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LIFE OF COLONEL MACERONI.

and actually put to the torture. In 1794, Acton was Nea-politan Charge d’Affaires at Florence. The Prince of Cara-manico, Viceroy of Sicily , a most worthy and talented man,advised the King to send for Acton and place him in a posi-tion more suited to his abilities. But Acton soon grewjealous of his benefactor’s power,—caused him to be de-nounced for treasonable intentions,—sent to the fortress ofGaeta, where he suddenly died of poison, which the publicknew well whom to attribute to.

Thus this wretched race of despots tyrannized over theunhappy natives, chiefly by the aid of mercenary foreigntools ; and to such also may be imputed the disasters anddisgrace of the defeats in war. Of all the generals whocovered themselves with ridicul and odiumin the aggressivewar against the French in 1798, not one was a native. Mack,the Commander-in-chief; the surrenderees of the fortressesof Gaeta, Pescara, Civitella; Generals Mech, Sassonia ,Boucard, de Gambs, Lacombe ; Generals Tschiudy andMicheroux, who fled before the French , though ten to onein number, and abandoned both their positions and theirarmies. All these foreigners, instead of meeting withcondign punishment, were continued in the drawing-roomsof the palace, and in their several authorities, and loadedwith gifts and honours because they proved themselves un-hesitating instruments, spies, informers, executioners, tothe pestilent blood-thirsty despots!

The first excursion I made to Psestum, was in companywith Mr. J. R. Steuart and Mr., now Sir Robert , Smirke,in company with whom (the latter) I had walked fromRome, as above described. It does not enter into my planto describe the ruins of that celebrated city and temples.They are now well known to all travellers and to theirreaders. The only circumstance at all worthy of being men-tioned is, that, having slept at Salerno, we had the folly to