The Express.
London, England, 1847-10-04 00:00:00

affairs, was formally requested by the Austrian
government to lend her advice and countenance
in the reform of the Roman states. England
had proved a useful intermediary between the
conflicting and extreme opinions and views of
the absolutist Powers on one side, and of France on
the other, in the affairs of Belgium. And it was hoped '
that England's interference would be equally advan-
tageous and pacific in the circumstances of Italy. Ac-1
cordingly our Florentine ambassador went to Rome.
The result was a joint memorandum to the Pope, re-
commending
or insisting on certain reforms, the very
memorandum and the very reforms which the French
government and its organ now resuscitate, and recom-
mend as a panacea equally applicable to 1847 as to
1831.
The most flagrant abuses of the Roman adminis-
tration existed in the judicial system and in that of
taxation. A new system to be substituted for the
old was pointed out, and became the subject of
several paper decrees, afterwards suspended. In
order to give some guarantee of the observance of
these fairer and more liberal principles, the Roman
states were divided into delegations and communes.
The communes were to have each a municipal
council, two-thirds to be chosen out of the
landed proprietors and ecclesiastics, the remaining
third out of the mercantile class. To these munici-
palities the budget of the year was to be submitted
for examination. Then, each delegation was to
have an upper and superior council, consist-
ing of one delegate for every 20,000 inhabitants,
elected by the municipalities. This edifice was to
I have been crowned by a Junta, chosen by the pro-
vincial councils, and to sit at Rome, whilst the Pope,
for his especial enlightenment, was to appoint a coun-
cil of state, consisting solely of laymen, such as the
King of SARDINIA had formed.
Atter a certain lapse of time, and a few edicts of
partial reforms, Pope GREGORY shrunk front eats-
hing this system, though recommended by the
Five Powers. He declared that he could not think of a
lay council; that the cities of the Romagna were
merely desirou of power, in order to use it against
him, and to lay the foundation of their complete in-
dependence. Instead of reforming, the Pope had
recourse to the sword. He raised troops and volun-
teers, by means of loans from Messrs. Rorliscutnn
and other capitalists, attacked the national guards of
the towns of the Romagna, and even fought a battle at
Ceeena, after which the troops of his Holiness com-
mitted as many ravages and cruelties as the mercenary
troops of the middle ages. The Austrian government,
though it had signed the memorandum and recom-
mended the system of reform, when fearful of French
outbreak,afterwards supported the Pope in setting these
recommendations at nought. France looked on and
refused to interfere, as LOUIE PHILIPPE had then suc-
ceeded in mastering the liberal spirit of his nation.
Whilst the English envoy, declaring that the whole
business had been a farce to amuse and cheat the
Italians oat of their just rights, shook the duet of
Rome off his feet, and took his departure for Florence
with a frank epistle of adieu that will be long remem-
bered in Italy, and will immortalise the name of
Somme.
The present Pope is in a far different position from
his predecessor. Such concessions have not been
forced from him. He has come forward to make
them of his own will and generosity. He has raised
no loans to pay troops to ride down his subjects. He
need be in no fear that the citizens of the Romagna
would make use of any new liberties in order to
separate their province from the dominion of so
liberal a potentate. The Pope and his people are in
perfect understanding with each other, and it would
seem that they can devise rights and institutions for
themselves, more aptly than the envoys of Austria, or
France, or England.
The French government and its organ declare
he the system of 1831, which we have shown to
be in most respects the Prussian one. Now we deem
the Prussian system to have one great defect. It
develops municipal and local liberties in the people,
whilst the sole centralising and uniting force is in the
government. It thus forces all liberal opposition
to the government to espouse local and dis-
uniting principles, throws the strong and the
growing power of the commonwealth to the
side of disunion and federalisation, keeping merely
the weak and old powers of king and government to
defend the cause of union. It would be far prefer-
able to create in the popular body itself a class of
gurwal representatives, interested in union and cen-
tulleation. Without such, Prussia cannot be kept
together as a monarchy, nor can the rich and distant
province of the Romagna be kept in any other way
united to the distant, poor, and greedy district round
the cit of Rome.
The-basis of the system proposed by the memo-
randum of 1831 may do, with its Frenchifled plan of
commercial and provincial councils. But if there is
not something more than a Junta and a council of
state in the capital, the papal states will fall asunder.
Despotism and violence have hitherto kept them toge-
ther by force. To effect this by liberal and moral
means, requires more fairness and skill than the Aus-
' trian and French envoys of 1831 seem to have possessed.
is

The agitation for electoral reform in France is as-
suming a scale and proportions which excite the se-
rious attention of the government, u is manifested by
the manner in which the popular demonstrations now
developed in the provinces are noticed in the ministe-
rial journals, which, from the singular number, have
risen lately to the dual, by the creation of the Con-
serrateur under the teetering care of the secret service
fund. The journals of Friday and Saturday of all
opinions are filled with the reports of, and comments
on, these reform banquets. The latest manifestation
of this sort is that of Orleans, where 300 assem-
bled on the 27th ult., under the • of M.
Abbatocci, president of the Chaasbir of the Cour
Royale, and deputy of the Loiret Asset the assembly
were mayors, magistrates, judges of the tribunals, oole-
nels and inferior officers of the national guard, members
of councils general, municipal conned% sad a sounder-
able numberof leading members of anatomises. et Do-
put tee, amens whom MM. Roger, Marie, and Cremieux,
were conspicuous. The usual toasts were received
with enthusiasm : " The revolutions of 1789 and
1830," " Electoral reform," " Public honesty," " No-
tional honour," " The sovereignty of the people," &o.
What renders these demonstrations more serious is,
that they now incorporate all shades of the opposition I
including that of the left centre, with which M. Thieve
is idened. The Constilationnel, the National, and
the Gazette do France, the organs of extreme and
mean opinions are equally favourable to the move-
ment I'he journals of the court and cabinet, the ,1
Debate and the infant Consercateur, are alone in
opposing them.
A canons incident is related as occurring at, sad
after, the late review of the troops by the King In the '
Place de Carrousel:
It was in favour of M. Bebin surgeon-major of his regl-
meat, and of issarichal-lode-logii Dupeyroux, two old and
excellent officers, whose services had been forgotten, that
r K. de Grammont addressed the King in direct terms at the
farewell review, winery to the regulations which require
that all demands should, be preferred through the regular
simnel. The minister Maimed. as already stated, on the
soloed of the Bth Hussars a disciplinary punishment, which
the latter foresaw, but which he considered it his duty to
expose himself to, in order to obtain the reparation of a for-
getfulness, which had all the character of se injustice. The
ourabls reception, however, given to M. de Grammont's
demand was an implied revocation of the arrest inflicted on
that officer by the minister of war, and the colonel dined the
same day at the Tuileries, on the King's invitation.
The spirit which animates the cabinet of the Tuile-
ries, in relation to the policy pursued by the Pope,
may be collected from the fact that the vocal or in-
strumental performance of Rossinis celebrated hymn
to Pius IX. is prohibited by the police in all public
places et amusement in Pans. It was announced to
be sung at the Chateau des Mars, in the Champs
Elysees, on Monday and Tuesday, but, greatly to the
disappointment of the audience, the agents of the go-
feet of police interfered and silenced the artists. This
hymn is now the national anthem of Italy.
The latent feeling in France towards the Emperor
Napoleon may be collected from the following inci-
dent which occurred after the funeral ceremony of
the ex-King of Holland, at St. Leu, near Paris. The
Prince of Montfort (sou of the ex. King of Westpha-
lia), who attended the ceremony, was the object of the
warmest acclamations. His carriage, which con-
tained besides the Princess NW/tilde, another lady of
the family, said to be one of Lucien's daughters, and
the Duke de Padoae, had to work its passage through
the crowd, which the National Guards and the vete-
, of the Imperial army :drawn up in line, but who
- service, endeavoured
iew of the prince,
• struck every one,
sir bats, and cried
Liberte !" The
- out of sight.