The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-12 00:00:00

THE ITALIAN COMPLICATION.

(From the Morning Post.)
At the stage which the Italian question has just
reached, with the vast addition to the military and
naval resources.of the national cause now received
from Naples, in presence of the insurrections
throughout the Marches, and in prospect of the
further effects which those insurrections must pro-
duce in the temporal authority of the Pope, it is
not perhaps altogether inexpedient or ill-tined to
review in a summary, yet comprehensive, manner
the actual relations of the chief European Powers,'
as more especially modified by their political inte-
rests and traditions, with the Italian G3vernments
and people.

The position of France, it is impossible to deny)
is one of peculiar difficulty. It is chiefly, if not
entirely, owing to her efforts that 22,000,000 of
Italians haVe been enabled to offer their allegiance
to King Victor Emmanuel ; that the foundations
have been laid of a great Italian kingdom but little
inferior in population to the French empire itself,
but far surpassing that empire in the wealth of its
natural resources, and equal at least as regards the
intelligence and genius of its etizens. For the
happiness of the Italian people, for the interests of
European peace and progress, he establishment of
this kingdom is a consummation devoutly to be
wished; but it is a consummation which certainly
was not contemplated on the Ist of January, 1859,
any more than it formed the basis of the arrange-
ments concluded at Villafranca. It is neither in
accordance with the first principles of human na-
ture, nor, let us add, with the strongest traditions of
French policy, that the sovereign who rules on the
lbanks of the Seine should elevate to a pinnacle of
almost equal greatness an Italian prirce, and con-
solidate his empire over the fair realm that is " en-
circled by alps and sea." It is no disparagement to
the policy of the French Emperor to affirm that he
never, even when he was most bent on making
Italy free, intended to make her powerful. The
frank avowal made by Lamartine in 1818, that the
traditional policy of France was directly opposed to
the creation of any strong Italian Government,
would be unhesitatingly echoed by statesmen of all
party shades in France—by Republicans as by Im-
perialists, by Orleanists as by Legitimists. The
few enunciations of an oppo.itp principle, recently
put forth for the first time, have been given• to the
world with all the reservations and qualifications of
a new and most startling theory; and we greatly
doubt whether a second politician could be found in
France so favourably inclined, as Napoleon 111. has
personally shown and proved himself, to promote
the prosperity and power of the Italian people. It
is quite possible that early antipathies against Aus-
tria may have had as great a share in determining
his policy as early sympathies for Italy. But the re-
sults have been the same, by whatever cause pro-
duced. Only, the course of events has been so diffe
rent from what was originally intended, that whilst
the campaign of last year terminated by securinga less
degree of independence than was promised to the
Italian people, it conferred a far greater amount of
power than was originally designed on an Italian
Prince.
But, if France did less than Italy expected, she
did far more during the war, and, by the transfer of
Savoy and Nice, effected more after the war than
was agreeable to three at least amongst the other
four great Powers. On the feelings of Austria at
the termination of the struggle it is unnecessary to
dwell. Baffled, and humiliated, and cowed, and
weakened, the House of Hapsburg came forth from
the contest with its political prestige even more
effectually destroyed than its military strength. It
seemed as if the wounds which it had received were
but the forerunners of other and more fatal blows,
beneath which the empire would sink for ever. It
is impossible, however, to doubt that with the meet-
ing at Toplitz a closer understanding has grown up
between the Austrian and Prussian Governments,
and the approaching conference 14 Warsaw, it is
commonly believed, will furnish an opportunity t o
the Czar of sanctioning and strengthening the
agreement already established between the Courts
of Vienna and Berlin. It would perhaps be prema-
ture to describe these imperial and royal delibera-
tions by the ominous name of a " Coalition ; " but
they have an evident reference to the Italian com-
plication, to the marvellous successes of Garibaldi.
to the complete overthrow of all Austrian influence
in Central, of all Russian influence in Southern,
Italy ; but, above all, they are mainly occasioned
by the close relation between the Venetian and the
Hungarian questions, and by the part which France
may be disposed to play in the event of the Italian
question affecting the general peace of Europe.
There are numberless indications of a complete un-
derstanding between the leaders of the national
party in Italy and the leaders of the national
party in Hungary. Garibaldi's staff contains
almost as many Hungarian as it does Italian
elements. It is impossible to doubt—at least
julaglng rtuw. .11 ;.. os.c4lsora.3* 1.2
bable—that a general rising in Hungary will
precede and facilitate a rising in the Venetian
territory. But no Russian or Prussian, any more
than an Austrian, statesman can contemplate
the bare possibility of a rising in Hungary, with-
ont having his thoughts engaged and his interests
engrossed by its reaction upon Poland. It is in
this sense that we interpret, simply because this
interpretation is the nearest, plainest and most in-
telligible, the communication said to have been

recently made by the Court of St. Petersburg to
that of Vienna—" That the present state of matters
is no longer tolerable, and that measures must be
taken to restore Europe to what would be deemed
by these Courts its normal state of tranquillity."
Amidst these clashing interests and hostile feel-
ings the policy of England is plain and clear. None
can doubt her attachment to national freedom and
independence. The present Government has thrown
the whole weight of its moral influence to assist
the Italian cause. England has just concluded with
France a treaty of commerce which she regards as a
fresh starting-point of still advancing material pro-
sperity. She is hound by traditions of race and by
dynastic ties to Prussia. For the sake of Turkey
she has no wish to see Austria maimed and crippled
in what constitutes her real strength. She can
only regard with satisfaction the great political
and social experiment in which Russia is now en-
gaged in the attempts to raise the condition of
ker serfs. For all these reasons she is especially
qualified to act as the mediator between the rival
stares; and her mediation can have no other
object in view than to reconcile their conflicting
interests and to secure the peace and prosperity of
their peoples.