§ Mr. Humerose to present a Petition from captain Romeo, a Neapolitan subject, now in this country. He stated, that in 1806, he had become a partizan of the British 1346 government, that he had assisted in a military capacity in Calabria, and that he had remained in the service of the British government until 1815. This gentleman had experienced great reverses. After his faithful services to the British in Calabria, he had been arrested by the French government, and sentenced by a military tribunal to be shot. Fortunately, he escaped to Sicily, when he was immediately employed in a Calabrese regiment, and again exerted himself with the greatest effect in the British service. He had seen letters and certificates and testimonials from almost every officer under whom captain Romeo had served, expressive of their decided approbation of his conduct. What he had to complain of was, that when in 1815, after the peace, this officer left Sicily for Naples, with a British passport, on his arrival at Naples he was arrested and thrown into prison, where he remained five or six months, and when he applied to sir W. A'Court, he was refused that protection to which he was justly entitled. He had no hesitation in saying, that sir W. A'Court had been exceedingly to blame; not only in this affair, but in having joined with the Neapolitan ministry to repress and crush the liberties of Naples, until that revolution had been brought about which such measures were so well calculated to occasion. Sir W. A'Court was in strict union with that ministry, which had done all in their power to overturn the good which the English government had attempted to accomplish, and which had persecuted every one who had served the English in that attempt. On captain Romeo's arrival in England in 1817, he made application to his majesty's government for the means of support. For nine months be received no answer. At last, by the interference (highly to his honour) of the duke of York, a pension of 50l. a year was settled on him. Such an allowance was, however, perfectly ridiculous, considered with reference to the service which he had performed. General Campbell had certified, that captain Romeo's personal losses in the British service amounted to. 13,000 dollars. The petitioner, unable to obtain from government the protection which he sought for, applied to the Foreign office. He requested that, as the government would not grant him remuneration for the loss which he sustained in. their service, at least they would give him a passport, to 1347 enable him to return to his native country. A gallant general now in the House applied for the passport, and it was promised. Captain Romeo also applied to commute the pension of 50l. a year for a certain sum: his proposition was acceded to, and he received 300l. in lieu of his pension. After receiving that sum, and when he was ready to set out for his native country, the promised passport was refused him. The noble lord opposite, in the interim, received some accounts from the Neapolitan government hostile to captain Romeo; from that government who had in fact persecuted him for the assistance which he had rendered to the English; The intimacy which was known to have existed between Sir W. A'Court and the minister of Naples induced sir William to make against captain llomeo an unfair and unfavourable report. It was quite clear that the British government should not have acted on that report, until at least they received the answer of captain Romeo. He repeated, that captain Romeo had done nothing that could militate against him, save his having assisted the British; he was so satisfied of the fact, that he was willing to give up his claim if the contrary were shown. By a memorial which that individual had presented, he requested to be made acquainted with the charges, if any, that were to be brought against him; no distinct charges were exhibited, and, indeed, so long as the year 1816, it appeared that captain Romeo was deported by order of the king of Naples. The passport of the British government was refused, but a French passport was offered in its stead; that passport would only enable captain Romeo to travel as far as Sicily, where, no doubt, he would have been refused a passport, and would thus be prevented from reaching Naples. The petitioner prayed the House to take into consideration the circumstances of his case, and that the House would grant him relief for the loss he had sustained in consequence of the services, he had rendered to the British army. And farther, that the House would order that an English passport should be granted to the petitioner to enable him to return to his now regenerated country.
Lord Castlereaghsaid, that the present case did not properly belong to the department for which he was responsible. He understood, that in 1817, captain Romeo came to this country, and preferred 1348 a claim at lord Bathurst's office, for alleged services rendered to the British army. The sum which he had claimed, not for I113 services, but as the amount of his expenditure, was no less than 2,550l. lord Bathurst was surprised to find such a claim brought by a captain in the array, for services performed, and for money expended, so long ago as the year 1808 and 1809. They naturally asked, if this money was supplied for the British service, how it happened that the accounts were not duly returned to the head of the army at the time, and liquidated in due course. All that the British government could do under such circumstances was, to institute an inquiry into the particulars of the claim through their minister abroad. They had done so; and if he were called upon to enter into the particulars of the answer communicated by sir W. A'Court, he must say it was not creditable to captain Romeo. If pressed to do so, he must disclose the answer which had been received respecting this transaction. It did certainly appear a little extraordinary that a captain in a Calabrian corps should for nine years have been silent upon a claim to such an amount as this. Some of the items of the account presented by captain Romeo at lord Bathurst's office were rather extraordinary. One of them was a sum of 1,400l. in payments made to the mistress of the French general in chief to secure his confidence. The pay of a captain in the Calabrian corps was about 50 dollars a month; and next to the generosity of laying out such a sum to procure the good offices of a French general through his mistress, was the forbearance of not presenting the claim for nine years after it was represented to have been incurred. There were also charges for endeavouring to corrupt the then judges. He admitted that captain Romeo's certificates of military service amounted to a claim for such a pension as he had received, and which, by his desire, had been commuted for a sum of money at the usual rate. With respect to the alleged confiscation of the captain's property, the answer from Naples was, that he had sold that property before he had left the country. It was clearly and distinctly stated, that the reason for the steps taken against captain Romeo, had no connexion with, or reference to, any acts of his white connected with the British service, but for conduct after he returned from Sicily to Naples. The answers received upon all 1349 these inquiries were unfavourable to captain Romeo; and he was ready, if required, to submit sir W. A'Court's report to that House. The reason a British passport was refused the captain, was, because it was not customary to grant such to foreigners, except they were of the first consideration and distinction. A British passport was, in fact, given more as a letter of recommendation than a mere passport to travel. Lord Bathurst had offered captain Romeo a passage free of expense to Malta; and to enable him to obtain one from thence to Sicily; but this offer was declined.
§ Lord W. Bentincksaid, that captain Romeo had performed considerable services to the British army, and that those services were of a nature to draw down upon him the dislike and revenge of the Neapolitan, government. The noble lord opposite had said, that he had stipulated with the government of Naples, that persons who had distinguished themselves in the service of Great Britain, should not be punished or injured; and that the people of Sicily should not be deprived of the rights which they had enjoyed under the constitution which England gave to them, as well as the rights which they had previously possessed. But the British authorities had scarcely taken their departure from Sicily, when the king of Naples tore from the people, not only the new constitution, but deprived them of all their rights and privileges. Since he had left Sicily, he had had little communication with that country, but from something which had fallen from the noble lord the other night, he was induced to make inquiries, and was made acquainted with the extraordinary fact, that in 1818, by a public edict, the king of Naples, in compliance with the recommendation of the Congress of Vienna, had united the government of Sicily and Naples.
Lord Castlereagh, in explanation, declared he had never heard of any such document as that quoted by the noble lord. He hoped the noble lord would produce the document, if in existence. When applied to on the subject, he had refused to give the king of Naples any advice as to his conduct with regard to Sicily. The noble lord knew very well that he (lord C.) had endeavoured in [...]ain to administer that system to which he alluded. The parliament not being able to reform itself, threw itself into the arms of the king.
§ Sir J. Mackintoshsaid, that the statement of the noble lord was of importance, not merely as it related to the case of the individual, but to the general affairs of Europe. The noble lord opposite imagined that there was a contradiction between him and the noble lord behind him. There was; but it was merely as to words. It was asserted that the king abrogated the constitution of Sicily, in consequence of the act of the Congress of Vienna. The noble lord denied the fact; but did not the noble, lord recollect the secret treaty between. Naples and Austria, dated the 12th of June? That flagitious treaty had produced the effect of which the noble lord behind him complained. It was a treaty conceived in the true spirit of foreign tyranny—it bound the king of Naples not to introduce any regulation in the affairs of its internal government, without the sanction of Austria. It certainly struck him as not a little singular, that ministers should have referred the case of capt. Romeo to the Neapolitan government. He could not help observing, that the conduct pursued towards captain Romeo—a foreigner—a man in reduced circumstances—a brave man—a man who was nearly ignorant of the English language—who was friendless in a country to which he had rendered important services—was not very creditable to the English government.
§ Lord W. Bentinckthen read the document in question.
§ Mr. Humesaid, that the noble lord had mis-stated the fact when he said, that captain Romeo had escaped from prison, whereas on that occasion he had been transported by an order from the king of Naples, countersigned by the English consul, Mr. Lee, in a Swedish vessel to Egypt. With regard to the 1,400l. it had been paid as a bribe to the mistress of the French general, to procure his escape. With respect to the length of time of his claim, how could it be otherwise, when he was two years and a half in getting to England, and was then ten months before he could get an answer?
§ Ordered to lie on the table.