The Express.
London, England, 1859-07-02 00:00:00

sour"( GERMANY AND THE WAR.

(now ova owx

LUGANO, JUNI 27.

After visiting several towns of South Germany, I
was with some surprise brought to the conviction
that the people beyond the Rhine are profoundly in-
different to the present war. Even in Swabia, where
from religion and old connexion the population ,
might be supposed to sympathise with Austria, I did
not find them to care much for her fate. But, on the
other hand, the officials are in a dreadful state of I
anxiety, and with the officials may be grouped all the
higher classes. The honest German farmers, though
in no wise loving the French, entertain no fear. of
them. But nobles and official., and the courts, great
and small, with which they are connected, do mor-
tally fear lest the French should come back to com-
plete what they had half executed half a century
ago, in the days of their ascendancy. There are a
class of writers, too, who would represent the war se
one of race—of Gaal against German, and Celt
against Teuton. In a philosophical point of view
the struggle may be this, but neither the people nor
the combatants take such a view. The North and
Central Swiss, all Germans as they are, show no
predilection for Austria, who, to be sure, was their
old enemy ; and Swabians and Swiss have a great
many sentiments in common.
Swiss and Germans, too, look for one material
result of the present war, in which, I trust, they will
not be disappointed. They look to the complete
opening of Switzerland by railways down to the
Mediterranean. The government of Piedmont had
done its best to further this, but it was too poor.
Besides, the best and most natural passages went
through Pavia and the Milanese. The commercial
and political adjunction of the two would be looked
on as a great boon both to Switzerland and South-
West Germany, for which the Rhine has proved no
outlet. The least that people here hope for Victor
Emmanuel is the Milanese, Parma, and that portion
of Modena which is immediately behind Genoa.
After that, say they, carve Italy as you please.
Whether " war thoughts" will allow these pacific
plans to ripen remains to be seen. But certainly
the war mania is spreading fast in Switzerland; and
although the Federal government has raised about
12,000 men at the expense of some 50,0001., it has
still filled all the southern cantons with drums, trum-
pet., and military occupation. The rumour runs
that the French Emperor, feeling the great sacri-
fices of men he has made, and fearing that he
may want his native troops to resist German on-
slaught, has resolved on appealing to the Italian.,
and making them raise 300,000 men to defend Italy,,
after he has freed it. The idea is a magnificent
one. Italy, with 300,000 Italian soldiers, can not
only defend her territory against Austrian., but her
fate and freedom against any foe.
To descend from such vast views of politics to
smaller ones, I was reminded of our English mania
to become a nation of sharpshooters by the proof.
that the Swiss are already such. Bat I was really
not prepared for the immense sacrifices they make
to attain their end. Our government seemed to
think it did much by offering ammunition and tar-
gets to voluntary rifle regiments. The programme
of the Federal Tir, or national shooting matches, to
take place at Zurich in July,has just been published,
and stuck up in a very broad sheet. How much do
you think the prizes for best shots amount to ?
Very nearly to 250,0001.—i. e., 10,0001. There is
an amount of annual prizes for the beat rifle shots !
At Zurich there will be this year one prize of
67,0001.—that is, 2,2801. There are also prizes of
40,0001. and of 20,0001. We spend awl equally
considerable on the sport of training the swiftest
hones. Could not the national generosity be better
directed for the next few years ? Lord Derby evi-
dently sets himself forth as the Pitt who is to
weather the storm, having first raised it, of a 25
years' war. Instead of giving 50,0001. to the race-
course, let him give it to the best rifle and cannon
shots. I fear, however, that national games and
pursuits are not things to be changed or created at a
thought or a bidding. I merely mention what the
Swiss do spend on the honour of being good shots.
The affair of Perugia has set the Swiss in great
flame and shame ; and well it may. I should not
wonder if they passed a law depriving of the rights
of citizenship all the Swim who enter foreign mili-
tary service without state permission. They say that
of the regiments in the Pope'. service called Swiss
regiments not one-third are Swim at present. They
however feel the more the disgrace entailed on
the national name. At the Name time the decree
prohibiting foreign military service was hard upon
the primitive cantons, whose sons have not the
alertness of the southern Swiss to earn money in so
many ways. The mountain sons of Tell could
handle a halberd and little else, and their non-en-
gagement in foreign service has impoverished
them.

I have witnessed in this country a proof of how
difficult even Victor Emmanuel will find it to make
quiet politicians of the Italians. The Tessin, the
Italian canton, is as agitated as any Irish county by
rival factions. The government of the Tessin is in
the hands of the liberal., who, though desirous not
to damage the cause of religion, are still determined
to keep the priests from being paramount in politics-
As it is the election that decides the action of the
government, of course the elections of the Tessin are
lively and disputed. In one important locality at
the last election the conservatives thought they
would make a fight for it; and a leading champion
of theirs descended into the arena, not with a long
purse but a long pistol, which he discharged upon
his opponents. The latter were not slow to reply
with what weapons they had at hand, and half-a-
dozen people loot their fives in the scrimmage. The
trial of this gentleman, which has just taken place at
Lugano, has made the Swiss forget for the moment
even Magenta and Peachier& But battle-fields and
Italian politics I shall reserve for another letter.

GERMANY.

The following is the text of the communication
made to the Federal Assembly at its last sitting, on
the 24th of June, by the Prussian Envoy, M•
d'Usedom :

The Royal Government of Promote, couidering the pro-
portions assumed by the war in Italy, hen reaolvtd in support
of its policy, and elm for farther waring the security of
Germany and her position u s power, to mobilise siz arroy-
o:mu, sou to be reedy to concentrate her fortes st aoy given
moment.

May it please the august federal assembly to decree :
1. For the wearily of Germany end her intermit., it is
proper to assemble, on the Upper Rhine. a corps of obeerva-
Iron, consirting of the contingents of the 7th sad Nth retinal
corps, to the end that this gathering may coincide with the
projezted mobilisetion of the Prussian army, to which the
tederal irascibly decliner he went, evrn in sue it should
take place on the Middle Rhine, sod on a non-Prussian &de-
re' territory. The umener of this eimultaneotti proceeding
will be the object of further convention..
2. To give to the crown of BILPRI+I, in virtue of the 46th
article of the military federal eonstitution, the oemmand of
the federal ebenvetion-corps proposed to be formed.

The Hamburg News speaks also of a third proposi-
tion for effecting a uniform system of management
and commissariat for the different sections of the
troops.
A circular entering into full particulars had been
previously sent to the several governments of the
Bend to explain the measures taken by Prussia and
the views these are iatended to carry oat.