Star.
London, England, 1821-06-22 00:00:00

elevated by it. The union of the two Crowns was
effected in the same spirit as the union of Scotland
with this country—the principle of the latter measure
being, that the Scotch should keep what they already
had, and as much more as could he obtained
from the other parts of the Empire 1--(A /arc,c4),_;.
Not only was there no diminution, as resulting- frog
the change, of the rights and privileges of the Sc.i
Hans, such as they enjoyed them when the Britide
troops landed in Sicily, and to the maintenance or
which the British faith was pledged, but they, the
Ministers, saw that it had improved the condition et
that people, by its bringing about the abolicionof the
feudal rights, and in that respect purified the stated
the country, as compared with the period of eoe
military occupation of the island. He had then 00.
thing to reproach himself with, in surveying the po,
licy which the British Ministry pursued in regard to
Sicily. He had, he hoped, :hewn that they had nee
departed from the pledges which they had given to
the Sicilian people—that none of the conditionsopeo
which they surrendered up the island had bees
broken; or at least that no complaint but one bail
reached our Government, which in any mannered*
for their interference. There was then no ground far
the motion of the Noble Lord; and if ever there wu
ground, it was infinitely too late, as the very systeo
proposed to be reformed, he believed had now ceased
to exist—(licar, hear).
Sir JAMES MACKINTOSH said he should con.
sult his own interest, and perhaps the feelings of the
House, better by observing silence' upon this osca.
sion ; and he certainly should not have troubled du
House had it not been that he had already taken as
active pant in the affairs of Sicily, and had it net
been also for some of the remarks of the Noble Lad
who had just sat down—(Heal).—lle agreed with
his Noble Friend who opened the subject, that no
question called more loudly for explanation from the
Executive part of the Government—none tint more
set iously demanded the attention of every Member
of that House, than one which related to the honour
and good faith of this country, as displayed in our
connection with Foreign States. He fully agreed in •
this opinion, and so feeling he should 'support this
motion, and the more so, because the question of
honour and good faith-arose out of obligations wins.
tarily contracted on our part with the Sicilian people,
He was fully.content to take his stand upon the de.
claration of the Noble Marquis, in his letter to Se
William A'Court, in 1816. He approved of its cow
tents. It was the violation of the principles it es►
braced that he now complained of. This was lis
charge against the Noble Lord—that he departed
from the principles which he had voluntarily laid
down—(Hear).—He had a few objections to the pre.
liminary matter of the Noble Marquis. His Lord•
ship, in speaking of the change which took placeia
Sicily in 1816, was pleased to say, that it was effected
in the spirit of the Scotch Union, the principled
which was, he said, to leave the Scotch all the good
things they had—few indeed as they were, and what.
ever else could be obtained by them from other parts
of the Empire—(Hear).—lle (Sir James Mackintosh)
was almost led to believe that a tacit condition of a
similar nature was understood in the Union with
Ireland, and that quite as remarkable a monopoly
of office was retained by the Irish after that measure
as could be attributed to the Scotch alter the period
of their union with this country. He, for one, did' ot
complain of such a result, and he would rather deea
it one of the best proofs of the entire amalgamation
of the countries by the process of a union—(Hear).
—But he was somewhat surprised to hear the Noble
Lord attempting to introduce a comparison between
the union of free States with one another. The re•
duction into one of two imperfect limited monarchies,
was a measure which put down one nation into the
-rank of a province, and subjected it to the power of
a despotic government—(Hear).—The Noble Marquis
stated that this motion was too late, because the sys•
tern, he said, which it proposed to improve had al-
ready ceased to exist. • The Noble Marquis seemed
to forget the grounds and purpose of the motion....
His Noble Friend knew perfectly well.all the changes
which had taken place in Sicily ; he was on the spot
and saw them. But did he know anything of the
pledges given by the British Ministers to the Sicilian
people? Did he know the engagements of the Noble
Lord until he saw them on the table of that House?
and which, being exposed, called upon him to make
this motion—(Hear).—The Noble Lord denied that
any instruction had been given to Sir Wm. A'Court,
but what confined him to stipulate for the evacuation
of Sicily, upon *the terms that the people of that
island were not to be placed in a worse condition
than they were in at the period of the occupation by
our army. But was there no secret understanding be
tween the high parties—no remonstrances—no ner
ciation? 'He would appeal to the papers on the
table. They contained some expressiow, such as the
words " assurances of the King of Naples," which
were utterly unintelligible, unless by the supposition
that something like representations, or remonstrance,
had taken place.. But the Noble Marquis had said
that no complaint had reached the British Govern-
ment from the Sicilian people (except in one instant!)
of the new order of things in 1816, and thereforttt
was to be believed that they entirely acquiesced is
the new Government, and- had no cause to rert
that it had been placed over them. Now did the
Noble MarqUis mean that universal silence was a
evidence of universal satisfattion ? Might not that
silence be the result of fear, distrust, and despair?'"
,
distrust in the good intention of England—far al
the resentment of their own angry Goveriurt--
and despair, the natural result of their hating n°
confidence in the integrity of a country
which h
p aa.
been hitherto the only resource of the persecuted:
every land—(Hear, hear).—If universal silence w
a roof of universal satisfction, they, I
hare
migit
in abundance from Siberia,a from Tartary, and wr.
remote and barbarous territories—(ffear).—Was it
not natural that the Sicilians should withdraw a'
confidence from the British Ministry, which had
.
fered its own Officer, acting upon its own instroci
tions, to be refused entrance into Naples in 1815 a_
the grounds that he had committed acts which werc
sanctioned by themselves ? The Sicilians wi‘nest!,
this treatment of the noble person—they witnessed
the silent acquiescence of the Ministers in the ins w
—they saw the new principles set up by the C 0,112.
land; and was it possible, with all this beforet
of Vienna, and introduced into the Cabinet .r• 116
eyes, that they could be induced to expect anyncrt.
et
by stating their grievances to, and applying for