tivity and desire to do good), nothing is heard but the lamentations of merchants fallen into extreme indigence-of mercantile captains complaining of want of employment of seamen, manufacturers, artists, and boatmen, dismissed by their employers, without knowing where to apply, or what employment to seek, to provide for the wants of their numerous families. If, in the midst of these afflictions, the general commission has been able, in the space of the last seven years and a half, to extract from the few prosperous inhabitants a sum of 1,600,000 Austrian livres (about 55,000l. sterling) for the relief of the indigent, (as your Majesty may observe from the accounts of the administration of the funds of this society, without including other numerous and unavoidable contributions to support the orphan asylums and religious institutions, and to keep the churches in a state of repair), this is attributable only to the naturally charitable character of the Venetian, who has always shown himself more ready to restrain his own wants, than to deprive his unfortunate fellow-citizens of suc cour. But the inclination to do good, Sir, yields to the imperious necessity of circumstances; and I should be wanting in justice to myself and to the duties imposed upon me by my office of president, if, after having tried every resource, and exhausted every mode of meeting the demands on the institution (increased of late by the applications of those persons, until lately employed in the printing and chancery offices, lately abolished for the sake of retrenchment), I did not submit to the gracious consideration of your Majesty, the urgent situation of our pious institution, and the means of preserving it. The late Italian government, in the decree of the 18th of June, 1807, vol. 1. article 26, page 312, declared the property of the religious societies to be forfeited to the board of revenue, assigning at the same time an annuity on the Monte de Pieté, in compensation of the capital at that time remaining in the Mint and the bank of Venice. This measure, which stripped the religious societies of their capitals, the united interest of which very much exceeded the sum assigned, by a decree of the 7th of December, 1807, vol. 3. art. 43, page 1197, pushed the system of spoliation still further, by assuming the right of superseding those testamentary dispositions made anterior to the publication of the said decree where the parties have not established their claim, reserving to the Mont de Pieté the exclusive privilege of assuming the rights of the religious fraternities, for the purposes contemplated by the first decree of the 28th of July, 1806, vol. 2, page 821. Nor did the operations of the board of revenue stop here; for after carrying away the books and papers belonging to the religious fraternities, it possessed itself of much property, which, according to the strict interpretation of the law, they were not authorized to possess themselves of. The administration of the religious fraternities being afterwards confided to the society, called the New Congregation of Charity, it did not possess the means, means, or perhaps the necessary vigour to resist this spoliation, and to re-establish the rights of the fraternities, which were allowed to exist according to their ancient regulations, even under the late government. In 1817, the claim on the part of the poor of St. Lucia (now the district of St. Geremia) to an annuity of 91.97. (Austrian livres), Albanese, left by an named Dante, secured upon a paper-manufactury at Frenza, was recognized and admitted. The board of revenue endeavoured to take this sum under its control, but the General Commission of Benevolence opposed the attempt, on the ground of this sum being derived from the Papal states. The board of revenue was obliged to yield, and on a representation made to his holiness of the right of the poor to this sum, the possession of it was fully confirmed to them by a decree of the 22d of November, 1823. The poor of the religious fraternity of St. Cassan, in whose favour the interest of a capital standing in the books of the Monte de Pieté was inscribed after the death of the annuitant Astori, were not equally fortunate, for the prefect of the Mont refused to accept the transfer of the annuity of 902.30. (Austrian livres), with the intention of annulling the capital under the authority of the aforesaid article No. 43, although the title of the poor attached to the said fraternity was only made good after the death of the annuitant Astori, which occurred in 1822, and without the said capital having been included in the general sequestrations of 1807. The board of revenue has never given this Your Majesty will perceive from For the relief of the wretched inhabitants of this city, and for the which maintenance and support of the charitable institution upon devolves the duty of succouring so many indigent individuals, I invoke your Majesty's attention and clemency to the following objects: 1st. That all capitals and annuities, arising from testamentary dispositions, the claims to which have been verified since the decree of the 8th of December, 1807, and which have not been seized by the late government up to the 20th of April, 1814, the day on which the late government ceased to exist, as in the abovecited cases of Dante and Astori, should be placed at the disposition. of the respective religious fraternities, as intended by the pious ration of the article No. 20 of the regulation of the 26th of June, 1822, made by the diplomatic commission at Milan. But for that portion which still exists under the control of the board of revenue, represented as legal seizure, that it may be restored in virtue of the despatch of the Aulicchamber, No. 32,612, addressed to the legate Nani, in favour of the poor of St. Gervasio and St. Protasio. 3d. That this restitution, in consequence of the books and papers of the religious fraternities having been seized, should be made through a commission or committee united to the General Commission of Benevolence which represents the poor of all the religious fraternities. This is what I supplicate from the justice of your Majesty, for the benefit of the indigent portion of this miserable population, which asks nothing but the restitution of its own property, of which it never could have been deprived but by the effect of the late political vicissitudes. Should it please your Majesty, by this concession, to encourage the pious labours of the society over which I preside, and which, by its indefatigable exertions and pecuniary sacrifices, has repeatedly received your Majesty's approbation, and also to grant it some permanent succour, then I may not only be able courageously to reanimate its exertions, but also to preserve all those advantages which this provident institution secures to morality and religion. LADISLAUS PIJRKER, Patriarch, President. Venice, July 1, 1825. |