The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-12 00:00:00

VENETIA.

A letter from Venioe hue the following The
French and Italian legitiatista assiduously frequent the
salons of the CavaLi Palace, which, however, remain dull
and mournful eincte the mysterious deaths of Don Fernando
and the Count and Countess de Montemolin. The situation
of Venetia becomes more desolate. More than famine, more
than the want of good government, and very often of the
ordinary administration of justice ; more than the annoy-
maces of a prolonged and crushing military occupation and
the ignorant suspicions of an intriguing police, is the uncer-
tainty by which all minds are poisoned. Are we on the
eve of a crisis? is the question everywhere asked. A speedy
rummer is indispensable. We do not want a compromise
with the enemy, but we do hope not to be worn out by ex-
haustion before the arrival of our liberators."

THE FRENCH BLUE BOOL

CARDINAL ANTONELLI AND IL DE ORANNONT.

Amongst the papers contained in the diplomatic
blue book just laid before the French Chambers, is one
giving an aoconut by M. de Grammont of a conversation
with Cardinal Antonelli relative to a proposal of the French
government in March last that the Pope retain the suze-
rainty of the provinces detached from his dominions,
and that their government be made over to Victor Em.
manuel as lay vicar of his Holiness.

" The cardinal observed (says Y. de Grammont) that in
the eyes of the Holy Father there existed no difference
between the loss of these provinces by annexation and their
loss tempered by a vicariate. It was • spoliation founded
upon rebellion. The Pope was not free to abdicate hie
rights for an unjust cause. The territorial cessions stipu-
lardreeelmthe treaty of Tolentino had been instanced as
t;a but the circumstances were widely dif-
ferent. The Pope had waged war; he had been
defeated ; he suffered the consequences of defeat, and
his conscience could not blame him for what he had done.
He had ceded some of his provinces by treaty, just like the
Emperor had ceded Lombardy, after having lost it by the
fortune of war.

"But, H. Le Cardinal, I then observed, it would thus
reethat if the King of Sardinia had made war against
l4e, and taken the Legations, his Holiness would be
allowed by his conscience to cede them to him by treaty?
" The Cardinal—lt would be requisite that the war should
be legitimate.
"H. de Gramrnont—You have just said that the Em-
peror Francis Joseph was at liberty to cede Lombardy by
treaty, having previously lost it by the fortune of war ; you
do not question the justice of that war on the part of
France and her ally, whose territory Austria had invaded;
you ought, therefore, to accept the events which have taken
place in Italy, and which are the consequence of that war.
The fact is, this is not a question of principles ; the pre-
sent state of things in Central Italy is the result of war, and
as such it is included in the category you have jnst defined,
as leaving his Holiness's conscience sufficiently free to treat
and negotiate about what be has lost, so as to diminish his
losses as far as possible.
"The Cardinal—We do not look at things from the same
point of view. According to us it is a question of principle,
enhanced by the duty which devolves upon the Holy Father
not to recognise governments which support their reforming
and revolutionary works even upon the Protestant propa-
ganda, as we have proofs. The question is a mixed one—it
is both political and religious. 1 once and again repeat it,
the Pope will never consent to a comproinise.
"M. de Grammont— Has your Eminence discovered any
solution reconcilable with this inflexibility on the part of
your government?
"The Cardinal—Yes. We require neither the interven.
Lion of France nor the intervention of Austria ; we require
the provinces of the Holy See to be evacuated by the troops
of the League—let the Piedmonkee and foreign soldier',
officem, and employh withdraw ; let Piedmont withdraw
its muskets, its artillery, its money, and let ma be left to
deal with the provisoes in the same condition as they were
when the Austrians took their departure. We require that
the Pope should not be prevented from appealing to the
catholic powers, excepting France and Austria, for a con-
tingent, and we will undertake to restore the papal autho.
city throughout the revolted territory.
M. de Gmmrnont —But how will you bring. about the
re.eitablishment of the state of things which existed at the
time of the departure of the Austrians ?
" The Cardinal—The moral influence of France can do it.
The Emperor has only to say that he wishes it and it will
be done.

" Id. de Gramment—You are, M. le Cardinal, profoundly
mistaken on that point. Yon forget that the Emperor has
more than once measured the extent of his moral ascendancy
over three populations, and the thing is so evident that you
must excuse me for saying that I cannot believe that you are
convinced of the truth of what you say. As to the contin-
gent of the catholic powers, you are making the experiment,
and we both know its present results, and its future pros-
pects. Thus your solution is impracticable, and it is on a
basis equally unsound and futile (childish) that
you ground your system of absolute resistance. Permit
me to say that I see only one waref_aerounting for it. I
begin to fancy that you wish for a cataclysm. You cannot
shut your eyes to evidence ; you see the movement that
hems you in. You know that the revolt of Umbria and the
Marches in imminent ; you are ►ware of the dangers which
menace the kingdom of Naples, and when a compendia
might avert the storm, save the remainder of the Papal
Metal, save Naples which you are mercilessly sacrificing,
save Italy, perhaps, from a general convulsion, you refuse
all arrangements, and provoke the tempest as though you
speculated on the fragments of the wreck."
The cardinal replied that so far from such being his idea,
the Papal government was exhausting its resources to pre-
pare an energetic defence. de Gramtnont retorted that
that resistance would be ineffectual. The cardinal replied
that his government had made up their minds, and would
yield nothing, and the conversation closed.