Whether the means of the insurgents were not then sufficiently prepared, or that when the protecting screen of foreign shipping was withdrawn, the formidable line of batteries on the opposite side of the harbour seemed too strong for them, no attack was then made, and Sunday also passed away quietly, though the insurgents continued their preparations against the Fort Real Basso and against the position of the Arsenal and Terra Nova.

On Monday 21st, knowing that all was ready, and that Fort Real Basso would fall as surely as it was attacked, I made one more endeavour to preserve peace by bringing the parties to a conference in my cabin; after considerable discussion this finally failed.

The General was brought to allow of the withdrawal of the troops from Real Basso and the lines of Terra Nova, leaving only a small guard at each place, but he required time and means to obtain the King's authority for doing so.

I was 'prepared in consequence of his request to have detached the Gladiator to Naples with his letters on this business; but in consequence of the decided adverse feeling in the great body of the insurgents, the Comitato subsequently broke off the negotiations, sending notice very honourably at the same time to the General as well as to all others concerned, that hostilities would be commenced next morning.

During the night the insurgents threw up a breaching battery against the back of the Fort Real Basso, placing it at the corner of a neighbouring street where it was covered from the fire of San Salvador on the opposite side of the water. It was armed with 2 long 36-pounders, and about 7 A.M., while the fort and the neighbouring houses exchanged a fire of musketry, the battery opened at about 100 yards distance against a weaker part of the wall.

A breach was soon made, and the ditch having been partially filled up, the fort was gallantly and successfully stormed by the insurgents in spite of the flanking shell-firing of San Salvador, about an hour after they first commenced action.

The good conduct of the insurgents after their victory was as conspicuous as their courage and good management in the attack. In every instance their prisoners have been saved and well treated, and their wounded enemies attended in their hospitals in the same manner as their own wounded.

While this struggle was going on the insurgents had attacked the positions of the Terra Nova, and as the troops remaining there retreated rather precipitously after a faint resistance, the insurgents pressed on, and making their way into the lines were soon in possession of the whole position, including the arsenal.

Visiting the latter place myself with Captain Robb a few hours afterwards we were quite surprised at seeing the quantity of warlike

stores, including a pile of heavy guns (not mounted) which the troops had left behind them, and which will, of course, be turned to account

by their opponents.

The troops were now confined to the citadel and Fort Salvador, and during the rest of the day after their discomfiture there were no further hostilities.

With reference to future mercantile claims for indemnification I will mention that during the contest a part of the Porto Franco (or Government bonded warehouse) occupied by the merchandise of Mr. Smithson, an English merchant, was set on fire by a shell distinctly from the citadel, and burnt with its contents. And it was only by the exertions of the insurgents, aided by those of the foreign men-of-war here at present, that the fire was extinguished in the night without having spread to other and more valuable deposits. I have since seen several other shells from the citadel strike it.

In the forenoon of the next day (Wednesday 23rd) The United States' ship Princeton, came into the harbour for a few hours, Captain Robb and myself being on board of her. My intention was, now that there was a satisfactory line of demarcation between the parties, to endeavour to re-establish peaceable relations between them.

Suddenly without the least warning and with no apparent cause, the citadel and Fort Salvador opened a fire of shot and shell on the town, directing their missiles sometimes at particular points of the Marina and its houses, and sometimes at more distant places.

Being at that town in a most favourable position in the centre of the harbour, we could not make out what had induced the General to recommence a bombardment or what object he had in firing at the town.

By personal inspection as well as by careful inquiries, I have ascertained that there were no commencement of batteries to induce him to fire for their destruction. This fire of heavy guns was continued without intermission during that day, through the whole of last night and great part of this day, ceasing temporarily only this afternoon; and up to this moment I cannot make out any motive or justification in policy or warfare for the renewed bombardment. It has added a deeper intensity to the aversion of all classes of the Sicilians to the Neapolitan army and to the Government; and as in their participation of this feeling the other towns of Sicily are sending succours to Messina for the great struggle which they expect to be fought here for Sicily, I do not at present see how affairs are to be brought to a peaceable settlement here.

Yesterday 3 Neapolitan men-of-war steamers arrived from the northward and communicated with the back of the citadel, landing some artillerymen and also General Pronio, who comes to replace General Cardamone in the command of the King's forces.

By report and by the tenor of a letter he has just sent to the Comitato, his line of conduct is, it is said, to tend still more to severity than that of General Cardamone, a course which will probably, under present circumstances, put the climax to the series of erroneous measures which have here been prejudicial to the royal cause.

It is probable that the preparations of the insurgents will be completed about Saturday, so that they will be enabled to begin their fire on that day or soon after.

The citadel is so strong that if the troops stand firm and are well commanded, I don't think the insurgents will be enabled to take it; but where, as in this case, a whole nation is unanimous, and all are zealously working for one object, while their opponents are in a very different condition, it would not surprise me to see a different result come to pass.

Vice-Admiral Sir W. Parker.

I have, &c.

H. J. CODRINGTON.

SIR,

(Inclosure 2.)-Captain Codrington to General Pronio. Thetis, Messina, February 26, 1848. YESTERDAY at half-past 11 A.M. I received your Excellency's reply,* dated on that day, to my letter to you of the 24th,† representing the fact of the citadel under your orders having opened its fire on the insurgents while a boat that you had sent to me with a flag of truce was still on its way to me. It is not for me to remark on your Excellency's explanation, beyond stating that I still remain of opinion as before on that subject.

With reference to your Excellency's second letter of that date (25th)‡ I have some remarks to make. On receiving a verbal message from you, through the Neapolitan officer, Lieutenant Acton, expressing your earnest desire to come to amicable terms with the insurgents, and requesting me to endeavour to arrange on board of this ship a conference between the Comitato on one hand, and certain military and naval officers on the other hand to be deputed by you, I at once acceded to your wish, made the necessary arrangements for it with Lieutenant Acton, and the British Consul at my request went to the Comitato for a similar purpose. I followed him on shore, and was myself in the town, trusting that a regard to good faith and to the mission on which you had employed the services and character of the British flag would have prevented you from recommencing hostilities while you were requesting me to bring about a meeting for peace.

Being in the neighbourhood of the Piazza Austria at the time, I can testify to the little expectation on the part of the people and † Page 770.

* Page 771.

+ Page 772.

their indifferent preparations at the time for the sudden sortie of the troops under your command from the citadel.

The letter informed me that as the insurgents had thrown up 2 batteries, you intended to use all the means at your disposal to destroy them, but you do not mention the fact that you had previously thrown up on the Terra Nova, outside of the entrance of the citadel, a strong field-work armed with 2 guns, much more formidable, you as a military officer must be well aware, to the insurgents, than their rude unskilful attempts can be to such a work as the citadel.

Finally, I must remark that this letter nominally announcing to me your Excellency's intention of recommencing action, was delivered to an officer of this ship then on duty near you, while he was in the citadel itself, at half-past 5 P.M., whereas the sortie under your orders had already been carried into effect at half-past 3 P.M., and as another officer had only just left the citadel there would have been every means for an earlier communication.

I am at a loss how to reconcile all this with the good faith that I had a right to expect; and, therefore, while I still am ready to be the means of transmitting to and from your Excellency and the Comitato all written communications, I will not receive verbal ones, nor in any way personally commit my own character or that of the flag I serve under, in negotiations which repeated experience has convinced me are never likely to be faithfully carried out to a satisfactory conclusion.

It is in this spirit that in reply to a strong representation of the Consuls and merchants respecting the present conflagration of their property in the Porto Franco, I have declined participating in their communication to your Excellency, though I readily forward it to you in safety. Indeed I look upon that matter as one much more for your Excellency's consideration, than that of the foreign merchants, inasmuch as the safety of that property is guaranteed by Treaties with His Majesty the King of Naples, to whom therefore the loss will fall, and as we have distinctly seen that the fire in the Porto Franco has each time been occasioned by the shells from the citadel.

Those gentlemen, as I can testify, have repeatedly endeavoured by every means in their power, but in vain, to obtain from your Excellency's predecessor, the permission to remove to a safer locality the great quantity of very valuable property, the danger to which was well foreseen from the commencement; but now that a great part has already been destroyed by the fire from the citadel, I cannot myself recommend to them any proceedings likely to diminish the responsibility of the Government of His Majesty the King of Naples or the officers acting under their orders.

With reference to the paragraph of your letter informing me that you will stop firing as soon as I inform you that the arrangements for a meeting are complete, I have to inform you that when the firing has ceased, and not before, will I ever even transmit any communications. I have, &c.

General Pronio.

H. J. CODRINGTON.

(Inclosure 3.)-Lord Napier to the Duke of Serra Capriola. Naples, February 1, 1848.

THE Undersigned, Her Britannic Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires, has the honour to state to his Excellency the Duke of Serra Capriola, &c., that he has received from the officer in command of Her Majesty's ship Thetis, at present stationed at Messina, an official relation addressed to Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker, extract of which is inclosed herewith in translation, from which it appears that, on the 29th of last month, that city was made the object of a general bombardment directed from the citadel and forts, and from the Neapolitan steam-vessel of war Carlo III.

The Undersigned, considering that this act of deplorable severity was perpetrated by the military authorities of Messina in defiance of a promise given by the General Commandant to the officer of Her Majesty's ship Thetis, that no bombardment should take place without due warning to foreign residents, which was not given, and that if it became inevitable, the fire should only be directed against points occupied by insurgent parties at posts of offence, which was not observed, and that General Cardamone, did not interfere to arrest the measures of his subordinates, which he might easily have done, hereby holds the Neapolitan Government responsible for all prejudice or damage that British subjects may have suffered in their persons or property by such bombardment, and reserves to Her Britannic Majesty's Government a full right to claim indemnifica tion for the same. The Undersigned, &c.

The Duke of Serra Capriola.

NAPIER.

(Inclosure 4.)-Protest of the Consular Body at Messina against the Bombardment.

SIGNOR INTENDENTE, (Translation.) Messina, January 26, 1848. By your official letter of yesterday's date addressed to us the Undersigned respectively, we are made acquainted with the tenor of the communications of the General commanding the forces, respecting the guarantee offered to the Consuls and subjects of those nations which are connected with His Majesty's Government by bonds of alliance.