Note Footnote 55: — Chapter XXVIII · (continued 2)

We saw Mr Elliot55 from Naples yesterday, who has always been very fair. He says that if, when the King came to the Throne, he had only insisted on the laws of the country being properly carried out, no reforms or change in the Constitution would have been necessary—but from the want of energy, and also no strength of intellect and great indecision of character of the poor King, as well as an unfortunate Pietät for the memory of his father, nothing right was done; bad counsellors surrounded him, the Queen Mother had a bad influence, and finally everything was given up as lost—when it might yet have been prevented. They dislike extremely being annexed, but prefer it to having back the former state of things.