The Express.
London, England, 1865-04-14 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS

M. THIERS ON THE ITALIAN QUESTION.
(nom ma own oozzaeresaw.)

PARIS. THURSDAY EVINHIG.
In the Corps Legislatif today M. Thiers spoke
on the Italian question. I sin able to send you
the beginning of his speech, the most important
in public estimation of the whole debate on the

address.
11. THUMB said :—The serious subject new before you is
divisible into two questions the ltelise question sod the
Roman questioa. This dividers is perfectly abed. be-
muse the one produced the other. It is early sines
our expeditious to Italy that you were led impossibly
first to middy then to theourage, sad ultimately
to espouse altogether the idea of Italian unity.
You were constrained, in spite of yourselves, to
give up first the Grand Duke of Tuscany, then the to
of Naples, and then the Pops himself, whose provinces
slipped from him one after the other, and who will lees
the last of them eighteen months hence. It is, therefore,
impossible to separate the two question'. To do se would
be to separate the effect from the cause. I propose to
treat of them both as shortly es I can. I have always been
eonvineed that Italian unity was a political coocoptimi,
which would sooner or Inter 1 3 regrettable for Francs. I
am persuaded that a collision with the church must ever be
a peril and a misfortune for any rege'ar government. [Here
the official report interpolates the word "Approbation."]
I have always been of opinion that any change in the
government of the catholic church would be considered by
esthetics as a violation of the mod precious of el liberties.
the liberty of cooscience. This has been my oonvictioo at all
times quite independently of religious feeling ; I sit here on
the opposition benches with no other desire, with no aertire
pone e, but that of promoting the restoration of the liber-
ties of my country. When • great end is pursued by a
political patty secondary differwees are easily sacrificed,
but this difference is not one of those. To-day I eta neither
speak nor vote with my °disarm of the opposition
whose convictions I depot as they respect mine.
(Arent on the benches near the speaker.) The
frankness with which we avow our separate opinions
upon questions on which we ere divided thould give us credit
for sincerity as to those on which we are united. I shall
i first 'peek of the Italian question, and then, following like
the government the natural order of thing", I shall come
to the Ronan question. Without wishing to make any
ostentatious profession' of my affection fur Italy, I may my
that next to France it is the country with which I am most
I acquainted and that I most love. I was writing the history
lof Italy when the desire to writs a chapter of the
history of my own country diverted my attention from
other literary labour. I quite feel that Italy is well sotitled
to be free. But I have always felt that after the Crimean
war, the good will of the Western Powers, without any other
aid than that of time, would have refaced to ammo the
liberty of Italy. What rendered the Italian princes hoes&
to the liberty of their peoples was that they were sup-
ported by Austria, and that Austria was beck* up by
Europe. But the result of the war in the Crimea was to
deprive Austria of this support, sod the pennant/ of the
Italian princes was changed by time. The Kiegof Boohooing
dead, leaving • sou very innocent of his fault*, end who could
mover have been strong enough to resist the legitimate de.
mend of his people. The Greed Duke of Tusesoy—who
meant well, bat wasted to do wall despotical y—
in disgust in favour of his eon. Constitutional government
was therefore on the point of being established in the two
most important Italian states—at Naples and Florence. It
existed slew ly at Turin. If, ta addition to these
favourable circumstances, the Western Powers had
taken upon themselves to enlarge Midmost when
a fitting opportunity occurred, Italy oonstitutiou-
ally governed, with an augmented Piedmont, would
have marched on towards her destiains more surely
than in the path in which she is engaged to-day. But there
was a quicker way of proceeding towards what is called
"the regeneration of Italy," and that was war. What lam
about to say is no opinion improvised for the present oda.
eon, and I beg leave to repeat what I thought at the time
when the Italian war was undertaken. I was
to altogether
spinet it, and I had an accidental opportunity express
say opinion before some great personages who must now
well remember what I mid. I was spied the war be-
cause I was convinced that it would immediately lead to
an attempt at miiiiintion, and I thought that unity wee not
desirable for France, nor even for Italy herself. I bath
said that Italian unity wee not desirable for Filmes ; sod I
must say flock in vain through the page of history fat an
instead d a power laying itself up to raise up upon its
frontier, at its very doors, another power almost equal to
itself, and with which it must miner or later struggle or
come to terms. Oa the other hard, I find exaniptes to the
contrary in all directions. When Prussia expired to
take • great position in Europe, it was Sweden,
her nearest neighbour, that opposed her, and you
all remember the heroic resides* of iaries XII.
The foundation of Prussia. by the great Prided*, wee
append by Austria sod all the continental powers. You
know what efforts were made by England to prevent Spain
hem taking Portugal sad Frame from exteeding her
heeds, in the direction of the Low Countries. Examples,
therefore, &bond. Bbt I shall be told that this is the aid
sotto et policy. I laugh when I hem people talk of old and
new systems. When hones attain are in question I under-
stood the theory of • new policy ; it wee necessary to force
kings to share their authority with notices, sod to throe the
superior classes to share their lailsance with the middle
and lower classes. That was sew policy. But ghee ferries
affairs are in question, I see that from the earliest them the
prudent policy of vigilant states has been to prevent their
'mall neighbours from thoorniag greet and mesecing.
innovators who wanted war in Poland sad war in Italy
declared that it was seconmy to restore Palma ta
order to
pa
woken s and to take Nilo away haw
Arabia La redo It
to t ia,
Austria hither hem oar frodene.
Bat all that was the " old policy.'
Ormsouvr—l claim to speak.
Y. Tmans—l shall be told that Italy will be for us
westul and devoted ally. I believe nothing of the kb& '1
Italy has now Deed of as, and ono! *id without us ; she
IN bifida! to a ; Vat her Ibletity will cell list as keg re
bar "Nakao'. As son as she shall be string she will with
to be indepesdeet, and rightly so. Nobody so much contd.
hated to the ladopedsoo•of Hollaodea Faso. Hollandees