NAP 
that important city, the moft conveniently fituated of 
any in the kingdom for menacing at once both Sicily and 
Greece. 
The whole kingdom of Naples had now fubmitted to 
the French arms, except Gaeta and Civitelle del Tranto, 
in the Farther Abruzzo. Gaeta, which is fituated on the 
point of a rocky promontory, walked on three fides by 
the fea, and on the fourth joined to the continent by a 
narrow ifthmus, ftrongly fortified:, was. (till held by the 
prince of Hefie-Phijipfthal ; and fuch was the ftrength 
of the place and refolution, of the governor, that the 
French had no chance of becoming matters of it without 
a regular fiege, which, for want of battering-cannon, 
they were unable for lome time to commence. 
But, though no enemy appeared againft them in the 
field, the country they had fubdued was far from being- 
tranquil. AffalTination, robberies, and other diforders, 
infeparable from a diffolution of government, broke out 
at Naples and in other parts of the kingdom, and re¬ 
quired, for their fupprefiion, the molt rigorous and vigi¬ 
lant police. Thefe diforders, which filled the better fort 
of Neapolitans with the molt difmal apprehenfions, were 
fomented by the partifans and emiflaries of the old go¬ 
vernment, who thought to diflrefs the French by excit¬ 
ing diilurbances in the country. But fuch wretched po¬ 
licy had no.other effeiSl than to alienate (till farther from 
the exiled family all perfons of rank, property, or confi- 
deration, at Naples, and to attach them more firmly to 
the French interefi, from the predominance of wdiich 
only they could expedl fecurity and protection. 
The knowledge that fuch were the fentiments of the 
principal Neapolitans, determined Napoleon to make 
known, without further delay, his ultimate intentions 
with refpeft to Naples. He had already declared that the 
exiled family lliould never return to occupy the throne 
which they had abandoned. He now ifl'ued a decree, con¬ 
ferring the crown of Naples on his brother Jofeph and his 
legitimate heirs-male, without prejudice to their eventual 
claim to the throne of France; but with a provifo, that 
the crown of France and that of Naples fhould never be 
united on the fame head. 
In purfuance of this decree, which was communicated 
to the French fenate on the 30th of March, Jofeph Bona¬ 
parte cauled himfelf to be proclaimed king of Naples, and 
made all the conflituted authorities of the kingdom take 
an oath of fidelity to him. The city of Naples was illumi¬ 
nated on this occafion, with every demonifration of joy 
and fatisfaftion on the part of the nobles, who were eager 
to (how their attachment to their new king, and accept of 
offices and diftin&ions in his fervice, in order to mark, 
not fo much their devotion to him as their averfion for 
the exiled family. That thofe, whofe families had fuf- 
fered in the former revolution, and who had fince lived 
in baniffiment or retirement, ffiould join heartily in fup- 
port of the new government, is not to be wondered at, 
nor blamed. But there was a want of decency and pro¬ 
priety in the conduct of thofe who, having recently held 
employments under the late government, and enjoyed its 
favours and confidence, took this early opportunity of 
renouncing all connexion with it, and of attaching them- 
felves to the fortunes of their new king. The marquis 
di Gallo, for example, muft have offended every man of 
honour, by the political profligacy he difplayed in ac¬ 
cepting the office of minifter of foreign affairs from Jo¬ 
feph Bonaparte, within three days after his return from 
Paris, -where he had been ambalfador of Naples under 
the former government. Nor can the duke of St. Theo¬ 
dore, who accepted of a place in the houfehold of the 
new king, be excufed for his defertion of the exiled mo¬ 
narch, on account of his near relationfhip to Caraccioli, ■ 
when it is confidered that, fubfequent to the melancholy 
fate of his kinfman, he had been ambaffador of Naples at 
the court of Madrid, and fo much in the confidence of 
their Neapolitan majefties as to have been felefted for 
that poft, to ferve as a counfellor and director to their 
L E S. 5A7 
unfortunate daughter, married to the heir-apparent of 
the Spanifh monarch. 
The afl'umption of the regal dignity in Naples by Jo¬ 
feph Bonaparte, and the defedlion of fo many perfons of 
diltindtion, excited the livelieft indignation at the court 
of Palermo. Inftead of profiting by their pall misfor¬ 
tunes, the queen and duke of Calabria liilened to no 
counfels but fuch as flattered their anger with plans of 
vengeance, or foothed their impatience with idle projects 
for regaining their loft dominions. Though driven from 
Naples by their inability to refill the French arms, they 
were now eager to attempt the recovery of that kingdom, 
and confident of expelling from it an enemy whofe in- 
vafion they had not ventured to oppofe, or even dared to 
await. No event had happened fince their flight to en¬ 
courage them in fo wild and unpromiling an enterprife. 
They had no foreign fuccour to reckon upon, nor prof- 
pefl of any diverfion of importance in their favour. To 
the efforts of their Neapolitan fubjefts alone could they 
look for affillance; but, to expert a profperous ifl'ue to 
their attempts without farther aid than their late fub- 
je£ls could afford, was to fuppofe that Neapolitans fight¬ 
ing to fubvert their government were more formidable 
than Neapolitans fighting in its defence. Plans, founded 
on fuch expectations, terminated as might have been fore- 
feen. In fome of the provinces of Naples, emiflaries 
from the court of Palermo were fuccefsful in exciting in- 
furreClions againft the French ; and in all they produced 
a fpirit of reftleftnefs and infubordination which gave to 
the new government great difquietude. But no perma¬ 
nent good refulted from thefe difturbances to compen- 
fate the prefent evils to which they led. Abruzzo and 
Calabria were delivered for a fhort time from the French 
yoke. But, though the infurgents fought with unparal¬ 
leled courage and intrepidity, and were fuccefsful in many 
encounters, the numbers and difcipline of the French 
prevailed in the end; fo that, after a fruitlefs wafle of 
blood, and perpetration of atrocities on all fides difgrace- 
ful to humanity, thefe provinces w-ere again compelled to 
acknowledge Jofeph Bonaparte for their fovereign. 
About the middle of April, fir Sidney Smith had arrived 
at Palermo, in the Pompee of 84. guns, and taken the 
command of the Engliih fquadron deftined for the de¬ 
fence of Sicily, confining of five fhips of the line, befides 
frigates, tranfports, and gun-boats. With this force 
under his command, fir Sidney failed to the coafl of 
Italy, and began his operations by introducing into Gaeta 
fupplies of (lores and ammunition, of which its garrifon 
had been greatly in want. Having performed this im¬ 
portant fervice, and left at Gaeta a flotilla of gun-boats, 
under the proteftion of a frigate, to affilt in the defence 
of the place, he proceeded to the bay of Naples, fpread- 
ing fuch alarm along the coafl, that the French conveyed 
in hade to Naples part of their battering train from the 
trenches before Gaeta, in order to protect the capital 
from infult, and fecure it from attack. It happened that, 
at the moment when fir Sidney came in fight of Naples, 
that city was illuminated on account of Jofeph Bonaparte 
being proclaimed king of the two Sicilies. It was in the 
power of the Englifh admiral to have diflurbed their 
feflivity; but, as the fufferers from his interference mud 
have been the inhabitants of Naples, and not the French 
troops or the new king, he wdfely and humanely forbore, 
and made for the ifle of Capri, of which he took pof- 
feffion after a flight refiilance, and placed in it an Englifh 
garrifon. He then proceeded fouthvvard along the coafl, 
giving the greatefl annoyance every where to the enemy, 
obflrufting by land, and intercepting entirely by fea, their 
communication along the fliore, fo as to retard their ope¬ 
rations againlt Gaeta, which was the chief purpofe for 
undertaking this expedition. 
On the return of fir Sidney to Palermo, after the con- 
clufion of this fervice, he was led, from the aflive turn 
and fanguine temper of his mind, to enter with eagernefs 
into the projects of the court, and to fecond its views 
on 
