The Express.
London, England, 1860-11-07 00:00:00

LORD JOHN RUSSELL'S DESPATCH.

(k'roni the ManeAt/ter Guardian.)

The author of the " Durham Letter" has re-
peated one of the most startling effecta of his public life as
a larger scale. Lord John Ruessa's despatch addreand on
the '27th of October to the Health minister at the Court of
Turin has fallen like a shall into the midst of the aroma in
which the halfhearted and timorous strife of conflicting
political principles is being languidly carried on. To the
aniasemset of the world, here is • minister who takes a
strong and definite position with regard to the Italian quo-
lloll, and courts an opportunity of avowing it. The raper
octane's of the principal continental governments were
dited to tois country are reported to be so fluttered by the
unusual demonstration, that they have resolved to guard
their own motives against nusounorwition by keep-
ing themselves, for • time, in strict seclusion, and
even withholding the light of their countenances from the
civic hospitalities of the 9th of November. By English-
men also the great importance of the document, having re-
gard to the novelty of the doctrines it lays down and the
amsequenoe that may follow from their extended appli-
cation, is univerially recognised. We are racy glad to find,
as the result of two or three days' disousaion, that no one
of any party appease able to find fault with it on ita merits.
Whether the position which Lord John has taken zolipt:
tenable consistency with regard for
obligations which form the bests of international law is
evidently a question about which a good deal may be said
on both aides. There is no doubt, however, about the tom
piste accordance of the feelings of the English people of
all classes with the spirit in which Lord John Ilmeall de-
clares that the program of the actual revolutioo in Italy is
by the government of which he is the organ.
'his being the case, we are not mu-prised that those who
seek an opportunity of attacking the ForeignSscretary, but
who are fully alive at the same time to the inconveniences
of running counter to almost unanimous public opinion,
avoid the discussion of the propositions and principles
which he had laid down, and confine themselves to what
they call collateral considerations. The Tines cannot think,
without shame and regret, of the despatch which we may
safely assert all the rest of England regards with prie and
rejoicing. This a difficult attitude to hold for • j
ournal
which is not fond of being unpopular. The awkwardness of
the position is therefore got over by saying, not that the
despatch is ahem and disgraceful in itself, but that it
is so when taken in conjunction with another despatch
which was published some weeks ago, and with which we
are asked to believe that it is at variance. The charge
which it is attempted to establish, on a comparison of these
epistles, is the revolting one of bstowing our approbation
and sympathy on the Sardinians now that their moos is,
to a great extent, soured, after flinging all our weight into
the scale against them when they were beset by Item.
Nothing can be less congenial to English tastes than to be
suspected of such baseness as Chia ; and we are glad to feel
sure that few persons will be induced to believe that the
conduct of our ministers his made either ua or them subject
to so infuriate an imputation.
Let us look at the attention. It is necessary to make
it appear that we are now applauding in its success a policy
which we condemned in its hour of uncertainty and dagger.
fa its eagernees to create this impression, we are earrto
soy the Times is not particular about the truth. The
writer evidently had the Foreign Secretary's depatek of
August Si before him when he wrote, and he hie mise
represented it in • most important partiseho. He mierts
it to have laid down that, although the 0000iTiDOO of the
learxiinan government at the expedition to Sicily might be
forgiven, anything beyond that, whether against Naples or
Venice, would be regarded by England with extreme dis-
pleasure. Now, a single extract from the dispatch will
show that, on the contrary, it was only against an act of
rashows which might he committed after the absorption not
only of Naples but of the Papal Staten that England warned
the cabinet of Turin. "Although," said Lord John, "Austria,
France, and England have abstained from all interference :
in Sitily and Naples, there nevertheless exists • fear at
Paris and at Vienne that the annexation of the Roman and
Neapolitan States may be followed by. an attack by the
Mabee forces upon the Venetian pa sessions of the Emperor
of Austria. It is clear that such an attack could not take
place without the assent of the Him of Sardinia." It was
alao sitar, as the English Foreign Secretary went on to
argue, that agpeuton upon Amtria under theme eireorn
stances could be made good only by the aid of Frazee
which was problematical, and that in its failure would be in•
the lee of all that Italy had woo. With this state-
ment of the real purport of the earlier despatch, the
whole charge of time-minims falls to the ground. Lord
John not only did not condemn that extensiou of assistance
to the Roman. ant Neapolitans which he now finds unde-
serving of blame, but he openly anticipated its mummer
Pm and treated It as a step of which in itself Europe
would have no reason to complain.
It may be east that, if the act which the British Forest's-
officenow uphold, be not exactly the same as the act which
it ao recently marked as unwise if not culpable, they are, at
any rate, so much alike, that no good reason can be given
for distinguishing helmets them. The Tines, indeed.
would coavey an impression that for all practical mincer
they are identicel, by demandingto know, whether the
example of William 111. and the semitone of VOW do
Dot apply just as much to Yemen& as to Naples, and how
wo can remedial* so emphatically that example and that
precept in the one eons and apply them so boldly in the
other." The mower is simply that us one case they are ap-
plicable end I. the other they are not. The
doctrine of Vattel as sited by Leed John Moen is expli-
citly that a foreign peignoirs a right to assist a people who
"for good MOM! have taken up aims againet an opmeeer,"
whereas the precept whisk he urged enChatflavour with
regent to the as yet norm° ,hMesiUed territory of Venetia
was that an attack on Almeria for the purposed releasing it
would be not °sly a breach of the eagmeteseita 'Morel into
at Villafranea hut an act of culpable robin's. To anyone
who will take the trouble to consider the poultice of the
Sardinian government two months ago, when urged on
toward, an immediate war with Austria by • popular impulse
which it must lines felt to be enigma, but which it was in
imminent danger of beim obliged to they, it will, we think,
be rinse that no poster service could have been rendered to
it then to hold up to view the prudential counsels by
which it ought to be guided in the form of
proem advice from such a monitors the English cabi-
net. Such was, undoubtedly, the object with which the
remonstrance was offered, and such, we are sure was the
sense in which it was received. Moreover, if the Times,
at the date when the despatch was published, deemed that
it was calculated to Mosso the difficulties of the King of
Sardinia, nein any way to impede the Italian movement,
the Timm oeglected to ley so, and has nursed its displea.
sure until the present moment. We wonder if it is too on.
charitable to suggest Out our powerful, but nut always
contemporary is secretly offended because
the sewed, and far more important, deapatch did not sp-
pier for the fit at time in ita owu oolums and is adopting
this method of punishing the Foreign-ode:xi forallowisga pre-
ferenoe to be given to soother London journal It is a pity
that celestial minds should be subjected to the imputation
of such weakness ; but there are circonistaucee which jus-
tify a suspicion that this is the real state of the ewe.
(From the Marrow Dodo Matt.)
In the presect state of Europe some one of the leading
Powers shriekl understand its intentions, and speak them
out openly Mtge the world; and we are proud, therefore,
that Great Britain should DO that Power, and that her
Forei,ra minister should make knows to Europe that the
Italian people, with Victor Emmanuel at their head, fight-
ing to establish the unity and independenee ci their country,
have our entire sympathy—not the entire onipathy of our
people merely,. but the sympathy ci the govern-
meet representing the nation's power, and, in this
matter, truly interpreting its will. We know now
where we stand, and if Frans, Austria, Russia, or
Prosia, should enter into any kind of conspiracy, separately
or tigether, they must do so with the certain con-
vietieu that Gloat Britain will not, under any eiretimstancee, ,
muct ion such a proceeding. it may be objected against the
policy ,elf Lord John Russell that we stand done—that
those who ought to be on our side are against us. To this
it is suffieunit to say there are times and eircumstaeces
when honour and duty demand that wo should stead alone.
We cannot, a. • free satios, go into a conspiracy for
the suppression of liberty ; nor, as a leading European
state Amid we be silent on the right side, when other
state; do not hesitate to express themselves openly on the
wrong side. We doubt not that her 3fejesty's government
are prepared to tack the foreign minister. We know that
the nation is heart and soul with him ; and whatever of
effort or racrifice elute demands we roust not shriek from
making it, if we would maintain our influence in Europe as
a free .cad powerful country.

(From L,s
Our London correspondent menP
trionsase.) the satisfaction pro-
dui,ll iu Lnllunil by I.ord John ItussAl'ii dapatch, end he
minuet. us of the iisterpretation Ls gal, of that statesuiat's
preriqus tle.,ititc:l to Sir James Hudw u. iu soine
pewit thought they am a rwrivinz of tkt English policy in