Star.
London, England, 1811-08-27 00:00:00

SICIL r.

The following observations have been made in
answer to the complaints cf the British Merchants in
Sicily :-
6, His Sicilian Majesty has long ago offered, and
in the most unequivocal manner, to give a decided
preference to the inwortationof English merchandizes
into the kingdom of Sicily, to exact the duties only
on the declaration made of the value of the articles ;
imported by the proprietor, his correspondent or sn-
percargo, and to reduce the duties thereon, to 10 per
cent. ; whilst French and German manufactures ;
should continue at 14 per cent. The sole condition
demanded in return was a proportional diminution of
duties paid on the importation of Sicilian produce i
into the British dominions. No Sovereign can over-
look such an object, as it is his duty to have the wel-
fare and interest of his own subjects at heart ; and
the more so, as it always has been a constant practice
'in commercial stipulations, to have a strict regard to
'reciprocation. It is a fact, that Sicilian wines pay in
England an importation duty tantamount to ten times
'their original value in Sicily ; but, nevertheless, the
Sicilians do not on that account accuse the British
Court of being rapacious and oppressive. This being
the case, where is the madness, the ingratitude of the
Sicilian Government, and where its hostility to Bri-
tish commerce ? In further proof of the partiality
the British trade experiences in Sicily, it must be
added, that there is not a single British article which
is not admitted there ; it is not so with other allied
Powers, and this is done merely with the view' toi
shew the great favour which is bestowed on the Bri-
tish Nation by his Sicilian Majesty; it is, indeed, a
very particular one, because it tends to check, in the
Sicilians, a becoming spirit of industry. Thus much
for the dispositions of the Court of Palermo towards
English trade.
" Much stress is laid on the ancient Spanish Com-
mercial Treaties : such claims are unprecedented,
absurd, and unreasonable. The ancient Spanish Trea-
ties have never been acted upon, they have never been
ad ilitted as obligatory by his Sicilian Majesty, nei-
ther were they ever reclaimed as being in force. To
advance such ; proposition is unwarrantable.—The
kingdoms of the two Sicilies have been separated from
the Spanish Monarchy ; they have, since 1734, form-
ed a separate and independent state, ruled by its own
laws and bound only by its own engagements. As
such it was recognized by Great'Britain, and by all
the other Powers of Europe in solemn treaties. Would
'it not be absurd to require the execution of those an-
cient Spanish Treaties in Portugal, on the very same
ground that Portugal formerly belonged to the Spa-1
nish Monarchy ?
" The exemptions claimed by the Petitioners of '
paying the taxes, to which every foreigner and every
native is equally subjected in Sicily,
,cannot be main-
tained without the pre-existence of a special grant,
ivilege, or stipulation. In England, the British
subject and the alien are liable to the same taxes.-.-


~~'s

This is the case in every other state. It is strange ia.
deed, very strange, nut to say worse of it, to find that
in the most ctiiical circumstances of Great Britain and
Sicily, amidst the mutual efforts of tyith roanirieg
against the common enemy, there should es st a tl ass
of persons who refuse paying the taxes of the lard in
which they live, and at the same time unit pay them
in England ; and neverth:lt.ss, these very persons pro.
fit the most of the combined exertions of both coon.
tries. The privileges of the Porto Franco of Me,.
sina do not exempt of all taxes, but of certain ones;
besides, they are only applicable to merchants residing
in that city, and not to other parts of the Island.
But the Porto Franco of Messina has been quite de-
stroyed by the consequences of the Brit sh Orders in
Council, necessitated by the mode of the actual war-
fare of the common enemy, and indeed by the very
circumstance of the risk to which Messina is now ex.
posed of being invaded by a ferocious neighbour,
whose existence was not even susr.!cted at the time
Messina was proclaimed at Porto Franco; some mo.
dification in one way or other became necessary, and
public spirit required that the foreign merchants re-
siding there should contribute iu making some sacri.
fines towards keeping the town out of the enemy's
grasp."

TH LI EV EN I N STA IL

LONDON.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27.
PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE *O'CLOCK.
per Ct. Cons. for money 63t—Ditto for account 4.1
S pyr Cent. Reduced i 4}—Davy 5 per Cent. 94"21
4 per Can. no 4—nonas 17s. I 8.. pre.—Omisium f die. to ow
liscb. Bills (id.) Is. da. to Is. pr,.—Ditto (Sid.) Ss. is, prem.

The Pmcass CHARLOTTE packet has arrived at
Falmouth from Lisbon. She sailed on the Sth inst.
and has brought letters and papers of that date. They
communicate the gratifying intelligence *1 the read.
vance of Lord WELLINGTON against Ciudad Rodrigo,
in consequence of the French army having retired,.
The Lisbon papers also contain accounts of further
successes against the French in Spain, which will be
read with much satisfaction. The following are ex.
tracts from the above papers :