114 General Sir Richard Church's Narrative of the. . [Feb. 



of my own division with me, I stated in my letters to the Government 

 that I preferred any command whatever, keeping the troops of my 

 own inspection and command with me, to the highest appointment 

 without them. I knew how firmly I might rely upon their fidelity, 

 courage, and conduct, and how little could be expected from 

 the troops then in Sicily : and the result has too fatally proved the 

 truth of my opinion. After some ineffectual negociations about taking 

 these troops to Sicily, and assurances that every thing would be ar- 

 ranged to my satisfaction in Naples, I left Lecce on the 11th of June, 

 and joined, at Bari, Prince Zurlo, the intendant of that province, 

 and proceeded with him to Naples ; at the same time I gave over 

 arrangements of the 6th military division to Prince Maresciallo Lu- 

 perano. At Naples, I found fresh difficulties respecting the chief com- 

 mand in Sicily — difficulties which had never been even hinted before, 

 for the death of the Capt. General Bourcard had removed the only 

 impediment ever mentioned to me. Objections were made to the re- 

 moval of Lieut. General the Prince Scaletta, who commanded the 7th 

 military division. I received, however, a promise that the command 

 should be arranged to my satisfaction. But I failed in carrying the point 

 which I deemed most material to the good of the royal service and to 

 my own honour — permission to take the foreign troops with me ; of my 

 own division, which, by the king's decree, belonged to my command 

 and inspection, I was not allowed to take a single detachment. It will 

 be seen how little the troops in Sicily merited the confidence of their 

 conmiander, but it must be remembered that they were not the foreign 

 troops. During my fortnight's stay at Naples, symptoms of approaching 

 disturbances shewed themselves at Salerno, and in that province. I 

 soon after received my definitive orders to repair to Palermo, in order 

 to take, provisionally, the command of the 9th, with a discretionary 

 power over the 7th and 8th military divisions, and the right of acting 

 as commander-in-chief till I should be finally confirmed in that post, on 

 the appointment of Prince Scaletta to a diplomatic situation, which 

 it was intended to give him immediately. 



I sailed from Naples, in the Sirena frigate, appointed for that purpose, 

 on the night of the 2d of July. On the same day the Hereditary 

 Prince arrived from Palermo on board of a Neapolitan line-of-battle 

 ship ; and the Government received the account of the famous desertion 

 from Nola of the two subaltern officers and 130 soldiers of the regiment 

 of cavalry stationed there. On this morning the general took leave of 

 the ministers, at a council which was held to deliberate on that deser- 

 tion, and the probability of its being the forerunner of serious disasters ; 

 and, in the afternoon, of the captain-general. Owing to the King's being 

 embarked, and at a distance in the bay of Naples, and the Sirena being 

 ordered off immediately, I did not see his Majesty before I sailed. 



The Sirena arrived at Palermo on the 5th, at about two o'clock in the 

 afternoon. Before she came to anchor. Brig. General Coglitore, and the 

 staff officers of .the garrison of Palermo, came on board to wait on me; 

 and I immediately landed, and went to pay my respects to His Exc. 

 General Naselli, the viceroy. No quarters having been provided for 

 me, I took lodgings at the hotel Gran Bretagna, in the Piazza Marina. On 

 tlie 6th I sent a copy of my instructions to the viceroy, through whom 

 they were communicated to the different military departments in Sicily. 

 On the afternoon of the 7th, Lieut, General Prince Cuto gave over the 



