s of the Roman Catholic religion in
British territory. The Whigs, knowing that they dare not face the public
opinion of Great Britain, if they made such concessions as the pope's
demands and their own wishes would prompt, were baulked in their
undertaking. They succeeded, however, in obtaining a certain amount of
influence upon the Roman Catholic clergy of Ireland, restraining
the latter from favouring the revolutionary designs existing in that
country. It was remarkable that while the Irish Roman Catholics were
abusing Lamartine and the French provisional government, for not
assisting by arms revolution in Ireland,--that is, a revolution of a
portion of the Irish who followed certain leaders,--they were equally
abusive of the people of Rome for daring, against the will of the pope,
to assert any measure of civil or religious liberty, however modest.
Impudent threats were made of sending an Irish army to the pope's
assistance, at the very time that the persons so vaunting were afraid of
the Dublin police!

The close of the year saw the pope a fugitive and the people free.

NAPLES AND SICILY.

These countries did not escape the revolutionary contagion. Sicily flew
to arms, and the revolt succeeded. The English government was desirous
to see Sicily separated from Naples; and their emissary, Lord Minto, so
betrayed this feeling to the king of the two Sicilies as to inspire him
with intense hatred to England, and to confirm him in the opinion that
English agency was busy in creating or sustaining the confusion of the
continente, Lord Minto had the preposterous folly to suggest to the
king that Sicily should only be garrisoned by Sicilian troops! This, of
course, was indignantly rejected by both the king and cabinet.

The Sicilians published a manifesto of their free and moderate opinions,
which was very excellent. The document was very deceptive, and designed
to gain support in England and France. One of the false promises of the
manifesto was the entire freedom of religion; one of the first acts of
the Sicilians in their short-lived power was a rigorous establishment
of the Roman Catholic religion, and this was enacted in terms which
disclosed the bigoted feelings of the nation. Sicily wanted to be
independent of Naples, but it had not the same wish to be separated from
the despotic principle. An independent nation, without a free people,
was the highest aspiration of revolted Sicily. England and France left
her