The Express.
London, England, 1860-10-18 00:00:00

PRUSSIA AND ITALY.

The National Gazette publishes the following
article on the policy which Prussia ought to follow
respecting the affairs of Italy :

Ira these days national passions are not roused by idle
quarrels about t 4 bed-race of power in Europe. General
interest attrichea%ly to those national struggles in which
great questions of principle are engaged. The immense
success achieved by the foreign policy of Napoleon lIL
proceeds from the fact that his exalted intelligence, un-
clouded by the hazes of legitimacy, has comprehended
this simple truth. When war broke out last year is Italy,
it bore at the outset the character of a war between sove-
reigns—of a game played between two emperors, of
which Italy was the stake. But in the comae of
events Napoleon strove to deprive it of Was
character ; without forgetting the interests of France,
he threw off the prejudices of the old French
diplomacy, according to which a united Italy must
be a very dangerous rival to France. He takes acre not to
wound the Italian national sentiment more than he ban
done by the incorporation of Nice ; he leaves the Italian,
alone, and continues to protect them against all foreign
intervention whilst they are occupied in constructing their
united state of more than twenty million' of souls. He
knows well that be cannot hold such a State in leading-
strings, but he also knows that he will find in it a sure ally
against all coalitions, so long as he does nut alienate the
Italian national naiad, and liberal opinion in Europe.
Unfortunately the old diplomacy cannot appreciu.te the..
' mond elements, and even to this hour it has for its guide
no other compass thau the immutable code of the treaties
of 1815, to which„ mutilated as they are, it still ascribes the
canonical authority of Holy Writ. Of what use is it to
repeat to us that united Italy might ally PAW to France,
for attacking Germany on the Rhine simultaneously with
Venetia? We admit the eventuality, and in our opinion
Prussia is not wrong in persisting to consider her interests
bound up with those of Austria. But the time is past when
alliance with Austria might still present a certain guarantee
agaiust this eventuality. It was Austria herself that broke
this alliance at the period when it still possessed some
value ; Austria now is no longer an ally to be depended
upon, less even than Russia, who would only arrive too late
with inadequate forces on the scene of contest.
The efforts to raise up again the Holy Alliance against
Italian unity, or hereafter against France, are for ever ren-
dered impotent. These old arms are woru out, and have
already proved unserviceable ; we areobliged in fact to drop
them. Let us add to the crippled powers, to whom we are
to be rallied by Metteruich's flag of legitimacy, the Germanic
Diet ; this is a shackle that we moat break before we can
take a single step. The only groat Pl,Wer whose alliance
might be of real importance to us is England. But Lori
John Russell's note in favour of the integrity of the
Austrian dominion in Venetia cannot make us forget that
the English ministers will take good care not to run full
tilt against public opinion. The British nation will
not suffer itself to be dragged into a war is which its inte-
reins aro not directly at issue.
In this state of things nothing appears to ns more impru-
dent than a demonstration against the Italian cause—a
demonstration that would irritate against Prussia the
national sentiment in ItAly. and liberal opirdoe in all
Europe, without the least practical advantage.

Barnum SYRIAN' RELIEF FOND.-011 Tuesday
meeting was held in Manchester, the Mayor in the chair, in
aid of the British Syrian Relief Fond. The following reso-
lution was carried unanimously :—"That this meeting, in
consequence of the late fmrful massacres in Syria, hoe
lestmal with deep regret that there are at the preleut time
some 80,0() people scattered amongst the mountains and on
the coast of Syria homeless, unked. and starriog ; and it is
the opinion of this meeting that the urgency of the case is
without parallel, end that it demands the sympathy and
co.op. ration of all classes of the community." It woe also
resolved to form a committee in :yid of the fond, towards
which cootriliutions exceeding were announcel