and he again
applied with his recommendation backed by a
most highly respectable banking-house, and the
passport was granted and he left London. But he was
well known to the French police, and on his arrival at
Marseilles he was arrested. Hew he got out to Malta
he (Lord Aberdeen) had never learned. And here he
could not help observing, that when foreigners were re-
ceived, as they always were received, with kindly hos-
pitality, he thought it was their duty to refrain from any
proceedings which might cause any trouble to those
who had received them. For his own part, whether in
his public or in his private capacity, he had always re-
ceived the exiles of other countries with the most cordial
kindness. He had received Spanish exiles, Polish
exiles, and Italian exiles, with all the kindness that it
was in his power to show; and he thought that some
thing was due from these persons for the hospitality
they had received. Of the untbrtunate man of whom he
had just spoken he would say nothing; he had met with
an unhappy end, but he (Lord Aberdeen) was glad that
his passport had not been found on his person. He had
proved to the Austrian and Neapolitan Govern-
ments that with these transactions the British
Government had nothing to do ; and he felt
personally, that by partaking of them, he was
acquitted by his conscience of the slightest share. In
that last great day of account, in which they all must
appear, everyone must answer for his actions, and he
knew that all, even the very best of them, would have to
cry for mercy and forbearance. But if the Noble Lord
opposite were to him the nearest and dearest that his
h 'art could desire, he could wish for nothing better for
him, as he did for himself, than that he might have no
thing more to answer for than than his (Lord Aber-
deen's) share of these transactions ; for of even the
slightest share he felt by his conscience to be entirely
exculpated.—( Hear, hear, and cheers.)
Lord BEAUMONT said the version of the Noble
Earl was very different to that which had gone forth to
the public. He was fully satisfied with the explanation
which had been given, as it had completely vindicated
the Noble Earl from any participation in the matter.
He (Lord Beaumont)had never suspected that the Noble
Earl had any participation in it, but he thought it was
necessary that an explanation should be given
on the subject. After the vindication of the
Neapolitan Government by the Noble Earl,
he must say that the charge, with respect to them, stood
on so frail a basis that he could no longer give credit to
it. He would say, however, that he could not agree
with the course of the Noble Earl in entering into a
minute examination of correspondence, in consequence
of a threat -by the the Austrian Government. He
thought it would have been better to hove waited until
, the Austrian Government had put their thrtat into
1 execution. --.
The subject then drop ed.
The Earl of ()AIM IE laid on the table a Bill for
the appointment of co es in Scotland.
Their Lordships then journed.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, Feo. 27.
COMPANIES CLAUSES CONSOLIDATION (SCOT.
LAND) BILL,

(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
The Bill then went through Committee.; and the House
adjourned at ten minutes to Four until Five o'clock.

‘,41,1

The SPEAKER took the Chair at Fiv4aOck.
A messenger from the Court of Bankruptcy brough
up the usual returns.
Mr. Stansfield, Mr. Duncan, and otter Members
presented petitions relating to private Bills, of which the
designations were not heard in the gallery.
Mr. BARNARD presented a petition from the parish
of Greenwich, against the Fisher-lane Improvement Bill.