Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-04-26 00:00:00

was so disposed—to enter • into an understanding to
guarantee Sardinia against all
_risk of _Austrian
invasion." Now Sardinia as not rCfrained from
interfering_ with Austrian—interests,- and -Austrian-
OligatioriW; and `eVen,if she had not transgressed
her own territories, yet she has. there, on their very
confines, kindled a flame which has become so
threatehing,' that Austria,, as a matter of national
safety,—nay, of self-preservation,—could no longer
stand quietly by, and riot make an active effort to
avert the threatened conflagration- within her own
dominions.
- But as to the policy of her Majesty's Government,
as to their past policy in the'-midst of so much that
was critical and perilous ; and as to the .assurance
there is 'With respect to their future policy, amidst
the difficulties and dangers of a European war. It,
is not by her Majesty's Ministers themselves alone
that, we have been told they. have directed the
linfluence of England diligently and judiciously on
'so difficult an occasion,.--that while their policy has
been one of non-intervention, they have yet used
every friendly . effort to adjust
,the
,dispute; and to
promote peace. "Lord• CLARLVIJON has within the
last few days declared,—" I must give my noble
friend credit for the manner in which he has, con-
ducted these difficult megociationS, . • and for the
efforts whiCh'-_he'_ has on' all occasions displayed to
preserve the peace of Europe." Lord PALMERSTON.
has said even more than this. "I am sure every-
body will agree," he has declared, " that her
Majesty's Government acted. -with a. perfect sense of
their duty, and_for the general. interest of Europe,-
in undertaking that informal mediation , between
France and Austria, to which the mission of Lord
Cowley to
.*Vienna related." And further, and as
embracing the whole course of their proceedings
upon that alarming dispute,—" I receive," said Lord
Palmerston, " and I am sure the House will receive,
with satisfaction the general outline which the right
hon. gentleman, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has
given of the present state of the negociations,-and
we can only fervently hope. that the•efforts of those
Powers who are endeavouring to smooth down
difficulties and to maintain the peace of Europe.may
be _crowned with the success which those endeavours
so eminently deserve." - - That this hope has not
been realized, detracts in 'no degree from the merit
thus awarded. And it certainly is most fortunate
that, amidst those dissensions and: discords, that
uproar and excitement, now prevailing among our-
selves, and which must be considered' as inseparable,
we suppose, from a General Election, there should
be such gratifying unanimity as' to the bearing of
the Government at so critical a conjuncture.
So much, then, for the past. • And as to the future,
we have had it very forcibly, and very satisfactorily
shadowed forth to us, we cannot but think, by the
Premier himself, when, so recently,
.he declared,—
" I think the time is closely approximating when
England should say, the period has gone by for
trifling, and the period has come when, having
exhausted all her friendly and disinterested offices—
when, having left no means untried which, in the
opinion- of Government and --with -the - approval of
Parliament, were calculated to. secure the panacea of
a permanent peace—England should, however re-
luctantly, withdraw from all interference in affairs
in which she no longer hopes that her interference
will be useful to the public interest, or consistent
with her • own 'dignity, and that she should then
reserve herself, as she has reserved herself up to this
moment, utter, absolute, and unabated freedom to
take such steps, and to pursue such policy, as a
principle of neutrality may suggest her to adopt."