The Express.
London, England, 1851-04-12 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, APRIL 12, 1851.

a Venetian old reprobate to N,. Macfarlane of " cutting off
the old fool's bead:" but nut Italians were too trio to
Alfieri's teachinq, not to be Mite that it was of the most
vital importance for Italy that the " hifea-priest should :
ultimately be sent back to the fisherman's net."
The Italian movement, in short, bad already far pro- •
ceeded, and could have reached its end without the friendly
help of a pope; nay, was sure to thrive best under the
frowns of any man that had trod in the footsteps of Gre-
gory; but since Pius had given, or was supposed to have
given, hints of a better disposition, it was natural that a
movement that had already drirtged Charles Albert and
Leopold of Tuscany along with it, bliould include even the
Roman pontiff in its temporary and conditional adoption. It
was certainly not unnatural, though questionable, both as
to honesiy and expediency, that the Italians, beset as they
were with towering difficulties, sliould find their ads antage
in flattering the pope's 4, intense, imbeeik,vani,y," tha. they
Ishould lead him on by swatting applause; that out of a
zealous priest and clement sovereign—the utmost extent of
his ambition—they should endeavour to represent him as
an arch-reformer and agitator.
The Italian movement which ran away with the
Pope was an instinctive nationauty, a sense of the
degradation of subjection ; it was that same feeling
which inspired the exalted intellects of Dante and Al-
fieri with their sublime and touching disdain of the
world, which fretted and raged in Alachiavello and
i Lorenzo de Medici, and saved Julius 11. from madness
only by hurrying him to his grave. This principle,
impotent so luii as it was but a half conscious,
I unintelligent, nod unsympathetic feeling, had
begun to gather vast strength since the troubles of
ls2l and 1841. Municipal jealousies were renounced.
Florence had sent back to Pisa those chains of the
old l'isan harbour, which, taken from the emulous
city in the middle ages, had hung a melancholy
trophy on her cathedral walls for centuries. A flood
nt Brescia called down previous aid and tender words
from Piedmont. Divided states began to feel that they
were one alter all. The intelligent among the people,
spite of the prevailing despotisms, united in scientific
societies, where the tire mind was nut always °mu-
pivd on material nature. Even the princes were drawn,
one by one, towards their liberal subjects. Consti-
tutions were grunted, abuses redressed, and popular
institutions gradually introduced. Happy would the
government. have been if this had been all. lint these
were what the nation cared least for. One great
want swallowed up all the rest. " Arms!" was the
e 7. Civic and national guards was the institution
' in which Italy believed, and which, too, the "barba-
rian" dreaded. It was when MO Novo *Well
muskets to the Bolognese that Austria made the first
step in the war, and doubled the garrison of Ferrara.
To restrain this impatient ardour of untried valour
was the work of the moderate party in Italy, of the
d'Azeglio's and Gioberti's. This party would
have developed the military resources of Italy
and cultivated the national feeling before entering
upon a hazardous war with the common foe. Such
was the slow and sure method of Italian In udenee.
The times seemed favourable for its trial. The
" Young Italy' party was not in a condition to net,
and the Austrians soon had too many reasons for non-
interference. Europe applauded the bloodless revolu-
tion. Nothing seemed more perfect than the lull
which reigned in Italy previous to the Paris out-
break in February. Sardinia, Naples, Itome, and
Tuscany were now liberal. Upright and high-minder'
men, devoted to their country's CLUISC--Mell like Ce-
sare Balls), Gino, Cappelli, Itidolti, Mamiani, and
Bozelli—directed the atfaira of Italy.
The nation profited by this interval of freedom to
prepare for the great inevitable trial. The Italians flew
to arms, and assumed as warlike an attitude as their
long-cherished habits of case and luxury would allow.
Had a year been given for the purchase of muskets,
the training of youth, and the assemblage of leaders,
history might have had a brilliant tale to tell of the
exploits of Italian volunteers. But Providence had
decided otherwise; all the Italians wanted was time,
and that was not given them.

existence; tha, abstinence from the immoral lottery, upon
which Austria rinsed so heavy a tribute ; and that open war
against tobacco smoke, which would have taken four mil-
lions of lire from the yearly revenue.
M. Mariotti believes that had the deadly struggle to
be decided between Austria and Lombardy been indc-
pendent of eztraneous causes, there had been little
fear of the result ; but it was not so.