The Express.
London, England, 1861-06-06 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 6, 1861.

COUNT CAVOUR.

Count Camillo Benno di Cavour was born at Turin
on the 10th August, 1810. A sister of the Emperor
Napoleon, the Princess Maria Pauline Borghese,
stood sponsor for him at his baptism. As the se-
cond son of an ancient aristocratic family, his father
destined him, according to Italian usage, to the mili-
tary career ; for which the boy was trained, although
against his own inclination, in the Royal Military
Academy at Turin. By his diligence, his quick
intellect, and his fine aristocratic, uuconstrained
bearing, he at once attracted the attention of the
superiors of this institution, who recommended
him to the court of Charles Felix as a page.
But even in these early days Count Camillo
manifested such independence of character
and such freedom of speech, that, after a short
period of probation, he was pronounced at
court unfit for the post, and, to his great satis-
faction, received his dismissal from the office.
The anger of his family the young cadet strove to
forget amidst his diligent studies, which were
especially devoted to history, ethnography, litera-
ture, and mathematics. When not yet twenty,
Count Camillo quitted the Military Academy with
the rank of a lieutenant of engineers, without,
however, allowing himself to be diverted
from his favourite studies by the greater
liberty which he now enjoyed. The young
count then resolved on a voyage to London,
although in opposition to the predominant
wishes and views of his father and his family.
This visit to the metropolis of the world was pro-
longed to a stay of many years. Everything here
contributed to his becoming captivated with English
manners and English political life. By the states-
men and parliamentary notabilities of this country,
Count Cavour was greatly respected, on account of
his extensive information, and many of these men
honoured him with their more intimate friendship.
Enriched with knowledge and experience, and
matured in his political views, Count Cavour
returned to Turin in 1842 from his voluntary
exile. In conjunction with his friend, the
well-known Count Cesare Balbo, Count Cavour
established a first-class political daily newspaper,
IL Bisorgimento. Count Santa Rosa also, and the
Chevalier Carlo Buoncompagni, joined it as cella-
borakurs. In spite of the aristocratic names of
its founders, this journal became, under Cavour's
guidance and diligent co-operation, one of the
most influential organs of the middle classes.
During the stormy period which followed the
cession of the constitution by the King, Count
Cavour redoubled his exertions. Both as a jour-
nalist and as a member of the Chamber of Deputies
—for the first electoral college of Turin chose him
as their representative in the popular assembly,
the electoral law of which he had sketched
out at the request of the new government—
he resisted the ultra-democratic party. It was
mainly owing to his endeavours that the
chamber voted the Treaty of Novara without en-
tering into any painful and exciting debates. From
this time forward no important question was dis-
cussed in which the influence of Count Cavour did
not turn the scale. He laid the foundation of his
subsequent popularity principally by his speech of
the 7tia of March, in favour of the Siocardi Bill for
the abolition of clerical jurisdiction.
On the 2nd of July, 1860. Count Cavour deli-
, vered the speech which led to his joining the
ministry. The occasion was afforded him by the
loan bill of the Finance Minister Nigra, con-
cerning the issue of state securities for 240,0001.
Count Cavour bad hardly become firmly estab-
lished in the cabinet, when the activity of the
government received a fresh impulse in every
department. Although the branches of admi-
nistration which fell to his share at the outset
exerted, strictly speaking, but a limited influence,
he, nevertheless, at once turned his attention to
the most important home and foreign concerns,
and stirred up his colleagues to set on foot a
series of reforms, which required carrying out
forthwith, if it were wished to remove the glaring
contradictions which existed between the ad-
ministrative and legislative systems, and the
spirit and even the letter of the constitution.
During the prorogation of the parliament, from
July to November, 1862, Count Cavour travelled
to France and England, in both which countries
the Piedmontese statesman was honoured with
important tributes of respect. At Paris, as well as
at London, the ex-minister, for he had ceased to
hold office, met with such a distinguished recep-
tion, as proved that he was recognised as Sardinia's
" coming man." In 1862, the King resolved to
summon Count Cavour a second time to his aid,
and commissioned him (this time without imposing
conditions on him) to form a cabinet. In the
course of a few days, on the 4th of November,
1862, the new administration wan constituted.

Soon after the beginning of the Oriental war,
Lord Clarendon addressed himself to Count Cavour,
at first in confidence, and then officially, to in-
duce him to consent to Sardinia's adhesion to
the treaty of the 10th of April, 1854. In December,
1854, Count Cavour entered into official negotia-
tions with the cabinets of Loudon and Paris, but
not until ho had previously ascertained the
sen-
timents of the Sardinian army. AU the superior
Alma assured the Premier that the army was
eager to take its place by the aide of the veterans
of England and France? but upon this condition,
that the Sardinian Auxiliary Corps should be led
by a commander belonging to their own nation,
and should take part in the conflict as the
allies, and not as the mercenaries, of the
Western Powers. With this understanding the
treaty of alliance between Piedmont on the one
part, and France and England on the other,
was concluded on the 26th of January, 1855.
In April, 1855, in consequence of the opposition
offered by the bishops to the law for the
dissolution of convents, the entire ministry
tendered its resignation, since it was resolved
not to enter into fresh negotiations with the
Papal See. This occurred at the very time
when the Sardinian Expedition Corps was Pre-
to set sail for the Crimea. Placed thus iu
ifficulty, the king charged General Durando with
the formation of a new cabinet ; but the steps
which he took led to nothing, so that on the 31st
of May, 1866, Count Cavour was again definitively
entrusted with the helm of the state.

The star of Count Cavour now began to culminate
in all its glory. In all parts of Italy the patriots
and friends of constitutionalism inscribed his name
ou their standards, and turned towards him and
Piedmont looks full of hope. With not less liberal ho-
nours and demonstrations of respect was he received
abroad, when in November,lB6s, he accompanied the
king on his visit to the courts of Paris and London.
It was on this occasion that the Sardinian premier
discussed preliminarily, with the ministers of Eng •
land and France, the questions which occupied the
memorable session of the Paris Congress on the Bth of
April, 1866. Of the transactions in cougreason the Bth
of April, and his own share in them, Count Cavour
gave a report in the excited sittings of the Pied-
mutes. Chamber of the Bth and 7th of May,
1888, which was listened to with a de-
gree of breathless attention never exceeded
in a popular representative assembly. Almost
a year bad passed since the Paris Con-
gress, and the government of King Victor Em-
manuel was zealously occupied with the internal
affairs of the country, when unexpected occurrences
impaired anew its relations with Austria, and in
the end brought about a complete diplomatic breach
between Turin and Vienna. Whilst the Montene-
gro affair, the question of the navigation of the
Danube, and afterwards that of the constitution of
the Danubian Principalities, and the Serviatt move-
ments, tended continually to widen the separation
and the chasm between Austria and France; all
these controversies, in which Sardinia as a partici-
pator in the Paris Peace Congress had a voice,
proved so many means of allying the policy of
Napoleon 111. with the interests of the Turin
cabinet. It is probable, that as early as about the
middle of the year 1868, on occasion of a meet-
ing at the baths of Plombibres, binding engage-
ments were entered into between the Emperor
Napoleon and Count Cavour, having reference to a
common policy and course of proceeding towards
Austria. But Russia also, which could not forgive
Austria her hostile attitude, which had proved so