ANNUAL RE 
it had been entered ‘upon: two 
months sooner, we should have 
met the American commissioners 
instructed to insist on points 
which we had declared we could 
never accede to; the delay there- 
fore could not be considered as an 
improvident one. 
Earl Stanhope, in supporting 
the motion, begged leave to re- 
mind their lordships, that before 
the breaking out of this war he 
had submitted to the house a 
motion for declaring a recipro- 
city of rights among all maritime 
nations. This had met with no 
support; but he was happy now 
to find that the noble earl had 
expressly declared that this coun- 
try had no other maritime rights 
than what belonged equally to all 
other nations. 
The Marquis’s motion was ne- 
gatived by 83 votes against 30. 
Notice has been taken of some 
parliamentary proceedings at an 
earlier period, relative to the 
transfer of Genoa to the king 
_ of Sardinia, which were inter- 
mitted on account of the asser- 
tion of ministers, that the time 
was not yet come for giving the 
necessary explanations on the sub- 
ject. Some public papers having 
afterwards been laid before par- 
liament relative to this topic, the 
‘Marquis of Buckingham, on April 
25th, rose to make a motion on 
the subject. He began with af- 
‘firming that the statement of the 
.case which he had before made 
upon other information was fully 
‘confirmed: by the papers pro- 
duced.. He then gave a general 
‘sketch of the whole proceedings, 
introductory to a set of resolu- 
tions which he moved, and which 
contained all the particulars, The 
18] 
GISTER,. 1815. 
substance of these was, 1. That 
earl Bathurst did, by a letter 
dated Dec. 28, 1813, instruct lord 
William Bentinck to encourage 
any dispositions in the Genoese 
to rise against the French go- 
vernment, and, if it were clearly 
with their concurrence, to. take 
possession of Genoa in the name 
and on the behalf of his Sardi- 
nian majesty. 2. That in pur- 
suance of those instructions, in 
March 1814, his lordship dis- 
embarked with the British forces 
at Leghorn, and issued a procla- 
mation calling upon the Italians 
to vindicate their own. rights 
and be free. 3. That in April 
the Genoese having materially 
contributed to oblige the French 
garrison to surrender the city, 
lord W. Bentinck entered Genoa, 
and issued a proclamation of the 
following tenor :—‘‘ Considering 
that the general desire. of the 
Genoese nation seems to be to re- 
turn to that ancient form,of go- 
vernment under which it enjoyed 
liberty, prosperity, and indepen- 
dence, and considering likewise 
that this desire seems to be con- 
formable to the principles recog- 
nized by the high allied powers, 
of restoring to all their ancient 
rights and privileges, I declare, 
that the constitution of the Ge- 
noese States, such as it existed in 
1797, with such modifications:as 
the general wish, the public good, 
and the spirit of the original con- 
stitution of 1576 seem to require, 
is. re-established (Two, articles 
follow organizing a_ provisional 
government). 4. That ina let- 
.ter to lord, Castlereagh, lord W. 
. Bentinck represented that the Ge- 
noese universally desired. the re- 
-storation of their ancient repub- 
