NAPLES AND SICILY. (Hansard, 20 April 1849)

§ MR. BANKES
said, he had on the previous day given notice of his intention to put a question to the noble Viscount the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. As, however; he did not see the noble Vis- 536 count in his place, and as the House was about to proceed to public business, during the consideration of which it would not be competent to him to propose his question, he would address himself to the noble Lord at the head of the Government: though he would have preferred putting the question to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, he had no doubt the noble Lord would be equally able to give him an answer. The question had reference to a letter dated January 26, 1849, which he supposed he might call "the inadvertency letter." It was a letter addressed by Viscount Palmerston to the Hon. William Temple. [Viscount Palmerston here entered the House.] His question had reference, he repeated, to a letter which, for the sake of distinction, he begged to call "the inadvertency letter," dated the 26th of January, 1849. It had reference to some guns which, as would be recollected by the House, were, with the sanction of the noble Viscount, transported to Sicily for the use of the insurgents. The noble Viscount having given his permission in the month of September, it appeared that in the month of January following, he thought proper to offer some explanations to the Government of the Two Sicilies. The paragraph of the noble Viscount's letter to which he desired to call the attention of the House, ran thus:— It is possible that the Neapolitan Government may complain to you of this transaction on the ground that although no direct assistance was furnished by Her Majesty's Government to the Government of Sicily, yet facility was afforded to the contractor who had engaged to provide sup plies for that Government. If any such representations should be made to you by the Government of Naples, you will say that the authority in question was given inadvertently; that Her Majesty's Government regret what has occurred; and that no similar facility has been given, or will be given, by Her Majesty's Government to persons employed in furnishing supplies to the Sicilian Government, while the differences between the Sicilians and the King of Naples are unsettled.—I am, &c. "PALMERSTON. He would ask the noble Viscount whether the letter was, as he presumed, to be taken as a letter sent by the authority of the united Government of Great Britain? and, secondly, he would ask him when it was that the insurgents of Sicily were first recognised by the Government of Great Britain as "the Sicilian Government?" The letter not merely recognised the existence of "the Sicilian Government," but contemplated that its existence was likely to continue. It had reference not merely 537 to the present but to the future, declaring, as it did, that "no similar facility has been given, or will be given, by Her Majesty's Government to persons employed in furnishing supplies to the Sicilian Government," meaning thereby the insurgents.

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
said: In answer to the first question, I have to state to the hon. Member for Dorsetshire, that this letter was sent by the authority, not only, as he puts it, "of the united Government of Great Britain," but of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. With regard to the second question, I have to state that the existence of the Government of Sicily, acting in and administering the affairs of that island, was acknowledged by Her Majesty's Government as early as the beginning of last year, when, at the request of the King of Naples, the Earl of Minto placed himself in communication with that Government, for the purpose of effecting an amicable settlement of the differences between them. From that time a Government has existed. We recognise that which is; and though the hon. Gentleman may shut his eyes to the fact, it is a fact to which the Government of Naples have not been able to shut theirs.

§ MR. BANKES
Do I understand that the King of Naples has recognised the Government of Sicily? I had understood the contrary.

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
The hon. Gentleman refers to an impression made on my mind as to the tenor of a letter which the Neapolitan Minister read to me in the course of a conversation which took place between us in Downing-street. What I have now been stating has reference to transactions which took place at Naples.

§ MR. BANKES
Am I to understand that the Government now recognise the Sicilian Government as separate from the Government of the King of Naples?

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
Her Majesty's Government acknowledge the fact that there is in Sicily a Government administering the affairs of Sicily. It is a Government de facto; it is impossible for the hon. Gentleman or anybody else to deny that.