An extraordinary letter written by William à Court as Envoy Extraordinary to the Kingdom of Naples, in which he claims to be personally responsible for the execution of Joachim Murat, the just deposed King of Sicily.

William à Court, 1^st Baron Heytesbury, known as Sir William a Court, Bt., from 1817 to 1828, was a British diplomat and Conservative politician. He was Envoy Extraordinary to the Barbary States from 1813 to 1814, and to the Kingdom of Naples in 1814 and 1815. His correspondent Augustus John Foster (1780-1848) was later made Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the King of Naples.  Foster wrote an account of his time as secretary yo the Legation in Washington during Jefferson's presidency, and even visited Monticello.

Naples, Dec^r 4^th, 1815

"My dear Foster,

Ferrari shall be the bien venu whenever he makes his appearance. I will patronize him as far as in my power lies.       

You are right in supposing that I am not now desirous of a change. Much as I disliked Sicily, so much do I like Naples. Independent of the nature of the business in the former place, the climate disagreed with me exceedingly; here I have not had an hour's illness. I have but one objection to the Mission, which is, its distance from England, but one cannot have every thing exactly as one would wish in this world - Taking the good & evil together, I am satisfied.

I have resigned my seat in Parliament these two years; in fact, as soon as it was decided that I was to have this mission.

Your mother has not yet made her appearance here, tho' I understand she has certainly the intention of coming. We are overflowing with English, & some of them are very pleasant people. It is one of the advantages of this place that those of our countrymen who come here are generally of the higher ranks of society, & not a parcel of broken merchants & vulgar adventurers, such as frequent your Northern Capitals.

With respect to news I have not much to send you - Our grand coup has been the execution of Murat, which has tended more to tranquilize the country, than years of the most liberal government would have accomplished. I take to myself a great deal of the credit of the Act being the only one of the Foreign Ministers, who dared give an opinion upon the subject - My advice & opinion had a great weight in deciding the question - ..."

William à Court's account is confirmed in the article on Murat written in the Dictionnaire Napoleon, on page 1209: "Lors de la réunion tenue à Naples par les ministres en présence des ambassadeurs étrangers en vue de statuer sur le sort de MURAT, d'Autriche avait demandé la remise du souverain avec lequel son gouvernement avait traité; les ambassadeurs de Prusse et de Russie s'etaient rallies a cet avis, l'ambassadeur d'Espagne avait conclu à la mort, et l'ambassadeur d'Angleterre avait terminé cette délibération par ces mots: "Tuez-le, je prends tout sur moi" (Kill him. I take it all on me.")

Joachim-Napoleon Murat (1767-October 13, 1815), Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1^st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815. He received his titles in part by being the brother-in-law of Napoleon Bonaparte, through marriage to Napoleon's youngest sister, Caroline Bonaparte. He was particularly noted as a daring and charismatic cavalry officer, and became the most feared of Napoleon's generals.

He fled to Corsica after Napoleon's fall in 1815. During an attempt to regain Naples through an insurrection in Calabria forces of the legitimate King, Ferdinand IV of Naples, arrested him and he was eventually executed by firing squad at the castello di Pizzo. [After the conference referenced above].

When the fatal moment arrived, Murat walked with a firm step to the place of execution, as calm, as unmoved, as if he had been going to an ordinary review. He would not accept a chair, nor suffer his eyes to be bound. "I have braved death too often to fear it." He stood upright, proudly and undauntedly, with his countenance towards the soldiers; and when all was ready, he kissed a cameo on which the head of his wife was engraved and gave the word - "Soldats! Faites votre devoir! Droit au Coeur mais épargnez le visage. Feu!"

The United States shed no tears over the demise of Murat, he had confiscated American goods and ships in the harbor of Naples in 1812.