§ MR. H. B. SHERIDANsaid, he rose to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether he has heard that complaints have been made of the insufficient protection afforded to British subjects in the Kingdom of Naples, and in the immediate neighbourhood of the disturbances in Sicily, by the English Representative and British men-of-war on that station, and whether there is any truth in these complaints; and if he 136 will state which of Her Majesty's vessels are on that station, and whether the instructions have been to give assistance to all persons rightly claiming the protection of the English flag? And whether, to his knowledge, it is true that Austrian troops have been employed to aid in the suppression of the efforts of the Sicilian population to obtain a better form of Government?
§ LORD JOHN RUSSELLreplied, that no complaints had reached the Foreign Office of the insufficient protection afforded to British subjects in the kingdom of Naples and in the neighbourhood of the disturbances in Sicily by the English Representative or the British men-of-war on that station. With regard to the second part of the hon. Gentleman's question, as to which of Her Majesty's vessels were on that station, he had to inform him that the Orion was at Palermo, the Argus at Messina, and the Cœsar was despatched to Naples for the protection of British interests. The hon. Gentleman further asked him whether instructions had been given to afford assistance to all persons rightly claiming the protection of the English flag. He had to inform him that Her Majesty's Government had forwarded instructions to the Commanders of those vessels to protect the persons as well as the property of British subjects. In reference to the last question as to whether "it is true that Austrian troops have been employed to aid in the suppression of the efforts of the Sicilian population to obtain a better form of Government," Her Majesty's Government had received no information of the kind, and indeed he thought it highly improbable that Austria should interfere in any such manner.