Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-03-27

be in a state OF war with The usurper ct his
deminious, aud who, very far from having al
forded grounds for preSumrng that his rights
were waved, as is asserted in the note of The
2ith of August, carried into effect, in concert
with his ally, England, Il powerful expedition
in the islands OF Procida aud ischia, nearest TO
the capital of his usurped Kingdom, ia the year
1902 precisely that IN which the com.iScat;on
of The American SHIPS at Naples took place
1t is among TIN principles ct ivascu aud Jus
tee, that lie SHOULD not be, en- Iegauing his
dOininionS IN process Ot tie var which had
compelled him 10 absent h,nlseI' from them,
held responsible for the excuses Of has ene-
my.
Let then the relations or the usurper, with
the powers friendly az ailied TO France, have
been what they may, the inie'ehces which The
Amerlcan merchants may nave drawn from
them, in relation tn the prosecution OF their
trade at Naples, should not be made 10 recoil
upon the treasury of q sovereign, who not only
did not show any, the least, acqu.escence ia
the usurraUou; hut did all that was ia lila
powe en- and all tlat clrcunis tauCcS would per-
init, 10 viudit ate his abnSrd rights. There is
still less foundation for the arguments brought
forward in the note of the 9th August, to
prove that the Neapolitan nation was ia some
sort party to the measures, by which the
Amer icius suffered, and therefore Liable, in
S0iiOUw. for the consequences.
II the inha bitaniS OF the kingdom of Naples
could oriY have Signihed their wishes, these
would undoubtedly have been for the mainte
nance of relations of justice aud friendship
with the Americans, the only nation, which,
by means OF It's neutrality, might provide a
vent tor the commodities accumulated through h
~ many years in tnc Kingdom, under the Opn
ration of the noted continental system OF ruin
Gus memory.
Hut every body knows that the Neupol,an
nation, Frustrated by a foreign domination,
was but tire mourrtul spectator and first VIC
tim of the arbitrary acts which were daily
committed: so far, then, from being able To
,,.tn 4
t,,nate if she could find means of cOmpensating
herself for the losses and immense injuries
which she sustained during the occupation of
the kingdom
These considerations would he mere than
sufficient TO prove, that the claims of the Ame-
rican merchants cannot reach either the ac-
tua government of his majesty or his people.
But, to make the demonstration complete,
ahd TO exhibit the question under all its as
poets the undersigned will admit for d mo-
ment, the absurd hypothesis, that the present
government OF Naples stands in the place Of
that Of MUIat, aud has succeeded TO all his OH
legations.
The demand Of Mr. Pinkney would not be,
on this account, the less unSuStainable, since
tue conhscation and sale of the American YES
scis and cargOes we're acts which proceeded
directly from the power and from the will of
Bonaparte.-lhcrec exists. in fact, in the ar
chives ct the treasury, q report o tthe minister
Agar, who presided over that department in
1859, addressed to Murat, who was then at
Paris
The minister relates in this report. that two
American ships hadarrivedat Naples, one from
Salem, the other, last from Algiers, laden with
colonial produce, and that the necessary or
ders had been given to put the same under So
queStration, cOnlormably to the directions an
Iecedently issued from higher authority, with
respect 10 the other vessels arrived d, Naples
before the departure of Mural for Paris
lie proceeds then 10 point out the great he
neiit which the treasury would derive from
opening the market TO the colonial produce "
ing on board those ships, or in the custom
house OF Naples, by the duties which wOnld he
collected upon the sale OF it, and upon the ey-
port of the oils which the Americans would
take as return cargoeS.
The minister remarks. in fine, that the con-
hScaton itself of the American vessels and
caTg0es was but an iGconsiierable resource
compared with the very great advantage
which would have resulted to the treasury from
an active American trade. could it have been
tolerated III the ports of the Kingdom.
hluTat did not deem himself authorized 10
cecide IN any way, aud submitted the regort to
his brOther-in- law, Napoleon, who decreed in
margin. that the vessels and caTgoes in uues.
ton should he conflscatcd, because The embar-
20 laid in the ports OF the United : tates induc-
ed him to believe that the produce must be
British property, and its introduction into lie
continent a breach. therefore, OF the infamous
Berlin and Milan DEGREES
On the disclosure OF Ibis decision of Bona
parte IN Naples, il was ordered also that the
proceeds of the sales should not be paid over
to the treasury OF thestate, butthat separate
aud special account should he opened for
them, which was done accordingly. In order
TO understand well this distinction, aud to he
able TO draw from it the consequences appli-
cable 10 the case, II is useful to note. that du-
ring The military occupation ofthe kingdom
there existed treasury, so called, destined to
receive the public revenues, and defrav the
public charges and, as. ameng the latter. the
support OF the luxurious household Of Murat
was not the least onerOus, accordingly the
sums allotted to this purpose were paid into
the hands OF particular treasurer, who dis
posed OF them as bis master directed.
Besides this particular chest, into which
moreover all the proceeds of tic private do
main we're emptied, Murat established ano-
Their, by the name Ofseparafe account Offund
(coDto Il parte) as a receptacle for the sums a.
rising from the sale of the vessels and cargoes
confiscated in 1909 and 1912. and also for the
profits of the licences, which, in imitation OF
Eugland and France, lie sold TO the vessels en-
tering and leaving the ports of the Kingdom
The few fund was always considered as ap.
pertaining to the extraordinary and private
domain of Murat himself. An irrefragable
proof of this NAV be offered The first article
OF one of his DEGREES OF 25th April, 1872, is
conceived in the following terms the com.
mission established by our decree of NOven.
Der 30ih, 1911 for the purpose OF Iiqudaiing
the accounts of our rcval household is, in adj.
dIton. charged with examining the accounts
of the vessels Sequestered i'll our ports, regard
ed by us the property u our extraordinary and
pirate d0M0iH"
Besides, il is enough TO read the account
rendered of the cashier of the separate fund
10 know that the SUMS paid into il were dissi-
patcd IN argcsses TO the favortes of Murat,
~ marriage portions TO some of his relatives,
and IN other llceutious expCnceS OfMurat, aud
of his wife, especially during their visit TO Pa.
riS. II appears moreover, that Murat having
anticipated on said fund, Il sum oftwo hundred
thousand ivTes on account of the treasury, TO
wards the cost Of the expedition with which,
during several months he menaced Sicily with
an invasion from Calabrid. tile minister of tie
finances lost no time in reimburSing tie fluid
81 Lii larncnnLs If ILn nIllin ILAns