666 Mr. Walter Frcwen Lord [Marcb 11, 



unnecessary. Upon Murat no reliance can ever be placed. But this 

 treaty creates not only a rival but a master perhaps in Italy " (which 

 is exactly what it was intended to do). "When the Viceroy" 

 (Eugene Beauharnais) '• is driven back to the Alps the Italians will 

 certainly gravitate towards Murat. But if the British protection and 

 assistance had happened co be within their reach, that srreat floating 

 force would certainly have ranged under their standard. The nntioual 

 energy would then have been roused, like Spain and Germany, in 

 honour of national independence, and this great people, instead of 

 being the instrument of the ambitions of one military tyrant or 

 another, or, as formerly, the despicable slaves of a set of miserable 

 petty princes, they would have become a powerful barrier both 

 against Austria and France, and the peace and happiuess of the world 

 would receive a great additional security — but I fear the hour is 

 gone by. It is lamentable also to see superior rewards showered 

 upon a man whose whole life has been crime " (this means Murat), 

 " who has been the intimate and active j)artner of all Bonaparte's 

 wickedness, and whose last act of treachery to his benefactor has been 

 the result of necessitv. This treaty is a sad violation of all j^ubl.e 

 and private principle." 



I am sure that you will be grateful to me when I say that that is 

 the only one of Lord William Bentinck's despatches that I shall read 

 to you. 



1 apprehend that it is open to an ambassador to have his private 

 opinion on his instructions ; but when his views are of this violent 

 character there are only two courses that he can pursue with self- 

 respect and honesty : the first is, do what Benjamin Keene did when he 

 wfis directed to surrender Gibraltar to Spain. He rent his garments 

 in rage and mortification — and then did what he was told. The 

 second is to do what Gilbert Elliot did when he was ordered to carry 

 o:i the government of Corsica under impossible conditions. He 

 asked that he might be rej)laced immediately ; but if any value was 

 placed upon his services, the conditions of his charge must be altered 

 as he indicated. Bentinck took neither of these courses. He used 

 his instructions to defeat the plans of the Cabinet. Thus in sending 

 Mr. Graham, his private secretary, to Naples, ostensibly to sign the 

 treaty, tbe terms of which had been already settled between England 

 and Austria, he directed him to use his intimacy with the Neapolitan 

 court, in order to obtain a passport to the Austrian headquarters. 

 Such a passport was courteously granted to him, of course under the 

 impression that it was being granted to a man who was at work on 

 the treaty. Not at all. " You will use the armistice as a means of 

 getting to the headquarters and informing the authorities in secrecy 

 that I am about to occupy Corsica with 10,000 fout, 400 horse and 

 30 guns," and to concert this landing with them. 



In due course the King of Naples' envoys. Colonel Barthemy, an 

 A.D.C. of King Joachim, and Baron d'Aspern of Count Neipperg's 

 suite, arrived at Palermo to do their work. Bentinck ^' relused to 



