Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-02-17 00:00:00

THE PEACE OR WAR QUESTION,

The Independence Belge thus sums up the
rumours of the. day :—" A reunion of the Confer-
ence of Paris ought to take place shortly, for the
purpose of examining the modifications introduced
into the regulations of the Danabian traffic, even
if it were not necessary for the solution of the
difficulties that have arisen in consequence
of the election of .Couza for both Moldavia and
Wallachia. • Those who hope. for peace' look with
much pleasure upon this necessity, thinking that it
will be impossible for the plenipotentiaries to meet
without occupying themselves with the questions in
which Europe is at present so deeply interested.
The-precedents established by Vie .Congress
Paris doubtless give ground for this opinion, but
there is reason to believe that in spite of these
precedents, against which, •by the way, she has
acted on other occasions as well, Austria will
formally oppose the idea of the Conference enter-
ing even indirectly into the discussion •of those
questions which would in reality be the principal
motive for re-uniting it. Again, is it absolutely
certain that if the Italian question were brought
before a conference to-day, the discussion would
necessarily lead to a pacific solution of the
difficulty ? We think the reverse might be
feared. In the present position of affairs, and
when the differences in the sentiments of those
Powers that would be directly engaged in the dis-
cussion are so great, the most likely result of a
debate would be to widen the breach, instead of
tending to a settlement. It is said that the French
Government are preparing a memorandum, in
which its grievances against Austria will be dis-
_

tinctly set out, and the conclusions drawn from
them very concise. It will dwell upon the dangers
of the present situation, and while laying great
stress upon the declaration in the Emperor's recent
speech, that France wishes for peace, will frankly
admit that she does not fear war. In the
meantime military preparations are going on,
and the War Department is necessarily occupied
with collecting stores in the south. It is
asserted that General MacMahon has received
orders to have a second division in readiness to
follow that of General Renault, which has been
recalled to France, and to be prepared for embar-
kation at a moment's notice. We have already
made public the reply of the Turin Cabinet to the
despatch of the English Government, warning it
of the dangers of an aggressive policy, and it is
known that a despatch of a similar tone was
addressed at the same time to Vienna, by the chief
of the Foreign Office. The Gazette de Cologne
makes an announcement, to • the effect that
Count Buol has replied by a despatch, in which he
declares that Austria is ready, at the request of
France, to withdraw from the Legations all her
troops which exceed the number fixed by treaty
for the garrisons. One of our correspondents has
already informed us that an Austrian despatch,
couched in these terms, had been received in Lon-
don, and immediately communicated to the French
Government. The Gazette de Cologne also assures
us that the same declaration was made by. Count
Buol on the 9th to the Prussian Government, and
was accompanied with a request it might be
brought to the knowledge of Count Walewski.
Confirmation has been received of the news brought
from Vienna by the telegraph, by which we
learned that tranquilising assurances had been
transmitted from Berlin to Austria, referring to
the events that might compromise the common
interests of Germany. Our correspondence adds that
similar assurances have been given by the other
German States, and that the presence of the Duke
of Saxe Altenburg in Vienna is not the result of
chance. " The Gazette de St. Petersburg says that
the statements made with regard to the military
movements of Russia are purely fictitious."

AUSTRIAN OPINIONS.
VIENNA, Feb. 13

The Viennese are labouring under a severe
attack of despondency, and appear to be impressed
with the conviction that war is inevitable. If told
that the crisis is almost over, they reply that Napo-
leon wishes to pick a quarrel with Austria, and will
not fail to find a pretext for breaking the peace. The
policy of the Emperor of the French is so tortuous,
so incommensurable, that it is impossible to foretell
what he will or will not do a few weeks hence ; but
as things now stand the chances are in favour of
peace. A short time ago the attitude of Austria,
was provocative, inasmuch as she positively, re-
fused to evacuate the Legations unless desired to
do so by the Papal government—but at present
her policy is conciliatory. It is not likely that
she will consent to refer the Italian question or
questions to an European Congress, but she will
neither refuse to withdraw her troops from the
Papal States within a given period, nor will
she decline to employ her influence at Rome
in order to bring about administrative reforms.
Diplomatic secrets are nowhere better kept than
in Austria, but still it has transpired that
this government has expressed its desire to
come to an amicable understanding with the
French Cabinet in regard to Rome (the Papal
States). The continued silence of Prussia gives
extreme annoyance to Austrian politicians, but in
my opinion it is well for Europe that the Berlin
Cabinet displays so much reserve. If Austria
could positively calculate on the active
support of Prussia, she would hardly fail to
take some step which would lead to a collision
between herself and Sardinia, and in all
probability to a prolonged European war.
The charge which has been brought against
Austria, of being presumptuous when in prospe-
rity-, is well founded, and the " hang-fire " policy
of Prussia must, therefore, be considered a kind
of guarantee for the maintenance of peace. Fears
have been expressed that Austria will attack Sar-
dinia, but I know on good authority that the army
in Lombardy has received strict orders to act
simply on the defensive. In fact the troops which
were not long ago pushed forward to the Ticino
have been withdrawn, and the front of the army is
now turned more to the south (to the Po) than the
west (to the Ticino). During the last day or two
it has been rumoured that revolutionary proclama-
tions have been found in the possession of a corporal
" in a regiment of hussars quartered in Brescia,"
and yesterday it was stated that the regiment
had " as one man" refused to put into execution
the sentence of death passed by a court-martial.. The
story is false from beginning to end. There are no
hussars quartered at Brescia, or in the neighbour-
hood of that city. Not long ago it was related that
some Hungarian regiments had been transferred
from Lombardy to the German provinces of
Austria, " because it was doubted whether they
could be depended on," but the report, like very
many others of a similar description, was un-
founded. The truth of the matter is, that two or
three of the officers of " Haller " hussars, who
were on friendly terms with some Italian
nobles residing at Pavia, were desired to
break off the connection. The Wanderer and
the Presse have received official " warnings" for
copying from a Turin paper an offensive pun rela-
tive to the alliance between the house of Savoy and
the family of Napoleon. Very many copies of
Laguerromere's pamphlet have been sent to in-
fluential individuals residing at Mayenee, and it
is worthy of mention that the covers of the pamph-
lets have on them the seal of the French
Minister for Foreign Affairs. The lucubrations
of the French publicist find no favour here, but
still some few grains of wheat are to be found in
the Chaff. Yesterday evening Baron von der
yfortden informed‘the Bavarian Chamber that the
States belonging to the Zollverien had not resolved
to prohibit the export of horses. The Minis-
ter added, " that in eensecinenee of the NO*

' declarations of the great. Powers, the danger of
a war, which would find the whole of Germany
united, was no _longer so, imminent." Baron
Lerchenfeld, who made the motion relative to the
prohibition• of. the export of horses, observed that
very many horses were bought up in the south of
Bavaria. On the Bth inst., the United Chambers
• of Nassau unanimously proposed that the Ducal
Government should petition the German Diet
to prohibit the export of horses and munitions
of war from the Federal territory. In 1822 M.
Genz, a political writer of great ability, who
was long in the employment of Prince Metter-;
nich, published an essay,..with the title,. Could
the Allied . Powers have made one realm out of
the ~Italian States in 1815 .?" The essay, which
was generally considered a chef d'ceuvre, contained
the following remarkable passage, which will.
doubtless be new for the majority of your readers :
—" If Napoleon ever seriously thought offorming
Italy into one State under a. new dynasty, the
measures which he took were not of a nature to
further his plan. _Out of the possessions of the
House of Austria, and some few, fragments of
conterminous territories, he formed a kingdom,
which was governed in his name. Piedmont,
Parma and the ancient Republic of Genoa were
declared integral parts of the French territory, and
Tuscany, Lucca, were given by Napoleon
as presents to his relatives. Tfre Papal domains
were transformed into a French province, and the
Kingdom of Naples was first given by Napoleon,
as an independent State, to his brother, and then
to one of his vassals. It was not Napoleon's policy, ,
and probably it was not in his power, to make a
whole out of such heterogeneous elements. Instead
of preparing the Italian races for the realisation
of such a plan, he took pleasure in keeping alive
the ancient jealousy, the ancient hatred, between
the Lombards, Piedmontese, Florentines, Romans,
and Neapolitans."
The Wiener Zeituny states that 1,000 guns of the
largest calibre are to be cast at Mariazell,

in -Styria, in the course of this year. The
Oestei.reichische Correspondehz, in an Official
article, says that the military measures which have
been taken in the Lombardo-Venetian kingdom
are of a strictly defensive nature :—" Prepared
to prevent the realisation of the revolutionary
plans directed against her territorial posses-
sions, Austria will not cease to respect the
independance of her neighbour. The Austrian
government, whicl. will never permit the rights
of its Sovereign to be infringed on, fully
reeognises the rights of other States to arrange
their forms of government according to their
real or supposed necessities, and trusts that
they may ensure everlasting welfare of the
people:"