The Sun.
London, England, 1849-10-16 00:00:00

FRANCE.

During the course of the sitting of the Legislative
Assembly on Friday, M. Thiers ascended the tribune
to read the report of the committee .to which the
bills relative to the credits demanded for the main-
tenance of the French army in Rome had been
referred. M: Thiers said, that the Government had
acted wisely in submitting to the Assembly, at the
resumption of its labours, a series of projects of
law, which would afford it an opportunity of giving
an explanation to the country on that important
question. No serious discussion had arisen in the corn
mittee on the required credits. It approved of the use
made of them, and of the economy observed in their
outlay. The political question alone had occupied
the attention of the committee, and it had maturely
inquired into the consequences of the expedition, and
whether they were honourable and conformable to its
original object. Three years ago, when the noble-
minded Pontiff gave the signal of reform, all the well-
wishers of liberty and of Italy hoped that the people
would be satisfied with prudent reforms, and not com-
promise by excesses the cause of liberty. They ex-
pected the less advanced would confine themselves to
demand municipal institutions, and that the more
civilized would not exceed the limits of constitu-
tional monarchy. Unfortunately, the faction who
at one moment were masters of Europe,
from Naples to Berlin, plunged Italy into an
abyss. Everywhere they excited the people to
claim institutions which were not in accord with
their civilization and wants, and turned against their
respective Governments the arms they should have
united against their common enemy. They, more-
over, forced them to undertake an inopportune war,
the result of which was, that Austria, after driving the
Sardinian army from Lombardy, entered Piedmont,
and would have overrun all the peninsula. The fac-
tions of Rome afforded her too plausible a pretext to
invade the Papal States. It WAS under those circum-
stances that the French expedition to Rome was re-
solved upon. After her victory of Novarra, Austria
could dispose of all her forces against Rome. The
Catholic Powers became alarmed, and conferences
were opened at Gaeta, at which it was de-
cided that they should unite in restoring Pope
Pius IX. France naturally thought that she could
not allow Austria to dominate morally and physically
in Italy. Two: means offered themselves to prevent
it—war, or the occupation of Rome by a French army.
M. Theirs then contended that the expedition was
enjoined, first, by the interest of France ; secondly,
by the interest of Christianity; and, thirdly, that of
Italian liberty. It was the interest of France that
Austria should not be omnipotent in Italy. The
interest of Christianity required that the Pope should
be independent, and the conduct of France had
sufficiently proved that the liberty of Italy had
nothing to apprehend from her intervention. He
then examined the question whether the con-
stitution had been violated. It provided—.
" France respects foreign nationalities, as it
intends making its own respected. She under•
takes no war from views of conquest, and never
employs her forces against the liberty of any nation."
Had France, he asked, gone to Italy to suppress Italian
liberty and that of the Romans in particular ? Facts
spoke loud enough to render the reply easy, and to
prove that the Constitution was neither violated in its
text nor spirit. After the services rendered the Pope
by the French army, France had a right to entreat the
Holy Father to adopt means calculated to satisfy
his people, and recommend him to achieve such
reforms as would reconcile the Romans with the
Pontifical sovereignty. France had found the
Pope as generous and as liberal as he was in
1847; but circumstances had changed, and the use
made by the anarchists of . what they termed
liberty created innumerable difficulties. Pius IX.
nevertheless, acquiesced in the wishes of France, and
published a proprio motu, in which he granted his
subjects the liberties for which he considered them
fitted. That act was maturely examined by the