The Express.
London, England, 1859-10-24 00:00:00

lIARDMIA.

(nor OVA OWN 111111KILIOPONDISIT.)

TURIN, Ocr. 19.

'the minister that inspires least public'oonticloses
is Ger.•ral Ua Fbrmide, who is at the heed of
(wilco affairs. Ile is a man who has neither energy
car resolution in his twofold capacity of OfECIIT and
politician. Unfortunately the cotriction of every
can tyre is that the times maim great boldness
end ‘ig..tir, more especial'y as regards Central Italy,
where ii,uggiehnitee and indifference will be fatal.
then, was the wonder of all that Ds Ha yti&
sltzuld .I.tvi been chosen to go and treat with the
Emperor Napolens. It is frarwl he will remora as
vim se he went, althon;h the object of his mission
was exectly defined and tsplaiDed is writing.
Should be bass given way on some important point.,
reserve to themselves the right of die,
approve. aid rejection. That is some comfort, for
a the lit vet of it's so happening, he would have to
retire from ofllcer.

e .ultstion now engaging the attention of Pied-
mont, and indeed that of all Italy, is the annexation
he !habits and the Romagna' to this kingdom.
%nu it au*: be confessed the actual Sardinian
merriment is mach embarrassed by it. At Min
ti.una, 'ratio. and elsewhere, I hare frequented
the code-hoses, innr, casinos and other
r :c haulis, but nowhere have I heard
d wervient Total respecting itt all say
: "The annexation of Central Italy
• an atone saes the whoie of Italy, and it must be
ellested cost what it may. What do the ministers
wish ? That Frazee and Austria sLould consent to

it' This the two Emperors will never do, and they
win envie against it by all the had:rent means is
their power. They will not resort to open violence
pr but, even should they do so, Piedmont
remain intact Austria cameo! think of croft-
lag the Nlincio now." This is bow all Italians
speak. nor 111 the Sardinian government inse•sibis to
the exerssed wish of the nation. But the bauble
attitude it has taken up, owing partly to force.
partly to its deference towards France, keeps it in s
state of oscillation and ateertainty. My informs-
tion is, I Wort*, of a nature to warrant nee in de
cluing to you that no behest has yet ban imaged
from the Tuileries, no express or formal imam been
uttered against the annexation, as there • will
there to appear to he true to the principle
that ths Datumsl malt n.).. be coerced
or thwarted by any armed intervention.

Notwithstanding this, it is certain that the
French cabinet neglects no indirect mode of
deterring Piedmont from the project of annexation.
Some time ago it informed the ministers of Victor
Emmanuel that Austria had penetrated their design
of 'ending to Centel Italy Primes Eugene of Savoy
with the title of regent, that she would pose the
Mincio if they did, and had declared she woalds in
which case France would make no opposition, seeing
that Austria would have the right on her side. At
Zurich there was another threat of a different kind.
The French plenipotentiaries, who had at first sup-
ported the opposition of the Sardinian plenipoten-
tiaries, began to fall off, and at this moment, in addi-
tion to Austria's fresh and strange pretexts for sad-
dling Lombardy with debt, they pat forward the
proposition of having the question decided by a
third power. Now, the Sardinian government has,
I have reason to believe, refused to accept it.
The arts of French diplomacy are not to be baulked,
however, by a plain refusal. The rumour published
in England some short time back that Napoleon
wanted to be paid for the expenses of the war,
although denied by the French journals, is not with-
out foundation. I make this amortime with confide:me,
relying no the accuracy of say intelligeoes, which is
of no ordinary kind. Is the secret treaty of a de-
feneive alliance contracted between Franco and Sar-
dinia some months before the breaking oat of the
late war, it was formally stipulated that the latter
power should repay to the former all expos es in.
curved by the military expedition. Bat then it was
also stipulated that in ems of common victory and
conquest over Austria Prance would not oppose the
formation of a Subalpise kingdom containing sleet
12 millions of subjects. After the signing of peeli-
micaries at Villafranca, the Emperor himealfdedered
to Count Caveat that since eircumstanses bed set
permitted the fulfilment of the original programme,
and that Piedmont would be deprived both ed
Venice and the two Dechies, the French government
would not enforce the repayment of the war ex-
penses. But sow the 'object has been brought op
for the special msrpose of preventing the annexation
of Central Italy. France hopes her meaning will be
well understood by Sardinia, who she expects will
say to her, " I renounce the annexation if you will
abandon your claim for the war expenses." There
can be no doubt that this claim, though not unjust
is itself, is very ungenerous, and from its unfairness
will be disapproved by public opinion in France. A
sad condition this into which poor Piedmont has
fallen—that she mast pay both friends and foes
and that, having already contracted a grievous debt
in order to defray the cost of her own efforts,
for the great cause of Italian independence, she
should be bowed down by new demands. England
and France ought not to forget that Piedmont
hastened to be their ally in the Crimean war, and
cheerfully bore the financial burden.
At this moment I am reading the announcement
that pesos has been concluded, that Lombardy bee
been ceded to France, and that France will hand it
over to Piedmont. Everything else remains in sus-
pense, and every day the nation feel. more and more
puzzled. If this peace should be signed, I feel
certain that the moral pressure of public opinion
will be exerted much more strenuously against the
present ministry, and will urge it on to display
greater resolution in this affair of Central Italy. I
shall not leave Turin until I have made you fully
acquainted with what has been or is to be done for
securing the welfare of those most interesting coun-
tries. Both the people and the government here
are anxiously tuning their eyes to England,
and place their faith in Lord John Rus-
sell's policy. They are shortly about to coin.
mesa the railway that is to run along the
Mediterranean coast from Vero to Genoa, thence to
Leghorn, was to join other branches communicating
with the railways of Central Italy. The company
that has undertaken the line is provided with ample
capital, and in two months will pay down a deposit
of five millions of francs. The line is to be completed
in six years. They are trying to manage it so that
Pioneer r. shall be on the one side united with the
lines, which, passing near Bologna, will traverse the
duchies of Modena and Parma, and on the other side
, with the line already flaished, which connects the
Duchies with Piedmont. When this short interme-
diate branch is completed, the journey from Bologna
to Turin will be made in eleven hours

The Opinions of Turin thus summarily calculates
the eat of the late war to Piedmont. The debt
which the latter has consented to accept is 260 mil-
lions of francs; sum to be reimbursed to France, 60
millions; expenses of the war, about 130 millions;
fortifLations to be raised for the defence of the
country, 60 millions. Total, 600 millions of franc&

. • , . .. .....
A communication from Twin states that • power-
fal company, headed by the Duke de Vallombrosa,
and including several English residents in Piedmont,
is about to be formed in Sardinia for the improvement
and coloalatios of the islasid.