The Express.
London, England, 1860-01-14 00:00:00

'LONDON, 84TU21)47. 147. 14.

Ventre months ago England wan urged to lend
ber en-operation in the attainment of Italian
1 thirty; and England then declined—not that she
loud the spread of constitutional freedom less, but
ghat she valued her own traditional consistency and
honour more. Her standing foreign policy is, as it
bee weer bees, an acquiescent recognition of the
skint quo in every country with which she is at
peace ; and twelve months ago imperial, dual, and
legalise rule prevailed in Northern and Cesitnal
Italy. The Romagnols, itiodeneee, and Tuna=
bad not then thrown off the yoke that galled
thew; and the Lombards still writhed beneath
oppeerioo. England was not indifferent to their
cry of anguish, but she felt it to be impossible,
wittiest breaking her national word, to interpose
otherwise than by counsel and remonstrance. Bat
thingis are now altogether changed. Lombardy hie
been rescued by the potent help of France, and the
Disehies and Legations have not merely broken out
of thraldom, but month after month are found
clothed in the garb of treedom and in their right
mind. That garb is home-made, and its mate-
rials are of their own choice. The hum of
industry has hardly been interrupted in their
dwellings, and tumult, with the exception of
• single hoar, has been unknown in their streets.
Their yowl), indeed, are marshalled near the fron-
tiers in volunteer corps, as are our own, to guard
against the poseibility of danger from without; but
their's is the bivouac of peace, not of an armed pro.
/nudism. The status quo of January, 18410, unlike
that of January, 1859, is that of • well-ordered
liberty under an elected King. England is:now
asked to give her hand to a aelt-emancipated realm,
and adjured by the very consistency that with-
held the aid she would fain have given last

year, to acknowledge frankly and promptly that
the Italians are, as they deserved to be, free.
Who shall forbid the initiatory rite whereby
another great community desires to be admitted into
the brotherhood of free nations ? We know not
when the tardy counsels of Legitimacy may permit
other governments to recognise a simple but precious
fact as it stands ; but we have no hesitation in say-
ing that the sooner our Government does so, the
more credit and respect it will have in the eyes of
our people.
We shall be told, perhaps, that the taking such
_ _

• step simultaneously with France, if not in
. special and formal concert with her, may entail
aserious consequences. Of oourse it may, and we
&timid hops it will, in a moral point of view. It
er, U tend undoubtedly to show the world that the
al. einem* of England from intervention in the
du . mastic affairs of other States dors not arise from
so y indifference to their weal, or jealousy of their
mei irations after strength and liberty. It will repeat
the lesson that Mr. C.Aerenro taught to continental
abo ilutioni when he sealed the independence of the
ems ncipated colonies of Spain ; the lesson that Lord
Gar L reiterated when, in concert with the Govern-
ment of Franca, he retitled and secured self govern-
ment is Belgium. It will tend to confirm confidence in
free t notiretions wherever they already exist ; and
if war ning can ever avail, it will once more speak
grave. ind deliberate words of warning in theists of

despots sm. And yet it will do this within the
atrictes t and clearest bounds of international legality,
and unc'er circumstances that defy all possible im-
putation of insincerity or selfishness on oar part. It
si.enie almost locredtble that any rosistaboe worthy of
consideration should be dreamed of to this resolution,
if mhos taken. Let France and Ragland bat &slam
that in tbeir judgment the time has come for tranquil-
lisiog Italy, by the mogul t ion of the existing state of
things as a manifest and inoontestable fair accompli—
and w hethse other European Powers consent to go into
Congress or nor, signifies comparatively little. It
is not our fault if the assembling of the European
Sisnhedrim has become doubtful. We are aware
that the Emperor of the Flamm still pumas that
otiect, which he has never relinquished ; bat the right
of Annals, or of the Purl to decline attending no-
body denim. They may stand aloof if they will ;
and fur oar part we cannot pretend to regret it if
they do. But Eneand and France must move

I- -

c with the time or renounce their position
as leaders of civilisation and propel. For
nine-and-twenty years they have ceased not
to implore the Governments of the Vatican
and of Vienna to wake from their long sleep of
obsolete misrule, and to adapt their usages and prac-
tises to the ideas of the time. 'But they would not
stir. Before 1848 Austria disdained, if she did not
wholly discredit, the threat of revolution ; and after
the failure of Hungary r..nd Italy to free themselves
from bondage in the following year, the inveteracy
of her infatuation became greater even than before.
Her armies were increased, and she believed them
to be invincibi.e. Ten years of political silence
among her reoonquered victims was boasted of
by her as, evidence of their political despaile
Cr political death. Her finances were incr.-
neatly proclaimed to be in a state of reeovery,
and h.ir greet natural resources were said to be
reple•sishing her internal strength, even in tlrsir half
devezlopment. But what of her available resources,
Iher revenues and her armies, now that all
beyond the Alps except Venetia has been riven from
I her—now that well-nigh the whole population of
Hungary is in a state of exasperation, compared
with which nothing of the kind can be said to have
misted premien' to 1848? Already have regiment.
oreturniag from defeat ia Italy been disbanded far
Iwant of money to pay them. Already have usurious
negotiations with distrustful eapitalists been opened.
not for the means of furnishing the military chests
of another campaign, bat for the supply of the ordi-
nary exigencies of peace. Already have projects of
internal improvement been reluctantly laid aide,l
and the levies for the regular army been sus-
pended, beelinee of the debilitation and oppres-
sion of the industrial community. It is no use
trying to frighten Western Europe by kali° threats
or frowns. Austria is in no coodition to undertake
another wry ; she will have quite enough to do
to keep her shattered and disjointed limbs
together during the present year, without going arm
ssding in the valleys of the Apennines. She may
permit the crimps of ANTONELLI to enlist some few
hundreds, or say even thousands, of her disbanded
soldiers ; but what can these avail ? With a French
garrison in Rome, the victors of Palest2o at Ravenna

even were there no enthusiastic and now well
disciplined legions ready to follow the lead
of GARIBALDI, the Papal threat of recovering
the Rom qua by force of arms would be
mere fanfaronade. It is simply imposture
to pretend that the joint action of France and Eng
land for the settlement of Italy would or could be
encountered by anything more serious than diplo-
matic protests and pontifical anathemas.
But for the rest of the world, and especially for
the two great nations more immediately concerned,
what would be the result? Let us say it candidly
bat oalmly—unmixed good. Instead of the inter-
&sage of reciprocal irritations, we should once more
get into the way of conferring mutual benefits.
Instead of invidious comparisons of each other's
power to hsrm by sea and land, we should resume
the noble emulation in scientific, inventive, and ar-
tistic skill that until recently employed our neigh-
bourly thoughts. Compared with the blessing
friendship between France and England can be-
stow upon Christendom, all other political blessings
are of small account. In England, as in France,
disappointment and discontent there might be at the
good thus secured ; but it would be the discontent of
a clique, and the disappointment of conspiracy over-
borne by the good sense and good feeling of two
great nations.

Tin Daily News contains a translation of the
pamphlet just published by the Chevalier Bconcon-
?AGM on the political situation of Central Italy, and
the morality of respecting the wishes of its inhabitants
for annexation to Piedmont. The eminent author
subjects the objections which have been raised to
that course to a close disemenion, vindicates the votes
of the Assemblies as a free =premien of the national
will, and shows that that will is founded on reason
and fact. M. Di BOONCOMPAGNI does well in paying
this tribute to the public opinion of Europe
We hope, however, that he and his compatriots
will not place their tract in anything which
other nations c►n do for them ; especially that they
will not permit themselves to be induced by the more
favourable aspect which foreign diplomacy has put on,
or those still fairer intentions which are prematurely
imputed to it, to neglect the measures which pra-
deuce dictates to enable them to defend their own
liberties and maintain their own rights. Every
month gained should be devoted to military prepara-
tion. But on this point they have the best of ad-
Villa, 011 the spot—by all means let them listen to
Oasinalmt.