74) 
Lord Castlereagh a memorial, 
requesting the speedy conclusion 
of a definitive treaty of peace 
between the two crowns. 
Long before this time, how- 
ever, Murat had become an ob- 
ject of suspicion ; and lord Wil- 
liam Bentinck, who had closely 
observed him, gave, in a letter to 
lord Castlereagh, dated January 
7, 1815, the following, among 
other remarks on the subject ;— 
«‘ There can be no doubt that all 
the advantages contemplated in 
the alliance with Murat, by Aus- 
tria and the allies, would have 
been realized, if he had embarked 
honestly and cordially inthe cause; 
but his policy was to save his 
crown, and to do this, he must 
always be on the side of the con- 
queror. His first agents were 
sent to me after his return from 
Leipsic. He then thought Na- 
poleon’s affairs desperate. His 
Janguage was plain and sincere. 
He said, ‘ Give me an armistice, 
and I will march with the whole 
of the army against the French. 
Give me the friendship of Eng-+ 
land, and I care not for Austria, 
or the rest of the world.? Sub- 
sequently, when Austria came to 
seek his alliance, he naturally dis+ 
covered both his own importance, 
and the uncertain issue of the 
contest. He then began to en- 
tertain views of aggrandizement, 
and. by possessing himself of the 
whole South of Italy, he seemed 
to think he could render himself 
independent, whatever might be 
the event of the war.’? His lord- 
ship: proceeds to speak of the 
counsels by which Murat was 
governed. He describes him as 
equally remarkable for his courage 
in the field, and his indecision m 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 
the cabinet, which disposition was 
worked upon by two contending 
parties in his court, the French, 
and the Neapolitans. His attach- 
ment wasmanifestly to the former, 
and he was anxious to keep with 
him his French officers, who were 
continually magnifying the suc- 
cess of the French army, and en+ 
deavouring to fix him in alliance 
with their country. It further 
appears, that lord W. Bentinck 
entertained strong suspicions of 
the good faith of Murat, even 
whilst acting with the allies, and 
that he had a serious difference 
with him on that account ; and 
also that the Austrian General 
Bellegarde, was fully of the same 
Opinion. 
In the latter part of the pre- 
ceding year, Murat had put in 
motion a considerable body of 
troops, with the apparent inten- 
tion of occupying an additional 
share of the territories of the 
church ; and at the end of Janu- 
ary a Neapolitan army, said to 
consist of 25,000 men, was posted 
near Rome, so as in a manner to 
blockade it on the side of Naples. 
The Pope, who had sent a memo- 
rial of his complaints to the Aus; 
trian court, remained in the city 
with his cardinals, trusting to the 
sanctity of his character for his 
sole defence. About this period 
the Duke of Campochiaro, the 
Neapolitan minister at the con; 
gress of Vienna, presented a note 
to Prince Metternich, in which 
after representing that his Sovey 
reign considered -himself as in- 
cluded in the peace of Paris, 
among the allies of the coalesced 
powers, he complained of the de- 
lay of his most Christian Majesty 
to recognize him, and urged the 
