552 
NAP 
wifh no other title than his fword, he could not but be 
'regarded by the regular and hereditary lovereigns of 
Europe as an intruder intotheir dignity, and a remaining 
exception to that principle of return to the ancient order 
df things which governed the political movements of the 
time. Clolely bordered on one fide by a perpetual com¬ 
petitor for his dominions in the king of the Two Sicilies, 
and on the other by the head of the catholic religion, 
from whom he withheld part of the patrimony of the 
church, and both of whom had powerful fupporters, he 
was obliged to exercil’e conftant vigilance againft the at¬ 
tempts of force or policy. In this fituation, his foie re¬ 
liance mud have been on the attachment of his fubjedts; 
and he appears not to have been inattentive to the means 
of acquiring this advantage afforded him by the notorious 
defedts of the former Neapolitan government. The coun¬ 
cil of date and the court of caffation having waited on 
him upon the 8 th of May, he made an add refs to the 
former, in which he faid, “ The independence of our 
country is enfured : I propofe to enfure its profperity 
alfo, by a conffitution which Ihall be at the fame time a 
fafeguard to the throne and to the fubjedt. The bafes of 
it fhall be fixed agreeably to the opinions of the moll 
enlightened ftatefmen of the kingdom.” He repeated the 
fame fentiments to the court of caffation ; adding, doubt- 
lefs to infpire confidence, “ There are no facrifices, no 
efforts, which I have not made to enfure the independence 
of the Neapolitans; it is henceforth guaranteed by the 
peace of Europe, and by my relations with the fovereigns 
with whom I am in alliance.” At the fame time there 
was publilhed at Ancona an order of the day, conftituting, 
for the prefent, the banks of the Metauro the feparation 
of the countries occupied by the Neapolitan army from 
the dominions of the pope. 
In Auguft it was announced from Rome, that the Nea¬ 
politans ltill kept poffeflion of the marquifate of Ancona, 
Macerata, and Ferrara; and that the benefits of the re¬ 
volution in the affairs of Europe were not felt there, the 
priefts being imprifoned, refpedlable perfons ill-treated, 
and their property confifcated. Joachim, indeed, was not 
one of the fovereigns from whom a relloration of the 
church to its former fplendour was to be expected. In 
order, probably, to free himfelf from objects of fufpicion, 
he had iffued a decree relative to ftrangers, in confe- 
quence of which more than a thoufand foreigners in 
employment quitted the country, and five hundred peti¬ 
tions for naturalization were prelented to the govern¬ 
ment, which was directed to examine them with the moll 
fcrupulous attention. The Neapolitans are faid to have 
been much gratified with this meafure. Some partifans 
of the old government were arrelted, who were, doubtlefs, 
the perfons alluded to in the article from Rome. The 
official journal of Naples at this time mentioned the ar¬ 
rival of a prince Moliterno at Rome, who, not being able 
to obtain a paflport for Naples, had eftablilhed liimlelf at 
that capital, in order to foment intrigues in the Neapolitan 
kingdom. For this purpofe he had affociated to himfelf 
a few relllefs fpirits, whom he had made the agents of a 
confpiracy diredted againft the Marche of Ancona and 
the Abruzzos. The journal treated thefe machinations 
with great contempt; but it foon afterwards appeared, 
that the army of Naples had been railed to its full com¬ 
plement of 50,000 men, corps of which were daily re¬ 
viewed by Murat. The military divifion of Naples, on 
September ill, prefented a very loyal addrefs to king 
Joachim, in which they affirmed the ferttiments of the 
army to be “ eternal attachment to his majelly and his 
dynally, entire obedience to his orders, and inviolable 
fidelity to his throne ;” and they pledged their lives to 
his fervice, after the example of all their brothers in arms 
who had had the honour of ferving under him. That 
he might not appear indifferent to thole devotional feel¬ 
ings which, in the midlt of the grolfelt licentioufnefs, the 
Neapolitans are fo fond of indulging, Joachim and his 
queen, with all the royal family, paid a vilit in great 
4 
L E S. 
ceremony to the fandluary of the Virgin, called the Foot 
of the Grotto, and dilplayed all the ufual marks of piety 
on the occaiion. 
About the clofe of September, Neapolitan troops were 
continually arriving at Ancona by fea and land. Nothing 
could now be of greater importance to Joachim than to 
lecure the friendship of the emperor of Aultria, with whom 
their co-operation before the termination of the war had 
connected him more intimately .than with any other power. 
The duke of Rocca-Romana, his mailer of the horfe, hav¬ 
ing been lent on a miffion to that emperor, arrived at 
Portici on Odtober 29, on his return, bringing with him 
a ratification of the treaty of alliance between the two 
powers, together with the affurances of the emperor’s 
conftant friendlhip, and his unalterable difpofition to fup- 
port, by all the .means in his power, the interells of hi.s 
ally, and the tranquillity of Italy. Notwithftanding, 
various lufpicious movements took place in the Neapo¬ 
litan army, about the clofe of the year. The corps of 
referve organized at Naples and Benevento, and 20,000 
ltrong, was put in motion towards the territories of the 
church ; and two divifions under general Macdonald, 
which had returned to the Abruzzos, were ordered to 
advance; three divifions which occupied the Marche of 
Ancona were alfo diredted to hold themfelves in readi- 
nefs. 
The illand of Sicily, which the circumftanees of the war 
had fo long almoll converted into an Englifh garrifon, 
naturally returned to its prilline condition after the 
peace; and, in the beginning of July, it was announced 
from Palermo, that his majelly Ferdinand III. had re¬ 
fumed the reins of government, and that every thing 
was changed in the minillry and adminillration. The 
fentiments of the Sicilian court, with refpedt to the pof- 
leftor of its former continental dominions, were explicitly 
expreffed, by an order communicated in Odlober from 
the commandant of the diltridt of Medina to the com¬ 
mander of the Neapolitan troops in Calabria, importing, 
that under no pretext whatever ffiould any veffel, bearing 
the flag of king Joachim, be admitted into the ports and 
on the coalls of Italy. 
While the congrefs was yet fitting, Napoleon again land¬ 
ed in France; and his wonderful progrefs foon changed the 
nature and objedl of their deliberations ; indeed the mo¬ 
ment that he fet foot on French ground, he exclaimed 
with exultation, “ There is an end of the congrefs!” 
This was on the ill of March, 1815. 
Napoleon Hill confidered, or appeared to confider, 
Murat as his friend. In the report made by the minilter 
of the interior at Paris to the emperor, now again feated 
on his throne, the following apology is made for Joachim: 
“ Amidll the preparations of Aultria on the fide of Italy, 
the king of Naples could not remain motionlefs. This 
prince, whofe affiltance the allies had on a preceding oc- 
calion invoked, whofe legitimacy they had acknowledged, 
and whofe exiltence they had guaranteed, could not he 
ignorant that their policy, fince modified by different cir- 
cumftances, would have endangered his throne, if, too 
intelligent to tnift their promijes , he had not known how 
to llrengthen himfelf on better foundations. Prudence 
has enjoined him to advance a few Heps to watch events 
more clofely; and the neceffity of covering his kingdom 
has obliged him to take up military pofitions in the 
Roman Hates.” 
In thefe few words we helieve that Murat’s fituation 
and charadter are completely developed. He had about 
as much honelly as any of his friends, and as much bravery 
as any of his enemies, but not fo much art. He was more 
a foldier than a politician. To Napoleon he owed his 
crown, and had never ceafed to participate in his councils. 
His retention of that crown was obvioully an anomaly 
in the political fyllem of reftoring the former Hate of 
things in Europe; and, although the fervices he had ren¬ 
dered to Aultria, by a powerful aid at the time it was 
engaged in a hard contell with the French armies in the 
north 
