Star.
London, England, 1811-10-16 00:00:00

SICIL r.

NUMBER VII. •
Having, in former Numbers, h.td before the ?Odic
many striking and attested facts, all tending to illus-
trate the difficult;es of our situation with respect to,
the affairs of Sicily, we suspended our obsetyations
for a few days, in the hope that something would
have transpired relative to the return of Lord Wm-
LiAm BENTINCK, which would have eased the minds
of our merchants connected with that island, and the
friends and relatives of the army stationed there..., ,
In this hope we were disappointed ; but in the inte-
rim several remarks have appeared in the Daily Pa-
pers, some of which have tended to corroborate our
statements. Others, of a different tendency, have
appeared ; and one has had the effrontery to charge
the British in Sicily with having, by their conduct,
alienated the Court from its duties to us; stating,
that in every instance, excepting three, the misunder-
standings that have Arisen were to be ascribed to the
misconduct of our own countrymen. The Paper
which admitted this libellous untruth has since amply
vindicated its own proper principles, and saved us
the trouble of recapitulating the numerous instances
of systematic fraud and enmity of the Neapolitan
Cabitiet, which we have already made public.—But
we must affirm, that not a single instance has been
adduced of even an indiscretion in any of our mer-
chants or military, numerous as they are, who reside
in Sicily ; and we dety the author of that paragraph
to produce even the shadow of a pretext for his as-
sertion !

" A Man of Plain Notions" has also favoured the
Public with a defence of the Conn of Palermo; in
which he admits the head and front" of the offee-
eive and insulting conduct of the Neapolitan Cabinet.
tut, in that old spirit which has so long rendered our
alliances only burdensome and disgraceful, he pro-
poses to call upon the Sicilians to defend themselves,
with a threat, that if they do not, we shall quit the
island by a certain day ! I and leave them to their
fate !! ! This is just what the Neapolitan Cabinet
wants ; but no British Minister can have the auda-
city to, commit an act of such political turpitude--
To abandon Sicily, would be like a General giving
tip an important fortress% merely because dissatisfied
with some of the members of the garrison. In the
vresent, as in any similar case, the turbulent indivi-
duals ought to be coerced into subjection and to the
performance 'of their duty.
We have more then once heard it proposed to
Bring the dispute to an issue, by taking military pos-
session of the country, a: France would do; but though
uo man competent to form an opinion upon the sub-
ject can think that our army should be withdrawn,
so cnc, on the other hand, that knows any thing of
Sicily, would consider tile military possession of the
country as of the smallest beuefit to the Sicilians
for the question with regard to Sicily turns wholly
upon the Sicilian interests, and, as we have shewn,
our particular interests are not in any degree bene.
fited by this alliance. At the same time, we are
.aware, that whatever can really benefit the Sicilians
will ultimately promote our own interests; and there.
fore it is desirable, that on this important subject the
British interests should not be of primary considera.
tion, but only the amelioration of the condition 'of
the Sicilians ; and 'how this may best be effected, is
;he grand problem of the Sicilian quettion; •
Sicily hai a regular constitution,' partly monarchi-
cal, partly baronial, partly ecclesiastical, sad partly
i~mocra&ical--in many parts resembling the British,
and fully adequate to all the exigencieS of thenation.
But'.who could have credited that :this venerable
frit= of Government should have been, in a great
.• • •
measure, destroyed, by a foreign faction, availing
itself of the subordination anct quietness maintained
ty the presence-of a British army ? Who could have
supposed that we, professing ourselves to be the :user-
tors of ::ncient faith and justice, sh 3uld have submitted
to be`th us made the degraded tools frevolutionarydes.
potisin and oppression ? But thefact is undeniable :
the charters at the Sicilian nation have been torn : her

I ,
independent Nubility have been' banished : her Ally,
(who has innocently ministered to all this) has been
trcattcl with insult. and contempt : and it it ;o la;:.
fear .i.l, that the very elements destined for the pro-
motion of :lie common interests have been circuitously
Iran. omitted into the hands cf the common eisemy,—
To vpeak plainly—the Neapolitin Cabinet never
would have. ventured upon that system of
lawless"
taxation which it promulgated on the 23d of Febtva.:
ary, 1811, bat for the presence of the British army.
The part to be performed by us is delicate and dif-
ficult. It will be a great example to posterity if we
act aiight : it will be a perpetual stain and dishonour
Itpon ot,ir ;pis:Airy if we blunder. One thing is obvi.

'out, the ancient eonstitution should instantly be re-,
edifier(; or, if Sicily must have a new constitution,
every party concerned should have a voice. No one
party should be permitted to dictate le the others ;
and language does not furnish terms of sufficient
force to express the detestation with which we should
behold oUr own Government transmitting a consti-
tution for the Sicilian people, or pretending to remedy
their grievances in any other way than by protecting
the regular convocation of the States of the kingdom.
This is the only way in which we can act with ho-
nour, and we are called upon by every principle of
honour to act in this way.
The delicate trust that has devolved upon us (for
we are not allied only to a party), of obliging the
King to call the States together, ought not to be left
in the hands of any one. Minister : a mission, consist-
ing of at least three of the most esteemed men in this
country, the purest in their private and public cha-
racter, ought to be appointed to this extraordinary
embassy ; and, to prevent that intimidation of indi-
viduals which may naturally be expected to be at-
tempted by the enemies of the Sicilian rights ; and
also to check that violence of proceeding which may
arise from the irritation of parties, and from the
States of a
.kingdom called together while still smart-
ing under the sense of wrong, these missionaries

should have a seat, but not a vote in the Parliament,
till the purposes for which they assemble may be ef-
fected.—Who would call this dignified ,counselling
a violation of the rights of an independent kingdom,
when its very object would be to secure and establish
those rights. It is the peculiar destiny of the Bri-
tish nation to be exalted by the independence of other.

nations ; and the common enemy of all independent
States has himself confessed this in that presumptu-
ous moment when he said that she could not single-
handed contend with France.

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