line. Enfign of a ship of the line. Midfhipman, master of a merchant veffel, and captain of a priva teer. Lieutenant of a merchant veffel or privateer, and all petty officers. Seamen, volunteers, and, others, being confidered as common fea men. tion. Lieutenant, when all the Mates and all petty officers. Seamen, volunteers, and others, RANKS IN THE LAND SERVICE. · com 30 20 3 Manifefto of the Executive Directory The Executive Directory to the Citizen Representatives, The executive directory, in their message of the 6th inft. announced to you that they fhould "fhortly tranfmit to you the details which make manifeft the long train of perfidy of which the court of Naples have been guilty, brought to the height by an audacious attack on the French Republic. It this day lays before you details which will prove not lefs clearly the hoftile connivance of the court of Turin, which, joined to the machinations of the Sicilian king, have rendered that propofition neceffary which they made to you to declare war against the kings of Naples and Sardinia. For a long time has Europe refounded with accounts of the perfidy of the Neapolitans, and for a long time muft it have been astonished at the magnani mous moderation of the executive directory; while, on the other hand, the fincere defire of the French government to live at peace with the king of Naples, was not lefs manifeft. Superior to the juft indignation which this court had provoked in fo many ways a court that, during the whole courfe of the war of the coalefced monarchs, diftinguifhed itfelf by the moft infenfate fury against the republic the French government received with the most pure benevolence the firit propofitions which were made to them for a good underftanding between the two ftates; they made no other ufe of the fu periority which our victories gave them than for the purpofes of noderation; in a word, all the advan tages of the treaty were as recipro had been equal. cal as if the fuceeffes of the war Such magnanimity fhould have for ever put an end to the malevolent difpofitions of this court, and republic by ties of gratitude as well fhould have attached them to the prevented it from laying afide its as of intereft. But its blindnessTM hoftile prejudices. It gave way without referve to all the hopes to which the idea of the deftruction of the republic gave rife, while we alone were capable of defending them; and it took advantage of peace only for the purpofe of carrying on fecret hoftility; while we fervers of the treaty. This conon our part were the most rigid obtraft will be made to appear from inconteftable facts. It would be needlefs here to recall to the recol lection of our readers the odious and revolting conduct which di ftinguished the cabinet of Naples during the continuation of the war. Let us begin from the period when the republic, putting a top to the progrefs of their victories, confented to grant it peace. From that period, from October 1795, by what inexplicable conduct has that perfidious court been diftinguifhed! fhewed itself refolute to overthrow When the French government that impious government which caufed our warriors to be affaffinated, the court of Naples, whofe agents, it is obvious, were not ing in vain attempted to aggranfrangers to thefe crimes, after havthat of Rome, which they feigned dife themselves with the ruins of to refpect, oppofed all the refiftance bliment of a republic on that in their power to prevent the efta foil, which was become the conquered land of liberty; this court increased her armaments, and marched towards the frontiers troops, prepared to enter the Roman territory. All these extraordinary preparations fhe juftified on futile pretences. She received the difcontented at Rome with open arms, fomented the troubles which The had excited there; furnished the rebels with provifions and an afy-, lum, and never ceafed to affume towards this new republic the most threatening attitude. While fhe dared not openly declare war against France, he fought to deftroy in Italy all the free ftates which were under her protection. The French government might without doubt have inflicted fignal vengeance for this public protection which was granted to the fre, quent infurrections formed at Rome against the French army, as well as for the increased number of fpies with which our agent at Naples was furrounded. But far from giving way to this juft fentiment, the directory did not think proper to oppofe the taking poffeffion of the duchy of Benevento. They even offered their mediation to deliver the king of Naples from the feudal pretenfions which Rome had on his eftates. But this was not all. They fent to Naples a new ambaffador, furnished with the most amicable and conciliatory powers. At the moment in which the army commanded by Buonaparte failed, the executive directory were anxious to fatisfy the king of Naples as to the object of this expedition. In fhort, they addreffed to him the most repeated proteftations of their unalterable defire to maintain tranquillity in Italy; adding, it is true, a not lefs energetic with, that the Roman republic, which had been placed by the current of events under the fpecial protection of the French republic, might be able to confolidate its political existence. But neither friendly intercourfe, nor the voice of reafon, nor the neceffity of peace, could infpire thefe fentiments in the breast of that court. Every pretence was made ufe of to justify her complaints, her threats, and, at length, her numerous infractions of treaty. The French republic replied to the manifefto of Malta by the conqueft of that ifland; at that moment the court of Naples, with the most ridiculous hauteur, dared to revive its pretenfions on a country which it had neither governed by its laws nor by its arms; and the French government did not difdain to reply at length to this nonfenfical pretenfion, as if it could have been fupported by the leaft appearance of reason. From the moment of figning of peace, all the acts, as well public as private, of this court, have been diftinguished for perfidy and hatred towards the French. The treaty was figned, and the court delayed to publish it from motives of refpect for the courts of London and Vi enna. The feventh article promifed liberty to all the French who were detained for political opinions, and all the Neapolitans fufpected of having any connection with them, who were imprifoned. At the folicitation of our agents, fome of the peaceful friends to the French republic were reftored to liberty, but upon the most vain pretences they were loaded with fresh chains. At length the French, whom commercial affairs alone detained in the ftates of the king of Naples, were every day, merely because they were French, publicly infulted, attacked, and even affaffinated; and 1 and these attempts remained unpu- to hinder them from paffing, while nished. The third article of the treaty, ftipulated that his majefty the king of the Two Sicilies hall ob. ferve the most strict neutrality to wards all the belligerent powers, and he therefore engages to forbid, without diftinction, the entry into his ports, of all armed veffels belonging to the hoftile powers, exceeding the number of four, at moft, according to the known laws of neutrality. All ammunition or merchandife known as contraband, fhall be refufed to them" How has this article, the fenfe of which is by no means ambiguous, been executed? Forty days after the conclufion of the treaty, the English had feven frigates in the port of Naples; on the 9th Thermidor the fourteen veffels of admiral Nelfon entered, at full fail, the ports of Augufta and Syracufe, and in whatever manner this article be interpreted, it is ob vious, that this was an infraction of it. The government of Naples thought themselves obliged to juftify this proceeding, by reprefenting that it was not in their power to refift force; a contemptible fubterfuge, because it did not even attempt refiftance, and because the fenate of Syracufe received the English admiral with honours. About this period too, the 17th Thermidor, five Portuguese fhips of war and three English fhips were received with equal eagerness in the port of Naples. With refpect to the furnishing of articles forbidden by this treaty, is it not notorious that immediately after the conclufion of the peace, the French attempting to prevent the English from getting provifions, the Neapolitan government gave orders to the governor of Orbitello he fuffered a confiderable corps of emigrants, who were in the fervice of England, to be difembarked? Is it not notorious that the fleet of admiral Nelson was first victualled in the port of Sicily; that on its return afterwards to Naples, it receiv ed, from the arsenal of the king, the ftores of which it ftood in need? Is it not notorious that long before this epoch, on the 29th Prairial, the whole of the English fleet having appeared before Naples, a brig was detached, which anchored in the port, and two officers who came from on board it had a converfa. tion with general Acton and the queen, in order to fecure whatever might be neceffary to the fuccefs of the attack upon the French fleet that in addition to the affistance and the affurances they received from them, pilots were alfo furnished to clear the ftreights of Meffina, a paffage which no fquadron, without fuch affiftance, would have dared to attempt, and in confequence of which they hoped to be able to cut off the French fleet, which were fuppofed to be yet at Malta? In a word, is it not clear that nothing that could be injurious to France has been refufed, by the court of Naples, to our implacable enemies? If in addition to this the conduct which Naples has directly manifested towards us be confidered, if it be recollected that in fpite of the fourth article of the treaty, which ftipulates" that the King of Naples fhall be bound to grant in all his roads and ports furety and pro tection to all French merchant fhips, however numerous, and to all thips of war, which fhall not exceed four;" feveral of the convoy of the French fleet having been obliged to anchor in the roads of Sicily, commotions, evidently ex cited cited by the government of Naples, broke out at Trapani, at Gergenti, and at Meffina, in which several of the French foldiers who went on fhore were assassinated; if it be re. collected, that, fince Malta has been in the hands of the French, the Maltese boats which came as ufual to take in provifions in Sicily were prevented, the gates fhut against them, and they were repulfed with fire-arms; that the plan of furprifing Malta while it remained in the hands of the French, was not even diffembled by the Neapolitan government; and that a Maltese bark which was carrying French commiffaries fent to the viceroy of Sicily, having been forced by an English fhalop to take refuge at Alciata, the crew having landed, were immediately purfued with mufketry by the Sicilians, and forced to reimbark, when the bark was immediately taken by the English, without the Neapolitan government making the fmalleft reprefentation to caufe the neutrality to be refpected. If too it be added, that on another occafion one of our corfairs having been carried off by force in the port of Baratto, the governor of that place did not condefcend to take any measures to prevent fuch an attack upon the fovereignty of the king of the Two Sicilies, and in fhort, that fuch is the hostile delirium and hatred of the king of Naples towards the French and their allies, that, in contempt of all the ties which fhould bind him to the king of Spain, he has had the impudence to receive in his ports a Spanish prize taken by the English. If too we recollect the inconceivable joy which was manifested at Naples on the fight of the English fleet, the public honours which the court itfelf lavished on admiral Nelfon, in going out to welcome him; his triumphal entry, the large reward granted to the meffenger who brought the first account of his victory, and the illuminations and rejoicings which took place on the occafion; If it be remembered, that from the time of this victory the audacity of the Neapolitan government has known no bounds; that lately an unreftrained populace broke the windows of our conful at Naples, without the Neapolitan government having taken any meatures to reprefs fuch an infult; that the late fedition at Malta was openly protected in the Neapolitan ftates; that the markets and all the public places refounded with the most terrible invectives against us; that all who were inclined to encourage peace with France, were perfecuted with the moft acrimonious rage; that at length a barbarous order was iffued by the king of Naples, menacing with death whoever fhould carry provisions to the French at Malta-If all thefe circumftances are confidered, it must be allowed that more hoftile fentiments never were manifefted than on one fide, nor more patience fhewn than on the other. The executive directory, however, put off as long as poffible the moment in which it was to wreak the vengeance of the nation. It was made clear to demonftration to them that the court of Naples did not confine its hoftility against the republic to complaints, menaces, or fury; that after having for a long time after the conclufion of the peace fhewn the most hoftile difpofition, it had for a long time been at open hoftility, and had lavifhed fuccours of all kinds on our most cruel enemy; that in fhort he was become the ally of Great Britain, and as ufeful to that power as she was |