The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-04 00:00:00

klienin4 *Mt

LONDON, TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 1

A very important explanation was elicited yester
day evening from the Lord President of the Council,
by a question put to the Noble Marquis by the Earl
of ABERDEEN. The question had particular refer.
once to the extraordinary events which are now
transpiring in the northern territories of the Italian
peninsula ; and, in interrogating Lord LANSDOWNE
upon the suhject, the late Secretary for Foreign
Affairs evinced a peculiarly conservative solicitude
that England should endeavour, by an untimely pro-
test, to hamper the movements of his Majesty of
SARDINIA. As if England was the advanced guard
of Austria! As if PALMERSTON was the beefeater
of METTERNIcit ! As if the Ministerial advisers of
Vlcroata. were to chop logic for the benefit of FER-
DINAND ! To any observer, whose mind was not
thoroughly obscured with the phantom of an obsolete
system of diplomacy, it must have been manifest that
the members of the Russell Administration sympathised
to the very uttermost with the reforming Princes of
Italy from the first moment the Lord Privy Seal left

our shores, as an unaccredited plenipotentiary to the
Court of that heroic peninsula. Not so with my
Lord ABERDEEN ! He could no more compre-
hend this fact than he could at one time conjecture
the geographical position of Bali. He, forsooth !
His sympathies were with the ghosts of the defunct
policies of NESSELRODE and NARBONNE. Very dif-
ferent, indeed, are the views and aspirations of his
successor, the Noble Viscount, the representative of
Tiverton. Those views are of a largeness commen-
surate with the character of the age, and those aspira-
tions are coloured by the sanguine temperament of a
hopeful and ambitious generation.
Instead of intermeddling in any clumsy or ineffi•
cient manner in the respective affairs of Turin and
Vienna, England has, through her Ministers, con-
tented herself with repeated recommendations to
Calm) ALBERTO that he would deem it advisable
to preserve a perfect neutrality in the convulsions of
the Lombardo-Venetian dominions. By this gene-
rous, and, as we may term it, emollient advice the
English Cabinet proceeded in a manner worthy of its
gigantic influence and of its conciliatory disposition
—it strove, by the language of its ambassadors, to
prevent any unnecessary effusion of blood, and to
preserve, as long as that was practicable, the tran-
quillity of the European continent. At the same
time, Lord PALMERSTON refrained, with the most
scrupulous care, from employing expressions such as
the most jealous could distort into words of intimida-
tion.

Meanwhile a variety of memorable occur-
rences took place in a hundred opposite directions.
The democracy of the Viennese had destroyed fur
ever the prestige of Austrian absohitism. Prince
METTERNICH was hurled from supreme power
into unutterable insignificance. The Hunga-
rians were already bestirring themselves along
the banks of the voluptuous Danube, and among the
fortified streets of Peterwaradin. A new cause for
anxiety was furnished by the revival of the spirit of
patriotism among the citizens of Poland. The ener-
gies of Schoenbrunn were districted moreover in
another quarter by the insurgent shouts which re-
sounded among the gorges of the Tyrol. It
became evident to the Lombardo-Venetians that
the doomed hour had struck, that that opportu-
nity for which they had yearned was within their
grasp, that Austria was too much paralysed by its
own internal and immediate disasters to resist them by
any formidable concentration of strength. The Lom-
bardo-Venetians rose like one man! Resurgamsl was
visible for years upon the escutcheon of their
nationality. And this was the day of their resurrec-
tion. Venice shook off in a few hours the thraldom
of the German, and arose once more in its re-
publican splendour and puissance amidst the billows
of the Adriatic. Milan fought the holy fight of
freedom within the circumference of her walls ; the
blood of her patriotic children stained the porch of
her cathedral ; Milan fought the holy fight, and con-
quered the myrmidons of the Viceroy. Lombardy
responded to the cries which accompanied these first
struggles against the mercenaries of despotism.
Everywhere the passion of revolution began to reveal
itself ; city rose after city ; contingent arrived after
contingent, to swell the main army of the insurgents.
One thing alone was necessary to render the valiant
Lombards victorious. That was the co-operation of
some adjacent power. CARLO ALBERTO recognised this
emergency from his Council Chamber at Turin. His
noble heart beat with emotion for his compatriots be-
yond the frontiers of Piedmont. He hesitated not for
an instant, but flung down his gauntlet at the feet of
the EMPEROR. That chivalrous movement was not
unworthy of ARMAND CARREL, of whom it has been
said—

" A wrong to conviction he would not endure,
And he fought for his love, when he fought for the
poor.''
Thirty thousand Piedmontese marched to the assist•
ante of the Lombards under the royal banner of
Sardinia, and of this proceeding Lord LANDSDOWNE
observed only last night in the House of Lords—
" There cannot be a doubt, from the state
of the Milanese territory, but that the King
of SARDINIA found himself justified in the
course he has taken in that part of the world
Since then, indeed, his example has been followed by
the Grand Duke of TUSCANY, whose troops have has-
tened to aid the population of Lombardy. Twelve
thousand men have marched from Rome with a
similar destination, under the command of General
DURAND°, and followed by the benedictions of the
l'oNTlrf. Beyond this, the last proclamation issued
by the Provisional Government of Milan testifies the
sublime spirit of the insurrection. The proclamation
is addressed to the inhabitants of Lodi and Cremona,
And says, among other things, " Everything tends to
favour our designs. The Archbishop of MILAN has
given his blessing to the barricades; justice and reli-
gion are with us. Piedmontese are on our territory.
By the union of their force with our own, it will be
easy to drive the great enemy of Italy beyond the
Alps. Let your cry be ' Long live Italy!" Long
live Pius IX. !"The miracle of our deliverance can
only be the work of GOD. Salutation and frater-

Ility." Such is the disposition of the reviving na•
tionality of the Italians—a nationality which is visible
to the whole world, but which is incomprehensible to
my Lord ABERDEEN.

The strong and universal anxiety now existing
with respect to the threatening aspect of affairs in
Ireland induced Lord JOCELYN last night to question
the Government on the subject, and elicited from
Lord Jons Russeee a reply to that interrogation.
Lord JOHN'S explanation was necessarily somewhat
ambiguous, as a Ministerial statement must needs be,
under the circumstances ; it was, moreover, in some
respects both alarming and satisfactory. Alarming,
for it evinced no attempt to explain away or to ex-
tenuate the serious nature of recent proceedings in
Ireland, and the imminent danger in which those
proceedings have involved the country. " It is quite
true," said Lord JOHN in that explanation, " that
language has been used in Ireland exciting rebellion
against the Crown—exciting the people to acts of
violence against persons and property, with a view
to establish Ireland as a separate nation, independent
of the Crown of these realms. Such language," pur-
sued the Noble Lord, " may at some periods be
passed over as the mere ravings of a distem-
pered fancy, which may have no dangerous effect.
Unfortunately it is not so at the present moment."
So far all is assuredly sufficiently alarming. " MY
belief certainly is," added Lord JOHN RUSSELL, "that
those who have used the language to which I have
adverted have done so for the purpose of raising
themselves, careless of the bloodshed and ruin they
may occasion." Awful, indeed, will be their responsi-
bility and their guilt who have this to answes. for.
Partaking of the criminal ambition of the " youth" who ruthlessly set fire to the temple ois
f' aspiring
Divinity, destroying a glorious work of
art, th cherished object of a people's veneration, solely f e
or
the purpose of acquiring notoriety by the shameful
deed, these incendiary agitators are indifferent as to
the extent of bloodshed and sorrow and suffering
that may ensue to an entire nation, so that they them-
selves in consequence may acquire a notoriety which
they mistake for fame. But is it possible
that these insensate men can sway the destinies
of Ireland ? Is it possible that their desperate
harangues can exert sufficient influence over the Irish
people to render them insensible to every moral and
religious duty incumbent on them as citizens, as pa-
triots, and as Christians ? We confess that, even yet,
we have too much faith in the Irish people to credit
such a lamentable supposition. The inconsistency
and forgetfulness of the multitude are proverbial ;
nevertheless, is it credible that a people, so enthu-
siastic and warm hearted, should be so utterly forget-
ful of sentiments which once powerfully agitated
their hearts, as never to call to mind, whilst listening
to the vehement declamations of their new orators,
tihe
earnest and impassioned eloquence of their once
( early beloved champion and friend DANIEL O'CON-
NELL. If they call to mind his animaied discourses, they
may perchance remember some fallacious arguments
amnudsitl I
a- jl
suod ge
infallibly clexhortations
remember
bnt oafl
IR,
hise p e adl
discourses
breathed breathed one spirit, that all hishiesxhortations were
unanimous in one object—that
stppeonretrgecaeppeal s most impressive
were invari-
us
ealbolgyueenlicceiteadnd meinsu
that that spirit and that oft
t i
at greatca cause—and
Peace, order, submission to at
the lawWawes PEA :E.
tinually insisted upon and advocated b' re
lei' n.
and yet twelve months have not passed yoveruhnis;
grave when the Irish have forgotten him and his

injunctions, and Ireland is arming herself and about
to break out in rebellion. Alas! for the mutability of
human hearts. Alas ! for the brief endurance of the
memory of the dead. If there was one thing which
DANIEL O'CONNELL prized most especially, if there
was one thing in which he peculiarly exulted, it
was the love with which he was regarded by
the Irish people. At some of the public
meetings which he attended in London he expatiated
in glowing terms upon the love and veneration enter-
tained for him by his countrymen. " Oh, could you
see them as I pass by !"_ was his simple and exultant
exclamation on one occasion when he proceeded to
describe how young and old pressed eagerly forward
to greet him with gratitude and joy, mothers holding
up their children to catch a glimpse of him. It was
only perfectly natural that he should feel gratified by
such simple and cordial testimonies of affection, for
the regard of our fellow-men is one of the sweetest
and most honourable satisfactions of human life. But
if the regard of the Irish people was a subject
of gratulation to O'CONNELL, how great would now
be his grief and disappointment to find the same
multitude that pressed upon his way, that hung
in rapture on his words, now eagerly submitting to
strangers, proclaiming doctrines totally in opposition
to his ? Mr. SHELL eloquently lamented that the
old man was not spared " to tread with feeble steps the
galleries of the Vatican, and receive the sanctifying
benediction from the descendant of St. PETEN ;" but,
instead of lamenting, we have rather now cause to re-
joice that he was not spared to see Ireland—his be-
loved Ireland—prepared to act in opposition to the
doctrines of his life. Yet we will still persist in hoping
that she is not so prepared. As we hare said already,
we have faith in the great body of the Irish people, not-
withstanding the threatening aspect of the disaffected
minority. Nevertheless, that minority must not be suf-
fered to infect the well-disposed. The best method of
preserving peace is to be prepared for war. Accord-
ing to this doctrine, the Government are prepared
to act, and now, having treated of the alarming,
we come to the more satisfactory, portion of Lord
JOHN RUSSELL'S explanation of yesterday. While
Lord CLARENDON is zealous in promoting every
means for effecting the amelioration of the condition
of the people, he is also prepared not only to prevent,
by peaceable measures, but, if necessary, to put down
by force, any further proceedings of the seditious and
insurgent. And, notwithstanding our antipathy to
coercive measures, and our advocacy of freedom of
speech and the liberty of the subject, we cannot, in
this instance, but approve of the determination ; for
this interference with the liberty of the subject is
only equivalent to the forcible removing, from
the hands of an insensate and desperate man,
of some offensive weapon with which he would
infallibly injure himself or others. Hence, for the
protection of all—of the innocent and the well-
disposed—it is advisable that the movements of the
disaffected should be arrested. Nevertheless, we will
venture to hope that preparation may be all that will
be required of the Government, and that the good
sense and good feeling of Ireland will prevent that
preparation from being reduced to practice.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

PROCEEDINGS AT PARIS.

We have received the Paris papers of yesterday.

Paris was quiet, but there had been serious dis-
turbances in some of the provinces.
The Courrier de la Sarthe states that a regiment
of carabineers, in garrison at La Fleche, had mutinied,
and released some of their comrades who had been
imprisoned for a breach of discipline. On the arrival
of the General commanding the division order was
restored.

At Lyons the troops refused to obey their officers,
and left their barracks contrary to orders, remaining
in the town all night. They afterwards proceeded to
rescue one of their comrades who had been arrested,
and then they made certain demands as to the dis
position of the troops, and also, it is said, required the
suppression of the Military an I Polytechnic Schools,
and the adoption of a law enacting' that hence-
forth all officers should be taken from the ranks.
Tranquillity was restored through the intervention of
the soldier who had been rescued from arrest, at whose
request the troops returned to their barracks. These
scenes took place on Thursday.

At Raonna serious disorders have !taken place,
and at Lillebonne (situated between Rouen and,Hav re)
the people assembled on Friday last, and insisted on
the liberation of some seditious persons who had
been arrested and imprisoned. The authorities re
fused compliance, and the troops and National
Guards, who opposed the populace, were attacked by
a shower of stones, and replied by a volley of mus-
ketry, which killed four men and two women, and
for the moment put an end to the riot.
At half-past three o'clock yesterday afternoon Mr.
SMITH O'BRIEN and his companions proceeded
to the Hotel de Ville to present their address. They
were received by M. LAMARTINE alone, no other
member of the Provisional Government being present.
Besides the address of the Irish Confederation, ad-
dresses were presented at the same time by Mr. R
O'GoamaN, jun., from the citizens of Dublin,
by Mr. MEAGHER from the Repealers of
Manchester, and by Mr. AlDEamorr from
the members of the Irish Confederation resident
in Liverpool. M. DE LAMARTINE replied to the
whole of these addresses in one speech. He began by
thanking them for the generous sentiments expressed
in the different addresses, and said that France re-
turned in full the sympathy therein testified. But
though they did so, he begged at the commencement
to recal to them the declaration made by the Re-
public at its birth, that it by no means intended,
directly or indirectly, to interfere in the affairs of
any of the constituted Powers of Europe—that
though they trusted to see those ideas of full and
democratic liberty extend through the world, yet
they must be permitted to do so by virtue of their
own goodness and truth. He said that he
hoped to see Ireland take that rank in prosperity
and happiness which it merited ; but he cau-
tioned them against entertaining any hope of
assistance from them in resistance to their own
Government. He bade them not forget that the glory
of England was theirs, and that their strength lay in
unity. He said that in giving any promise of assist-
ance to one party in a state they were sure to offend
equally another ; and recalled to their attention the
mistake made by Mr. PITT in 1798, when, by sup-
porting one party in France, he armed them against
the opposite, thereby giving rise to the sad spectacle
of Frenchmen fighting against Frenchmen. France,
he said, did not now intend to commit such another
fault. In conclusion M. LAMARTINE thanked them
once more for the admirable expression of sympathy
conveyed by them to the French Republic, a testi-
mony of regard which he said was one of the most
glorious they could receive.
The report with respect to the intention of the
Marquis of NORMANDY to quit Paris is contradicted
from authority. It appears that Lord NORMANDY
never contemplated leaving Paris either on account
of public or private business, and that he had no
conversation with M. DE LAMARTINE upon the
subject.
oc —This has been a dreadful
theeverything having been offered from the
commencement of business, and a heavy
Ta
Bourse,n33E °o IiCRLSEx.
PArus, MONDAY, APRIL 3.
closed at 35f. 25c., the lowest tfal l
havingda at
lower than the last quotation Cents.. opened at 39f., and
taken place.
Cents. opened at 59f., and wenotfd%cen
The Three
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Itthhe Fa ivf
of
withoutth day, aay,
checkand 4t
of.
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nd
sbseyf.o,
nadlsothteheprloeswseinstgpwriacnetofforthmeotl
fall of
41. 25c. No reason was assigneda;ur tis heavy decline
sally felt. Bank of Fiance
Shares
sy
lwhich is so univer-
sally
at 1,135 f.,
showing a fall of 40f.; Rowan is 21. c lower, closing at
501.; Obligations de la Ville
arc at 9601. or 951• lower;
50thf.e I ogwe
he re
r. :ißdeel-gp
rieae.endiaFtiiiv?ehs
(a nosd4lo')ieftolmrmonath aetxc6espotfi.,,)horth
Shares th
being better, at 5 lif. In Railway
is nut altogether so heavy, though they also have decline
Marseilles at 190 f., a fall of 10f.;
fered. Orleans, after being done as low as 505 f , clossued-
at 5201. being a fall of 51.; Rouen closed at 32.71. 50c ,
being a fall of 151.;
Vierzon, at 2101., a fall of 101.; Bordeaux, at 3801., a fall
of Bf. 75c.; Northern, at 315 f.; and Lyons at 215 E, being
each 6f. 25c. lower ; Strasburg at 333 f. or 31. 75c.
lower. Bons du Tresor were at less loss per cent, to-
day, it being only 43 in place of 44, which it was on Sa-
turday. French gold is at 70f., the English sovereign is
at 261., and the charge for changing a I,ooof. note not
more than 12f.

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT TIIE
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, Arm 3.
Boulogne and Amiens, 5"Si —Dutch Rhenish, 14—Namur
and Liege, I—Northern of France, `2!i —Paris and Lyons,
1,4—Rouen and Havre, 7 Sambre and Meuse, VA.