The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-07 00:00:00

THE KINGDOM OP ITALY.

A letter from Genoa, dated Feb. 1, sage :—"De-
cidedly the habit lately indulged in by the French
and Italian Parliaments of talking at each other,
might lead to serious camplications were it not that
Italian reeentment must needs be smothered by a
feeling of the great debt under which the events of
11859 placed them, and also by the consciousness of
their embarrassed and helpless situation. The
Address of the French Senate could not have been
couched in a language more studiously calculated
to wound Italian feelings and injure Italian inte-
reste. If France only said that, as a Catholic
Power, she actually and absolutely engages to
secure and perpetuate the temporal power of the
Pope at Rome, and if she insisted, with the knife
at her neighbour's throat, that Italy must fall in
with her vie wa and accept her terms, no doubt she
would carry her point, and she would only be guilty
of inconsistency with her previous conduct, and of
wanton, unprovoked violence. But in her cold,
plausible, half doctrinaire, half sarcastic
spirit,
France chooses to sneer at those she opposes in their
most natural and legitimate aspirations. The Ad-
dress affirms that 'at Turin Rome is no longer
spoken of,' and the Minister, M. Billault, observes
' that the non possunius which hampered France at
Rome now meets her at Turin.' Surely neither the
Minister nor the framer of the Address earnestly
meant what they said. Not only has the subject
of Rome been dropped at Turin, but the attempt of
the Deputy Cairoli to start a discussion on the sub-
ject the ot'eer day was met with impatient cries for
the ' order of the day.' The Italians, however, think
of Rome the more the less they talk of it; and if the
Farini Cabinet wisely declined to make any propo-
sals, or to carry on unprofitable negotiation on the
subject, it was precisely because they knew that
nothing would be more embarrassing for France
than to make the next step ; it was precisely this
embarrassment which soured the men at the head of
the French Government, and called forth those out-
bursts'of French insolence which the long-suffering
behaviour of Italy had certainly not deserved. It is
impossible to say on what ground the French rest
their charge that the non possumus of the Italians
baffles their endeavours to solve the Roman ques-
tion. The Italians have proclaimed Rome as their
capital; but they have not gone one step further
towards gaining possession of it. The Pope and
his French protectors could well afford to ignore
the resolution of the Turin Parliament. So far as
Italy is concerned, there is nothing to prevent Pius
IX. coming to a satisfactory arrangement with his
subjects, nothing to prevent the French per-
suading or compelling His Holiness to do
so. The quarrel lies not between the Pope
and the
.Italians, but between the Pope and the
Romans, and the non possums which so nettles and
plagues French statesmen arises from the fact that
they, in violation of all principles of non-interven-
tion, tread upon the neck of a people—of a portion
of that people whom they three years ago called
upon to be men and freemen. The religious feeling
of France may entitle her to mete out with different
measures the fate of the Romans and that of the
Mexicans. The French may, if they choose,
strengthen themselves atßome and abide there to all
eternity. But why they should lash themselves into
a fury to have a pretext to quarrel with the Italians,
who are, after all, only guilty of silence, of an ob-
servant, expectant policy, is more than any man in
this country has power to conceive. After all, the
, . .

only act by which Italy may have incurred the dis-

1 pleasure of France was the Parliamentary vote by
which two years ago Rome was chosen as. the seat
of government. One could understand France if,
sword in hand, she would venture to bid the Italian
representatives to rescind that vote; but there
seems, indeed, to be little sense in quarrelling with
them simply because they paused after that first
declaration, and are now doing nothing to reveal an
intention on their part to act up to it. They are
doing nothing, be it understood, partly because
there is at present nothing that they can do, and
because their inaction is precisely that condact
which can best puzzle and nonplus French states-

men End drive them to those fits of powerless ill-
temper of which they give even now such a pitiful
exhibition.

According to an interesting recent semi-official
publication, the Italian available navy at the
present day only consists of two iron-plated cor-
vettes of 40 guns ; of a ship of the line of the third
class an of 64 guns; of saven frigates of the first
class, 342 guns; of one frigate, second class, 36
guns ; and three corvettes, 52 guns ;—altogether 14
vessels, with 534 guns—not reckoning, of course, the

sailing vessels nor even the paddle-wheel steamers.

The author thinks that neither England nor France

ever exceeded, in the Mediterranean, a force equiva-
lent to 14 ships of the line and as many great screw
frigates of the present time, or altogether a fleet of 28

vessels, armed with about 1,100 guns. He contends
that Italy, in the only sea which she may call her

own, ought to muster a force at least not inferior to

either of the two great Powers. Italy, according to
the author of this pamphlet, spends for her navy,
74,000,000 f. yearly. The French expenditure for
the same service does not exceed 143,000,000 f.
The Italian navy costs more than half that of
the French, and, in its present condition, boasts

hardly as much as one-third of its strength. The
want of great reforms both in the present organiza-

tion and in the whole administration of the naval
department is sorely felt in high quarters ; and it
is understood that Government will first promote a

Parliamentary inquiry on the subject, then propose
the foundation of a permanent maritime council,
somewhat on the footing of the English Board
of Admiralty.

TURIN, FEB. 5.
In to-day's sitting
of the Chamber of Deputies
Signor Miceli put a question to the Ministry in re-
ference to the dissolution of a political club at
Palermo. The Minister of the Interior replied that
the judicial authorities had opened an inquiry into
the matter. The Minister also said he reserved the
statement of his own views on the subject until the
bill on political associations had been discussed
He considered that in the meantime the circular of
Signor Rattazzi, relative to political societies, should
settle the question.
A Turin letter of the 3d, in the Debats Nays :
" The clauses of the treaty of commerce between
France and Italy have at last been made known to
the public. The following are the principal points :
—With respect to navigation,
Italy obtains for her
vessels the exemption from
goods sent direct from Italian ports to French; she
obtains also the right of coasting in the French
h
ports of the Mediterranean and Algeria. On the
oter hand, she concedes to France the right of
trading on all her coasts both in the Mediterranean
and
tAdriatic.antclseau's Wh respect to the.
in tariff, the
most
are'Kith
with reference to silk
tissues, oil, and sulphur. French silk staffs will
enter at the moderate duty
of 3f. per kilogramme..
The reduction will be
1868.
in made gradually, terminating
Velvets alone are excepted. This is a
concession to the industry of Genoa. The export
duty on oil, which was 9f. per quintal in Naples,
and 30e. only in Piedmont, is fixed at lf. France
reduces the import duty to 3f. This clause is
very advantageous to the Southern provinces.
Lastly, the export duty on sulphur is fixed at If.
the quintal. Italy, besides, obtains a reduction on
fruits, such as oranges, lemons, &c., and upon some
other second'ary articles. The Sardinian treaty
is maintained with respect to wines. This treaty
of commerce appears likely to be warmly criticised ;
some consider it as dangerous to the Italian silk
manufacture, w hile others look upon it as politically
inopportune. It will nevertheless be voted. The
sittings of the Chamber aro quite devoid of interest.
The Budget is being quietly discussed. On the sth
will be elected two Vice-Presidents, in the room of
MM. Minghetti, who has been appointed a Minister,
and Scutera, named President, and 'who had not
been replaced. MM. Cassinis and Lafarina will be
chosen by a common understanding. The selection
of these two persons is excellent, and the more so
Us it is made in a spirit of conciliation."

EXPORT OF COAL.--Return of the quantity of
coal exported from the port of Great Grimsby dur-
ing the month of January, 1863 :—To France, 3,618 tons;
to Hanseatic Towns, 2,485 tons; to Spain, 438 tons; to
Biazil, 198 tons; to Channel Islands, 194 tons—total
_foreign, 6,933 tons ; coastwise, 1,270 tons ;- grand total,
8,203 tons; corresponding month last year, total foreign,
5,812 tons; coastwise, 1,888 tons; grand total, 7,000 tons.
Increase, 1,203 tons,