The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-10-23 00:00:00

Emperor of Austria it would be difficult to over-
estimate. It is certainly unparalleled in the
history of that Empire. While the measure
marhave been conceded, in the first place, from
selfish motives, and with a view chiefly to the
advantage and stability of the House of Haps-
burg, it must confer invaluable blessings upon
the several nationalities and upon the Empire at
large. Not alone .to the peace and prosperity o
Austria is this charter necessarily beneficial:
The peace of Europe and the friendly relations
between Austria. and' the other Great Powers
cannot but be more securely: . established by a
proceeding which changes the character of
FRANCIS JO,SP/I'S government from a hated
despotism into a comparatiVely sound and liberal
constitutional' administration. That these ad-Va./I.z
tages might have been much more apparent, and
their ultimate realisation' far more to be relied
upon, had they been held forth earlier, and with-
out so much external pressure, may be very true ;
bid if we look into the history of out own and
of other nations, we will find many instances id
which similarly ungracious concessions to the
people have been gladly received and gradually
developed into perpetual blessings. Why should it
not be so with Austria? Ought not England heartily
to' rejoice to hear this proclamation of freedom
to thirty-six millions of people? Shall we hesi-
tate 'to congratulate FRANCIS JOSEPH. on this
sudden transformation of his enthralled empire
into a grand confederation of free states, each
With its own local government and laws ? Shall
we not all hope and rejoice to see Hungary thus
set at'rest by regaining her ancient rights and
immunities? Ought not even KOSSUTH himself
to be abundantly satisfied ?
Unhappily, there are less propitious signs dis-
cernible in the horizon of Austria. Not only does
she -seem determined, at all hazards, to maintain
her present tooting in Italy; big there appears to
be some reason to fear that slid meditates aggres-
sive, lit3tion on Sardinia. Since the disaster et
Solferino, Austria, Sa;d! has been. straining
every nerve to reorganise her fordo, aild to hus-
band ail tier resources; With the view df setting
the first opportunity of avenging that idetVaL
For a time she Was deemed' to have been so
crippled and paralysed .as to' be incapable of
re-entering the field for such an object. -She is
now pronounced' to be- in- i position to reopen,
at, any mament, a campaign against Sardinia On
the grandest scale.. We are inclined to believe;
however, and We sincerely hope, that an
unwise step fornis no part -of. her programme:
But on one point there can be little doubt. Count
CArotin haS ieft tile *drict little room to cineitithi
the probability of an Italian attack UpcniVerietia:.
In such :an :emergency, the 'bearing and eitedi of
the newly, proclahned Austrian Charter of Rights
is of the utmost consequence. Will the Hunga-
rian army, of a hundred thousand men, on the
faith of the present concessions to the demands of
their nationality, loyally 'fight for FRANCIS
JOSEPH in the. Quadrilateral ? Will, the other -
discontented Provinces forget their' past wrongs'
on "the faith of these proniises, and rally as one
man around the Imperial banner in Italy ?
Against Austria thus United, and pOsSessing, 10E-
she does; the sympathies of Prussia and Russia,
if. not also of England; what small chance 'of
success has Sardinia in attacking Venetia ? -Even
were she backed by the French, who slitill.Predici
the 'result of the contest with Certainty ?
Is-, England• disposed—to' stand by, a neutral
spectator of a sanguinary-sfruggie in' the QUadri-,
lateral Y. Or could she not, .by a timely viord-,
preterit such a scene of slaughter Shall- our
sympathies ge 'with reformed and Constitutional
Austria; he. longer distraeted and disunited, in a
defensive effort to retain her tivlrti teiritiirSOF •
with France, with her gratuitous interkfedeein
other States, doubtless with ulterior objects,
inconsistent, in all probability, with British
interests ?• Is it not plainly the duty of England
to follow up the policy which Lord lermi RutiisEid,
seems at ,last to have entered_upon, as judie,ated-v
by his famous despatch to Sir JAMES. .HUDSONf!
and by the report of COblentz interview.? .By all
means,-let the Italians be fairly heard; and:when-.H:
nothing but Venetia is wanting to consolidate
Italy itito one kingdom; we feel assured that. the.•:,
Great Powers-will give their claim to that pro.;
vince a favourable hearing. But in the meantime
let England at once solemnly protest against any
Franco-Sardinian attack On Austria. :This might
hare the effect of. checking Louis NAPOLEON'S,
unprincipled ~and grasping schemes for self-'
aggrandisement; and it would not necessarily.
involve us in active. hostilities. Is the French
Emperor prepared to challenge the, withdrawal
of our Ambassador from.-Paris,, and the rapture
of the alliance with England ? We thttik

not. If, howev .er, he should slight our wAra..
ing, we shall stand clear of the charge'of
having been wanting in any efforts to preserte
peace, and. to avert a war the consequenee,s of
which no one can foresee. If, in the end, ELS
some may think only too probable, we shoukl be
dragged into war in defence of our own proper
interests, we should then enter the battle-field

strengthened by the united sympathies of the
other great powers, and by the conviction of
having acted uprightly and consistently towards
them and towards the aggressive powers from
the first, but more especially from the moment
we received reasonable assurance that Austria

was seriously bent on granting such reforms as
entitle her government to the sympathies of a free
and enfranchised people.