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when the same are exported to any other Foreign Country whatever : be it therefore enacted by the King's Most Excellency Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that from and after the 3rd day of July, 1815, the same Duties shall be paid or payable on the exportation of all goods, wares, and merchandize of the growth, produce, or manufacture of Great Britain, exported direct from thence to any Port or Place within the Territories of the United States of America in British-built Ships, owned, registered, and navigated according to Law, or in Ships built in the United States of America, or condemned as Prize there, and being owned by Subjects of the said States, and whereof the Master and 3-4ths of the Mariners are also Subjects of the said States, as are or shall be payable on the like exportation to any other Foreign Country whatever.

II. And be it further enacted, that it shall and may be lawful for the Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, or any 3 or more of them, and they are hereby authorized and directed, in all cases where a greater duty has been charged and paid on the exportation of any goods, wares, or merchandize of the growth, produce, or manufacture of Great Britain, to The United States in manner aforesaid, than has been paid on the exportation to any other Foreign Country, to cause the same to be repaid.

III. And be it further enacted, that this Act shall continue ir force so long as the Convention between His Majesty and the United States of America shall continue in force.

CORRESPONDENCE between Great Britain and Sicily, relative to the Changes to be effected in the Constitution of the Island of Sicily.-1816.

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of the Government of the 2 Sicilies.... Caserta ...... 8th December. 560 Sub-Enclosure (B)-Decree of the King, establishing the Office of Chancellor of the Kingdom of the 2 Sicilies

Caserta, ...... 8th December. 562

Sub-Enclosure (C)-Law of the King of
the 2 Sicilies, confirming the Privileges
of the Island of Sicily

1816.

Page

Caserta,.... 12th December. 562

No. 1.-Viscount Castlereagh to William A'Court, Esq. (Extract.)

Foreign Office, 6th September, 1816. THE necessity which is felt by the King of Naples, and which has been equally recognized by the Parliament of Sicily, of effectuating certain changes in the Constitution of that Country,* has been submitted to The Prince Regent.

The Prince Regent's sincere regard for his Ally, the King of the 2 Sicilies, as well as the cordial interest which His Royal Highness can never cease to feel for the Sicilian Nation, renders him, on such au occasion, deeply solicitous that the approaching change may be wisely and auspiciously conducted, with a view to the permanent interests and happiness of all concerned: but you will acquaint the Marquis de Circello that, as far as regards the Prince Regent's own conduct, His Royal Highness must decline any interference in the internal affairs of a Foreign and Independent State, which his own honour, and the good faith of his Government, shall not strictly impose on him.

You may apprize the Neapolitan Minister, that The Prince Regent would consider such interference imposed on him as a duty, if, (which he persuades himself, after the assurances received from His Sicilian Majesty, can never happen,) those Individuals who acted with the British Authorities during the late difficult times in Sicily, should be exposed either to unkindness or persecution on account of such conduct.

His Royal Highness would feel himself equally compelled, however reluctantly, to interfere, if he had the mortification to observe any attempt made to reduce the Privileges of the Sicilian Nation, in such a degree as might expose the British Government to the reproach of having contributed to a change of system in Sicily, which had, in the end, impaired the freedom and happiness of its Inhabitants, as compared with what they formerly enjoyed.

With the above reserve, His Royal Highness must wholly exonerate himself from the responsibility of any interference whatever. He feels that he has neither the means nor the right to judge of the necessity of the change, the extent to which it should be carried, nor of the mode in which it should be effectuated.

You will not fail, in all your representations, to do justice to the principles upon which the British Government were alone induced, when charged with the defence and security of that part of His Sicilian Majesty's Dominions, to interfere in its internal concerns: the necessity.

* See the Constitution of 1813 in a subsequent part of this Volume.

constituted the right, and with the discontinuance of that necessity, every pretension as well as disposition on the part of Great Britain to interpose, has also ceased; except so far as the considerations of good faith and honour, to which I have above alluded, and which arise out of our former position in Sicily, might again impose it on us as a duty.

The Prince Regent has had the happiness of seeing, after a long struggle, his Ally restored to his Dominions; and the calumnies of their common Enemies, which imputed sinister views to the Councils of Great Britain, whilst the British Army occupied Sicily, have been fully and practically refuted.

His Royal Highness has only one wish now to form, which is, that His Sicilian Majesty may so conduct his Government for the happiness of his Subjects, that he (The Prince Regent) may never have to regret the task, which circumstances imposed upon him, of employing the British arms in that Island, and that His Royal Highness may hereafter have nothing to express to His Sicilian Majesty on this subject, but his satisfaction.

Willium A'Court, Esq.

CASTLEREAGH.

No. 2.-William A'Court, Esq. to Viscount Castlereagh. (Extract.) Naples, 5th November, 1816. IT was not until the 30th ultimo, that I communicated to the Neapolitan Government the nature of the Instructions which I had received from your Lordship.

On that day, in a Conference, at which were present the whole of His Sicilian Majesty's Cabinet Ministers, I made a formal declaration of the views and feelings of the British Government with respect to Sicily, according to the Instructions contained in your Lordship's Despatch of the 6th September. I pointed out The Prince Regent's desire to avoid all interference in the Government of an Independent State, unless such interference was rendered necessary by a consideration of his own honour, or the good faith of his Government. The 2 cases where this interference would be imposed as a duty upon His Royal Highness were, a spirit of persecution or unkindness exhibited towards those who had acted in concert with the British Authorities during the late very difficult times, or an attempt to reduce the privileges of the Sicilian Nation, in such a degree as to expose Great Britain to the reproach of having contributed to a change of system in Sicily, which had impaired the freedom and happiness of its Inhabitants, as compared with what they formerly enjoyed.

With this reserve, I observed, His Royal Highness must wholly exonerate himself from the responsibility of any interference whatever He feels that he has neither the means nor the right to judge of the

necessity of the change, the extent to which it should be carried, nor of the mode in which it should be effectuated.

The 2 Houses of Parliament having, in concurrence with the Executive Government, fruitlessly laboured at effectuating the change in contemplation, have themselves called upon the Crown to nominate a Commission for deliberating on the proposed alterations. I then continued, in your Lordship's words, to state, "that due justice ought to be done to the principles upon which the British Government was alone induced, when charged with the defence and security of Sicily, to interfere in its internal concerns. The necessity constituted the right, and with the discontinuance of that necessity, every pretension, as well as disposition, on the part of Great Britain, to interpose, had also ceased; except so far as the considerations of good faith and honour before alluded to, and which arose out of our former position in Sicily, might again impose it on us as a duty."

This discourse appeared to make a considerable impression on His Sicilian Majesty's Ministers, who requested that I would deliver it to them in writing. I did not feel myself authorized to comply with this request, but I said that I had no objection that a Note should be taken of all I had said, which proposal was immediately accepted, and ****** committed the whole to Paper.

As soon as I had thoroughly explained the line which the British Government had determined to pursue, and had received the most unqualified assurances of His Sicilian Majesty's intention, strictly to abide by the conditions which His Royal Highness the Prince Regent had thought proper to declare to be necessary, to ensure his non-interference, I was asked whether, (setting aside my public character, in which I had disclaimed all responsibility whatever,) I would, as Mr. A'Court, allow them to detail to me the projects they had in contemplation, and point out anything which might, in my opinion, expose them to the charge of having violated the conditions prescribed.

As this proposal was not at variance with the Instructions I had received from your Lordship, I did not hesitate in giving to it my consent. In order to prevent any misunderstanding, I again repeated, that whatever fell from me, under these circumstances, must not be considered as official, nor as binding the British Government or British Minister to anything.

*****, at the desire of his Colleagues, then entered into a long historical detail of the Privileges which had been at different times granted to the Sicilian Nation, and afterwards, passing to the project now in contemplation, endeavoured to convince me of the many advantages which would accrue to the Sicilians from the new arrangements, in comparison with those they formerly enjoyed.

The King, by a Proclamation, will declare the perpetual union of the 2 Countries, and will in consequence assume the Title of Ferdinand

the First, King of the Kingdom of the 2 Sicilies, &c. &c. &c. Fresh Credentials and Patents will be made out for all Foreign Ministers, Consular Agents, &c. &c. A 2nd Decree will announce the institution of a General Chancery for the United Kingdom, in which all Laws and Decrees are to be registered; this Chancery will be presided over by 1 of the Secretaries of State, who will take the Title of Grand Chancellor. A Council, to be called the Supreme Chancery Council, will be established for discussing all important affairs, before they are submitted to the Royal decision in the Council of State.

The Office of Minister Secretary of State will be abolished, and its duties transferred to the Grand Chancellor.

At the same time that these Decrees are made public, a 3rd will be issued, confirming to the Sicilians all the Privileges conceded to them. by the present Sovereign and his Predecessors. In order to combine the observance of these Privileges with the unity of the Political Institutions, which are to form le droit public of the United Kingdom, the following Regulations will be made:

All Civil and Ecclesiastical Offices and Employments in the Island of Sicily to be granted to Sicilians only, including the Archbishopric of Palermo, which former Sovereigns had always reserved to be dis posed of according to their pleasure. The population of Sicily forming, as nearly as possible, 1-4th of the whole population of the United Kingdom; the Sicilians are to hold by right the same proportion of all the great Offices of State;-1-4th of the Seats in the Cabinet ;— the same in the Council of State ;-the same in the Grand Chancery Council; the same in the Great Offices at Court;-the same in the Corps Diplomatique.

The Army and Navy, as well as all inferior Offices about the Court, to be open to Individuals of either Nation.

The Government of the United Kingdom to be wherever the King resides. If in Sicily, a Prince of the Royal Family, or a Person of distinguished rank to be the King's Lieutenant at Naples, or vice versá, if his residence be at Naples. If the Lieutenant be a Prince of the Royal Family, he will have near his person a Minister of State, charged with the Official Correspondence, and also 2 Directors, to whom such portion of the official business will be confided as the Minister of State shall think proper:―these Directors to be of either Nation. If the Lieutenant be not a Prince of the Blood Royal, he will himself have the character of Minister of State.

All Sicilian Causes to be finally decided in Sicily. The Tribunals of Palermo to be entirely independent of those of Naples, as also the Tribunals of Naples of those of Palermo.

The permanent Revenue of Sicily to be fixed by the King, but never to exceed the sum of 1,847,687 ounces, voted by the Sicilian Parliament of 1813, as the permanent Revenue of the State. This sum to be

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