brians-let the people of Basilicata, of the province of Palermo and of Avellino, let the brave Samnites let the people of Puglia, and of Terra de Lavoro, who have always given me so many proofs of attachment, assemble round their king, their general! Let Ferdinand be counselled to remove from a nation which he has so indignantly offended; let him return to the island of Sicily! Let us march to deliver the capital, and, under the double standard of the cross and of liberty, let us give freedom to our country, and ensure for ever its happiness and its independence.

Faithful and courageous Neapolitans! Do not fear that the allied powers will again arm themselves against your king. Your Joachim has never abdicated. A military reverse cannot destroy his right to the crown of Naples. In re-conquering his throne, he does nothing more then imitate the example of other sovereigns who have re-assumed theirs.

The queen and the royal family shall be restored to you; your king, far from inspiring in future his neighbours with fear, will be their best friend. The emperor of Austria, who, deceived with respect to the true political state of the cabinet of Naples, and believing your king to hold a correspondence with Napoleon, made upon him so fatal a war, will become, without doubt, his ally.

The return of your king ought to inspire you with no apprehension, since he can no longer entertain any projects of aggrandisement either on the states of the pope, or on the rest of Italy. The other sovereigns of Europe have no interest in declaring themselves his enemies.

It would be an insult to the good faith of the British cabinet, to suppose that it would not seek to repair the evil it has done, in de claring and making war upon us, when, ac cording to our conventions, hostilities ought not to have been commenced, at least until after the termination of the armistice had been announced.

We declare it to all Europe-we should not have to regret the sad results of the war, were it not for the invariable system which we had irrevocably adopted, of preserving peace with England. We did not commence

our retreat until after having received a let ter from lord William Bentinck, dated Genoa, in which he declared, that Naples being at war with Austria, he should be obliged to act against us with his forces by land and sea, in case of his being required to do so by the Austrian commander in chief.

I replied to him, that not wishing to be at war with England, I had ordered the cessation of hostilities, and withdrawn to my own frontiers.

The English general then wished me to make that determination known to the Austrian general in chief. He also immediately formed the intention of using his influence with marshal count Bellegarde, to cause him to cease hostilities on his side, and to accept an armistice, which I was prepared to propose to him.

In fact, immediately after, I ordered my retreat to be commenced. The armistice was not accepted, and we can assert, without fear of being contradicted, what we have stated above. We do not regret all the re verses which that voluntary retreat occasioned; because it is incontestible that the Austrian army should have attacked us in our old positions, and that the cabinet of Vienna, persuaded that we had resumed them in order to act in concert with its army,

should have been the first to order the termination of hostilities, and to preserve an alliance so essentially natural as that between Austria and Naples.

Let confidence revive! The favour of Heaven again shines upon you. Your king will terminate, in the heart of his country, the execution of the projects he had conceived and commenced before the war.Public works, hitherto suspended, shall be pursued with vigour, and the branches of the administration, hitherto languishing, shall re-assume all their activity. The allowances and pay of the whole army, and of all officers, civil or military, shall be paid in current money..

The pensioners struck off the list since the 21st of May shall have their pensions continued; and the titulars who have received, in recompence of their services, dotations or donations, of which they may have been deprived, shall resume the enjoyment of their

property. All functionaries appointed by
Ferdinand, since the 21st May, shall cease
to exercise their functions; in a word, every
thing shall return to the state in which I left
my kingdom.
Given the

October, 1815.
JOACHIM NAPOLEON.

From Bastia, he removed to Ajaccio, where he was joined by many of his friends. An offer was here made by the court of Austria, to grant him an honourable and safe retreat in any part of the Austrian dominions, on condition of his renouncing for ever the Nea politan throne. To this he pretended to consent, that he might better conceal his real intentions. He had been informed of the unpopularity of Ferdinand, he knew that he was beloved by every class of his former subjects, and he had received many invitations to return and resume his kingdom. In vain his confidential friends endeavoured to dissuade him from the enterprise: in vain they represented the improbability of his first success, and the total impossibility of resisting the overwhelming force of Austria and England. He replied, that he could not submit to the humiliating conditions imposed upon him: that there was neither moderation nor justice in compelling him to live in perpetual captivity beneath the arbitrary laws of a despotic government: that this was not the respect due to an unfortunate monarch, who had been formerly acknowledged by all Europe, and who, at a most critical period, had undertaken the campaign of 1814, in favour of those very powers that now, contrary to their own interests, had conspired for his destruction. He said that England and Austria would have had nothing to fear from him;that he would not have driven the Austrians beyond the Po, had he not known that it was their determination to attack him;-that it could not now be attributed to him, that he would unite himself with Napoleon, who was an exile on the rocks of St. Helena;that England and Austria might expect from him many advantages, for which they would in vain look from the person by whom he was supplanted;-that the majority of his subjects ardently expected his return, and that he was resolved to place himself at their

head;-that he had often exposed himself to death in its most frightful forms, and that he was not afraid once more to defy it, in the attempt to regain his rights, and deliver himself from undeserved oppression; and that his only fears were for his beloved family."

He disposed of all his jewels and effects, and purchasing six gondolas, set sail from Bastia, September 28th, 1815, with two hundred soldiers and thirty officers. On the night of the 30th a violent tempest arose, and dispersed the little fleet; and on the 5th of October, rejoining another of his vessels, he was compelled to land at Pizzo, on the coast of Calabria, with fifty men. Few troops were quartered on this part of the coast, but no preparation had been made for his reception. He immediately proceeded to the great square; assembled the people; reminded them of the benefits which they had received from him, and the fidelity which they had expressed; and told them, that, recalled by the affection of his countrymen, he was come to resume possession of his throne, A few voices joined his officers in shouting "Long live king Joachim;" but the population of the neighbouring villages hastily collecting, armed themselves and attacked him, and, after a desperate resistance, routed his little army, and took him prisoner. A courtmartial was immediately asseinbled; he was brought before it, and tried on one of his own laws, which decreed, that any person landing in the country with an intent of disturbing the public tranquillity should be shot. Ferdinand at first refused to sign the warrant for his death, but being at length prevailed on by his ministers, orders were given for the immediate execution of the prisoner. When Murat was informed that his fate was decided, he expressed some surprise and indignation, but, immediately recollecting himself, requested a pair of scissars to cut off his hair, in order to send it to his wife, but this was cruelly refused. He then intreated that he might be shot by the small detachment of his guard which was at Pizzo; this was also refused. His request that the execution might take place in the great hall of the commandant of Pizzo was acceded to.Twelve Sicilian soldiers were then placed.

WHILE the population of the capital were hailing, with every demonstration of pretended joy, the return of Louis lé desirée, their former idol was hastening to seek security in another hemisphere. He was accompanied by general Becker, a member of the chamber of deputies, who was commissioned by the provisional government to see the emperor soon and safely embarked, in a small squadron which they had assigned for his conveyance to America. On the road to Rochefort, Buonaparte received several deputations from the army, urging him to place himself at their head, and swearing to die in his cause. 66 You see," said he to Becker, "that the provisional government mistakes the wishes of the people with regard to me." The divisions of the army were too completely divided and disorganized, and too strictly watched by the allies, to permit his immediate acceptance of their offers; but a counter-revolution might occur; the troops might be able, after the lapse of a few weeks, to concentrate their scattered numbers. He was unwilling to abandon the country so long as these expectations could possibly be realized, and lingered at Rochefort till he lost the opportunity of effecting his escape. From the 3d to the 16th of July he resided in the house of the prefect, apparently employed in preparations for his departure. Waggons daily arrived laden with valuable articles. To protract his delay, he affected the utmost anxiety for his own personal comfort and accommodation; attended the unpacking of

the articles, and appeared to be profoundly versed in all the mysteries of china-ware and table decoration. Sometimes he resolved to return to Paris, and make a forcible appeal to the fidelity of his troops; then he addressed the government, requesting a command in the army; and at other moments issued orders to embark, which he countermanded, on the pretext that all his baggage had not arrived. Thus, day after day passed on, till the British cruisers, informed of the important prize which Rochefort contained, closely blockaded the port, and rendered his escape impossible. In this emergency, he determined to fortify the little island of Aix, and defend himself to the last extremity.He embarked on board a frigate, and proceeded to the island. Having landed the marines, and about twenty of the crew, he reviewed his little army, inspected the works, and commenced some repairs of the fortifications; but before the close of the following day he was convinced of the absurdity of his enterprise, which might easily have been defeated by the fire of a few seventy-fours, or a week's blockade, and abandoned his design.

He then opened a communication with the master of a Danish vessel, and prepared to escape on board in two half-decked boats, which he had purchased at Rochelle, but was dissuaded from his purpose, as too dangerous. He next resolved to make the attempt in a small French vessel, attended by eight of his officers, in the disguise of sailors. But Bertrand and his wife, perceiving the Z z