Star.
London, England, 1811-10-01 00:00:00

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T

Neapolitan Cabinet is conscious,tither of having Me-
rited the vengeance of the Sicilians, or of entertaining
projects by which it may Merit that vengeance ? It
is censcious of having ruled ♦exatiously a that it has
forfeited the just s►tbmission of the subjects, rand
done those things which deserve punishment &whale

Sicilians. Or, it intends to violate the conditions by
which the King liolds the throne, to treat the taws
stild usage% of the kingdom with contempt, and to
practise those detestable caprices of tyranny which are
the causes of revolutions, and by which it made the
King lose one of the most splendid States in Europe.
It is either already bad, or intends to be so.

111. The treaty of defence with the King of Sicily
was not a compact with him as an individual, but
with him, in his public capacity and regal character ;
as thii Cilief Magistrate of Sicily, with a limited pre-
togative, and lawfully incapable either of levying
taxes, or of alteling the Laws and Constitution of the
Stat.: without the consent df his Parliament. That
treaty assured to him the independent exercise of his
Magisterial functions ; and, as our army was sent only
to defend the island against the common enemy, it
also virtually guaranteed to us that nothing should be
attempted by the King that would tend to endanger
that army by any other than the common enemy.—
We agreed not to intetmeddle with the chimes& af-
fairs of Sicily, and on his part the King was toiled
by still stronger obligations, not to suarp any. autho-
rity under the protection of our arms, becauSe
suck 'an usurpation would not only render him
no longer the party with whom we entered into alli-
ance, but might (stash% Circumstances which would
oblige our army, for Its own seetuity,to act against the
very people whom we had engaged to protect, or to act
against him. An act of Usurpation, therefore, on the
part of the King of Sicily, is as ranch a violation of the
treaty of defence, as in act of interfeiwnie in the
teconotny of the kingdom Would be on our part.
IV. The Neapolitan Cabinet has dtclareil in the
King's name, without the flatulent of the Sicilian Par-
tamefit, and against the rernonstrince of upwards of
fifty of the most respectable Barons of the Kingdom,
that a duty of on per cent. on all payments shall be
paid to the King's use. Justice is prohibited till this
Unlawful talc is paid; no bond nor debenture for money
is valid until the duty has been received on them.
The kingdom is in consequence thrown into a fer-
ment, both by the nature of the tat, which con.
sumes capital and profit, and the daring despotistis
with which it was proclaimed tnd is enforced.
.a4trotild the Veapolitan Cabinet have ventured on
tSis measure, had it not been sure that the British
army would assist in quelling any tumult which such
an arbitrary stretch of power was likely to produce ?
Is it not fair then to conclude that, instead of benefit.
ing the Sicilians by undertaking the unnecessary task
of defending their island, we are contributing to the
destruction of their laws and constitution—,already
greatly impaired t While wt are protecting them from
the French, we are countenancing their degradation
by the Neapolitan Cabinet. While we are saving
them from direct conquest, we are assisting in cons-
pelliag them to submit to all the evils that the worst
cf conquerors would inflict ; to the caprice of irrespon-
sible rulers, and to those unhapy consequences which
arise from the want of law, and the disregard of an-
cient customs. And 'ILA not this aggression of the
one per cent. duty thew the reason why the Neapoli-
tan Cabinet dreads the effects of arms in the hands of
the Sicilians ? Resolving to rule in despite of the peo-
ple, it anticipates the consequences of its own designs.
In our next we shall consider this affair as it affects
our engagements with the King of Sicily.

THE EVENING STAR.

• LONDOT.
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