The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-17 00:00:00

THE POPE AND THE KING OF ITALY.

GENOA, Nov. 14,

There is news that seems too good to be true.
The rumours that are everywhere afloat about a
possible reconciliation between the Pope and the
King of Italy may still require confirmation, and
we may have to wait a long time for it. They,
however, are not undeserving our attention. Nego-
tiations are said to be• pending between Count
Cavour and Cardinal Antonelli' for a formal renun-
ciation of the temporal power by the Pontiff. By
way of compensation his Holiness would receive an
annual revenue or civil list of 1,000,000 Roman
crowns—to which, of course, every Catholic Power
would be free, and no doubt too happy, to make its
own addition ; and' the cardinals—l suppose only
the Italian cardinals—would be admitted to the
dignity of senators. of the realm, and receive a
yearly stipend of 10,000 crowns.
These terms may, perhaps, not be deemed very
splendid, but what can be done ?' The situation of
the Pope could not be more desperate. The 'French
protectors are becoming more obnoxious to the
Court of the Vatican than its Piedmontese aggres-
sors. The troops of that nation hesitated, then came
to a halt, and altogether gave up their march upon
Orvieto. There was a turn, too sudden a turn,
in the reactionary tide. Viterbo, and the -other
Provinces nominally' restored to Papal allegiance,
were encouraged in their resistance; they held
their plebiscite under the very nose of General
Goyon. Monsignor de Merode•has' been weighed
and found wanting. Lamoriciere issues none but
despondent oracles. The Ultrarnontane and half-
Legitimist Generals and diplomatists who were
trusted with the protectidn of the Holy See ate
either shocked at prelatic quibbling, or, perhaps,
disgusted at being caught in their own toils. There
is, in short, "Discord inthe camp of Agramant."
A house ditided against itself is ready to fall, and
.a
fortress cut off fronl supplies must soon be starved
into surrender. The 'Papal "Government is said to
have not a stiver to carryon pUblic expenditure
beyond the close of this forthcoming December.
Even the 3,000 men to whom the Apostolical army
is reduced have mouths to be fed. Rome is deserted ;
actual misery stares the Pope and his subjects in the
face. St. Peter'S boat 'is evidently 'unseaworthy.;
shipwreck is inevitable, and the only man who is
still unwilling to strike sail must be flung overboard.
In plain language, the situation of the Pope is
desperate enough to bring any man, except the
soft-headed, and, therefore, most stubborn and
peevishly Obstinate Pius IX., to his senses. Anto-
nelli, and many of the Italian prelates, men dead to
all enthusiasm, and loath to 'court martyrdom, are
disposed to bow to necessity and to come to terms ;
the shrewd Secretary of State has 'now no great
occasion, and must relinquish all hope, to add to the
hoards f his immense wealth ; he clearly sees the
game is up, and the Pope must either bend or break
in his hands. As for Pius IX. himself, it was with
great difficulty, it is said, that he was prevented
from hurrying off to Gaeta to share the fortunes of
his devoted ally. Really that old man is a great
stumbling-block in the way both of his foes and his
friends.

The recent reports that the Earl of Derby,
although recovered from his late severe attack of
gout, will not henceforth take the prominent part
in politics which he has hitherto done,'Ereceive some
encouragement from the assembly, at the country
residence of Mr. Disraeli, of the other leading
members of the Tory party, including Lord Malmes-
bury and Lord Stanley.,,.

r.