1801.] 
War and Navy, before the late feparation 
of the two departments. He continued in 
that of war, at the appointment of Mr. 
Acton. Towards the end of 1779, under 
pretence that the Cheyalier’s old age did 
not allow him to bear the toils of office, 
and that dignified repofe ought to be the 
reward of his palt -fervices, he was re- 
moved from the Miniftry, and appointed 
Superintendant of the Royal Seat at Ca- 
ferta. Mr. A&on fucceeded to his 
place. : 
In the year 1780, a captain of infantry 
living in the diftrict of Le Virgini, in 
Naples, having. been noted for his free 
fentimen‘s on religion, and” being on his 
death bed, the reétor and vicar of the pa- 
rifh waited on him, for the fake of re- 
minding him of his Chriffian duties. The 
otficer ordered them to be turned out of 
doors, and uttered feveral inveStives 
againit religion in general. The clergy. 
men, prefuming he was in a fit of deli- 
rium at that time, did not fail to call on 
him again and again. The officer would 
not hear their admonitions, and died in 
his fentiments. According to the canon- 
Naws of the kingdom of Naples, and of 
other Casbolic countries, perfons who wil 
lingly and confcientioufly choofe fo die 
out of the bofom of the church, are deprived 
of ecclefiattical fepulrure. This was ac- 
tually the cafe with this officer, who was 
buried in the open fields, by the confent 
and direétion of the clergy of the parifb, and 
with the authority of the Archiepifcopal 
Court of Naples. Mr. Aéton, at the re 
queft of the Captain’s family, and upon 
an information from the Judge of the 
diftriét, ordered the corpfe to be taken up 
again, and it was carried in pomp to a 
large church, and the expences crdered to 
be defrayed by the reftor ad his vicar, 
who were alfo to be banifhed from che 
royal dominions. This was by the clergy 
deemed a piece of Vandalifm. 
The other inftance was this :—QOne of 
the docks defigned by Mr. ASton for the 
conftruction of fhips, was that of Caftela- 
mare, a imali town os the Neapolitan 
gulf, 18 miles from Naples. . Che town 
was not capable of affording greit conve- 
niences to the military and naval officers, 
to the architects and other perfons who di- 
rected the works. Mr Adéton orlered 
that they fhould be lodged, wi h all their 
families, in the feveral conven's of the 
city. This refolution was hardly credited 
at firft; as befides the violation o! the 
canon laws, and of the conltiiution of 
monaftic orders, forbidding the introduc- 
tion of women into cloyfters of monks, 
they were flocked that the officers, in fo 
Memoirs. of General Afton. 
(Suizueta, Minifler of Finance. 
ior 
confiderable a number, carrying with them 
their wives, fifters, and daughiers, thould 
live in a religious community. The 
chiefs of the feveral orders, of courfe, 
made the ftrongett remonftrances to Mr. 
A&on on this indecent refolution. His 
anfwer to them was, °* You muj? be obliged 
to me, Reverend Fathers, that I give you, 
the company of fo many ladies! Their 
‘friends may, if they like, take care of their 
conduct. As fir you, I dare fay you will 
be merry, andin no cafe lofers by their fo- 
ciety.”  Thefe two facts rendered Mr, 
Aston odivus 'o the ecclefiatical dignita- 
rics, and to the Neapoliian clergy. 
During the years 1780 and 1781, Mr. 
Aon occupied himfelf with a plan of the 
reform of the army, which was calculated 
to awaken the kingdom of Naples. Uhat 
plan was never made public, nor did any 
tidings of it tran{fpire. It was commonly 
afcribed to General A€ton’s natural taci- 
turnity and referve. The timc, however, 
foon arrived, in which he gave his Ma- 
jefty to underftand that it was abfurd that 
the army and the navy fhould depena upon 
the eeneral treafury and on the pay-orcers 
from the Min‘tter of Finance, as they, 
and as other branches of public expendi- 
ture, had done hitherto. ‘This tyftem, 
he added, was ftill more objectionable, 
with refpect to feafon and fchemes of re- 
form, as thefe operations required occas © 
fional and extraordinary expences not to 
be ranked among the eftablifhed difburfe- 
ments of gove:nment. He concluded, 
that it was bet‘er to ena&t a law, purport- 
ing, that the Minifter of Finance ‘honid 
convey to the Minilter of War and Ma- 
rine a certain nuober of millions every 
year, for providing every ‘hing required 
in that depar ment, of which the latter - 
Miniter only fhould beadminiftrator, and 
be confidered refponfible. ‘The King, 
however, was diffuaded by the Merquis 
This old 
man made his Majefty fenfible of the 
dangers likely to be brought on the royal 
treafury by fuch an innovation, as allo of 
the perfect humiliation to him lf were he 
-to fubmit to fuch invafions upon his de- 
partment. Fhe project was, therefore, 
pofpened, but only while the Marquis of 
Guizueta continued alive. The Marquis: 
died in Aucuft 1782, and General Ac- 
ton conceived another plan, teuding to 
appoint a permanent Committ.e ot Fi- 
nance, whofé Prefident migat be the organ 
of the roval will, with rezard to the dif- 
patches directed to the infer or adnini- 
ftrators, but without the power of affift- 
ing at a Council of Stare, or having a 
right to make any verbal repoit to ‘his 
52. Majefty. 
