Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-09-16 00:00:00

NOTES OF THE DAY.

It would be difficult to explain, just now, what are'
the particular benefits which the French Emperor has
rendered to Italy upon the whole. It is true, he has'
aimed a heavy blow and great discouragement at Aus-
trian influence throughout the Italian peninsula; slid'
he has excited a strong, and so far ungovernable, revo-*
lutionary feeling, which is upsetting everything and
settling nothing—nothing satisfactorily and with anY
stability at least. And yet so grateful are the Italians
for the small merciei that they have received at his
imperial hands, that we are told, " impelled by grati-
tude for the services the Emperor has rendered to Dab',
they are preparing to erect a monument to him in Pang'
as their benefactor." One thing cannot be denied--
that the rule of Austria must have become very obnox-
ious, since simply to have put it aside is thought deserving
by the Italians of so much grateful feeling as all this
undoubtedly displays.

1 •
One would hope the statement is not true, which
given in the last accounts of the conferences at Zurieb,
that the Sardinian and French plenipotentiaries have
demanded the restitution of certain sums of monei
which belonged to public institutions in Lombardy, but
which Austria is understood to have taken possession of•
The Austrian Government, it seems, does not deny itg
possession of it, but maintains that Lombardy was ceded
as it stood. It is easy to see that this may be made 3
matter of serious dispute ; and at a time when it is 5°
important that every obstacle, however petty, should be
removed out of the way, in order, that the great quo;
tion in dispute should be settled in an amicable and
satisfactory manner, it is much to be regretted that such
a point should have been raised at all. Much would
depend upon the character of the institutions to which'
the money belonged. .But if they were State Establish'
ments, and the money was to be regarded as belonging
to the Public Exchequer, it is quite possible that Austria
has been justified in taking it into its possession.
It is not often that a royal personage has been wit-
nessed making sticreditable an appearance in a scientiO
Association, as that which the Prince Consort made 3t
Aberdeen, the other night. As President of the
Association, his Royal Highness opened its anniversary
meeting in a manner which could not probably- hav:
been surpassed by any of the notabilities connected with
that Association,—we almost question, indeed, if there
be one of them who could have done it altogether s°
well. It is not only that the Prince has a warm apPre'
ciation of science, and a very general knowledge of pui-
losophical subjects, and mechanical operations ; but Ile.
possesses, in a remarkable degree, the readiness and
ability of giving expression to his sentiments, even ill
discoursing, as he did on this occasion, before a couiPanit
_ which must have included so many possessing the hieesd
attainments in science and art. The most graceful an.
the most gratifying of the several reasons which 1114
Royal Highness assigned for accepting the we t
.

which, as respects his own scientific pretensions, I'
considered he had so little claim, was that which 101
conveyed in the happy remark, that he saw in his
acceptance of it the means, of which necessarily few sr°
offered to her Majesty, of testifying to them, throne'
the instrumentality of her husband, that their labour;
are not unappreciated by their Sovereign, and that sllc
wished her people generally to know this, as well 116'
themselves. No wonder that such a declaration as tili4o,
should be received by such an assembly with a feet
of loyal enthusiasm. The Prince's deep sense of t"
objects and advantages of science have on former ocrA;
sions been most significantly shown ; but never node
such telling circumstances as on the present occasion.

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