416 
which he has fo carefully attempted to 
conceal in his works! 
His Reyal Highnefs has been equally 
unfortunate im many other occurrences. 
En the article of his Sicilian Majefty, we 
have mentioned the old report of an agree- 
ment between Philip V. of Spain, and his 
een, Elizabeth Farnefe, that if their 
eldet fon, Ferdinand, fhould die without 
ifue, King Charles, their fecond fon, 
fhould be his fucceffur in the Crown of 
Spain, and the infant,Don Philip, Duke of 
Parma, their third fon, fhould fucceed to 
the Jatter, in the Monarchy of the Two Si- 
cilies. For the better underftanding of the 
following ftatements, we are obliged to 
give, in this place, a fhort notice of the 
Vicifitudes of the Houle of Farnefe pre- 
vioufly to that period. The Princes of 
this illuftrious family had, for two cen- 
turies back, made the moft confpicuous 
figure in the annals of Italy, next to the 
Holy See and the two Crowned Heads. 
Befides their Principality of Parma and 
Piacenza, juft asit is at prefent, they pof- 
feed the rich Dukedom of Caftro and the 
county of Ronciglione, the fuperb palace 
in Rome, and the beautiful country-feat 
of Caprarola, in the Roman territory, 
both reckoned as models of modern archi- 
te€ture; and, in the kingdom of Naples, 
a large number of the nobieft fiefs, in- 
velted by Charles V. in his natural daugh- 
ter, Margaret of Auftria, when fhe mar- 
tied O&tavius, Duke of Parma. 
The Farnefian Princes enjoyed all thefe 
eftates (the dukedom of Caftro excepted, 
which was forfeited) until the Cardinal, 
Duke Antony, who died about the year 
1731. Princefs Elizabeth, his niéce, 
Queen of .Spain, was his fucceffor, and 
the Iaft of the family. She ceded her 
principality to her fecond fon Charles, who 
took poffeffion of it in the fubfequent year. 
After the war of 1734, Charles being ac- 
knowledged King of the Two Sicilies, 
he ceded again the principality, as well 
as all the rights belonging to his mo- 
ther on the Great Dukedom of Tufcany, 
(likely to fall upon her, as the neareft re- 
lation of the then reigning Grand Duke) 
to the Emperor Charles VI. of the Houle 
of Auftria. At the end of the other war, 
breaking out in the year 1742, it was 
agreed that the Great Dukedom of Tuf- 
cany fhould be given to the Emperor 
Francis of Lorrain, and the Houfe of 
Auftria fhould cede the Dukedom of Par- 
mzand Piacenza to the Infant-Don Philip. 
In the meanwhile (whether it was by a 
peculiar article or by open force, is un- 
Méaunvirs of the Duke. if Parma. 
[June f, 
certain) King Charles yielding the Duke- 
dom of Parmato the Houfe of Auftria, 
for the firft time, in the year 1735, had’ 
conveyed to Naples all the moveable 
goods from Parma, above all, the fu- 
perb library, the rich mufeum of paint- 
ings, &c. He likewife preferved the Pa- 
lace Farnefe, in Rome, and the country 
feat of Caprarola, and all the numerous 
and rich fiefs in the kingdom. With re- 
fpect to the latter, Marquis Janucci, the 
celebrated Neapolitan Minifter,; conduéted . 
himfelf like a good Civilian. He never 
fuffered thefe Farnefian fiefs to be wholly 
incorporated with the crown: he fubje&- 
ed them to a peculiar adminiftration, en- 
tirely detached from the fifcal officers, and 
gave them the name of alfodial effate. The 
idea of the minifter was evident: he fup- 
pofed that a change of kings or dynaf- 
ties might fome time or other take place 
in Naples, and in this cafe, the Bourbon 
Princes defcending from Queen Elizabeth 
Farnefe, although, by the chances of war ~ 
and peace, or any other political event, 
they fhould be divefted of the kingdom 
of Naples, would always lay a claim to 
thofe private eftates in it which had ne- 
ver made a part of the revenues of the 
crown. We have ftated that the agree- 
ment between King Philip V. and his 
Queen Elizabeth, on the future fettlement 
of their children, was known by com- 
mon report! Indeed, it is far from us to 
believe that King Charles, forenowned for 
his prudence, piety, and rather a romantic 
love of juftice, fhould aét fo improperly 
as to violate the will of his parents, 
(particularly as the Queen -Dowager, 
Elizabeth, was at that period alive, nor did 
fhe die till the year 1766.) We pre- 
fume that the promife in favour of the 
Infant Don Philip, was one of thofe idle 
words which King Charles did not think 
himfelf bound to perform ; but, with re-° 
fpeét to the fubfequent fate of the Far- 
nefian eftates in the kingdom, we cannot 
poffibly apologize fer tae conduét of the 
Neapolitan Government, fince in their 
own opinion (and in faét thefe eftates had 
_never been incorporated with the crown) 
they had always been confidered as the pri- 
vate property of the defcendants of the 
family of Farnefe, and the actual lawful 
fucceffor and reprefentative of it was the 
reigning Duke of Parma; juftice, law, 
and good fenfe, required that they fhould 
be reftored to the right proprietor: and if 
is rather aftonifhing that no-body has 
made, as yet, his Sicilian Majefty fenfi- 
ble of this palpable truth! No doubt he 
| | x would 
