The Express.
London, England, 1860-10-15 00:00:00

OF SARDINIA'S PROCLAMM
THE PEOPLE OF SOUTHERN

'

in possession of the proclamation

/ King Victor Emmanuel to the people
of Italy. The following is the text of this im-
portant manifesto :

"At a solemn moment in the national history
and in the destinies of the Italian people I add-ess
myself to you, people of South Italy, who, after
having in my name changed the existing state of
things, send me deputations composed of men of
all ranks of citizens, magistrates, and members
of municipal councils, demanding to be
established in order, to be gratified with
liberty, and to be united to my kingdom.
I wish to tell you what idea guides me and what
my conscience tells me should be the duties of one'
whom Providence has placed on an Italian throne.
I came to the throne after a great national disaster.
My father left me a noble example when he resigned
kis crown to save his own dignity and the liberty
of hie. people. Charles-Albert fell with arms in
his hand, and died iu exile. His death more than
ever bound up the destinies of my family with
those of the Italian people who, for so many ages,
have left in foreign lands the ashes of their exiles,
thereby showing their title to the inheritance of
those territories which God has placed with'n the
same boundaries, and united together by the same
language. I have educated myself upon this
model, and the memory of my father has been my
guiding star.

" Between the crown and my plighted word I
could not hesitate as to the choice. I strengthened
liberty at a time that was but little propitious to
liberty ; and in acting thus my desire was that it
should strike its roots deep in the manners of the
nation, because I could not for a moment doubt
that it was agreeable to my people. In the liberty
of Piedmont, the inheritance which the far-seeing
mind of my august father had left to all the people
of Italy was religiously observed. Through free-
dom of election, the education of the people, great
public works, free trade and commerce, I have en-
deavoured to promote the prosperity of my people.
Wishing to respect the catholic religion, whilst
leaving to others entire freedom of conscience, I
have strengthened the civil authority, and resisted
openly that obstinate and aggressive faction which
sets itself up as the only friend and protector of
thrones, but which, under the name of God, seeks
to rule kings, and to interpose between prince and
people the barrier of its own intolerant passions.
"This mode of government could not remain
without effect on the rest of Italy. Con-
cord between the prince and people in the
prospect of national independence, civil and
political liberty, freedom of speech and of
the press, an army which has just re-
vived the military traditions of Italy under the
tricolor flag, have made of Piedmont the standard-
bearer and the arm of Italy. The strength of my
kingdom is not derived from the arts of a secret
policy, but from the open influence ef ideas and
public opinion. I have thus been able to maintain
in that part of Italy which is united under my
sceptre, the idea of a national hegemony, out of
which was to arise the harmonious concord of
divided provinces united in one nation.
"Italy was put in possession of my view when it
beheld me sending my troops to the Crimea by the
side of the soldiers of the two great western powers.
I desired to obtain for Italy the right of taking
.part in all transactions of European interest.
"In the Congress of Paris my envoys were for
the first time able to speak of the griefs of Italy
before Europe ; and it was demonstrated to all
'that the preponderance of Austria in Italy was
injurious to the European equilibrium, and that the
•independence and liberty of Piedmont would be
endangered if the rest of Italy was not freed from
foreign influence.
"My magnanimous ally the Emperor Napoleon
lIL felt that the Italian cause was worthy of the
great nation over which he rules. The new
'destinies of our nation were inaugurated by a just
war. The soldiers of Italy nobly fought by the
side of the invincible legions of France. The vo-
lunteers who flocked from all the provinces of
Italy beneath the banner of the Cross of Savoy
proved that the whole of Italy gave me the right
of speaking and combating in its name. Rea-
sons of state put an end to the war, but
not to its effects, which proceeded to their
development through the inflexible logic of fact
and of nations. If I had had that ambition
which is attributed to my family of doing nothing
till the proper time arrived, I might have remained
satisfied with the acquisition of Lombardy. But I
shed the precious blood of my soldiers not for my-
self but for Italy.

" I called the Italians to arms. Some province' of
Italy changed their governments in'order that they
might be able to take part in that war of indepen-
dence which their sovereigns shrank from. Since
the peace of Villafranca these provinces have asked
me to protect them from the threatened
restoration of their former governments. If the
facts which have taken place in Central Italy were
the consequence of the war to which we invited the
people ; if the system of foreign intervention was to
be for ever abandoned in Italy, it became my duty
to recognise and to defend the right of the people
time to freely and legally express their wishes.
I withdrew my government ; they formed one for
themselves. I withdrew my troops ; they orga-
nised a regular force of their own, and by means of
concord, and the display of high civil qualities,
they acquired such reputation and strength that
they could only be overcome by foreign arms.
Thanks to the good sense of the people of
Central Italy, the monarchical idea was strength-
ened, and the monarchy moderated in a moral
sense the pacific movement of the population. Thus
Italy grew great in the estimation of civilised na-
tions, and demonstrated to Europe that the people
of Italy were qualified to govern themselves.
" By accepting the annexation, I was aware of
the European difficulties with which I would have
to contend, but I could not fail in the promise
which I gave to the Italians when the war was
proclaimed. Let those in Europe who would
accuse me of imprudence calmly reflect what would
have been the consequence, what would have be-
come of Italy, if the monarchy showed that it was
incapable of satisfying the desire of national recon-
struction.

" With regard to the annexation, the national
movement, if it has not changed in substance, has
taken new forma In accepting by popular right
these noble and beautiful provinces, 1 ought loyally
to recognise the application co! that principle. It
was not permitted me to measure it by the stand-
ard of my own particular affections and interests.
In virtue of this principle, I have, for the good
of Italy, made a sacrifice which sorely tried my
heart--tbe resigning of two most noble provinces of
my hereditary kingdom. To the princes of Italy,
who wished to remain my enemies, I gave sincere
advice; determined, at the same time, if disregarded,

"II afalk

4
siticipate the don't in which their blindness
Id involve thy ;Girona, and to accept the
of Italy. 4_ln vain I offered to the Grand Duke

,rpy alliance before the war. To the sovereign
Pontiff, in whom I venerate the head of the reli-
gion of my ancestors and of my people, lin vain
wrote when peace was made, offering to secure to
him the vice-gerency of Umbria and the Marches.
It was evident that these provinces, maintained
alone by the aid of foreign mercenaries,
would sooner or later have broken out into revolu-
tion if they did not obtain the securities of civil
liberty which I proposed. I shall not call to mind
the advice which was given for many years to King
Ferdinand of Naples by foreign powers. The
judgment which was passed in the Congresad Paris
upon hie government naturally disposed the people
to change it if the complaints of public opinion, and
the efforts of diplomacy, continued tobe disregarded.
I proposed an alliance with his young successor for
the war of independence ; but here again I encoun-
tered hearts shut against all affection for Italy and
minds blinded by passion.
"It was quite natural that the events which
bad taken place in Central Italy should have more
or less excited the minds of the people of South
Italy. In Sicily this disposition of the people found
vent in open revolt. The people were fighting for
liberty in Sicily, when a brave warrior devoted to
Italy and to me —General Garibaldi—sprang
to their assistance. They were Italians ;
I could not, I ought not, to restrain them.
The fall of the government of Naples
confirmed what my heart knew, namely, how ne-
cessary to a king is the love, and to governments is
the esteem, of the people. In the Two Sicilies the
new regime was inaugurated in my name. But
some sots have been done which have led to the
apprehension that this policy represented by
my name has not been properly interpreted.
All Italy has feared that under the shade of a glori-
ous popularity, of an antique probity, there was
a faction clustering which was ready to sacrifice
the immediate triumph of the nation to the
chimeras of its own ambitious fanaticism. All
the Italians have applied to me to spirit away
this danger. It was my duty to do so because
in the existing state of things it would not be
moderation, it would not be wisdom, but weakness
and imprudence if I did not assume with a firm
hand the direction of the national movement for
which I am responsible before Europe.
" I have caused my soldiers to enter the Marches
and Umbria in order to disperse that jumble of
persons of all nations and of all languages who were
assembled there—a novel and strange form of
foreign intervention, and the worst of aIL
" I have proclaimed the Italy of the Italians,
and I never will permit Italy to become a nest for
cosmopolite
seats who might gather there to
concert plans of reaction or universal demagogy.
" People of South Italy, my troops are coming
amongst you to oonsolidate order ; I am not
ooming to impose my will upon you, but
to ensure that yours be respected. You
can manifest it freely. Providence, which protects
the just cause, will inspire the votes which you
will cast into the urn. Whatever may be the gravity
of events, I await with calmness the judgment of
civilised Europe and that of history, because I am
conscious that I am fulfilling my duties as a king
and as an Italian. _ . _

" In Europe my policy perhaps will not be with-
out its nse, by reconciling the progress of peopled
with the stability of monarch& In Italy I know
that I close the era of revolutions.
" Given at Ancona this 9th October, IMO.
" VICTOR EMMANUEL,
"FAaINI."