The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-19 00:00:00

faselittli - ititb

LONDON, FRIDAY. MARCH 19, 1852.

The attention of her MAJESTY'S Government has
already, we are rejoiced to observe, been directed to
the outrages which occasionally bare to the light of
day the latent arrogance of Austria. Very recently,
it will be remembered, that an English gentleman
was struck with a naked sword, at noon, in the streets
of Florence by an Austrian officer at the head of his
regiment. Scarcely has the indignation provoked
by this atrocious outrage spread throughout these
islands before we are startle.l by the account of
another insult of a similar character, as having been
offered to a British subject, and what is yet worse,
to a British officer in the full uniform of the Royal
Marines, who was brutally cut down in the streets of
Leghorn by the Austrian authorities. Although
from the answer accorded lust evening to the inquiry
made upon this subject by the Honourable and Gal-
lant Member for Aiiiiakbtlit=a-iiiii-insisted upon by the
CHANCELLOR of the ExciutuEß
that the outrage
was by no means so roes as had been represented, the
victim being no one more important than a petty officer
of the Aletrinesr--,we cannot but think that, be the
subject of her Britannic MAJESTY in rags or in broad
cloth, in fustian or in scarlet, he should with equal
lZ
ofthe
solicitude be protected from the impertinence
despotic authorities on the Continent, by
custo-
dians of the national dignity, the statesmen entrusted
by the English Legislature with the responsibilities
of government. it is satiefeetory to observe,
that in consequence of the resolution and the
promptitude of the commanding officer of the
Firebrand, the assailant of the person already
alluded to, as having been cut down in the streets of
Leghorn, had been summarilyitnprisoned for a..period
of eight diylby way of expie,ion. It is gratifying,
we say, to observe this, although the individual in
question was, as it iniated, really no one more dis-
tinguialed than a petty officer in the Royal Marines.
Still more satisfactory will it be to the country at
large to remark that., the subject was not
allowed to drop immediately, even after
the partially welcome explanation of the
Right Honourable the CHANCELLOR, of the EXCHE
Quaa. Actuated by the same earnest sentiments of
patriotism which have caused his name to be re-
garded during the last quarter of a century with un-
deniable terror by-the minions of contiiental tyranny,
Lord Penetentsiore yesterday forced the outrage
perpetrated upon Mr. MATHER upon the consi-
deratien of the present. Government. Happily
the response vouclieefed to the Noble Lord
by the CHANCELLOR Of the ExcHEQUER was
somewhat more reesunable and agreeable than
that given to time inqUiries of the repre-
sentative of Armagh. " I am in a position,"
said the Right Hon. Gentleman, " to assure the
House that her MAJESTY'S Government have insisted
OD the Tuscan Government giving reparation—for
the Tuscan Government, being an independent Go-
vernmenr, is not in a condition to avail itself of the
excuse in the case of an outrage of this kind that
it was committed by the
Austrian authorities,
and we have therefore insisted upon I.eps-
- ration froin the Tuscan Government." One
circumstance, nevertheless, does certainly in this
matter appear to us cause for very serious dissatisfac-
tion. We allude to the valiant attitude assumed to-
'wards a minor power
like Tuscan3,—an attitude ab-
solutely blustering, when Contrasted with that assumed
kwards a supreme power such cs that of the Aus-
ea,
s I