The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-16 00:00:00

_

PRICE 4D. STAAMED, 5°

"that his government, on learning the nomination of
M. Boncornpagni to be Regent of Central Italy, had
desired him to inform the Emperor that, under
such circumstances, Austria would not meet a Sar-
dinian plenipotentiary in congress." " I under-
stand," Lord Cowley writes, on November 18, "that
! his Majesty gave Prince Metternich distinctly to
understand that the passage of the Po, under any
pretext, by Austrian troops, would be met with
a declaration of war on the part of France." The 1
Italian arrangement was modified, and Austria
withdrew her objection to attend a congress.
Later, in November, the French Government
found it necessary to ask Prince Metternich why
Austria was making military preparations in Ve-
netia. Lord Cowley writes (p. 222) that the Prince,
on his part, admitted the fact, and justified it, on the
ground that large forces were kept on foot in Sar-
dinia. "These forces, Prince Metternich observed,
might be employed in a manner which would neces-
sitate the interference of Austria, who would neither
permit the military occupation of the Duchies by
Sardinia, nor the annexation of them to that king-
dom." And notwithstanding the disavowals of any
intention of inter fering in Central Italy which we
have already quoted, we find Lord Loftus reporting
to this Government, on the Sth of November, that
Count Rechberg had just observed to him that
" with reference to any future interference in the
Duchies the Austrian. Government reserved to them.
selves complete liberty of action.'
Towards England Austria held language full of
resentment after the peace of Villafran ca. On his re-
turn from Verona Lord Loftus saw Count Rechberg,
who proceeded to express, and charged our Ambas-
sador to convey to the British Government, his deep
regret that, at a moment of severe trial, Austria had
been abandoned by England, her oldest and natura

ally. Lord Loftus observed to his Excellency that he
had used the term of" England having abandoned
Austria ;" but he must be aware that we had never
held out any hopes to Austria of our active support
and co-operation, and that at the commencement of
the war we had openly and frankly declared our
intention to preserve a strict neutrality.
Count Rechberg replied that although perhaps
Austria had no right to count upon the active and
material support of England, yet he had not ex-
pected that Englond would have taken an adverse
line ; for he must candidly declare that our policy
of late towards the Imperial Government had been

-of an unfriendly character. He said that he had clear

indications that Lord John Russell had openly
avowed a wish and desire that Italy should be
wholly freed from A.ustrian domination, and that
Austria should cease to hold any portion of the Ita-
lian territory. He added, that it could not be con-

sidercd as an act of justice or of good faith to urge

on an enemy to spoil and rob the possessions of a
friend. Lord Loftus replied that he had no cogni-

sance of any such part having been taken by Lord
John Russell, and that he could only assure his Ex-
cellency that the policy of her Majesty's Govern-
_ _

ment had been openly and avowedly expressed in
favour and support of a strict neutrality. We had
from the beginning done all in our power to prevent
the war. The British nation were intent on peace,
and had been determined not to be dragged into a
war in which their interests were not directly con-

cerned, and which had not been of their seeking.
Austria had unfortunately acted against the coun-
sels of her friends and allies, and had rashly entered
,on the contest. She must, therefore, incur all its
responsibilities, its risks, its losses.

SPAIN AND MOROCCO.

(From the Correspondent of the Times.)
BEFORE TETUAN', FEB. 5.

The Moorish envoys said that the strength of the
army yesterday opposed to the Spaniards was 26,000
men. Even supposing that they might have reasons,
difficult to imagine, for exaggerating its numbers,
the number of tents found would certainly accom-
modate that force. Half the numbers, disciplined
and well cominanded,ahonld have held the position
yesterday captured against a larger force than that
of O'll.annell. We have often thought that the
Moors grudged their labour, because we saw that
they did not destroy the Spanish roads when they
might easily have done so. But they must have
had other reasons. The fortification of their camp
is of a nature to prove that, if they he not addicted
to work, there are those among them who know
how to make them toil to good purpose. Their long
line of solid lofty earthworks is of a nature to show
this. The position, too, was extremely well chosen.
The swamp in front was sure to arrest, or at least
greatly impede, the passage of an attacking force,
and so expose it to heavy loss from the fire of the
redoubt. The mud and water not only extend along
the whole front but also round on one side, while
at the other exbremity (the left of the position) the
ground rises, and there are wood and bushes in
front, which yesterday, as abovementioned, afforded
excellent cover to the Moorish sharpshooters. The
Moors were confident in the strength of their cita-
del—for such their late camp truly is, and cer-
tainly, bad it been garrisoned as well as it was for-
tified, the Spaniards would never have taken it. A
very few thousand European troops, with a mode-
rate supply of artillery, would have sent them back
across the plain with heary loss. As it is, they
would have lost more but for the judgment with
which their movements were combined, and the
extremely poor practice of the Moorish artillery-
men, who are evidently much more brave than
skilful. Although they had plenty of masses to
play upon, there were but two men hit on the side
of the Spaniards until these came quite close. That
there was plenty of firing is evideat from the
ground in front of the redoubt, which is ploughed
up in all directions by round shot and shell..
The deputation was conducted back towards
Tetuan by a company of riflemen and some Staff.
They had arrived escorted by a party of Moorish
soldiers, but these got surrounded in head-quarters
camp by officers and idlers, and by some accident
those they came to guard departed without them.
At a certain distanee from the city the envoys ex-
pressed a wish to be allowed to proceed alone, but
as there were Spanish soldiers straggling to the
front, on various ;pretext., but probably with an
eye to marauding, and some of whom might not
have recognised or respected the sacred character
of a flag of truce, it was thought prudent that an
officer and two men should go with them a little
further. On my return to camp I found the
Moorish escort still there. Possibly they were
picked men, but certainly they were all fine-looking
fellows, of various ages, from an elderly man with
grey moustaches, but still active and athletic, down
to lads as yet beardless. Some of their counte-
nances were remarkably pleasing and of a very
good expression. They evidently did not belong
to the wild tribes which the Spaniards have as yet
had chiefly opposed to them, and were probably
natives of Tetuan. Their guns were clean and in
good order, and some of them were excellent
weapons. Before they left they had got on ex-
tremely friendly terms with the Spaniards, and
suppose there will shortly be greetings and recog-
nitions in Tetuan.

The Military Organisation Committee of the
House of Commons will be reappointed in a few days, and
it is rumoured that the chairman, Sir James Graham, has
ni frand an elaborate report to be :submitted to it, involving
very considerable changes in the administration of military
affairs.—Army and Navy Gazette.
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NEWSP kPE R.
THE WEATHER AN TB 7
„,.,-: ~,,,s_i
The weather yesterday was fair, op titiV-4 ;
-ii S?'" .../
mild lot the season. .The wind, which had cAlinuel S
north with the temperature at 26 deg. during the
preceding night, went round to the westward in the
forenoon, and the temperature rose to 361 deg, is
the shade. The barometer did not indicate any
further change, but continued to stand at 30 4 deg.
during the day. i
As early as nine a.m. several members of the
Skating Club wera engaged in their favourite sport
on the Long-water in Kensington-gardens, a
marquee being erected on the bank for their con-
venience; and, although the ice was in a very dan-
gerous state, before noon there were about 500
assembled here upon it. Immersions were conse-
quently not uncommon. Two gentlemen broke
through, and on being got out were able to pro-
ceed to their homes. Anot her, less fortunate, broke
through near the north side of the bridge, but by
the aid of a rope laid across the ice was enabled to
extricate himself. He was subsequently removed
to the Receiving-house and promptly attended by
Dr. Cornish, and in about two hours after the appli-
cation of the usual remedies he recovered so as to he
able to leave the place. On the Serpentine, in the
early part of the day, there were also about 500
skaters ; but here, as well as at the Regent's-park,
about noon, the ice became so dangerous that the
ice-men proceeded to clear it, and kept it so during
the remainder of the day. At St. James's-park no
casualty took place.

An investigation took place last evening by a
committee of the Royal Humane Society respecting
the fatal accident on the Serpentine yesterday.

71IE CO2II.IIERCIAL TREATY OF EVG-
LAND WITH F.R2IAVE IN 1787. •

It is worthy of note that 73 years ago, in the
same month, and nearly on the identical day on
which Mr. Gladstone, in 1860, entered into the par-
ticulars of ou: commercial treaty with France, Mr.
Pitt brought forward a similar proposition. A con-
temporary historian (Belsham) writes to this effect :
"On the 12th of February, 1787, the house resolved
itself into a committee on this subject, when Mr.
Pitt entered into a most able and eloquent vindica-
tion of the measure. He declared in energetic terms
his abhorrence of the maxim, that any nation was
destined to be the natural and unalterable foe of
another. It had no foundation in the experience of
nations or in the history of men. It was a libel on
the constitution of political societies, and supposed
the existence of infernal malignity in our original
frame. France, in most of our wars, had been the
aggressor ; but her assurances and frankness in the
present negotiations were such as to entitle her to a
return of confidence. It was, indeed, ridiculous to
imagine that the French would consent to yield
advantages without the idea of compensation. The
treatrwould, doubtless, be a benefit to them; but he
did not hesitate to say it would be a much greater
benefit to us. She gained for her wines and other pro-
ductions a great and opulent market; we did the same
' for our manufactures to a far greater degree. She
procured a market of 8,000,000 of people, we a mar-
ket of 24,000,000. Both nations were disposed and
prepired for such a connexion. France, by the pecu-
liar dispensation of Providence, was gifted, perhaps
more than any other country upon earth, with what
made life desirable in point of soil, climate, and na-
tural productions, in the most fertile vineyards and
the richest harvests. Britain, on the other hand,
possessing these advantages in an inferior degree,
had, from the freedom of its constitution and the
equal security of its laws, risen to a state of com-
mercial grandeur, and acquired the ability of sup-
plying France with the requisite conveniences of
life in exchange for her natural luxuries. Objec-
tions were suggested by the leaders of Opposition
against this treaty, and predictions hazarded of the
injury which would be sustained by Great Britain
in consequence of this measure. Such was the im-
pression made upon the house by the arguments ad-
vanced, that no less than 162 members divided
against the Minister on a motion for an address to
his Majesty declaratory of the approbation of the
house, which was ultimately carried by a majority
of 76 voices. The opposition of the house was not,
however, supported by any commercial clamours
beyond its walls The measure received
the necessary concurrence and sanction of Parlia-
ment, and the whole transaction terminated greatly
to the honour of the Minister and the advantage
of the nation ; the sole cause ofregret, infect, being
the limitation of the treaty to the short period of
12 years."

HIGH WATER. AT LONDON BRIDGE.
THIS DAY.—Morning, 9h. 4m.—Afternoon, 9h. 50In
To-momtow.-Morning, 10h. 38m.—Afternoon, 11h. 24m,