§ MR. HUMEbegged to ask the noble Lord the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he would have any objection to state the nature and the amount of the disputed claims made upon the Government of Tuscany for injuries sustained by British merchants at Leghorn?
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONreplied, that the claims made upon the Government of 636 Tuscany arose out of these circumstances:—When there was a revolt at Leghorn, the town was taken by storm by an Austrian corps, acting as auxiliaries of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. After the town had been taken, and when resistance was over, some of these Austrian troops plundered the houses of certain British subjects. Among others, the house of a Mr. Hall, was forcibly entered by a detachment, headed by an officer, which remained in the house for several hours, brought into the house the wives of the soldiers, broke open and plundered everything, from the cellar to tire garret, destroyed what they did not take away, carried away many of the things in the house, selling them to people at the gate, which was not far off, and returning afterwards to take away other cargoes. This was done at the houses of Mr. Hall, of a widow lady, and of other persons, each of those houses having, as a matter of precaution, been marked visibly on the outside door as the residences of British subjects, under the protection of the British Consul. It was for these losses that, upon legal advice, compensation had been demanded. The amount originally claimed had been very much reduced, in consequence of communications which had taken place between Her Majesty's officers in Italy and the claimants, and the total sum now claimed was about 1,530l. Communications were now being carried on upon this subject with the Government of Tuscany, and he hoped they would see the justice of the claim.