The New Hampshire Gazette

As soon as the King of Naples was informed of the invasion of Lombardy he immediately ordered public prayers during three successive days, and solicited the protection of the Almighty against the army of Regicides, The bottle filled with the miraculous blood of St. Januarius was several days held up for public worship in the cathedral : the Sanctum Sanctorum stood unveiled on the altars, and the ignorant multitude was exorcising the approaching antichrist in every chapel. But all this had no effect; the Republicans grew daily to new successes, and the king was for a while to expect from a formidable military apparatus that protection which the Almighty refused him. In consequence he issued on the 17th May an edict wherein he expatiates on the necessity of collecting an extraordinary force to defend his kingdom of Naples, or to defeat and destroy the Republican army, or at least to procure an honorable and lasting peace to his dearest subjects.

To effect this he proposed,

1st. To march at the head of 30,000 troops of the line to the frontiers; but not one half of this number could be collected in his two kingdoms.

2d. To raise a militia of 40,000 picked men, who should keep their own clothes, but receive fire arms swords, ammunition, and 2s granas per day; but this army was as yet to be raised, and no money to pay it.

He promised promotion, titles, his royal favour to those, who should raise whole battalions, companies, or even a considerable number of volunteers. But the farmers did not approve of being shot to procure their masters a new title, and the lords did not think it their duty to fight for their vassals.

The king also proposed to raise 15 squadrons of volunteers composed of noblemen and rich people, all to be ensigns. This would have procured a rich crop of standards to Buonaparte's army.

But the martial spirit of the king of Naples did not last longer than his devotion. He soon after determined to supplicate for peace.