The Press. — London, England, 1855-12-22 00:00:00

1210 facts are summed up to show beyond the power of doubt and misconception that Russia cannot esteem Austria, does not believe, and will not trust her. Held, then, to be without character by Russia, save in an unwarthy sense, having twice emblazoned her deficiency of honour, and confessing by the Schwartzenberg maxim to be without loyalty or gentlemanly feeling, the mediation of Austria as regbrds Russia must be rated at the minimum of value. With England Austria fares not better. The Decem ber treaty of 1854 was mentally broken before signa ture. The Papal Concordat has been framed with a view to effect Protestant suppression, under the plea of Catholic unity, throughout Austro-Germany and Northern Italy; and the degradation of her Majesty's commission, with opprobrious violence, is a recent matter, and has been accompanied by the public abuse in the Court Journal of Vienna of the officers and soldiers of the English army. These are not " firmans" of confidence whereby England can be warranted in relying on Austrian honour and Austrian propositions. There is a determination amongst the several Governments of Germany, and assented to by the Diet, to reform many of the crudities in the Consti tution of 1848. Such a course might he beneficial, provided the necessary changes were performed in a liberal spirit; but unfortunately they are taken up by the extreme party, essentially Russian, and there• fore they will meet with an opposition apart from the merit of the case. It is not in England alone that party spirit loses sight of public good for the substi tution of private and selfish ends. Appearances, however, justify the suspicion that a system of governmental retrogression will be attempted, sub versive of constitutional principles. To reform con• stitutional defects by just and moderate legislation, and to adjust the balance of electoral power, is one thing ; to rescind and abolish accorded privileges, and to annul right by the application of wrong, is another, and cannot be done with impunity or with out danger. This is not the moment proper for hazardous experiments at variance with the spirit of the day, for they must tend to popular commotion, and will command the sympathies of all liberal Governments. The difficulty of the Gotha party in contest with the Crucian adherents of despotism, is derived from the vices and excesses of republicanism, past in deed, present in intent, and future in deter mination. amongst the middle and trading classes absolutism is in a large majority against republi canism, for cnmrnerce and property are safe under the rule of the irresponsible Kaisar, whereas re publican communism, or pillage, which is one and the same, abolishes exclusive title as a vulgar error, condemns to death without trial, and executes without mercy. This, according to republican phraseology, is denominated law and justice. Before there can be a chance of preserving and perpetuating law and order, in a just sense, these enemies of humanity must be extirpated. "On se range," with the Kaiser; but whilst a " soldo" remains to be pilfered, or a shred of virtue to be maltreated, the republican works " tout court" at his allotted vocation. These arguments have been put forward with success at the late elections by the " parti de la Croix ;" but in strict parlance the Ministerial majo rity has been acquired by the common and simple means of bribery and corruption. M. de Schwerin, supported by ninety members of the "gauche," has made the following motion in the Prussian chain. hers :—" 1. Qu'une enquete soit etablie par le Ministre d'Etat a l'effet de constater jusqu' quel point les agents du pouvoir ont influence les dernie.res elections, et en ent entrave la liberte. 2. Que le re sultat de cette enquete soit communique a is chambre des delegues." This is similar to the Roebuck Commit • tee on bribery at elections. The result of the debate is looked for with some anxiety, as the centre droite" have also made a protest on the improper conduct of the officials at the late elections. Should M. do Schwerin force on his motion with ulterior views, the " centre droite " will abstain from interference ; but in the event of all parties confining themselves to the strict motion, a partial success may be obtained, when the Minister of Police and a few secondary officials will be sacrificed for the purposes of party. gevertheless, it is an awkward time for the des potists to discuss a matter of this nature ; and with its admitted truths it may serve t 3 hold in check those constitutional assaults in which they have madly made up their minds to persevere with the assistance of the Diet. Mr. Curtis, the English Consul at Cologne, has received the royal pardon. The " Crucians," how ever, who were adverse to this pompous clemency, have resorted to other criminations, and have brought forward in evidence a soldier of the 28th Regiment, in garrison at Aix-la-Chapelle, and arrested at Dussel dorf. He pretends to have been bribed (embauche) to desert his regiment, and to enter the Foreign Legion. The accusation against the English Government of having appointed agents to induce foreign soldiers to desert their colours, is a proof of the acrimony that ,~ d .. ~. .. ~ THE PRESS. urges the " parti de la Croix" to have recourse to any expedient to defame England and the English. This is the intent of that party, in order that Prussian malpractice may be shielded by the clamour of the blatant cry. J. E. L. SIENA, Dec. 15. BRIGANDAGE, political tyranny, and ecclesiastical persecution are doing their best or worst to brutify the " amate sponde" of the poet Monti. When the string cannot bear a harder strain, the snap of the chord will be heard far and wide. For the moment, in Tuscany, the " caccia al heretico " is the chief amusement of the priest. The Austro-Papal Con cordat has given an increased energy to the celibats of the tonsure, never inclined to be dormant when a Protestant bible is heard of, or supposed to be in the neighbourhood. Gifted with a keen power of scent, the priests range through their respective parishes, and quarter their ground in drawing for their game with the dexterity of practised adepts. . _ . - Amongst the more noted of these worthies is Fra Bernardino Rialti, curate of the convent of Ogni Salta at Florence. It is difficult to go in quest of bibles and outlying Protestants without the help of trained beaters, and therefore Fra Bernardino bad in his employ a most useful and active spy—quiet and civil in his bearing, quick, intelligent, and careless of the means adopted to arrive at his object, having received previous absolution for the daring feats he might accomplish in the Protestant hunt. This man, Palli, had given information to Fra Bernardino of having tracked a Protestant to his lair. The per son thus stalked was an expert carver and gilder, by name Francesco Balestriori, of middle age, with a wife and young family dependent upon him for sup port. He was attacked with cholera, as well as four of his children, and thereupon the curate imme diately commenced his operations. He visited the sick man daily, preached, examined, and exhorted him to confess previous to receiving absolution ; but Balestriori refused to do the one and denied the power of the priest to remit sin ex officio, adding that his trust for pardon rested in a merciful Redeemer. " Ah !" exclaimed Fra Bernardino, "these are Pro testant doctrines taught by the father of lies." The house was searched for heretical evidence, and no crucifix or orthodox image of the Virgin was found anywhere, but in their place were two prints repre senting the story of Dives and Lazarus and the good Samaritan. These were removed by the priest as having been taken from a Protestant bible, and a crucifix with a Madonna and " bambino " placed in their stead on the wall. Francesco got worse, and Fra Bernardino was unremitting in his persecuting exhortations that he should receive the rites of the Roman Church. " I believe," said the dying man, "in God the Father, God the Son, and in God the Holy Ghost, and that Christ, my Saviour, blotted out my sins by his one sacrifice." " That is faith," re marked the priest, "but only faith, which is a part and not the whole of Catholic duty. You must receive the rites of the Roman Church, and ac knowledge the authority which Christ has given his Roman Church, whereby all things necessary are known to the Roman priest. Faith alone cannot confer salvation. We must hold to the traditions of the Roman Church, which, with the Fathers and the Councils, inform us, by the permitted means of the priest, what is the true Word of God?" " That," said Francesco, "is found' nel libro della verita '"— the Bible. " No," shouted the iracund shaveling, " that is a Protestant maxim —it is accursed, and comes of the Evil One." The man died. Upon the representation of Fra Bernardino Rialti, the Archbishop of Florence prohibited the burial of Balestriori in consecrated ground. Upon a certifi cate of his having died a Protestant, and having refused the sacraments and extreme unction of the Roman Church, the body was taken possession of by the police, accompanied by a throng of low vaga bonds, who flung stones or filth on the coffin. After being taken to the cemetery of Tespiano, it was left out • side the "case dei mortis' with every mark of degra dation, and never more heard of. Unless the wife and children return to Romanism they will be deprived of the possibility of gaining their bread, and be plunged in the lowest misery. And should they consent to recant, a " festa" will be held in the convent " d'Ogni Santi," to celebrate the miraculous conversion of a family from heresy through the Im maculate Conception, and their salvation from Pro testant perdition. This is a specimen of what is done in this country by the Jesuits. The letter of Manini, the late President of the Republic of Venice, has been much canvassed. " L'invita e l'independenza d'ltalia," are high-sound ing words, and the difficulty of their practical illus tration is not unknown to the republican himself. The offer of the "marine bridegroom, " minus his Bueentaur, to give way if Piedmont will take the SATURDAY, lead in revolutionising Italy, is gracious. How can a person recede from a position which does not I Xiit and where is Mazzini ? Has he abdicated? M an ,„,i; a man of very moderate abilities, in his Italian letter does not point out the exact wishes and ex. pectations of the republicans. When in power they miserably failed amidst a mass of assassination, robbery, pillage, forced taxation, and of every crime imputed to the absolutist, in a tenfold degree. They were a curse to their country, and a disgrace to civilisation ; and therefore it is that they have not a single partisan except amongst the ban, ditti. These, also, in the kingdom of Naples are against them, having been purchased by Mazza, for the private service of King Bombe. It is per• fectly true that things as they are now throughout the peninsula cannot hold as a permanency. The wisest, the only course, will be to let well alone in Piedmont—to consider that country as the type of what Italy might and should be, singly, or in a con • federation of Italian kingdoms, distinct in govern. ment, and united in a league offensive and defensive under the protection of France and England, and to rally round the patriotic king of that liberal Government, as the true focus of Italian regenera tion, monarchical and constitutional. M. T. A 3nrcign nn dolonial Intelligente. FRANCE. The question of peace is daily discussed in the French papers. The amstitationnel of Wednesday contains a prominent article upon the subject, assert ing that Austria and the Western powers have now come to a "complete and absolute " understanding upon acceptable terms of peace. Upon the eventu ality of a refusal on the part of Russia to entertain the propositions borne by M. Esterhazy, the Ceasti tutionnel somewhat indefinitely remarks that under any circumstances the accord of the treaty of Dec. 2nd would remain the same. Towards the conclusion. of the article a peculiar view is taken of the even. tualities and object to be desired in case of a con, tinuance of the war, nothing less than the " recon struction of the map of Europe and revision of the treaties of 1815," being propo,ed as " desirable and popular." The announcement by the Morning Post of certain terms as the only ones upon which the allied powers will consent to treat, is accepted with considerable reserve in Paris. The Patrie does not consider it usual to give premature publicity to those intricate details of negotiations ordinarily kept secret, while the Presse and the Debuts, notwithstanding " the semi-official character" of the Post, can only accept them with a prudent reserve. The Pays, in an article founded on Colonel St. Ange's reply in the Debats to the attack of the Times on Marshal, Pelissier, considers that the ends of the war have been obtained, but questions whether Russia wilt sanction the results accomplished by the allies. In& conclusion, the Pays sums up : Peace is possible, because the object of the war basibeent obtained ; because the moderation of the Western Rowers is beyond a doubt; and because they continue the contest solely to compel Russia to consecrate by a solemn treaty the results already obtained. Is Peace probable ? . _ Yes I if Austria and Germany, adhering io the fount• mental guarantees which the future of Europe demands,. clearly make known to Russia that they adopt them,, mut that they will impose them by force• it they are not obtained by negotiation. No! if Austria and Germany shut themselves up, the one in its immobility, the other iu its neutrality. The Constitationnel and the Siecle of Monday speculated upon a future campaign in the Baltic provinces, and saw in it thp permanent reduction of Rnssian power in the North, and the restoration of • the legitimate influence of the Scandinavian peoples in the Baltic. The last monthly account of the Bank of France shows an increase of bullion to the amount ot . eight millions in the Bank coffers. AUSTRIA. Count Esterhazy, the Austrian Ambassador at St'. Petersburg, left Vienna on Sunday last for his po,t, bearing despatches from the Court of Vienna con taining "propositions" of a pacification ai finally resolved on. According to Vienna gossip, it was believed that, in the evens of Russia refusing to accept the terms, Count Esterhazy was to return to Vienna, when Austria would present an ultimatum, which, if re. jected by Russia, would lead to the immediate with drawal of the Austrian Ambassador from the Court of St. Petersburg. The English Government is stated to have de manded from the Court of Vienna an explanation of the motives which have induced it to reduce the Austrian army. _ _ No fewer than 70,000 cavalry and artillery horses have been ordered for sale in the course of the re duction of the army. ___--