Star.
London, England, 1813-10-02 00:00:00

SIC ILr.

4

Letters from Palermo, of the 2d of August, men-
tion the commction which had taken' place in that
city a fortnight before, as the first explosion of a
powerful conspiracy, whose leaders are busily em-
ployed to subvert the Government, and to undermine
the British interest in that Island. By practices within
the principal gaol, they had nearly succeeded in !eta
ting loose a considerable gang of iksperate murderers
upon the peaceable community, when they marched
the rabble in a body to the barracks, with the no less
obnoxious view than to seduce the Sicilian and Italian
soldiery. Meat, maccaroni, provisions of all sorts,
stolen from die venders, cloaths and money, were
proffered to the soldiers. They were told “ they were
ill paid, worse fed and cloathed, so that they had
nothing to do but join the people who were their
friends, and would abundantly supply all their wants."
It is but too well known that such proposals have
been accepted more than once, to the subversion of
kingdoms. The soldiery, however, remained true
to their duty ; and it appears from the accounts
which have been received, that to their exertions, un-
der the command of General M.Farlane, Palermo is
greatly indebted. The accounts go on stating, that
there was every reason to fear other, and still more
serious disturbances would break forth, unless proper
means were taken, and speedily too, to support our
own measures, as well as the Sicilian Government.
—A French party, which the presence of Lord W.
Bentinek and of a large detachment of our f irces
awed into dissimulation and retirement, had, it seems,
emerged from their holes and corners, since Lerd
William's departure, and since this force was reduced
to an inconsiderable number. Through a great deal
of quackery and impudence—through corruption—
and possibly through some inattention on the part of
Abe Sicilian Ministers, many of those disaffected people
had been ushered into the new House of Commons,
as Representatives, while not only in this same House,
but more particularly in the House of Peers, the men
belonging to the old Court-party were at their old
Pame again, flattering which ever party (rabble or
rince) might be most likely either to promote their
fortunes, or to suffer them at least, as a set of privi.
leged beings, not to pay their taxes. These two de-
scriptions of people had entered, it appears, into an
offensive alliance. A Parliament was assembled
early in July, for the dispatch of business, and espe-
cially to provide ways and means—those granted by
the last Parliament being limited so extend no farther
than to the Ist of September. Bin the allied factions
were mustering an irresistible majority in both Houses.
—Every motion introduced or supported by the Go.
vernment was systematically negatived ; and so little
regard for the English was shewn, that even a mo.
tion for a vote of thanks to the Prince Regent and
the British nation, after it had excited a scandalous
scuffle in the Commons between one of the leaders of
the trench party and another Member, was not car-
ried by a majority greater than four or five votes.—
Such was the state of affairs and of pasties at Paler-
mo, in the beginning of August. The Sicilian Mi..
nisters who were friendly to us, and had been appoin.
ted under our auspices, had thought it neces.ary to
tender their resignation to the hereditary Prince; and
though it had been accepted, and several days had
elapsed since his Royal Highness had appoihted a
new Ministry, still the same spirit, inimical t us and
to that Government prevailed in the two Houses—
still no steps were likely to be taken towards the
granting of those supplies, without which it Was hard
to say how the Sicilian Government could suppytt
itself after the Ist of September. The cause of all
this is to he traced to the absence of LorJ Wen. Ben-
tinck. Those at home who
.persuaded themselves
that the Queen having been prevailed on to leave
Sicily, the whole danger was uteri hue been eV'
giously mistaken.