240 
ther on the fubjeét, had interefted in his 
favour’ the court of France, which had 
promifcd its help for the conqueft of the 
two kingdoms. And fuch dependence 
did Philip place in receiving fuch fwpport, 
that he was already forming a {mall army 
of Parmefans, Genoefe and Piemontefe for 
the purpofe of attacking Naples. The 
Neapolitan Regency, on their fide, had 
already marched about. 30,000 troops to 
the frontiers. The death of th pretender 
put a_timely end to the contelt. ‘This 
ta&t being little known, the writer of thefe 
Memoirs refers the readers to the Hiltory 
of the year 1759, a volume in 8vyo.. 
which was publifhed in Venice, in the year 
1750. 
No fooner, however, had young Ferdi- 
nand confolidated his crown, than he was 
obnoxious to a great national calamity, 
which feemed to foretell that his reign 
fhould -be to him what it has really proved 
to be, a feries of misfortunes and without 
any fault on his part. In the year 1763, 
the whole kingdom of Naples was afli&ted 
by a famine until then unknown, and the 
accounts of which {fill fhock ail human 
feelings ! In the metropolis, noblemen 
and ladies of the firft rank were reduced to 
walk the ftreets with money in their hands, 
afking for a bit of bread: in the provinces 
the poor people, .after having devoured 
greens, herbs and vegetables of every 
kind, were obliged to nourifh themfelves 
with nettles and hemlocks ; and thofein- 
habitants who {till pofleffed fome land or 
cattle, were obliged to exchange them with 
unfeeling ufurers for a few loaves of bread 
ora fack of corn. By thefe means the 
number of land-proprietors in the king- 
dom was afcertained, and there appeared 
to be a diminution of 20,000 individuals. 
The faminewas attended as ufual bya dread- 
ful epidemical difeafe. The year 1764 will 
always be memotable for having {wept from 
the kingdom five times a greater number 
of perfons than any ever recorded in the 
mortality-bills of the preceding years ! 
Had we no knowledge of the inconveni- 
encies and dilorders accruing to the two Si- 
cilies, in every age, for want of a prudent 
adminiftration, this faét alone would dif- 
grace the Neapolitan Government, even in 
the eyes of the moit diftant pofterity ! In cne 
of the moft fertile countries upon the earth, 
where nature, even when fhe is Jeft to 
herfelf, furnifhes not only the fubfiftence, 
but every luxury, nothing but ignorance 
or préfligacy could_reduce it to famine ! 
Nor have we yet any apology publifhed to 
mitigate this offence,or to inform uswhether 
it was the refult of usforefeen accidents, of 
Memairs of the prefent King of the Two Siciliese 
[ April L 
nal 
ufurious exportation of corn, of party-{pi- 
rit, or of perfonal difaffection. 
By virtue.of the family-compaét, his 
majefty duringy his minority was obliged 
to adopt two meafures, which, perhaps, 
were. not in his charafier. .The hiftory of 
the confpiracy againft the illuftrious order 
of the Jefuits, and of their ruin and fup- 
preffion by the afcendancy of the Bourbon 
princes, is too well known to be noticed 
in this place. Their expulfion from Na- 
ples was diltinguifhed by an uncommon 
degree of inhumanity, on the part of the _ 
magiftrates charged with the execution, 
which exhibited the moft ftriking contrafs 
with the pious and modeft refignation of ~ 
the unfortunate victims. Many Neapcli- 
tans were eye-witneffes of fome particulars 
relating to this event. The fathers, in all 
their convents, were, on a fudden, fur- 
prifed, at midnight by the magiftrates. 
Upon an intimation given to them that they 
fhould all get up and affemble in ene of 
their parlours, to hear the king’s “orders, 
they hurried on their robes and met in the 
appointed hail. As foonas the difpatch 
was read, they uttered no other words 
than—God’s and the King’s will be done ; 
and, with an exemplary fubmiffion and 
modefty, they left the place. - They were 
foon tranfported to Pozzuoli, where, after 
the moft infulting reception, and the moft 
inhuman treatment froma Commiffary, an 
ignorant, prefumptuous, haughty and vio- 
lent magiftrate, they were hurried on 
board ‘the gallies and- conveyed out of 
the kingdom, like a band of malefaétors. 
The other ftep taken by his majefty was 
the Pragmatic-fan@ion, by which he prchi- 
bited, in_his dominions, the famous bull cf © 
Pius the Vth. known under the name of 
Bullainceza domint,condemned and annul- 
Jed the anathem Jaunched againft the Duke 
of Parma his coufin, and feized Benevento 
and Pontecervo upon the holy fee. 
Much has been faid on this fubject in 
the article of his Royal Highnefs the 
Duke of Parma, to which we refer our- 
readers. ? 
His Majefty had a&ually reached his 
majority when they thought of having 
him married ; accordingly on the 24th of 
April, 1768, heefpoufed the Arch-duchetfs 
Mary Carolina of Avftria ‘(her prefent: — 
Majefty) a handfome young princefs, 18 
months younger than himielt. 
years of this 
royal perfons, inthe bloom of their youth, 
and tenderly attached to each other, fally 
mafters of their liberty and treafures, in 
the midft of one of 
The frit © 
marriage between two — 
the moft briHiant: 
courts of Europe, and under the moften- — 
Fi _ chanung’ 
